Monday, October 6, 2008

Mastani


Mastani was one of the most beautiful women in the history of India. It is said that Mastani was the daughter of the heroic king Maharaha Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand , through his Muslim mistress. Rana Chhatrasal was an exceptional prince in Indian history who took inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji of establishing independent kingdoms. Through 1727 and 1728, Mohammad Khan Bangash the Mughal, with an army of Afghans invaded Chattrasal’s kingdom, took Jaitpur and imprisoned him and his family within the Mughal camp. The eighty year old Chattrasal sent a distress message to Bajirao , who was on a military campaign in the vicinity, about his plight, in a poetic languange drawing a parallel with Gajendra Moksha Akhyan, a from Hindu mythology. Bajirao was the Peshwa of the Maratha kingdom. Bajirao and his mighty Maratha army helped Chhatrasal and his Bundela Rajput forces to retake Jaitpur. The old Bundela king re-entered his capital in full state, amidst the welcoming cheers of the citizens and the boom of the victorious Maratha cannons. In gratitude and as a token of his deep affection for Bajirao, whom he treated like a son-in-law, Chattrasal gave his young and beautiful daughter Mastani along with a third of his kingdom, including Jhansi, Sagar and Kalpi to Bajirao in May 1729. Chhatrasal's sons treated Bajirao as a blood-brother and later fought alongside him in many of his future campaigns. Bajirao was all of 31 years old. Mastani was the love of the young Peshwa's life and stayed devotedly by his side until his death. She resided with him at his Shaniwar Wada at Pune and rode stirrup to stirrup with him on his numerous military campaigns. Historical texts mention "People would gather on the road to see their brave king Bajirao and his beautiful mistress, Mastani." Mastani probably inspired the Peshwa Bajirao to succeed brilliantly, putting up one of the greatest contributions in building the Maratha Empire in North India and gaining total control over Mughals. She was his inspiration in battle, she bore him a valiant son and when Bajirao died, she fearlessly chose to perish in the flames of his funeral pyre. Their son, named Shamsher Bahadur , fought bravely in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 against Ahmed Shah Abdali , and died of serious wounds in Bharatpur after the Maratha forces lost the battle. The daughter of a Rajput father, Mastani was a skilled horse-rider, and accompanied Bajirao on all his campaigns. This often meant riding hundreds of miles over rugged country, living in camps under canvas and sharing his rough fare. She was said to be as good as any soldier in horsemanship, spear throwing and swordplay. She also had a talent for dancing and singing and Bajirao was infatuated with her. On one occasion the Peshwa went so far as to forget protocol and took her with him to Satara , when he went to pay his respects to his Shahu . This apparently drew an indignant reprimand from the Maratha monarch. The Brahmins of Pune, who had a strong influence on the Hindu rulers, could never accept Mastani as Bajirao's wife. She became the center point in Pune politics when Bajirao openly declared Mastani as his wife and their son a Brahmin. The couple faced severe resistance from Bajirao's mother, Radhabai, his wife Kashibai, his beloved brother Chimnaji Appa and the entire Brahmin community. The brahmins refused to carry out the sacred Upanayanam of Shamsher Bahadur. Later Bajirao had to take Mastani out of Shaniwar Wada. He built a separate residence for her at Kothrud, which was quite away from Kasbe Pune in those days. Separation was unfortunately inevitable. Bajirao never really recovered from this setback, and finally died of a flash fever in an army camp at Khargon, near Indore close to the banks of the Narmada , pining for Mastani. Bajirao's wife Kashibai, his brother Chimnaji and his son Balaji, came to Khargon and with them came Mastani. Bajirao's mortal remains were consigned to flames on 28th April 1740, at Raverkhed on the Narmada. At the cremation ceremony, Mastani suddenly broke through the crowd and walked into the flames. Before the stunned family could react or prevent her, the beautiful Mastani was gone. Had Bajirao's family supported the great warrior and the orthodox Brahmins accepted Mastani as a wife of Bajirao, Indian history may have gone differently. The stories of Bajirao-Mastani are amongst the few love stories in the world, between bravery and beauty.

Mastani was staying at Pabal , 70 km from Pune and had samadhi there.

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