What does one say of a mother who sacrificed her own son for the sake of a kingdom?
The story of Panna Dai , who sacrificed her own son for Mewar. A stirring tale of courage and sacrifice.
#MothersDay
The story of Panna Dai , who sacrificed her own son for Mewar. A stirring tale of courage and sacrifice.
#MothersDay
Indian history has seen stories of some great mothers who shaped their children’s character- Jijabai, Ahalyabai Holkar to name some and in our Puranas we have had Sita, Yashoda,Kunti, Kausalya, Subhadra and Draupadi.
There can be no greater agony for a mother to see her own son killed in front of her eyes. Yet Panna Dai bore it stoically, for the sake of Mewar. And saved the young Udai Singh ( father of Maharana Pratap) bringing him up as her own.
She was a nursemaid of Rani Karnavati, the wife of Rana Sanga, and bought up her sons Vikramaditya and Udai Singh, along with her own son Chandan. Sanga died broken hearted after the rout at the Battle of Khanwa by Babur, more from the treachery inflicted on him.
One of Sanga’s sons, Ratan Singh II, ascended to the throne, however he did not rule for long and died soon. Another son, Vikramaditya took over as the ruler of Mewar, however he was very arrogant and insolent.
He isolated the nobles as well as the neighboring rulers with his overbearing attitude and many left him. Taking this as the right opportunity, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked Chittorgarh, and he had to take refuge in the hills.
Bahadur Shah attacked Chittorgarh, sacked it, and Rani Karnavati, comitted Jauhar along with others. Sadly even this defeat did not teach any lessons to Vikramaditya II, and he remained as arrogant as ever.
He was overthrown by the nobles fed up with his arrogance, and they placed him under house arrest. The nobles appointed Banvir, the uncle of Vikramaditya and Udai Singh as the regent, since the latter was still a kid.
Banvir however was the son of Sanga’s estranged brother Prithviraj, who had been seeking to acquire the throne of Mewar from long. He saw this as a chance, to get rid of Udai Singh, and secure the throne of Mewar once and for all.
Banvir killed Vikramaditya, and now hurried to kill the 14 yr old Udai Singh, so that he cud be the ruler of Mewar for good.On hearing the news, Panna Dai, who had put her son Chandan as well as Udai Singh to sleep, knew she had to act.
Panna realized that Udai Singh must be saved for the future of Mewar, even if it meant sacrificing her own son. She put the sleeping Udai Singh in a wicker basket and with the help of another maid, smuggled him out of the palace.
The wicked Banvir, came into the chamber, and asked for Udai Singh. Panna pointed to the bed, where her son Chandan was sleeping. And then right in front of her eyes, she saw Banvir murdering her own son.
It was the worst agony any mother could face. But she bore it, hiding her sorrow, for the sake of Mewar’s future. Keeping the agony of her son’s brutal murder within herself, Panna fled with Udai Singh, in the rocky Arravallis.
On one side, the memories of her son’s murder, on the other side living like a nomad and fugitive in the hills. To make matters worse, none of the chieftains was ready to offer shelter to Panna and Udai Singh, afraid of Banvir’s wrath.
Facing the rocky Aravalli hills, the harsh weather, Panna sheltered the young Udai Singh, as they fled from place to place. Just imagine, moving along the Arravalis, in the blazing heat, amidst the boulders, rocks, jungles, taking care of the young prince.
And living in mortal fear of the wicked Banvir, who was looking out for them. And no help from the chieftains, who were not willing to incur Banvir’s wrath. It was only the Bhils, who offered shelter and assistance to Panna and Udai Singh, when others refused.
Finally Panna and Udai Singh managed to find refuge for some time in Kumbhalgarh, where a loyal chieftain gave em shelter. Soon a group of nobles, opposed to Banvir, secretly met Panna and Udai Singh at Kumbhalgarh where they were in hiding.
The nobles proclaimed Udai Singh as the ruler of Mewar, and revolted against the wicked Banvir. Soon a combined force of Mewar and Marwar under Udai Singh, at Mavli, attacked Banvir and fought a pitched battle.
. Banvir was routed in the battle and forced to flee, was never heard of again, and Udai Singh became the rightful ruler of Mewar. Udai Singh later founded the city of Udaipur, and though not much is known about Panna later, her legacy remains forever.
Panna’s sacrifice was unparalleled in the history of Mewar, a mother giving up her own son for the sake of a kingdom, a true heroine. It is never easy for a mother to bear with the loss of her son, she had to see her own son being killed in front of her.
Panna Dai did not just give up her own son, she sheltered Udai Singh in the toughest times ever, a true heroine, a woman who deserves respect. The women of Mewar were as remarkable as the great Ranas #Naman #MothersDay
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