Rani Durgavati
Durgavati was the daughter of the
Rajput chief, Raja Shalivahan of Mahoba (in modern Madhya Pradesh). She was
married to Dalpat, the ruler of Darha Katanga in Gondwana. After her husband’s
untimely death in 1548 A.D., Durgavati became the regent, as her son, Bir
Narayan, was a minor.
Rani Durgavati was a fine horsewoman
and an excellent shot. She always had the people’s welfare uppermost in her
mind and this quality endeared her to her subjects.
Bir Narayan grew into a strapping lad,
as adept as his mother in hunting and warfare. The Rani personally supervised
his training in arms.
News of Garha’s supremacy reached
Emperor Akbar’s ears and he sent Governor, Asaf Khan I, to invade Gondwana in
1564.
When the Mughal army came in sight,
the gallant queen mounted her favourite elephant, Sarman and with burnished
lance in hand, inspired her vastly outnumbered troops to repel the invaders.
Eventually, the Mughal army
overwhelmed Durgavati’s forces. Bir Narayan was wounded in the course of the
battle and had to be carried away from the field. At this, most of Durgavati’s
soldiers lost heart and deserted. She was left with only 300 men.
Her officers advised her to retreat or
surrender, but she was reluctant to adopt either course. Two arrows struck her.
One lodged in her neck and the other pierced her temple. She pulled out the
arrows and though bleeding profusely, continued to fight. But now the Mughals
were closing in on her and capture seemed imminent. She ordered her manhout to
stab her. When he refused, she threw herself on her dagger. Her last words
were:
“I am overcome in battle… God forbid
that I also be overcome in name and honour.”
Her tomb was erected at the place she
fell, in the hills between Garha and Mandala (in Jabalpur district) and can
still be seen there.
