Biram Dev Sonigara chauhan VS Allauddin Khilji And One Sided Love Story of his Daughter Firoza

Many of us are well-acquainted with the story of Queen Padmavati of Chittor (Because of Padmavat Movie)  who committed jauhar to save herself from being disgraced by the Alauddin Khilji. 

My father always tells me about Biram Dev ji Sonigara of Jalore, Whenever we visit Jalore.

                 Jalore fort 

So I thought of studying about him and I was surprised to know that Alauddin had one daughter who, too, was obsessed with the longing to marry a Rajput prince.

                    Alauddin Khilji 

Khilji had annexed few small and big kingdoms into his empire. But he could not annex Jalore though it was a small kingdom. 

Jalore:

It was also known as suvarnagiri, was ruled by different dynasties over time. 

Gurjaras-pratiharas in the 8th-9th centuries. 

Paramars in 10th century followed by Rajput Chauhans.

Songara Rajput prince kirtipal (The youngest son of Alhana, the chahamana ruler of nadol) captured jalore from the parmar's in 1181.

After two more successive generations, kanhadadev became king of jalore. 

His sons Biram dev and maldev helped him in the administrative affairs of jalore. 

 

Furthermore, Alauddin khilji planned a military expedition to Gujarat to attack,to loot and plunder the state and destroy temples. 

He sent envoys to various kingdoms to facilitate safe passage for his army enroute from Delhi to Gujarat. 

All the kings agreed for the safe passage, except kanhadadev, the king of Jalore.

According to padmanabha's kanhadadev prabandha,kanhadadev did not trust khilji. 

He felt khilji's army, while moving through his kingdom, might involve in destroying the villages, enslaving women, looting, killing people and torturing cows. 

 As a political stratagem, Alahuddin Khilji sent invite to Kanhadadev, the Raja of Jalore to Delhi. 

However, Kanhadadev sent his son Biram Dev instead who was renowned for his beauty, expert in wrestling, and had incredible strength of character.

                      Biram Dev chouhan 

 Khilji had planned to get Biram Dev killed in the hands of his invincible wrestler Punju during the match. But, it happened the other way round and Biram Dev ended up killing Punju. 

Alauddin Khilji had a love child from his maid Asamani Khavas, who he named Firoza.

                    Princess Firoza 

Princess Firoza, who was present during the match, was floored by Biram Dev’s manliness and lost her heart to him.

After the game was over, She approached Biram Dev and proposed him for marriage. 

Biram Dev refused the proposal .Firoza then approached her father.

 She pleaded Khilji to get her married to Biram Dev and pledged that she would commit suicide if her wish was not fulfilled.

Although reluctant initially, Khilji agreed to his daughter’s wish understanding well the political gains he would get by forming an alliance with the kingdom of Jalore.

Khilji Sent the marriage proposal of Biram dev and firoza  to jalore king kanhadadev along with his condition that Biram dev have to convert to Islam after marriage. 

 As soon as it was read in the kanhadadev's court, Biram dev stood with red face ( so much of anger) before all the rajputs and said 

Seeing Biram dev's response kanhadadev and all other Rajput's felt proud of him and clapped. 

Biram Dev denounced khilji's marriage proposal which made him(khilji) irritated and insulted. 

During the same time, khilji's army was returning to Delhi from Gujarat. 

Ulugh Khan and Nusrat  Khan were commanding the army which plundered Gujarat, destroyed city's forts and temples. 

The Muslim invaders converted the city's temples into mosques. 

Ulugh Khan and his army sacked the Somnath temple. The priests and people who offered resistance were all killed. 

The invaders looted the treasury and started their journey to Delhi with shiv ling. 

They planned to smash the shiv ling in Delhi.They had also taken hundred's of thousands of Hindus as slaves from Gujarat. 

Though kanhadadev of jalore had refused passage of the army, the latter ignored the refusal. 

They entered jalore and camped for the night at a place called sakarana (present sankarna).

The king expressed displeasure over this act of Muslim army and also learnt how they sacked temples in Gujarat and had imprisoned Hindus. 

Kanhadadev sent a huge army to attack the Muslim army. 

Jalore army succeeded in defeating the enemy. They snatched the booty along with the shiv ling and set free the Hindu prisoner's. 

As a result, Alauddin khilji sent an army under the commandment of General Nahar Malik and Bhoja to attack jalore. 

They first laid an attack on sivana fort. The Rajput gave a stiff resistance and defeated the khilji's army, killing it's generals.

Khilji laid another attack on sivana fort bad he won this time. The brave Rajput died fighting in the battle field while the Rajput women inside the fort performed jauhar to save themselves from being caught and disgraced. 

Khilji sent a huge army under the commandment of kamaluddin gurg to besiege the fort of jalore. 

The jalore bravely resisted the attack and the battle continued for two years without fail. 

Kanhadadev and Biramdev breathe their last in the battle, defending jalore. 

Many Rajput women performed jauhar, following the king's death. It was the year 1311.Instead of getting dishonored at the hands of enemy, the brave Rajput women preferred to be burnt to ashes. 

Finally, Firoza also jumped into the river when she heard that Biram Dev is no longer alive.

According to some legends, Firoza jumped into the river with the decapitated head of Biram Dev in her hands.

Women Rulers of Bhopal

When I read that Bhopal state was ruled by the powerful women rulers. I couldn't believe at it first. 

As I knew there were only two important and powerful women rulers highlighted by history.

They were Razia sultana who ruled over Delhi from 1236-1240 and Rudramadevi who ruled over Deccan from 1263-1289.      

When I came across the pictures and some of the  information on shahjehan Begum I got curious to know more about her. 

So my curiosity led me to explore the Bhopal state history and I came to know that it was ruled by four extraordinary women rulers for almost 107 years and each of the establishing a prosperous rule. 

I always feel proud whenever I get to Read about any women in higher position either  in past or present. 

Bhopal being an important state.. In Indian history.. These powerful women rulers of Bhopal were never highlighted in Indian history. 

Bhopal state was founded in 1707 by the pasthun soldier Dost Mohammed Khan. He was a soldier in the Mughal Army ,who became a mercenary after the emperor Aurangzeb death. 

The princely state of Bhopal had always been ruled by male Muslim rulers - The Nawabs of Bhopal. It had also long history of women rulers. 

Dost Muhammad’s wife, Fatah Bibi, defended their estate in Bhopal against attacks from warring Rajputs and Marathas.

 Some of Bhopal’s royal women, such as Asmat Begum, Zeenat Begum and Moti Begum, played a vital role in the politics of the state. 

The wife of a later Nawab, Mamola Bai, effectively administered Bhopal for nearly 50 years. 

The rulers of Bhopal would likely have continued to be men if it wasn’t for the death of the young Nawab Nazar Muhammad Khan and the bravery of his then 18-year-old wife, Qudsia.

1. Qudsia Begum (1819-37)

After the death of her husband Nawab Nazar Muhammad Khan, she came to power (as a regent to her daughter). 

She was just 18years old at the time of her husband's death.

She made her first  public appearance during the nawab's soyem (post death ritual)  and addressed the large gathering  by stating how the legacy of their family must be maintained, thus declaring her 15-month-old daughter Sikandar as the rightful heir. 

Qudsia was appointed as regent until her daughter was old enough.

 The assumption being that Sikandar would marry and her husband would become the Nawab of Bhopal.

Qudsia’s took off her veil before addressing the gathering,which was an unprecedented act for a Muslim women of that time.

Shaharyar M. Khan says in his account of the Begums of Bhopal, “Qudsia’s address to the family is one of the most poignant moments in Bhopal’s history. A girl not yet 20, brought up traditionally in purdah, had dared to take the congregation of elders, rival family contenders and senior state officials by the scruff of their necks”.

Qudsia took many clever steps to guarantee her position: 

1.she made deals with her rivals for power.

2. Approached a British agent to legitimize her status and

3.  Garnered support from religious authorities to combat the widely held belief by Muslims that women could not rule. 

The state Qazi (judge) and Mufti (jurisconsult) signed a document acknowledging women’s right to political power.

Qudsia Begum was the first woman in South Asia to successfully assert the right of Muslim women to legally be the ruler of a state. Being a devout Muslim herself, Qudsia showed that Islam does not exclude women from gaining political power. She commanded the army and would be at the forefront of battles.

2. Sikandar Begum (1847-68)

Sikandar Begum ruled as regent for the first 13 years of her reign, standing in for her nine-year-old daughter Shahjehan and then as a fully-fledged ruler for the last eight years.

Her reign began after the death of her husband, Nawab Jahangir Muhammad Khan Bahadur, who was able to rule for six years. 

It appears as if fate was on the side of the Begums as Sikandar brought Bhopal’s rule in the hands of women once again.

Since childhood, Sikandar had been raised in a way so that she could survive being a woman of power in a man’s world. She was trained in martial arts and, like her mother, never observed purdah as she believed it was a voluntary act. Before her reign, she had already suffered at the hands of men, with her husband having planned a murderous plot against her. As a ruler, she was a wise and tough woman.

Sikandar set out to prove she was just as capable as any male ruler by aggressively asserting her presence in public life.

 She played polo, went hunting and was a swordswoman, archer and lancer as well. She would personally go to villages to look over the welfare of people and the state of her agrarian reforms.

She also commanded the army and would inspect district offices, the courts and the treasury herself to make sure that the state was running smoothly. Moreover, Sikandar founded the Victoria School so that girls in Bhopal would receive technical training in trades such as handicrafts and acquire knowledge on basic academics. 

3. Shahjehan Begum (1868-1901)

17 days after her mother Sikandar Begum’s death, Shahjehan became the next Begum of Bhopal and her then ten-year-old daughter, Sultan Jahan, became the heir. This was considered a surprising move as Shahjehan was 30 and could still produce male heirs in the future.

However, Sikandar had secured a promise from the British government to have her granddaughter’s right to be a ruler protected. 

According to Shaharyar M. Khan, the British wanted to keep the Bhopal dynasty within Dost Muhammad Khan’s lineage.

Unlike her mother and grandmother, Shahjehan was distinctly feminine. 

She did not train in traditionally masculine arts as a fighter or hunter and instead, wanted to be a poetess. 

She encouraged the development of the arts in Bhopal and under her rule, the state became a cultural and literary centre. 

She even patronized a number of female poets and tasked a male poet in her court to form an anthology comprising the writings of female poets.

Like her mother, however, Shahjehan was a strong administrator as well. She improved the tax system, built many palaces, mosques and monuments and made notable contributions to housing, education, health, technology and women’s upliftment. Although her eventual marriage to Syed Siddiq Hassan led Shahjehan to retreat behind her husband’s decisions, her contributions cannot be disregarded.

Shahjehan also wrote a reformist manual for women titled Tahzib un-Niswan wa Tarbiyat ul-Insan (The Reform of Women and the Cultivation of Humanity). It is considered the first women’s encyclopedia in India and contained topics on women’s work and their status in Islam.

In this regard, it is similar to Ashraf Ali Thanawi’s reformist women’s manual Bihishti Zewar. Unlike Thanawi’s writing, however, Shahjehan’s manual did not focus on women’s subordination but tried to teach them control over their own lives.

4. Sultan Jahan Begum (1901-26)

At 43-years-old, Sultan Jahan was the oldest Begum of Bhopal. Her years as the heir were spent in immense difficulty due to the tension between her and her mother. By the time of her reign, the court was divided in loyalty between Sultan Jahan and her mother. Even during such a time, Sultan Jahan was able to establish a successful administration under her rule.

Inspired by her predecessors, Sultan Jahan became a reformer and established many educational institutions, focusing on public instruction and female education. She is the founding and (till today) only female chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Apart from education, she also reformed taxation, the police, the army, the judiciary, agriculture, health and sanitation. In 1914, she became the president of the All-India Muslim Ladies’ Association.

The legacy of her 25-year rule entailed a cosmopolitan court and a largely merit-based bureaucracy. She was a smart negotiator with the British government, ensuring her family’s interests.

The reign of the Begums of Bhopal ended when Sultan Jahan’s son took the crown. 

However, their dynasty is memorable for their achievements as women, particularly Muslim women in colonial India, and inspirational for women today as we continue to struggle in a male-dominated world.

My India – ideas for the future

In this lock down period of 21 days in India.. After spending my time playing chaupat, quarantine games on social media.. I thought of exploring the books given by my students on my birthday.. This is the only activity which gives me immense happiness.. So, I started reading “My India – ideas for the future ” ..this book is a forward by srijan pal singh.. Who was an advisor, student,a close aid to our former president Dr. A. P. J Abdul kalam.

This books contains excerpts from people’s presidents speeches at various locations.

They give us some insight of Abdul kalam’s experiences.. It is written under different headings..

Few of them.. Which inspired me are

A foundation of Tolerance : in this he describes his meeting with Nelson Mandela

A world without borders : in this he describes how people from different regions, different nations, different cultures, languages are coming together developing technologies to make our life at ease.

The thoughts of a boy : in this he describes about an initiative of children below the age of fifteen.. Bachchon Ki pahal.. These children mostly tribal and all from government schools in villages had this special initiative.. Which is entirely managed by a group of about 250 child reporters.

A Tiny island : in this he gives us a glimpse of how wheeler island was found.. And became a place of important activities of India’s space programs.

Mahabharata Character Who Is Still Alive ?

Yes, you all heard it right.A character from mahabharata era still alive .
Even i was shocked when came across such story. I wondered how can someone from kurukshetra war i.e Mahabharata era be still alive?

He was "ASHWATHAMA"

Who was he ?

Ashwathama was the son of DRONACHARYA,who was the guru of both kauravas and the pandavas in the dwapar yuga( the third age of the four ages sat yuga,treta yuga,dwapar yuga and kali yuga).

Guru Dronacharya did many years dhyan and penance of lord shiva in order to obtain a son who possesses the same valiance in human form as lord shiva .

His mother's name was krupi. It is said that at the time of his birth he produced horse like sound from his throat that's the reason he was named as ASHWATHAMA(ashwa means horse in sanskrit ).

Ashwathama had a valuable gem or "mani" on his forehead,the wearer of which ceases to have any fear from weapons or diseases or hunger ,have no fear from gods,danavas( a race of the demons ) and nagas  ( a deity or class of entity or form of a very large snake ,found in hinduism and buddhism).

Ashwathama is the avatar of one of the eight Rudra's .It is said the he is the lone survivor still living ,who actually fought in the kurukshetra war.

He was very heroic and an expert archer. Droncharya thought him all vidyas and turned him into a great warrior. In the war of mahabharata , he was the commander of the army of the kauravas.

Dronacharya's Death:

In the war to defeat Dronacharya sri krishna planned a clever tactic .On the side of the pandavas there was an elephant by the name Ashwathama.sri krishna told Yudhishthira to spread the rumour that Ashwathama was dead.The elephant was killed and everyone shouted "Ashwathama is dead", Dronacharya heard these words and suspected his lone son Ashwatham was killed in th battle.Gloomy at the loss of his son he approached Yudhishthira and asked about his son .
Yudhisthira said "yes aswathama is dead" but added in whisper ."i do not know whether he is a man or an elephant ".Dronacharya didn't hear the second half of the sentence and thinking that his loving son has died gave up the fight and was susequently killed by Dhristayumna ,son of Drupad.

Here Ashwathama ,son of Dronacharya ,learnt about the trick played by sri krishna and Yudhishthira in the killing his father .To take his revenge , at the end of the mahabharata ,one night Ashwathama went to the pandavas camp.pandavas were not present in the camp at that time . Thinking that the pandavas were sleeping ,Ashwathama killed  all the five sons of the pandavas in their sleep and went to rishi Vyas's Ashram. 

Pandavas , upon return , got enraged seeing the deed done by Ashwathama and went to Sage Vyas’s Ashram.

Battle ensued and Ashwathama evoked Brahmashirsa Astra and fired, Arjun did the same. But, Sage Vyas interrupted and asked both the warriors to withdraw their weapons. Arjuna was able to withdraw his Astra but Ashwathama had not learnt to withdraw. Hence, Ashwathama directed his Astra towards the womb of pregnant Uttara (Abhimanyu’s wife). Seeing this Lord Krishna got enraged and cursed Ashwathama to  roam about the earth till eternity with blood and puss oozing out of his body, and also made ashwathama to surrender his Gem on his forehead.

 Ashwathama is still alive due to his curse and is also considered as one of the 7 Chiranjeevis in Hindu Mythology. There are various stories that suggest that he is still alive and is roaming around the Narmada river.

• Incident 1 :Ashwathama seen by Railway Employee

A more than a decade old newspaper article ran about a railway employee on leave. During his wanderings in the jungles of Navsari (Gujarat) he had reported a very tall man of about 12 feet with a wound on his head. He claimed to have conversation with him and learnt that Bheem was much taller and stronger than him.

• Incident 2: Prithviraj Chouhan Hindu King Meeting Ashwathama 

When in 1192, Prithveeraaj Chauhaan lost the battle from Mohammad Gauree, he left for jungle. There he met one old person with a scar on his head. Being a very good doctor Prithveeraaj Chauhaan confidently asked him that he can cure his scar. The old man agreed. But even after week’s medication it remained as it is. Prithveeraaj was surprised and understood the details. He asked old man if he is Ashwatthaamaa. Because only the scars that is created through taking up the “MANI” the gem from forehead cannot be cured. The old man told that he was Ashwatthaamaa and then he went away. This description is given in “Prithviraj Raso” the book written in 12th century on him.

• Incident 3: Ashwathama Encounter with saint Naranappa

In late 14th, early 15th century there lived in Gadag, Karnaatak, a poor Braahman called Naranappa. Later, because of the Mahabharata epic “Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari” that he wrote in Kannada, he came to be called as Kumara Vyasa. His greatest desire was to write Mahaabhaarat based on original sources, and to this end he prayed day-in and day-out in the Temple of Veera Naaraayan, temple of Trikooteshwar. One day the Almighty decided to answer his prayers and appeared in his dream and said: “Attend the forthcoming Dwaadashee Paaran (Dwaadashee feast) in the Veera Naaraayan Temple. Watch out for one lone Braahman who would leave the feast earliest. He is none other than Ashwathaamaa of MBH. Fall at his feet and ask him to narrate the MahaBharat as it happened. You can record it in writing and claim your share of fame”.

Promptly Naranappa attended the following Dwaadashee Paaran at the Veera Narayan Temple, and then followed the Brahmin who finished his feast the earliest and started walking out of the Temple. He approached him and fell at his feet saying, “I know who you are, you are the very same Ashwatthaamaa of MahaBharat, please help me”. At this Ashwathaamaa was taken aback and asked him how do you know this? Naranappa responded saying “The Veera Naaraayan Swamy” appeared in his dream and told me so. Ashwatthaamaa was mightily pleased hearing this and asked Naranappa, OK, tell me what can I do for you. Naranappa responded saying he would like to write the Mahaabhaarat in Kannada as it happened.

To this Ashwathama agreed under two conditions .he said that naranappa should start writing the mahabharata everyday after he finished his bath,wearing a wet veshti(Dhotee).Ashwathama said " you can keep writing till such time your veshti is wet and the mahabharata would flow from your pen as it happened .The moment your clothes gets dried up ,the flow would stop. He also put a condition that he should not disclose this secret to anyone failing which the flow would stop forever.But,Naranappa was excited about this and he kept secret till the time he reached the gadaa parv ("the time when Duryodhan and Bheem fought ).Naranappa overcome with excitement disclosed this secret to his wife and his flow stopped immediately.That is why his mahabharata ends with Gadaa parv only.

• Incident 4: Ashwathama meeting parents of Swaminarayan

Dharmdev and Bhaktimataa(parents of swaminarayan) were cursed over two hundred years ago by Ashwathama .This is described in Satsangi Jivan written by Shatanand Muni .
Hw was tall and well built robed in orange clothes as  a brahmin.His head was strapped just above his eyebrows and he was covered with ash.He had big red eyes full of angerness .Mother Bhaktimaa and father Dharmdev were on their back from Vrindavan where sri krishna proclaimed to them that their troubles would soon end afterhe himseld would be born to them.
they said everything to Ashwathama on their way in jungle .
with this Brhamin spoke with anger in his voice "krishna my arch enemy?will be born to you ?i curse him for the pain i have borne as of him ,that he as your son will never be able to bear weapons and neither shall be able to fight in any way "saying this he left pushing dharmdev aside. 


Incident 5: Aswathama Seen in Ludhiana, Punjab
        During 1968-69: A doctor narrated an incident of meeting a person with an injured forehead. He had never seen such a dent before as if the brain was taken away from the forefront, yet the skin was tight as if nothing had happened. By the time the doctor tried to bring his stuff from the Almira, that man had left, never to be found again. But he said that his eyes always haunted him.

Incident 6:Aswathama seen nearby Narmada river (Gujarat)

           Numerous people that others have spotted someone with a dent in the forehead roaming around the Narmada river (Gujarat). He was described as a tall person, and that there were tons of flies, bugs surrounding him all the time.

Incident 7:Vasudevanand Saraswati Met Ashwathama in Shoolpaneeshawar
                  
  Vasudevanand Saraswati, a saint who is considered as an incarnation of Dattatreya by his followers, saw Ashwatthama in the dense forest of Shulpaneeshawar near Katarkheda, in the year 1912.

Mountains Inside Us!

In the modern world,as more and more people face stress, loneliness, depression and mental breakdowns.
So,mental health becomes the important topic to be discussed and spread the awareness regarding mental health.
A person may look fit from outside but inside he/she may be fighting some inner battle.

What is Depression? 

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.
Depression is generally associated with desolation, perpetual sadness and restlessness.
Doctor’s say depression is the denouement of a combination of factors like over-expectation from parents, friends and self,  an unusual dependence on technology and friendship and an inability to handle setbacks.
Does every mood swing is a sign of depression? 
No .
Not every mood swing is a  sign of depression.
Generally, Depressed people exhibit reduced interest in things that cause happiness.
Genetic Basis :
Research has revealed that the genetic basis of depression overlaps significantly with that of other psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia .
Few Symptoms of Depression :

• feelings of sadness, tearfulness,emptiness or hopeless ness .

-Angry outbursts, frustration even in small matters.

• frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts of suicide.
• feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures of self blame.
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness.

-Tiredness and lack of energy, even small tasks take efforts.
-Developing insomniac.
For many people with depression symptoms are severe enough to be noticeable.
Some may feel miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
They may have mood swings through out day, they may be happy at one moment ,sad at the next.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO),
globally ,more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression.
More women are affected by depression than men.
How to deal with it? 
As not all mood swing is a depression,But continuous fall in mental health may lead to it.
After my failed attempts at UPSC,i felt such mood swings.so my parents suggested me take a break from preparation and work on things I like.
I was not under depression.. But continuous feeling of guilt, unworthiness might throw you into depressed state.
I kept myself busy by reading books which can help me to overcome such mood swings.
I felt I was not under depression but may be on  the verge of falling into it.
Two things helped me to deal with such swings :
They are
First is Books :

1. Man’s search for meaning in life by Vector.E.Frankl
2. Life is what you make it by preeti shenoy.

3.The power of your subconscious mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy.
4.Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss.
Second is
Talking to my mother, this helped me a lot. She listened to me patiently .
Lending an ear to your loved ones may help them to overcome their inner battle.
For different people different things may work.so,instead of judging one can help them to fight their inner battles.
As every human carries “Mountains inside them ”