Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Jauhar and Saka were originally the voluntary death of the royal Rajput men and women in order to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of enemies. Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India

Jauhar (sometimes spelt jowhar) was originally the voluntary death on a funeral pyre of the queens and royal womenfolk of defeated Rajput castes. The term is extended to describe the occasional practice of mass suicide carried out in medieval times by Rajput women and men. Mass suicide occurs when a number of people kill themselves together and/or for the same reason Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India Mass self-immolation by women was called Jauhar, and riding out and fighting to death by men was called saka.

Contents

Practice

Jauhar is often described in terms of the women and children alone, but should correctly be understood as including the death of the men on the battlefield. As generally described, Jauhar and saka involved:

  1. A defending Rajput army being besieged inside a fortification by an invading enemy army;
  2. The realization by the defenders that defeat was imminent or unavoidable and no options were left. Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India
  3. The realization by the defenders that the enemy army would capture and dishonour women.
  4. The immolation, en masse, of women and young children to avoid molestation by the victorious invading army;
  5. The riding out, into open battle and certain death, of the menfolk, there to die on the field of war.

The Jauhar in itself could not be performed without the "Saka" part of Jauhar and Saka. When defeat became certain in a war, it was considered proper to fight to the last breath, but to avoid capture and dishonour of royal women, Jauhar was committed.

On the final day of battle, the womenfolk dressed in wedding finery and sacrificed before the fire god and men bearing a Kesariya Bana(saffron coloured dress), attacked the enemy. It was estimated prior to this that the enemy was so powerful that death was almost certain. There were few options, and Rajput men chose to fight and die. Jauhar was the only precaution against their women being molested and dishonoured at the hands of the enemy. Jauhar and Saka were always performed together.

Despite occasional confusion, this practice is not at all related with "Sati". Satī ( Devanagari: सती, the feminine of sat "true" (also suttee) is a Funeral practice among some While both practices have been most common historically in the territory of modern Rajasthan, Sati was a custom performed by widowed women only, while Jauhar and Saka were committed while both the partners were living and only at a time of war.

Occurrence

Jauhar and Saka were limited to the Hindu Kshatriya caste named Rajputs, who formed the upper and ruling classes and castes of Rajasthan and northern India, and were the warrior caste in these areas. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय kṣatriya from क्षत्र kṣatra) is one of the four varnas (social orders in Hinduism Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India Rājasthān ( Devanāgarī: राजस्थान raːdʒəst̪ʰaːn is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

There is extensive glorification of the practice in the local ballads and folk-histories of Rajasthan; however, the accuracy of these accounts has probably degraded due to over-romanticization. Rājasthān ( Devanāgarī: राजस्थान raːdʒəst̪ʰaːn is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area Accounts of the invaders finding a deserted city with no living residents are not historically accurate; Brahmins, Charans, servants and slaves and other communities also lived with Rajputs. Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. Chāraṇ ( plural Charans; Hindi:चारण Gujarati:ચારણ is the term for a Caste living in the Gujarat and They lived to tell the story. The cases of Rajputs running from battle at the time of "Saka" have not been established. In fact, Rajputs considered it disgraceful to run from battlefield.

There are many instances of Jauhar (and saka), but these are not properly recorded. At the fort of Bayana King Vijaipal's wife committed Jauhar based on misleading information from "Timan Garh" (Timan Garh is famous for old sculpture). WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Bayana is a historical town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in India. It is now in the Karauli district of Rajasthan). WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Karauli (also formerly spelled Karoli or Kerowlee) is a town lying in the Indian state The women-folk of the family of Silhadi the military power-broker committed Jauhar.

There are a number of other instances of jauhar, especially in the Khilji and Tughlaq times. During the Tughlaq campaign against the state of Kampili in the Raichur Doab and the siege of Annegondi - later to be famous as Vijayanagar - a Jauhar was committed. Searching for other instances of Jauhar will indicate whether Jauhar was a Rajput prerogative or was practiced by other military peoples as well. It is quite possible that the Jauhar at Annegondi was committed by a Rajput contingent in the fort, as it is clear that after its reduction the besiegers took many prisoners from amongst the ruling and fighting classes and sent them to Delhi.

The best known cases of Jauhar are the three occurrences at the fort of Chittaur (Chittaurgarh, Chittorgarh), in Rajasthan, in 1303, in 1535, and 1568. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient town in Jaisalmer has witnessed two occurrences of Jauhar. This article is about the city of India For historical region and state see also Jaisalmer state Jaisalmer ( Hindi: जैसालमेर nicknamed Another occurrence was in Chanderi. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chanderi is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of Madhya Pradesh state

First Jauhar

In 1303 AD, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi besieged Chittor fort, which was under the control of Rana Rawal Ratan Singh. Ala-ud-din Khilji ( Pashto / Arabic: علاء الدين الخلجي) (real name Juna Khan) (b WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient town in Rawal Ratan Singh was the 42nd ruler of Mewar, a state that then covered part of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. Ultimately he agreed to have a glimpse of Rani Padmini in a mirror, which the Rana agreed to. Rani Padmini was the the queen of Chittor and the wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh. After this was done, Rana accompanied him due to courtesy to gates of fort. The Rana was dishonestly arrested and kept as hostage for Padmini. As per Padmini's plan, misleading information was sent to Alluddin that Padmini had decided to come to Ala-ud-din, but as her status demanded, she was to come with 700 women. Allauddin agreed to this. The Rajputs were thus able to infiltrate about 2000 men into Allauddin's camp. Each Palaqi Palanquin) contained two Rajput soldiers and four men to lift it. The litter is a class of Wheelless Vehicles a type of Human-powered transport, for the transport of persons Gora and Badal were leading this team. Gora and Badal were legendary warriors from Chittorgarh Mewar who fought bravely for rescue of Rawal Ratan Singh. Ala ud din was told that Padmini desired a last interview with her husband and he agreed. The Rajputs were thus able to transport Ratan Singh to safety and make a fool out of the Khilji king. Beaten, Ala ud din returned to Delhi to come back better equipped early the next year. This time the Rajputs were out of luck and perished on the battlefield while their womenfolk, led by Maharani Padmini, performed Jauhar. In particular, the siege of Chittor, its brave defence by the Guhilas, the saga of Rani Padmini and the Jauhar she led are the legendary. This incident has had a defining impact upon the Rajput character and is detailed in a succeeding section.

Second Jauhar

Rana Sanga died in 1528 AD after the Battle of Khanua. Maharana Sangram Singh (commonly known as Rana Sanga) ( April 12, 1484 – March 17, 1527) was the ruler of Mewar, a region The Battle of Khanua (1527 was the second of the series of three major battles victories in which gave Mughal warlord Zaheer-ud-din Babur overlordship over Shortly afterwards, Mewar and Chittor came under the regency of his widow, Rani Karmavati. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient town in The kingdom was menaced by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who besieged Chittorgarh. Bahadur Shah (ruled 1526-1535 and 1536-1537 was a Sultan of Gujarat, at the time an independent realm but now a state in the Republic of India. Without relief from other forces and facing defeat, The Rani committed Jauhar with other women on March 8, 1535 AD, while the Rajput Army sallied out to meet the besieging Muslim army and committed saka. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.

According to one romantic legend of dubious veracity, Karmavati importuned the assistance of Humayun the son of Babur, her late husband's foe, by sending him a Rakhi and a request for his help as a brother. Background Babur's decision to divide the territories of his empire between two of his sons was unusual in India but it had been a common Central Asian practice since the time of Babur ( February 14 1483 - December 26 1530) was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who following a series of setbacks The help arrived too late. This is the occasion for the second of the three Jauhars performed at Chittor.

Third Jauhar

Emperor Akbar besieged the fort of Chittor in September 1567 AD. Akbar redirects here For other uses see Akbar (disambiguation Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ( Jalāl ud-Dīn Muhammad Akbar WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient town in Changing the strategy, Rana Udai Singh II, his sons and royal women left Chittor soon after this incident by a hidden way. Maharana Udai Singh (August 4 1522 – February 28 1572) was a king of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present day The fort was left in charge of Jaimal Rathore and Patta Sisodiya. Early history Based on "khyats" (traditional accounts written in seventeenth century it is surmised that the Rathores and Rathods were originally feudatories of the The Sisodia (also known as Sesodia or Shishodia or Shishodya or Sisodya or Sisodhya) are a Rajput clan who ruled the kingdom One morning Akbar found Jaimal inspecting repair works of the fort which was damaged by mines. He shot him with his gun. The bullet hit Jaimal in the leg and wounded him seriously. The same day Rajputs found defeat was certain, their women committed Jauhar in the night of February 22,1568 AD. In the next morning, Rajput men committed saka. (Abul Faz'l has given a true account of the event as seen by Akbar in his biography in 1568 AD. Shaikh Abu al-Fazl ibn Mubarak ( Persian:ابو الفضل also known as Abu'l-Fazl, Abu'l Fadl and Abu'l-Fadl 'Allami ( January 14 Akbar redirects here For other uses see Akbar (disambiguation Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ( Jalāl ud-Dīn Muhammad Akbar )

See also

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic