Jauhar, sometimes spelled Jowhar or Juhar, was a Hindu Rajput practice of mass self-immolation by women and girls in the Indian subcontinent to avoid capture, enslavement, and rape by islamic invaders when facing certain defeat during a war. Some reports of jauhar mention women committing self-immolation along with their children. This practice was historically observed in the northwest regions of India, with most famous jauhars in recorded history occurring during wars between Hindu Rajput kingdoms in Rajasthan and the opposing Muslim armies. Jauhar was only performed during war, usually when there was no chance of victory. The term jauhar often connotes jauhar-immolation. Jauhar involved Hindu Rajput women committing suicide with their children and valuables in a massive fire, in order to avoid capture and abuse in the face of inescapable military defeat. At the same time or shortly thereafter, the men would ritualistically march to the battlefield expecting certain death, which in the regional tradition is called saka. This practice was intended to show that those committing it valued their honor more highly than their lives.
The Sisodia was an Indian royal dynasty belonging to the clan that ruled over the Kingdom of Mewar, in the region of Mewar in Rajasthan. The name of the clan is also transliterated as Sesodia, Shishodia, Sishodia, Shishodya, Sisodya, Sisodiya, Sisodia.
Chittorgarh is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghold of the Rajput State of Medapata. The city of Chittorgarh is located on the banks of river Gambhiri and Berach.
Padmini, also known as Padmavati or Rani Padmavati, was a 13th–14th century queen of the Guhila Rajput dynasty of Mewar kingdom of present-day India. Several medieval texts mention her, although these versions are disparate and many modern historians question the extent of their overall authenticity.
Ratnasimha or Rawal Ratan Singh was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar in present-day Rajasthan, India. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the Guhila Rajput dynasty, which ruled from the Chitrakuta fort. The last ruler of this branch, he was defeated by Alauddin Khalji during the Siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 CE.
Chittorgarh, also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls over a hill 180 m (590.6 ft) in height spread over an area of 280 ha above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. The fort covers 65 historic structures, which include four palaces, 19 large temples, 20 large water bodies, 4 memorials and a few victory towers.
Malik Muhammad Jayasi was an Indian Sufi poet and pir. He wrote in the Awadhi language, and in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. His best known work is the epic poem Padmavat (1540).
Padmavat is an epic poem written in 1540 by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, who wrote it in the Hindustani language of Awadhi, and originally in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. It is the oldest extant text among the important works in Awadhi. A famous piece of Sufi literature from the period, it relates an allegorical fictional story about Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji's desire for the titular Padmavati, the Queen of Chittor based on historic conquest of chittor. Alauddin Khalji and Padmavati's husband Ratan Sen are historical figures, whereas Padmavati may have been a fictional character.
Padmâvatî is an opera in two acts by the French composer Albert Roussel. The libretto, by Louis Laloy, is based on Théodore-Marie Pavie's La légende de Padmanî, reine de Tchitor, which retells the legend recounted in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's poem Padmavat (1540). It was first performed at the Paris Opéra on June 1, 1923. Roussel styled the work an opéra-ballet and there are many dance numbers and opportunities for spectacle. The composer was inspired by his visit to the ruined city of Chittor in Rajputana and he incorporated many features of Indian music into the score.
Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur is an Indian historical drama television series that aired on Sony Entertainment Television, based on the life of Rani Padmini, the 14th-century queen of Chittod, Mewar, Rajasthan. The drama premiered on 25 May 2009.
Chitor Rani Padmini is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film written by C. V. Sridhar and Elangovan, and directed by Ch. Narayana Murthy. It is based on the legend of Rani Padmini. The film starred Sivaji Ganesan as Rana Ratan Singh and Vyjayanthimala as the title character. M. N. Nambiar, T. S. Balaiah, Kaka Radhakrishnan, and T. P. Muthulakshmi appear in supporting roles. It was released on 9 February 1963.
Alauddin Khalji, born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in India, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.
The Guhilas of Medapata colloquially known as Guhilas of Mewar were a Rajput dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mewar region in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The Guhila kings initially ruled as Gurjara-Pratihara feudatories between the end of 8th and 9th centuries and later were independent in period of the early 10th century and allied themselves with the Rashtrakutas. Their capitals included Nagahrada (Nagda) and Aghata (Ahar). For this reason, they are also known as the Nagda-Ahar branch of the Guhilas.
Padmaavat is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language historical drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on the epic poem of the same name by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, it stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, a Sinhalese-born Rajput queen known for her beauty, wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh, played by Shahid Kapoor. Sultan Alauddin Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh, hears of her beauty and attacks her kingdom to enslave her. Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Raza Murad, and Anupriya Goenka featured in supporting roles.
The siege of Chittorgarh occurred in 1303, when the Khalji ruler Alauddin Khalji captured and sacked the Chittor Fort, toppling the Guhila king Ratnasimha, after an eight-month-long siege. The conflict has been described in several legendary accounts, including the historical epic poem Padmavat, which claims that Alauddin's motive was to obtain Ratnasimha's beautiful wife Padmini; though this legend is considered of little historically significance by most historians. Alauddin ordered the fort to be pelted with stones from his siege engines (munjaniqs). When the fort was stormed, Rajput women committed Jauhar while most of the warriors died defending the fort. The city of Chittor was completely sacked by Alauddin's army and several temples were desecrated.
Ramya Sreenivasan is an Indian scholar of English and early modern Indian history. She is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania. She was originally appointed in the Department of South Asian Studies in 2009. Best known for her book The Many Lives of a Rajput Queen, she is a winner of the Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy Prize.
Nagmati was, according to legend, the first wife and chief queen of King Ratan Sen, the Rajput ruler of Medapata. Nagmati plays an important role in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem Padmavat.
Padmavati is an epic poem written in 1648 by Alaol. It is a medieval Bengali poem inspired by the Awadhi poem Padmavat, by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. Blended with folklore and history, the poem is about the marriage of Ratnasimha and Sinhala and the ever-beautiful princess Padmavati of Chittor. However, Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate leads an invasion to win her. The Bengali version of the account focuses more on the topic of secular love and less on Sufism, unlike the original. The poem was written under the patronage of Quraishi Magan Thakur. According to this text, Padmini (Padmavati) handed over the responsibility of her two sons to the Sultan, Alauddin before her death by committing jauhar.
