29th June 2003
A theme that occurs again and again in Mewar (Meywaad) history to provide for tales of heroism and panegyric is based upon the fort of Chittor (Chittaudgarh). Its capture and recovery were matters of great consequence in the history of India.
Unfortunately the rulers of Dillee were Muslim by faith and the Mewar rulers prided themselves in being descended from the Sun through Lava (Love) elder son of the Rama incarnation of Vishnu, and therefore most Hindu of them all. This did not prevent individual princes of the house denied the throne of Mewar from making alliances with Muslim Sultans in order to sport the title Rana of Chittaud. Sagar, brother of Pratap was recognized as the Rana of Mewar and Chittaud by both Akbar and Jahangir. Two other brothers of Pratap, Jagmal and Shakt Singh were part of Akbars army
These details have been ignored and overlooked and the Dillee Mewar strife has been given an unwarranted Muslim vs Hindu colour. This has taken away from much of the romance of the stories. Communal or communitarian riots are crass events and devoid of nobility as we saw in the 1920s and 30s, in 1947 and in Gujarat recently.
Today we shall talk of Maharana Hammeer, (died 1364 A.D.), the Gehelot/Sisodia ruler who recovered Chittaud for the dynasty.
Hammeers father Ari Singh was the eldest son or crown prince of Maharana Garhlakshman Singh.
One fine day Ari Singh was hunting in the western hills near Kailwaada. He came across a wild boar and aimed an arrow at it. The injured animal fled with the hunter in hot pursuit until they came to a field heavy with a millet crop.
The wild boar took shelter in the high crop. As Ari Singh readied to enter the field in pursuit a young woman stopped him. She said Sir, please do not spoil my crop by riding your horse into it. I will, myself, drive out the animal.
Ari Singh stopped. He saw the girl approach the wounded wild boar armed with only her bamboo stick (Laatthee). She resolutely drove the animal out of the field.
Ari Singh dispatched the boar and trussed it up to his horses stays. He then took rest under the shade of a tree from which vantage point he could keep an eye on the remarkable village maiden.
The next animal to try and enter the millet field was assaulted by the girl using a catapult. The missile stunned the quarry and in ricochet broke the leg of another animal standing nearby.
As the time came to return home the prince saw the girl carry a large pot full of milk on her head while leading two buffalo calves on a string. The fact that she was able to be in command despite all these calls upon her strength made a great impression upon Ari Singh.
He asked the girl ”Whose daughter are you?”
She replied “My father is a Chandaana Rajput.”
The prince surmised that any child borne of this strong brave and alert girl would be a fit heir for the throne of his family. He summoned the father of the girl and sought her hand in marriage. The delighted father agreed.
The marriage took place without Garhlakshman Singh knowing as Ari Singh was afraid that there might be opposition to his marrying in the house of a lowly Rajput from a remote forest village. The girl stayed on with the father with Ari Singh visiting her often while hunting.
In due course a son was born and named Hammeer.
This word derives from the word Amir, a title used by Central and West Asian rulers. The adoption of this name shows that the Rajput admiration for Muslim rulers went to the extent of adopting their titles as names.
Both Garhlakshman Singh and his eldest son Ari Singh were killed at a battle where the younger son, Ajay Singh was severely wounded. He moved to the forest with Kailwaada as his headquarters and took the title Rana.
It is at this juncture that he was made aware of his late brothers son Hammeer.
The Rana was himself weak because of his injuries. His sons Sajjan Singh and Kshem Singh did not measure up to the needs of the situation. The Rana wanted to recover Chittor.
Meanwhile their very existence was threatened by a dacoit called Munja who raided the area around and looted wealth wherever he found it. The revenue to the kingdom and the image of the ruler suffered.
The Rana asked his sons to fetch him the head of Munja. They failed to deliver. At this point he sent to Oonwaa village for his nephew Hammeer.
Hammeer was only 13 or 14 years old but able to deal with the situation. He learnt that Munja was attending festivities at Semari village in district Goadwaad. He surprised and killed Munja and presented his head to Rana Ajay Singh.
The dying Rana and took off his sword of state and girt it around the waist of Hammeer. He anointed the forehead with the blood flowing from the severed head of Munja.
Ajay Singhs own sons were greatly upset by this development and left Rajputana to travel south. The Bhonsles of Satara Kolhapur Sawantvadi Tanjavur and Nagpur are said to be descended from them.
Hammeer soon succeeded to the throne. He asked his subjects to abandon their homes and fields and live in the forests. This was to make it impossible for an occupying army such as that of Dillee to subsist in Mewar.
The Sultan, unable to provision Chittor gave it to Rao Maldeva Songara as jagirdar of Mewar. The Rao could not enjoy his fief as there was no income and moved back to Jalore, A small garrison was left at Chittor.
How Hammeer won back Chittor will require another column.