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Rani Durgavati was the ultimate queen of the Gond dynasty who had a brave soul, iron determination and the skills of a warrior. The stories of her courageous resistance against the Mughals still echoes through the memory of medieval history.
Born on 5th October 1524
Rani Durgavati was born to the Chandel King, Keerat Rai, on 5 October in 1524. Her life as a princess was not full of glitz and glamour. The responsibility of being royalty came with a lot of twists and turns. She was a trained horse rider, sword fighter and archer. Her love for hunting only sharpened her skills. The glory of her skills found a place in Akbarnama, where Abu'l Fazl praised her for her precise and sharp aim.
In 1542, Rani Durgavati was married to Dalpat Shah of the Gond Dynasty. Like most medieval marriages, this one also became a political alliance of Chandel-Rajgond Dynasties, which came in handy for Keerat Rai during the invasion of Sher Shah Suri.
In 1545 the Gond kingdom was busy celebrating the birth of Dalpat Shah's successor, Vir Narayan, unaware of the looming dangers over their lives.
Dalpat Shah's early demise in 1550 destabilised the Gond Kingdom. Vir Narayan was far too young to take over the throne. Instead, Rani Durgavati took up the rein of kingship. Her first decision as a queen was to shift the capital of the Gond kingdom to Chaurgarh.
Baz Bahadur, Sultan of Malwa, was eyeing the Gond kingdom for some time now. He thought that a vulnerable Durgavati would do nothing and surrender easily. His dreams never saw the face of reality because Rani Durgavati crushed his attack in no time.
The entry of Mughals changed the picture altogether. Akbar conquered Malwa in 1562, including it in the overreaching map of the Mughal Sultanate.
Khwaja Abdul Majid Asaf Khan, an ambitious Mughal General, was now preying on the Gond kingdom. In 1564, Asaf Khan launched an armed attack on Rani Durgavati's Kingdom. Rani Durgavati left no leaf unturned to protect her turf. The battle took place in the valley near Narrai. Even though the Gond army was heavily outnumbered in weapons and man force, Rani Durgavati never thought of giving up. She believed it was better to die like a warrior than to behave like a coward.
The battle went on and, the meagre forces of Rani Durgavati were dwindling slowly. After losing her army chief, Rani Durgavati herself took command of leading the war. Some hope was visible when Rani Durgavati successfully drove the Mughals away.
But the Mughal army returned with more artillery and soldiers the next day. Rani Durgavati entered the scene on her elephant Sarman to save the day. Alas! Luck was not on her side. During the fight, Rani Durgavati got shot by two arrows. One of them pierced her ear and, the second one launched into her neck. Due to her fatal injuries, Rani Durgavati had to retire to a medical camp.
Rani knew that the end was near, but her stubborn nature did not allow her to surrender. With this thought in mind, she stabbed herself to death on the fateful day of 24 June 1564.
Rani Durgavati was one of the rare women in history whose valour and indomitable strength remain unparalleled even today.
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