![Chittorgarh fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Chittorgarh_Fort.jpg)
Ratnasimha (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Ratna-Siṃha, r. c. 1302 –1303 CE) was a ruler of the
Medapata
Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch and Man ...
(Mewar) kingdom in present-day
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the
Guhila
Gahlot is a clan of Rajputs Guhilot Rajputs ruled number of Kingdom's including Mewar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Shahpura, Bhavnagar, Palitana, Lathi and Vala, The variations of the name include Gehlot, Guhila, Gohil or Guhilot.
Hi ...
dynasty, which ruled from the Chitrakuta fort (modern
Chittorgarh
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 ...
). The last ruler of this branch, he was defeated by
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 ...
in the
Siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 CE.
The Rajasthani legends mention him as the
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 ...
ruler ''Rawal'' Ratan Singh. A fictionalized version of him appears as Ratan Sen in
Malik Muhammad Jayasi
Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1477– 1542) was an Indian Sufi poet and pir. He wrote in the Awadhi language, and in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. His best known work is the epic poem '' Padmavat'' (1540).
Biography
Much of the information abo ...
's ''
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 ...
''. According to this poem, Alauddin Khalji attacked Chittorgarh to obtain his beautiful wife
Rani Padmini
Padmini, also known as Padmavati, was a 13th–14th century Rani (queen) of the Kingdom of Mewar, Mewar kingdom of present-day India. Several medieval texts mention her, although these versions are disparate and many modern historians question ...
; Alauddin captured the fort after Ratan Sen died in a combat with king Devpal of
Kumbhalner; subsequently, Padmini and other women committed
Jauhar
Jauhar, sometimes spelled Jowhar or Juhar, was a Hindu practice of mass self-immolation by women, in the Indian subcontinent, to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by an invading army, when facing certain defeat during a war. Some reports of ...
to protect their honour. The historicity of this legend is disputed.
Ascension
Ratnasimha succeeded his father
Samarasimha
Samara-simha (IAST: Samarasiṃha, r. c. 1182–1204 CE) was an Indian king belonging to the Chahamana dynasty of Javalipura (present-day Jalore in Rajasthan). He ruled the area around Jalore as a Chaulukya feudatory.
Reign
Samarasimha succe ...
as the
Guhila
Gahlot is a clan of Rajputs Guhilot Rajputs ruled number of Kingdom's including Mewar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Shahpura, Bhavnagar, Palitana, Lathi and Vala, The variations of the name include Gehlot, Guhila, Gohil or Guhilot.
Hi ...
ruler of
Mewar
Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch and Man ...
around 1302 CE. He belonged to the Rawal branch of the family, which ruled from Chitrakuta fort (now known as
Chittorgarh
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 ...
).
Ratnasimha is attested by the 1302 CE (1359
VS)
Dariba
Dariba is a village in Railmagra tehsil in Rajsamand district in the state of Rajasthan in India.
Geography
Dariba is located at . It has an average elevation of 479 metres (1571 feet).
Demographics
India census, Dariba had a po ...
temple inscription, which records a gift of 16 ''drammas'' (coins) to the temple during his reign. The inscription mentions his title as ''Maharajakula'' (which appears as ''Maharawal'' in colloquial literature).
A few coins issued by Ratnasimha have also been discovered.
Defeat against Alauddin Khalji
In 1303,
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 ...
, the
Sultan of Delhi
The following list of Indian monarchs is one of several lists of incumbents. It includes those said to have ruled a portion of the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka.
The Mahajanapada, earliest Indian rulers are known from epigraphica ...
, invaded Chittor. After reaching the foot of the Chittor hill, two wings of his army attacked the fort from two different sides. After two months of unsuccessful siege, the attackers pelted stones on the fort using ''manjaniq''s (
mangonel
The mangonel, also called the traction trebuchet, was a type of trebuchet used in Ancient China starting from the Warring States period, and later across Eurasia by the 6th century AD. Unlike the later counterweight trebuchet, the mangonel opera ...
s), but still failed to capture the fort. Finally, on 26 August 1303, the invaders managed to enter the fort.
Fate after defeat
According to
Amir Khusrau
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian culture, Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural his ...
, who claims to have entered the fort with Alauddin, the ruler ("Rai") of Chittor surrendered to Alauddin. The Delhi Sultan massacred 30,000 other Hindus, but pardoned the ruler and his family. He assigned the fort to his young son Khizr Khan with Malik Shahin as the actual administrator, renamed it to Khizrabad, and then returned to Delhi.
Khusrau's account is also corroborated by the 14th century Muslim chroniclers
Ziauddin Barani
Ziauddin Barani (1285–1358 CE) was a Muslim political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate located in present-day Northern India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the ''Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi'' (also ...
and
Isami. Historian
Banarsi Prasad Saksena
Banarsi Prasad Saxena (aka Banarsi Prasad Saksena) was a historian associated with Allahabad University.
Saksena was awarded a PhD by University of London, School of Oriental Studies in 1931. He later became head of the departments of history in ...
believes that Khusrau's account is correct.
Kishori Saran Lal
Kishori Saran Lal (1920–2002), better known as K. S. Lal, was an Indian historian. He is the author of several works, mainly on the medieval history of India.
Career
He obtained his master's degree in 1941 at the University of Allahabad. In ...
, on the other hand, doubts this account, arguing that it seems improbable that Alauddin spared the life of Chittor's ruler while ordering a massacre of 30,000 other Hindus.
The Jain writer Kakka Suri, in his ''
Nabhinandana-Jinoddhara-Prabandha'' (1336 CE) states:
According to historian
Dasharatha Sharma
Dasharatha Sharma (1903–1976) was an Indologist with particular interest in the history of the Rajasthan region of India. Born in the Rajasthani city of Churu, he studied in the city of Bikaner and at the University of Delhi. He had degrees ...
, this suggests that the ruler of Chitrakuta (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Citrakūṭa i.e. Chittor) survived the siege, and corroborates the accounts of the Muslim chroniclers.
The earliest Hindu account of the event is the
Kumbhalgarh
Kumbhalgarh (literally "Kumbhal fort") also known as the Great Wall of India is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, just about 48 km from Rajsamand city in the Rajsamand district of the Rajasthan state in western India. I ...
''
prashasti
''Prashasti'' (IAST: Praśasti, Sanskrit for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' s ...
'' (eulogistic inscription) of 1460 CE. This inscription was issued by
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character an ...
of the Guhila family's
Rana branch, who were a rival of Ratnasimha's Rawal branch. The inscription states:
The inscription mentions the title of Ratnasimha and his predecessors as "''Rāula''", thus indicating that they belonged to the Rawal branch. However, Lakshmasimha (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Lakṣmasiṃha) is explicitly called a "''
Mahārāṇā''", thus indicating that he belonged to the Rana branch.
The word "departed" (''tasmin gate'' in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
) in this verse has been variously interpreted as "died" or "deserted the defenders". Historian
Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha
Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha (15 September, 1863– 17 April, 1947), born in Rohida village of Sirohi District, was a historian from the Indian state of Rajasthan. A prolific author, he wrote several books ( in Hindi ) on the history of Rajasth ...
interpreted this verse to suggest that Ratnasimha bravely fought till death. Some other scholars such as Kalika Ranjan Qanungo and R. B. Haldar also accepted Ojha's translation.
However, according to other historians such as Akshay Kirti Vyas and
R. C. Majumdar, the verse means that Ratnasimha cowardly fled from the battlefield. Subimal Chandra Datta points out that while describing the death of Lakshmasimha, the inscription states that he "departed for heaven". But while describing Ratnasimha's departure, it simply mentions that he "departed". This, combined with the surrender of the "Rai" described in the Muslim accounts, suggests that Ratnasimha departed from the battlefield and surrendered to Alauddin.
The 16th century ''
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 ...
'' legend claims that Ratnasimha ("Ratan Sen") died in a combat with the ruler of
Kumbhalner, before Alauddin's conquest of the fort. The 17th century chronicler
Muhnot Nainsi
Muhnot Nainsi (1610–1670) is known for his studies of the region now encompassed by the state of Rajasthan in India.
He was a contemporary of Rathore ruler Jaswant Singh of Marwar.
He was son of Jaimal Muhnot, who was senior office holder und ...
in his
Nainsi ri Khyat
Nainsi ri Khyat (or 'Khyat of Nainsi') is a late 17th-century Marwari & Dingal text chronicling the history of Marwar. It's author Muhnot Nainsi, an official of Marwar State, based the Khyat (or chronicle) on the Charan accounts and the traditio ...
, who wrote under Rajput patronage, states that Ratnasimha ("Ratan Singh") died on the battlefield.
The legend of Padmini
A legendary account of Ratan Singh (as Ratan Sen) appears in
Malik Muhammad Jayasi
Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1477– 1542) was an Indian Sufi poet and pir. He wrote in the Awadhi language, and in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. His best known work is the epic poem '' Padmavat'' (1540).
Biography
Much of the information abo ...
's 16th century epic poem ''
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 ...
''. According to this account, he married the
Sinhala princess
Padmini after a
quest
A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...
. Alauddin Khalji invaded Chittor to obtain Padmini, after hearing of her beauty. Ratan Sen was captured by the Delhi forces, but his Rajput warriors rescued him on Padmini's request. While he was in captivity, his Rajput neighbour - Devpal of
Kumbhalner - sent a marriage proposal to Padmini. Ratan Sen fought with Devpal to avenge this insult, and the two Rajput kings killed each other in a
single combat
Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies.
Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repres ...
. Alauddin then invaded Chittor, but before he could capture the fort, Padmini (Padmavati) and other women immolated themselves.
Several adaptions of the ''Padmavat'' legend appeared in the later years. The 16th century historians
Firishta
Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...
and Haji-ud-Dabir were among the earliest writers to mention Padmini as a historical figure, but their accounts differ with each other and with that of Jayasi. For example, according to Firishta, Padmini was a daughter (not wife) of Ratan Sen. Some other medieval legends written under Rajput patronage state that the contemporary ruler of Chittor was Lakhamsi (Lakshmasimha), and Ratan Sen (Ratnasimha) was his younger brother. Another version, compiled by
James Tod
Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod (20 March 1782 – 18 November 1835) was an officer of the British East India Company and an Oriental scholar. He combined his official role and his amateur interests to create a series of works about the his ...
, states that Padmini was the wife of Lakhamsi's uncle Bhimsi (Bhimasimha); this version does not mention Ratan Sen at all.
Historicity
Historian Kalika Ranjan Qanungo, in his ''A Critical Analysis of the Padmini Legend'' (1960), proposed that there were actually four distinct people with similar names. According to him, the medieval bards confused and linked these four individuals:
# Ratnasimha, the Guhila ruler mentioned in the Kumbhalgarh inscription
# Ratnasen, mentioned as Ratan Sen in ''Padmavat''; he was actually a ruler of
Chitrakoot in modern Uttar Pradesh, not Chittor in Rajasthan
# Ratna, the son of Kshema; he and another warrior named Bhimasimha were killed in a battle at the foot of the Chittor hill
# Ratnasimha, the son of the
Chahamana
Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan.
Subclans
Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...
ruler
Hammira. Lakshmasimha, the ruler of Chittor, gave him shelter at Chittor, prompting Alauddin to attack Chittor
Other historians, such as Jogendra Prasad Singh (1964) and Ram Vallabh Somani (1976) have criticized Qanungo's theory based on the following points:
* The Guhila king Ratnasimha and the Ratan Sen of ''Padmavat'' cannot be different persons, given that both are described as kings of Chittor who were defeated by Alauddin Khalji. Jayasi names the father of Ratan Sen as a person other than Samarasimha, but according to Singh this is simply a mistake, resulting from the fact that Jayasi wrote over 200 years later.
* Ratan Sen of ''Padmavat'' could not have been a king of present-day Uttar Pradesh, because the text explicitly refers to Chittor of Mewar region, describing Kumbhalgarh as its neighbour.
* Ratna, the son of Kshema, could not have fought against Alauddin: his death is mentioned in a 1273 CE inscription, while Alauddin ascended the throne only in 1296 CE. There is no evidence that Bhimasimha, the person who died fighting alongside him, is same as the Bhim Singh mentioned in the bardic legends.
* It is a mere conjecture that Alauddin attacked Chittor because Lakshmasimha sheltered Hammira's son Ratnasimha. The source for this claim is Surajmal's ''Vaṃśabhāskara'', which is a 19th-century work based on historically unreliable bardic tales. None of the contemporary sources suggest that Hammira had a son named Ratnasimha. ''
Hammira Mahakavya
''Hammira Mahakavya'' (IAST: ''Hammīra-Mahākāvya'') is a 15th-century Indian Sanskrit epic poem written by the Jain scholar Nayachandra Suri. It is a legendary biography of the 13th century Chahamana king Hammira. While not entirely accurate fr ...
'', the earliest biography of Hammira, states that Hammira appointed his minister Jajadeva as the ruler of his kingdom before marching to the battle with Alauddin. If Hammira had a son, he would have appointed his own son (rather than Jajadeva) as his successor. Moreover, Hammira had invaded Chittor in the past, and the relations between the two kingdoms were not cordial enough for Chittor to grant shelter to Hammira's son.
Most modern historians have rejected the authenticity of the Padmini legend.
Regarding the historicity of Padmini's story, historian S. Roy wrote in ''
The History and Culture of the Indian People
''The History and Culture of the Indian People'' is a series of eleven volumes on the history of India, from prehistoric times to the establishment of the modern state in 1947. Historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was the general editor of the series ...
'' that "......
Abu-'l Fazl definitely says that he gives the story of Padminī from "ancient chronicles", which cannot obviously refer to the ''
Padmāvat'', an almost contemporary work. ...... it must be admitted that there is no inherent impossibility in the kernel of the story of Padminī devoid of all embellishments, and it should not be totally rejected off-hand as a myth. But it is impossible, at the present state of our knowledge, to regard it definitely as a historical fact."
In popular culture
*Ratnasimha appears as Ratan Sen in
Malik Muhammad Jayasi
Malik Muhammad Jayasi (1477– 1542) was an Indian Sufi poet and pir. He wrote in the Awadhi language, and in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script. His best known work is the epic poem '' Padmavat'' (1540).
Biography
Much of the information abo ...
's epic poem ''
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).
*Ratnasimha was portrayed by
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
in
Chitrapu Narayana Rao
Chitrapu Narayana Rao (born Chithrapu Narayana Murthy; 1913) was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He received a Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Tamil Film for ''Edhir Paradhathu'' (19 ...
's film ''
Chittoor Rani Padmini
''Chitor Rani Padmini'' () is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film written by C. V. Sridhar and Elangovan, and directed by Ch. Narayana Murthy. It is based on the legend of Rani Padmini. The film starred Sivaji Ganesan as Rana Rat ...
'' (1963).
* In 1988, Rajender Gupta played the role of Ratan Sen in an episode (26) of the Hindi drama series
Bharat Ek Khoj
''Bharat Ek Khoj'' () is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book ''The Discovery of India'' (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru that covers a 5,000-year history of India from its beginnings to independence from the British in 1947. The dr ...
, which was based on the book The Discovery of India (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru.
*
Rohit Bakshi portrayed Ratnasimha in
Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel, that was launched on 30 September 1995, and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony.
SET India's You ...
's historical drama ''
Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur
''Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur'' (English: ''The Johur of the Queen Padmini of Chittod'') is an Indian historical drama television series that aired on Sony Entertainment Television, based on the life of Rani Padmini, the famous 14th-century ...
''.
*
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, inc ...
portrayed Ratan Singh (Ratnasimha) in
epic period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
film ''
Padmaavat
''Padmaavat'' is a 2018 Indian period romantic action drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on the epic poem of the same name by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, it stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, a Rajput queen known for her ...
'' (2018) directed by
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali (; born 24 February 1963) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and music composer who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards, ten Filmfar ...
.
References
Bibliography
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{{ref end
External links
Amir Khusrau's account of the conquest of Chitorin ''Khaza'in ul-Futuh''
Mewar dynasty
Hindu monarchs
1303 deaths