Introduction
Throughout Indian history, there are many tales of women rulers, including Rani of Jhansi, Begum Hazrat Bai, and Razia Sultana. Rani Durgavati, the Queen of Gondwana, must be mentioned in any storytelling of women rulers’ bravery, resilience, and defiance. In this article, we will provide readers with a short and long essay on Rani Durgavati true freedom fighter.
Short Essay on Rani Durgavati
She was born into the Chandel dynasty, which was ruled by Vidyadhar, a valiant king. Khajuraho and Kalanjar Fort are examples of Vidyadhar’s love of sculpture. Durgavati was the name given to the queen because she was born on Durgashtami, a Hindu festival.
A son was born to Rani Durgavati in 1545 AD. Vir Narayan was his name. As Vir Narayan was too young to succeed his father Dalpatshah, Rani Durgavati ascended to the throne after Dalpatshah’s premature death in 1550 AD.
Adhar Bakhila, a prominent Gond advisor, helped Durgavati administer the Gond kingdom when she took over. She moved her capital from Singaurgarh to Chauragarh. Due to its location on the Satpura hill range, the Chauragarh fort was of strategic importance.
During her reign (1550-1564), the queen ruled for approximately 14 years. In addition to defeating Baz Bahadur, she was known for her military exploits.
Rani’s kingdom was bordered by Akbar’s kingdom, which was annexed by him after he vanquished the Malwa ruler Baz Bahadur in 1562. During the reign of Akbar, Asaf Khan was in charge of an expedition to conquer Gondwana. Asaf Khan turned his attention to Garha-Katanga after conquering neighboring kingdoms. However, Asaf Khan stopped at Damoh when he heard that Rani Durgavati had gathered her forces.
Three Mughal invasions were repelled by the brave queen. Kanut Kalyan Bakhila, Chakarman Kalchuri, and Jahan Khan Dakit were some of the brave Gond and Rajput soldiers she lost. Akbarnama by Abul Fazl states that the number of her army fell from 2,000 to just 300 men as a result of the devastating losses.
An arrow struck Rani Durgavati’s neck during her final battle on an elephant. Despite this, she continued to fight bravely despite it. She stabbed herself to death when she realized she was about to lose. She chose death over dishonor as a brave queen.
Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya was renamed in her memory in 1983 by the Madhya Pradesh government. An official postal stamp was issued on June 24, 1988, celebrating the queen’s martyrdom.
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Long Essay on Rani Durgavati
In her fight against Emperor Akbar, Rani Durgavati was a brave Gond queen. It was this queen, who succeeded her husband during the Mughal era and defied the mighty Mughal army, who deserves our acclaim as a true heroine.
Her father, Shalivahan, was known for his bravery and courage as the Chandela Rajput ruler of Mahoba. She was raised like a Rajput by Shalivahan after her mother passed away too early. At a young age, her father taught her how to ride horses, hunt, and use weapons. Hunting, marksmanship, and archery were among her many skills, and she enjoyed expeditions.
Durgavati was impressed by Dalpat Shah’s valor and exploits against the Mughals after hearing about his exploits against the Mughals. Durgavati responded, “His deeds make him a Kshatriya, even if he was a Gond by birth”. Among the warriors who frightened the Mughals was Dalpat Shah. Their passage to the south was controlled by him.
The other Rajput rulers protested that Dalpat Shah was a Gond when he bought up the alliance with Durgavati. As far as they knew, Dalpat Shah played a significant role in the Mughals’ inability to advance southwards. In spite of the fact that Dalpat Shah was not a Rajput, Shalivahan did not support Durgavati’s marriage to Dalpat Shah.
He agreed to Dalpat Shah, however, in keeping with his promise to Durgavati’s mother that he would allow her to choose her life partner. A marriage between Durgavati and Dalpat Shah at the end of 1524 also forged an alliance between the Chandel and Gond dynasties. In the Chandela and Gond alliance, the Mughal rulers were kept in check with effective resistance from the Chandelas and Gonds.
Durgavati was in charge of the kingdom after Dalpat Shah passed away in 1550. Following the death of her husband, Durgavati served as a regent for her son, Bir Narayan. The Gond kingdom was ruled with wisdom and success by her ministers, Adhar Kayastha and Man Thakur. A strategically important fort on the Satpuras, Chauragarh became her capital as a ruler.
Durgavati, like her husband Dalpat Shah, was a very capable ruler. She expanded the kingdom efficiently and ensured that her subjects were well taken care of. There were 20,000 cavalrymen, 1000 war elephants, and many soldiers in her army, which was well maintained.
As well as digging reservoirs and tanks, she also built many residential areas for her people. Among them is Ranital, which is located near Jabalpur. Defending her kingdom against the attack of the Sultan of Malwa, Baz Bahadur, she forced him to retreat. He dared not attack her kingdom again after suffering such heavy losses at the hands of Durgavati.
Malwa was now under the control of the Mughalghal empire when Akbar defeated Baz Bahadur in 1562. With Gondwana’s prosperity in mind, Akbar’s subedar Abdul Majid Khan had been tempted to invade it, along with Malwa, which was already in Mughal hands, and Rewa as well. These were captured. Therefore, now only Gondwana remained.
While Rani Durgavati’s Diwan advised her not to face the mighty Mughal Army, she replied that she would rather die than surrender. The Narmada and Gaur rivers, as well as hilly ranges, flanked her initial battles against the Mughal Army at Narai. She led the defense and fought back fiercely against the Mughal Army, although the Mughal Army was superior to Durgavati’s. In the beginning, she was successful in turning back the Mughal Army after they chased her out of the valley with a fierce counterattack.
Following her success, Durgavati intended to attack the Mughal Army at night. However, her lieutenants refused to accept her suggestion. Therefore, she was forced to engage in open combat with the Mughal Army, which proved fatal. While riding her elephant Sarman, Durgavati counterattacked the Mughal forces strongly, refusing to surrender.
A fierce attack by Vir Narayan forced the Mughals to retreat three times before he was seriously wounded. She realized defeat against the Mughals was imminent after being hit by arrows and bleeding. While her mahout advised her to flee from battle, Rani Durgavati chose death over surrender by stabbing herself with a dagger. A brave and remarkable woman’s life ended in this manner.
Besides being a patron of learning, Durgavati was regarded as a prominent ruler for her encouragement of temple building and respect for scholars. While she died physically, her name lives on in Jabalpur, where the University she founded was established in her honor. She was not just a brave warrior, but also an adept administrator, building lakes and reservoirs to benefit her subjects.
Despite her kindness and caring nature, she was a fierce warrior who would not give up. A woman who refused to surrender to the Mughals and chose her life partner independently.
Conclusion,
The Gond Queen was Rani Durgavati. In her marriage to Daalpat Shah, she was a mother of four children. Her heroic battles against the Mughal Army and defeat of the army of Baz Bahadur have made her a legend in Indian history. The 5th of October 1524 was the birthday of Rani Durgavati.
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