Gora and Badal are legendary

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

warriors A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

, whose story appears in the medieval Indian texts ''

Padmavat ''Padmavat'' (or ''Padmawat'') is an epic poem written in 1540 by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, who wrote it in the Hindustani language of Awadhi language, Awadhi, and originally in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. It is the oldest extant t ...

'' (1540 CE), ''Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai'' (1589 CE), and their later adaptions. They served the king of

Chittor Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghol ...

, Ratansen (identified with

Ratnasimha Ratnasimha (IAST: Ratna-Siṃha, r. c. 1302 –1303 CE) was a ruler of the Medapata (Mewar) kingdom in present-day Rajasthan, India. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the Guhila dynasty, which ruled from the Chitrakuta fort (modern Chitto ...

, also called Ratan Singh in later legends).

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over lar ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

attacked Chittor to obtain Ratansen's wife

Padmavati Padmāvatī may refer to: Deities * Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of fortune * Alamelu, or Padmāvatī, a Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati * Manasa, a Hindu serpent goddess * Padmavati (Jainism), a Jain attendant goddess ( ...

and captured the king. Gora, Badal, and their soldiers entered Delhi disguised as Padmini and her companions, and rescued the king. Gora died fighting in this campaign, while Badal escorted the king to Chittor.

''Padmavat''

In Malik Muhammad Jayasi's ''

'' (1540 CE), Gora and Badal are vassals of Ratansen, the king of

(identified with

of Delhi attacks Chittor to obtain Ratansen's beautiful wife

. During a peace negotiation, Ratansen invites Alauddin as a guest inside the fort, against the advice of Gora and Badal. Alauddin deceitfully catches a glimpse of Padmavati, captures Ratansen, and returns to Delhi. Padmavati asks Gora and Badal to help her free Ratansen. The two men and their followers enter the fortress of Delhi, disguised as Padmavati and her companions. They free Ratansen, but Gora is killed fighting during the escape, while Badal takes Ratansen to Chittor.

''Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai''

Hemratan's ''Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai'' (1589 CE) follows a similar plot: Alauddin invades Chittor to obtain Ratan Sen's wife Padmini, and deceitfully captures Ratan Sen. The frightened nobles of Chittor consider surrendering Padmini to Alauddin. But warriors Gora (or Goru) and Badal (or Badil) agree to defend her and rescue king Ratansen. They pretend to make arrangements to bring Padmavati to Alauddin's camp, but instead bring warriors concealed in

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

s. They rescue the king; Gora dies fighting Alauddin's army, while Badal escorts the king back to the Chittor fort. Gora's wife commits

self-immolation The term self-immolation broadly refers to acts of altruistic suicide, otherwise the giving up of one's body in an act of sacrifice. However, it most often refers specifically to autocremation, the act of sacrificing oneself by setting oneself o ...

(''sati''). In

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

, Gora is rewarded with half of

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

's throne.

References

Bibliography

* {{ref end History of Rajasthan People from Rajasthan Duos