Saturday, April 4, 2015

D IS FOR RANI DURGAVATI MARAVI

                                                                  (1524 - 1564)
     Durgavati Marati was born in what is now Utter Pradesh, India, into the Chandel dynasty of Emperor Keerat Rai.  At the age of 18 she was married to Dalpat Shah of the Gond dynasty, thus forming a strategic alliance between the two powerful families.
     When her husband Dalpat Shah died in about 1550, their only child, a son named Vir Narayan, was only seven years old.  Because he was too young to assume leadership, Durgavati took control of the Gond Kingdom, assuming the title Rani (Queen).  Her effectiveness in this role was tested in 1556 when her kingdom was attacked by Baz Bahadur from the neighboring Malwa region.  The Gond armies repelled the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.  But in 1562, Bahadur was defeated by the very powerful Mughal sultanate, and as a result, Rani Durgavati's kingdom now shared a border with the famously fierce Mughals.  Asaf Khan, a Mughal general, wasted no time in invading Gond territory.
     Rani Durgavati engaged Asaf Khan's forces in battle and, although her soldiers were greatly outnumbered by the better-trained and better-armed Mughal forces, and her top general was killed, Durgavati herself took over the battle and was able to temporarily disperse the Mughal forces.
     Durgavati wanted to attack the Mughals again that night, but her lieutenants refused to carry out this plan.  As a result, the Mughals were able to receive reinforcements during the night.  The following morning, June 24, 1564, Durgavati, riding her war elephant Sarman, personally led her troops into battle.  Although her soldiers forced the Mughals to retreat three times, the tide turned when Durgavati's son was wounded and had to be removed from the battlefield.  Then Durgavati's neck was pierced by an arrow and she lost consciousness.  When she awoke and realized that defeat was imminent, she killed herself with her dagger rather than surrender to the enemy.
     Rani Durgavati Marati is still renowned in India for her great courage and leadership.  In 1983, Jabalpur University was renamed Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, and the present-day train between Jabalpur and Jammutawi is known as the Durgavati Express.  And Durgavati lives on, astride her elephant, as a noble statue in Jabalpur


and on a 1988 postage stamp, where she resembles an Amazon warrior.


p.s.  I hope you like this post, Archana!  It's for you!

18 comments:

  1. I am really enjoying this series! Thank you for introducing us to such an interesting collection of people out of history.

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting again! I've been trying to choose really interesting people from all different cultures. Glad to know it works for you!

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  2. So interesting and incredible history you are sharing, Susan. I, too, am enjoying it immensely. Your research and visuals make it such interesting reading.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal
    AtoZ 2015 Challenge
    Minion for AJ's wHooligans

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    1. Thank you very much, Sue! Nerd that I am, I'm having a fabulous time researching and writing these posts, and it's great that some people enjoy reading them!

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  3. Riding her war elephant. Man, that sounds awesome. She was quite a skilled leader.

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  4. I know. Doesn't it make you want your own war elephant? Well, maybe not war, but at least elephant.

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  5. Yes to riding an elephant! What a brave woman.

    Yvonne

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    1. Now, would you describe riding a war elephant as productive or non-productive time? Just wondering.

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    2. Totally productive. Beats walking! :)

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  6. What a terrific story of a very courageous woman? Did her son recover? A very cool statue.

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  7. Susan: I wish I knew whether or not Vir Narayan recovered! I couldn't find anything about him on Google, so I guess I'll never know. Sorry!

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  8. Riding into battle on an elephant?! What a woman. That is all.

    Untethered Realms

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  9. Amen to that, Gwen, and thanks very much for the comment and the follow! As I've said before: I've got a lot more awesome women waiting in the wings for the rest of April!

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  10. That's one strong woman there. Great story! :)

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
    MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

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  11. I enjoyed learning about this heroin of India! My Uncle Rene was in India during WWII and came back loving the Indian people and respecting their culture. This story helped me see why.
    Life & Faith in Caneyhead
    I am Ensign B ~ One of Tremp's Troops with the
    A to Z Challenge

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    1. Thank you, Ensign Barbara! I've never been to India, but coincidentally, an old friend of mine just came back from a 3-week trip there and I got to see the photos. Fascinating!

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  12. interesting that you chose Durgawati for this post, great

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  13. Thank you! I had a European D-person in mind but then Archana left a comment on my theme reveal post and asked me to include someone from India in my A to Z. I'm so glad she did!

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