This popular tale is related to the brave, loyal but simple Maharaja of Jodhpur Maharaja Jaswant Singh, his nine faithful ranis and the deceitful Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
According to the Hindu calendar, the month of Kwar comes after the monsoon season is over. There is a very popular tale related with this month. A former priest from famous Hindu temple Nathdwara in Udaipur, Rajasthan, narrated this tale to a person. The priest came to Delhi some decades ago. This tale seems very strange as while it narrates the bravery and loyalty of Rajputs on one side, on the other hand it talks about the treachery of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The story is related to the nine faithful ranis (queens) and valiant Maharaja Jaswant Singh who was the Maharaja of Jodhpur and who was a very brave and important Senapati of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb appointed Maharaja Jaswant Singh as governor of Jamrud, which is now in Pakistan. Incidentally, Maharaja Jaswant Singh took his last breath in Kabul.
Few months before his death, the Maharaja visited Delhi and met the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Whenever Maharaja visited Delhi, he never missed paying his obeisance to famous Hanuman temple built by Swai Man Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur and very famous Senapati and one of the Navratnas of Mughal emperor Akbar. This famous and ancient Hanuman temple is situated near another famous monument, the Jantar Mantar, on Baba Kharag Singh Marg. But during the days of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, it was almost in wilderness and ruins near the Raisina Hills, like any other Hindu temple of that period.
The only human habitat near the temple was the palace of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber. Maharaja Jaswant Singh used to stay in Chandni Chowk. Later on, he started to stay in the famous haveli of a bania trader, which was later converted by Sikhs into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. The Maharaja had come to know that the high priest of the Hanuman temple can forecast about the future of someone with great exactness by just reading the lines of the hands of a person. The priest was very old and frail but his eyes and personality had the shining and burning aura of a saint who had the passion of devotion and spiritualism. His tangled hair was curled up on his head like the hood of a serpent.
Maharaja Jaswant Singh had come to meet the priest with expensive gifts, carried by a number of men. As it was the characteristic of Hindu clergymen to renounce worldly pleasures, he refused to accept the gifts but finally accepted them to honour the Maharaja and not to dishearten him. The Maharaja revealed the reason for his call and opened his palm to the seer, priest. It was the month of Kwar, according to Hindu calendar and the time was late afternoon or before evening. The priest observed the lines of the majestic palm very deeply and from many angles.
After studying the palm for several minutes the frail priest asked the Maharaja to go back to his palace and not to worry about his future. But Maharaja became adamant that without knowing the future he would not go back. On this, the priest said with a sigh that this was his last visit to Delhi and he would die in a far-away land and far from his motherland and no near and dear to him would be present when he would breathe his last.
Again, the priest said that although fate cannot be challenged but you can refuse to accept the emperor's offer of the governorship in a remote hilly state and should retire and settle in your native state. With a very heavy heart and gloomy face, the Maharaja heard the prediction of the priest and returned to the Walled City of Delhi. Next day he met Aurangzeb and told him that he was not interested in the governorship of Jamrud. Perturbed on this refusal, the emperor asked the reason. The Maharaja feigned that his nine ranis now want him to shun the army career of bloodbath and killing and settle down in Jodhpur peacefully.
He hid the prediction told by the priest of the Hanuman temple who had advised him to decline the offer and not to go to that far away region. The emperor was very cunning and shrewd. He knew it very well that it was only the chivalry and leadership qualities of Maharaja Jaswant Singh which can control and tame the bloody and violent Afghan warlords.
Aurangzeb had great persuasive power. He used his best to befool the simple, honest and loyal Maharaja. Cajoling the hand of Maharaja, Aurangzeb promised to him that this would be his last assignment; he would give to his brave Rajput friend who had been very loyal to him, who once defeated unconquerable Maratha warlord Chatrapati Shivaji in a very decisive battle in 1665 while commanding the Mughal forces.
The wolf minded emperor knew that the strategically important and notorious Jamrud and its barbarous habitats can be controlled and ruled only by a man of the Maharaja's competence. He further assured him that he will be recalled as the hazard of any possible invasion is receded. Failing to understand the trick, the brave and loyal Maharaja could not say no to his friend and to this challenging task and after few days left for Jamrud, never to return again. The Maharaja did not take his nine ranis with him and assured them of his early return within a few months. He asked his ranis to stay at Agra where the Maharaja had a palace. As the priest predicted Maharaja Jaswant Singh died at Kabul and his body could not be brought to his native place and was cremated there and his nine ranis committed sati on the banks of river Yamuna, where a chhatri or a canopy was constructed as the memorial of great, loyal and brave Maharaja.
However, there is another tale linked with the family of Maharaja after his death. It says that two of his ranis were pregnant and did not commit sati to save the lives of the yet to born children and travelled to Lahore, at the emperor's behest. There, both the ranis were blessed by a son each. The treacherous emperor said that he wanted to bring up one of them. The intelligent and strong character ranis substituted for the Maharaja's posthumous son with another infant boy and quickly returned to their native place to save their chastity.
Actually, the dirty minded Aurangzeb had plotted in his mind to keep a Rajput rani in his harem. He thought that if he got the charge of a son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, one of his ranis would naturally have to live with him as his dasi. It is also said that Rani Handa, wife of legendary Amar Singh Rathore who slayed uncultured and ill-mouthed Salahat Khan, cousin of Noor Jahan, at the court of Shah Jahan in 1644, committed sati at the same chhattri constructed in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh.
Every year in the month of Kwar, the hereditary temple priest of historical Nathdwara Temple visits the famous Chhattri to perform puja and follow the almost 350 years old tradition to honour the brave Maharaja, his nine virtuous and faithful ranis and Rani Hada.
Few months before his death, the Maharaja visited Delhi and met the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Whenever Maharaja visited Delhi, he never missed paying his obeisance to famous Hanuman temple built by Swai Man Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur and very famous Senapati and one of the Navratnas of Mughal emperor Akbar. This famous and ancient Hanuman temple is situated near another famous monument, the Jantar Mantar, on Baba Kharag Singh Marg. But during the days of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, it was almost in wilderness and ruins near the Raisina Hills, like any other Hindu temple of that period.
The only human habitat near the temple was the palace of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber. Maharaja Jaswant Singh used to stay in Chandni Chowk. Later on, he started to stay in the famous haveli of a bania trader, which was later converted by Sikhs into Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. The Maharaja had come to know that the high priest of the Hanuman temple can forecast about the future of someone with great exactness by just reading the lines of the hands of a person. The priest was very old and frail but his eyes and personality had the shining and burning aura of a saint who had the passion of devotion and spiritualism. His tangled hair was curled up on his head like the hood of a serpent.
Maharaja Jaswant Singh had come to meet the priest with expensive gifts, carried by a number of men. As it was the characteristic of Hindu clergymen to renounce worldly pleasures, he refused to accept the gifts but finally accepted them to honour the Maharaja and not to dishearten him. The Maharaja revealed the reason for his call and opened his palm to the seer, priest. It was the month of Kwar, according to Hindu calendar and the time was late afternoon or before evening. The priest observed the lines of the majestic palm very deeply and from many angles.
After studying the palm for several minutes the frail priest asked the Maharaja to go back to his palace and not to worry about his future. But Maharaja became adamant that without knowing the future he would not go back. On this, the priest said with a sigh that this was his last visit to Delhi and he would die in a far-away land and far from his motherland and no near and dear to him would be present when he would breathe his last.
Again, the priest said that although fate cannot be challenged but you can refuse to accept the emperor's offer of the governorship in a remote hilly state and should retire and settle in your native state. With a very heavy heart and gloomy face, the Maharaja heard the prediction of the priest and returned to the Walled City of Delhi. Next day he met Aurangzeb and told him that he was not interested in the governorship of Jamrud. Perturbed on this refusal, the emperor asked the reason. The Maharaja feigned that his nine ranis now want him to shun the army career of bloodbath and killing and settle down in Jodhpur peacefully.
He hid the prediction told by the priest of the Hanuman temple who had advised him to decline the offer and not to go to that far away region. The emperor was very cunning and shrewd. He knew it very well that it was only the chivalry and leadership qualities of Maharaja Jaswant Singh which can control and tame the bloody and violent Afghan warlords.
Aurangzeb had great persuasive power. He used his best to befool the simple, honest and loyal Maharaja. Cajoling the hand of Maharaja, Aurangzeb promised to him that this would be his last assignment; he would give to his brave Rajput friend who had been very loyal to him, who once defeated unconquerable Maratha warlord Chatrapati Shivaji in a very decisive battle in 1665 while commanding the Mughal forces.
The wolf minded emperor knew that the strategically important and notorious Jamrud and its barbarous habitats can be controlled and ruled only by a man of the Maharaja's competence. He further assured him that he will be recalled as the hazard of any possible invasion is receded. Failing to understand the trick, the brave and loyal Maharaja could not say no to his friend and to this challenging task and after few days left for Jamrud, never to return again. The Maharaja did not take his nine ranis with him and assured them of his early return within a few months. He asked his ranis to stay at Agra where the Maharaja had a palace. As the priest predicted Maharaja Jaswant Singh died at Kabul and his body could not be brought to his native place and was cremated there and his nine ranis committed sati on the banks of river Yamuna, where a chhatri or a canopy was constructed as the memorial of great, loyal and brave Maharaja.
However, there is another tale linked with the family of Maharaja after his death. It says that two of his ranis were pregnant and did not commit sati to save the lives of the yet to born children and travelled to Lahore, at the emperor's behest. There, both the ranis were blessed by a son each. The treacherous emperor said that he wanted to bring up one of them. The intelligent and strong character ranis substituted for the Maharaja's posthumous son with another infant boy and quickly returned to their native place to save their chastity.
Actually, the dirty minded Aurangzeb had plotted in his mind to keep a Rajput rani in his harem. He thought that if he got the charge of a son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, one of his ranis would naturally have to live with him as his dasi. It is also said that Rani Handa, wife of legendary Amar Singh Rathore who slayed uncultured and ill-mouthed Salahat Khan, cousin of Noor Jahan, at the court of Shah Jahan in 1644, committed sati at the same chhattri constructed in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh.
Every year in the month of Kwar, the hereditary temple priest of historical Nathdwara Temple visits the famous Chhattri to perform puja and follow the almost 350 years old tradition to honour the brave Maharaja, his nine virtuous and faithful ranis and Rani Hada.
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