Have you heard the name of Amir Ali? In the history of Rajasthan, he is the person due to whose deceit, women had to be cut with swords than committing Jauhar!
This is the story of King Rawal Lunkaran of Jaisalmer, who became the victim of the biggest deceit in Rajasthan in the name of friendship.
Amir Ali was the Nawab of Kandahar. He had a fight with his brother for noblemanship and his brother defeated him. After losing to his brother, Amir Ali took refuge with King Rawal Lunkaran of Jaisalmer. Since protecting the refugee is an integral part of Indian culture, Maharaj Lunkaran gives shelter to Amir Ali, and both of them exchange turbans to show their friendship.
King Rawal Luunkaran makes arrangements for Amir Ali's stay by giving him a jagir in Jaisalmer. As the days passed by, the king's trust in Amir Ali increased significantly. The king started trusting Amir Ali a lot ignoring apprehensions from his associates and ministers!
Amir Ali once urged the king that his Begums want to meet the women of Rajmahal. King Rawal Lunkaran invited his wives to the Rajmahal but Amir wanted that none could see his wives other than the women of Rajmahal! To this, King Luunkaran invited his wives on a certain day citing that in a few days, most of the people in the palace will go to attend a wedding and there would be no men left in the fort! On that day, his Begums can meet his queens. Amir Ali gleefully agreed to this.
After a few days, on that particular fateful day when most of the men of the palace would have gone to attend the wedding ceremony with Prince Maldev Bhati, he had an opportunity as Amir Ali had some other plans for that particular day! He wanted to capture Jaisalmer and was waiting for a good opportunity for that. And he got that opportunity.
On that day, Amir Ali sent his soldiers in the palanquins of the women with weapons in those palanquins. He also employed soldiers in the place of the people carrying each palanquin. When Amir Ali's palanquins were crossing the first gate of the fort, a soldier present there became suspicious of them. He asked to search for the palanquins. Amir Ali tried to convince them but the soldiers did not listen. When Amir Ali felt that if the palanquins would be searched, his plan would be exposed and the rest of the doors of the fort would be closed, he ordered his soldiers to attack then and there.
There were just a few soldiers to protect the palance. Those soldiers were at first unable to understand the situation as this attack was from a friend, so unable to respond to this sudden attack! Somehow the news reached inside the fort that Amir Ali had betrayed them and the fort had been attacked.
There were very few men in the fort at that time and defeat was a certainty. That is why, as usual, Saka was performed. But they realized that Saka couldn’t be performed! In Saka, first of all, Jauhar is performed with full rituals in which the women take a fire bath, then remaining men go on to fight against the enemy to ensure the dignity of women. However, there was no time left to perform Jauhar. The enemy was in the fort and could enter the palace at any time. Then the women decided that they would be cut with swords rather than to go for Agnisnan (Fire Bath)! So Dhara Snaan took place. Only men did Kesaria, so this Saka is called Ardh Saka of Jaisalmer or Half Jauhar.
Amir Ali captured the fort, but when this news reached Prince Maldev Bhati, Maldev Bhati attacked with his army and killed Amir Ali and captured the fort again!
Rajeev K Upadhyay
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