A Great Sacrifice

A Great Sacrifice Panna placed her own sleeping son Chandan, on the bed of Uday Singh... by Dina Nath Dube Though the people of Rajasthan are well known for their Chivalry and valour, they too had their share of villains. Banvir was one such character. Invited by nobles to be the guardian of the weak but arrogant king, Vikramaditya, he exploited the situation to fulfill his own ambitions. And he might have been successful too, had it not been for Panna. Inspite of his lineage, rich in the respectability and the valour of Sisodias, Vikramaditya, who ascended the throne of Mewar was a very insolent and arrogant king. Many self-respecting nobles found his behavior intolerable and left Chittor never to return till Vikramaditya was on the throne. Rani Karnavati, Vikramaditya's mother was equally distressed with her son's behavior and one day confided her grief to her trusted maidservant Panna. The wise Panna suggested that the queen should ever, in the meantime, Mewar was attacked for the second time by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, at whose hands Vikramaditya had earlier received an ignominous defeat. It was a matter of great concern for Rani Karnavati. The antagonized nobles were not ready to fight for Vikramaditya and the imminent battle was sure to be another blot in the history of Sisodias. On Panna's suggestion Rani Karnavati wrote to the nobles to come forward for the shake of the honour of the Sisodias, and was able to persuade the nobles to fight for Mewar, if not for Vikramaditya. There sole condition was that Vikramaditya and Uday Singh should go to Bundi during the war for their personal safety. Rani Karnavati agreed to send her sons to Bundi and told Panna to accompany them and take good care of them. Panna was reluctant, but surrendered to the wishes of the queen, when she assured her that with the renewed support of the nobles and the expected help from Humayun, all would be well. However, tidings from Chittor were not good and a messenger informed Panna that the Sisodias had fought valiantly, but they were outnumbered and the war was lost. Rani Karnavati had committed jauhar, a ritual of self-immolation in circumstances such that were prevailing then. Bahadur Shah had to, however, flee from Chittor when Mughal military reinforcements arrived. The loyal Rajput of Chittor sent a message to Bundi that Chittor was safe and the Rana could return without danger. Rana Vikramaditya and his brother along with Panna returned to the capital, but Vikramaditya soon reverted to his old ways and accumulated a big cluster of sycophants around him. One of the most dangerous among his courtiers was Banvir, who was also related to the Rana, and whom the Rana's father had banished from his kingdom. Banvir had plans of his own. He felt that there were only two obstacles between him and the throne-Vikramaditya and his brother Uday Singh. He secretly conspired to kill both. After he had assassinated Vikramaditya, Banvir was spotted by Rajmani, a maidservant and seeing his crimson sword, she promptly informed Panna of the cruel deed and said that Banvir was now coming for Uday Singh. Panna's mind began racing. She had to save the only living heir to the throne of Mewar. She ordered that a big basket and some fruits be brought. She then concealed Uday Singh in the basket and covered him with fruits and the future Maharana of the Mewar was smuggled out of the reach of Banvir. Panna placed her own sleeping son Chandan, on the bed of Uday Singh. When Banvir came, he unknowingly slew Chandan, thinking that it was Uday Singh sleeping in his bed. Soon Panna, who could not even mourn for her son, was hurrying away from Chittor with Uday Singh in search of help from other chieftains. The Rao Asa Sah of Kumbhamer was ready to give them shelter. Four year passed and Uday Singh was married to a Rajput princess. Panna then contacted the Rajput chieftains and revealed to them the story of Uday Singh's escape. The Rajput chieftain, on coming to know the truth, considered their duty to restore the throne to the rightful owner. They joined Uday Singh in the revolt against Banvir and in a battle fought near Maholi, Banvir's entire army was routed. At last Uday Singh returned to Chittor and was later crowned as the Maharana of Mewar. He was much indebted to Panna for her great sacrifice, yet Panna in the same Rajput tradition felt that it was her duty and all her sorrow was washed away on seeing Uday Singh on the throne.