( A painting showing Bajirao and Mastani)
( Portrait of Mastani )
( Chhatrasal on his horse )
( Statue of Chhatrasal )
( Chhatrasal on horse )
( Chhatrasal meeting Shivaji )
VEER
CHHATRASAL , THE WARRIOR FROM BUNDELKHAND WHO FOUGHT THE
MUGHALS ALL ALONG HIS LIFE
"Bundele
harbolon ke munh hum ne suni kahaani thi
Khoob Ladi mardaani woh tau jhansi vaali Rani thi."
These are lines from the most popular
poem written by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi ,
the warrior queen from Bundelkhand . Bundelkhand is known for its colourful culture, rich history, beautiful
landscapes and breathtaking architecture. This area is enriched by
various Bundela and Chandela period attractions like the temples of
Khajuraho, the fort and temples of Orchha, Panna National Park , etc.
It is pertinent to mention that before Bundela Rajputs, Chandelas
ruled much of the Bundelkhand region of Central India for approximately 500
years between the 9th and the 13th centuries AD. The capital city of Chandelas
was Khajuraho which was later changed to Mahoba. Kalinjar was their important
fort.The Chandellas built the most famous Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in 1050 AD.
and a number of beautiful temples at Khajuraho.The Chandel dynasty is famous in
Indian history for Maharaja Rao Vidyadhara, who repulsed the attacks of Mahmud
of Ghazni.Paramardi the last independent Chandella ruler was defeated by
Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1203 A.D.
The Bundela dynasty emerged from the 11th century Kshatriya Rajput
King Pancham, who laid the foundation of the Bundela Kingdom. Being ruled by
the Bundela kings, this land came to be known as ‘Bundelkhand’ , a vast
area surrounded by rivers like Yamuna, Betwa, Chambal, Tons, Ken, Kilkila,
Dhasan, Sone Kunwari, Pahuj, and Narmada.Before the advent of British colonial
rule in India, the region of Bundelkhand also included several princely states
. Veer Chhatrasal belonged to Bundela clan of Kshatriya Rajputs .
Veer Chhatrasal was born at Kachar Kachnai in Tikamgarh in a
Rajput family on 4 May 1649, to Champat Rai and Sarandha. He was a descendant
of Rudra Pratap Singh of Orchha.Rudra Pratap Singh Bundela (
r 1501-1531 ) was the founder and
first Raja of the kingdom that became the princely state
of Orchha, India, during the Lodhi dynasty . He built the fort
at what is now the town of Orchha on the banks of the river Betwa .
Veer Chhatrasal's father was a Bundela chieftain who rebelled
against Aurangzeb, who had him executed in 1661CE.Young Veer Chhatrasal
requested the legendary guerrilla warrior Shivaji to employ him, but was
advised to return to his homeland and fight for its independence from Mughals.
Chhatrasal listened to Chhatrapati Shivaji’s advice and returned to
Bundelkhand. There, he set up a camp in the jungles of Panna and raised a small
army with which he launched an attack on Mughal forts in the region. His
bravery made him famous — at the age of 22, once he defeated an entire
troop of Mughal soldiers with a team of just five horsemen and 25 infantry
soldiers. Soon his kingdom extended from Panna in the east and Gwalior on
the west.In the years that followed, Chhatrasal never stopped fighting against
the presence of Mughals in Bundelkhand.In 1700, Aurangzeb made a series
of attempts to subdue Veer Chhatrasal known as Maharaja Chhatrasal
by that time but was defeated every time.
In fact, in 1730, the Mughals sent their famous Pathan warrior
Muhammad Khan Bangash to Bundelkhand. Though Chhatrasal was aged now, he won a
final victory over the Mughals with help from Peshwa Baji Rao I.As a sign of
appreciation and respect for the Peshwa, Chhatrasal gave his beautiful daughter
Mastani as bride to Baji Rao I.
Maharaja Chhatrasal is the only king in the history of the world
who, even after sitting in power, wrote poetry to boost public awareness and
morale of the Hindu kings to uproot the invaders .In Bundelkhand, he is well-known
as the ”master of sword and pen" (Kalam aur Talwaar ke Dhani)
. Maharaja Chhatrasal is considered synonymous with
Bundelkhand as the leader of the culture and prosperity of the region. Many
villages, towns, cities, and places are still glorifying the great character of
Maharaja Chhatrasal within and even outside the Bundelkhand. Today, his bravery
is remembered in the names of several roads, colleges and even a prominent
stadium known for wrestling, Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi.The Bundeli people
still remember him in folk songs:-
" Maharaja adhipati bhaye,
maharaja chhatrasal ..
Rajan mein raja bhaye, asuran kere kaal."
The great Temple of Keshava Rai ( also known as Sri Krishna Janam
Bhoomi Temple ) at Mathura was rebuilt by Bir Singh Deo Bundela during
Jahangir’s time at a cost of thirty-three lakhs of rupees after being
repeatedly plundered and destroyed by invaders . It was one of the most
magnificent temples ever built in India and enjoyed veneration of the Hindus
throughout the land. Prince Dara Shikoh, who was looked upon by the masses as
the future Emperor, had presented a carved stone railing to the temple which
was installed in front of the deity at some distance; the devotees stood
outside this railing to have ‘darshan’ of Keshava Rai. The railing was removed
on Auranzeb’s orders in October 1666.The temple of Keshava Rai was demolished
in the month of Ramzan, 1080 A.H. (13th January – 11th February 1670) by
Aurangzeb’s order.He built a mosque over the existing temple's plinth .
Mastani and Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela were followers of
the Pranami Sampradaya , a Hindu sect based on the Bhakti
/worship of Sri Krishna. Her mother was a Shia Muslim from Iran
, a follower of Islam. Mastani died in 1740, shortly after Bajirao's
death. Her cause of death is unknown. According to some, she died of a
shock after knowing about her husband's death. But, many believe that she
committed suicide after she heard of Bajirao's death . Mastani was buried in
the village of Pabal. Her grave is called both Mastani's Samadhi and Mastani's
Mazaar.
Despite being a lifetime freedom warrior, Chhatrasal was a greatly
respected leader, a protector of art, culture, and religion, and an
inspirational poet. Chhatrasal is the only known Hindu Maharaja who demonstrated
love for the entire humanity through his actions. He proved himself to be a
unique humanitarian Hindu Maharaja of medieval India.A patron of art and
literature, his court had several noted poets like Kavi Bhushan, Lal Kavi,
Bakhshi Hansaraj, etc.
Dr Shashi Shekhar Toshakhani
informs this:-
" It is said that when
Shivaji’s famous court poet Bhushan went to Orchha, capital of Chhatrasal’s
kingdom, Chhatrasal himself came out to receive him and offered to carry his
litter (पालकी)
on his own shoulders. Feeling that this was the height of courtesy, Bhushan
jumped out of the litter and uttered : “Shivaa ko saraahaun ki saraahaun
Chhatrasal ko!” (शिवा को सराहौं कि सराहौं छत्रसाल को”)— Shall I admire Shivaji or
shall I admire Chhatrasal ?"
Prominent people from Bundelkhand include Acharya Rajneesh,
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Tantiya Tope, Vrindavan Lal Verma,Dhyan hand (
hockey wizard) ,Indeevar ( film lyricist), Maithili Sharan Gupt( national poet)
,Phoolan Devi ( bandit queen) , Uma Bharati( politician), Subodh Khandekar(
Olympic hockey player),Pankaj Mishra ( novelist ) ,Harishankar Parsai( writer)
,Joy Mukherjee ( actor) ,Shashadhar Mukherjee( film producer ),Raja Bundela(
actor politician) ,Dr Hari Singh Gaur( member constitution drafting committee)
and many more.
Alas! Chhatrasal finds little space in our history books.
( Avtar Mota )
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