Jauhar: When it became clear that the Rajput men would lose the battle, it was not uncommon during those days for their women (and sometimes even children) to commit jauhar in the night before the last stand of the men. While the Brahmin priests chanted Vedic hymns, Rajput women dressed as brides, along with their young children, embraced the sandalwood flames.
Saka: The morning after jauhar, after taking bath, the Rajput men would wear saffron attires, and apply the ash from the Maha Samadhi of their wives and children on their foreheads and put a Tulsi leaf in their mouth. Then the palace gates would be opened and the men would ride out for complete annihilation of the enemy or themselves. It is believed that Padmini and 150 other women committed jauhar and all the men who went to fight the next day perished at the hands of the huge army of Khilji.
Why Jauhar and Saka? :-
The prime reason for these practices was to ensure Rajput men and women were not captured alive. Rape was inevitable after the fort had fallen. The Rajputs believed that the
opponent soldiers (of the Sultanate) could even rape the dead bodies of their women. To prevent such desecration of their dead bodies, instead of taking poison, Rajput women preferred to jump into fire.
According to James Tod, “The Jauhar was a horrible rite, where the females are immolated to preserve them from pollution or captivity…”
Example:-
When the fall of Chittorgarh became imminent, the Rajput women including their queen Padmini performed Jauhar (self-immolation), preferring death over dishonor. Alauddin defeated the Rajput army only to discover that Padmini and all other women in Chittorgarh fort had committed jauhar.
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