The
story of Panna Dai
Rajasthan is studded with forts, many of them massive and imposing. These structures, rising majestically in the desolate desert, have spawned hundreds of captivating tales about the valour and courage of Rajput warriors, their fierce loyalty and their patriotism. Here’s one such story from the kingdom of Mewar, whose history and folklore are replete with tales of heroic deeds and sacrifices typical of Rajasthani people, particularly their women.
Mewar is a region in south-central part of Rajasthan. The history of Mewar speaks about fierce and courageous women warriors --- Rajput royal women dying heroically for their honour or while protecting their kingdom from invaders. However, many stories also recount the spirit of ordinary women exhibiting extraordinary valour.
One such story from Mewar is of a lady who was an ordinary mother. She
was neither a queen, a warrior princess nor a general’s daughter. But she
played a vital role in saving the Maharana of Mewar. Her loyalty and patriotism
were unparalleled. Her name was Panna Dai. She was a maid serving her queen,
Rani Karnavati. A very intelligent woman, her advice was often sought by the
queen, even on political matters.
Mewar was then being ruled by Vikramaditya, one of Rani Karnavati’s
elder sons. Chittorgarh, which was a part of his kingdom, was attacked by
Bahadur Shah of Gujrat. Vikramaditya fought hard with a small army but lost the
battle.
Rani Karnavati was not happy with her son Vikramaditya. She then
entrusted her maid, Panna Dai, to groom her youngest son Udai Singh for the
throne. Vikramaditya, meanwhile, hastened his own doom by misbehaving. He
physically abused his chieftain at the court, which upset all the nobles. In
their fury, they revolted and arrested Vikramaditya. Udai singh, Vikramaditya’s
youngest brother, was the next heir to the throne but Udai Singh was a minor at
that time, the court appointed a distant cousin, Banvir, to act as the regent.
Banvir exploited the situation to fulfill his own ambitions. He wanted
to become the king. One day, he assassinated Vikramaditya, who was then in
prison. He was, however, spotted by a maid while he was still holding the
blood-stained sword. The maid immediately informed Panna Dai about Banvir’s
dastardly deed. She also alerted Panna Dai that Banvir was on his way to kill
Udai Singh.
Panna Dai now had to act quickly to save only living heir of Mewar. She
concealed Udai Singh in a basket, covered it with fruits and put her own son
Chandan on the bed of Udai Singh. Banvir came and killed Chandan without
knowing of the substitution.
In the meantime, Panna Dai took help from the other chieftains and ran away with the basket. Four years went by. Udai Singh got married to a Rajput princess. Panna Dai then revealed the secret of the esacpe of Udai Singh to the Rajput chieftains. They were convinced and felt it was their duty to restore the throne to the rightful heir. They fought on Udai singh’s side against Banvir Singh and defeated him.
Finally, Udai Singh became the Maharana of Mewar. Panna Dai was very
happy to see Udai Singh on the throne. Her sorrow was washed away as she felt
that she had done her duty. She had saved Mewar.
Thus, Panna Dai became a symbol of sacrifice and loyalty. She sacrificed
her own son and her happiness for the sake of Mewar.
