Page 17 - Seniors Today Febuary 2020
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and he fall asleep, she broke his arrows, hoping to 15 Amrapali-Bimbisara
prevent bloodshed. But her brother did not have Amrapali, the famed courtesan of Vaisali, fell in
mercy on them and slaughtered them both. love with King Bimbisara of the enemy kingdom
of Magadh, ignorant of his real identity. When
11 Prithviraj-Samyukta Bimbisara asked her to come with him, she
King Prithviraj Chauhan was in love with refused, but was imprisoned as a traitor anyway.
Samyukta, the daughter of his rival Jaichand. To Horrified at the bloodshed that followed his
insult Prithviraj, Jaichand arranged a swayamvara attempt to rescue her, she renounced the world
for Samyukta and invited every royal male except and became a follower of Lord Buddha.
Prithviraj. He got a clay statue of Prithviraj made
and placed it at the gate like a doorman. Samyuk- 16 Noorjehan-Jehangir
ta put the garland on the statue, behind which Emperor Jehangir was so smitten by Mehr-un-
Prithviraj was hiding and they rode away together. Nissa, that he had her husband killed, married her
Later, when Mohammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj and renamed her Noor Jahan. She became his chief
in battle, she committed jauhar. consort and ruled alongside him for many years.
12 Bajirao-Mastani 17 Momal-Rana
Peshwa Bajirao fell in love with Mastani, the Momal and Rana Mahendra of Umer Kot fell in
daughter of Bundela king and an Iranian woman. love. He would ride a camel to Jaisalmar and back
In spite of fierce opposition from his family, he every night to meet her. When his family came to
married her. So great was their love that when he know, they broke the legs of the camel. Mahendra
died in battle, she committed suicide. took another camel but got lost. Momal waited
from him, and got one of her sisters to dress as
a man and sleep by her side. When Rana finally
arrived and saw this, he left in a rage. To convince
him of her innocence, she jumped into a fire. A
shocked Mahendra joined her death by burning
himself in the same fire.
18 Razia Sultan-Yakut
One of the few female Muslim rulers in India,
Razia Sultan ascended the throne after the death
of her father in spite of severe opposition by court
nobles, but history records her downfall due to her
13 Quli Qutub Shah-Bhagmati love for a former slave, Yakut, a man of Abyssinian
Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah fell for a beautiful origin.
Hindo commoner, Bhagmati. He married her
against all odds, renamed her Hyder Mahal and
established the city of Hyderabad for her.
14 Baz Bahadur-Roopmati
The town of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh is
redolent with the romance between King Baz
Bahadur and the accomplished poetess-singer
Roopmati. Besotted by her, he neglected his duties
as ruler, and Emperor Akbar sent his general
Adham Khan to attack the kingdom. Baz Bahadur
fled leaving Roopmati alone. Rather than submit
to Adham Khan, she committed suicide.
17 SENIORS TODAY | Issue #8 | February 15, 2020
