Padmavati : History Or Legend

THE FAMOUS HISTORY OF PADMAVATI :-

“Padmavati, also known as Padmini, was a 13th-14th century queen of the Mewar Kingdom of present-day India. She was the wife of king Ratansimha / Rawal Ratan Singh / Ratan Sen. She was very well known for her Beauty. Alauddin Khilji, a Sultan of Delhi, lusted after her and attacked the Mewar Kingdom (Chittorgarh - the capital) to capture her. Ratansimha died in that battle and Padmavati commits Jauhar (mass self-immolation) along with other 16,000 womens to save their pride and honour. Alauddin captured an empty fortress, thus denied his prize.”

The Source :-

The earliest mention of Padmavati is in the “Padmavat” (or “Padmawat”), an epic poem written in 1540 by a Sufi poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi, who wrote it in the Hindustani language of Awadhi and originally in the Persian Nastaʿlīq script.

Subsequently, many literary works mentioning her story were produced; these can be divided into four major categories:

Persian And Urdu Adaptions - Between the 16th and 19th centuries, at least 12 Persian and Urdu translations or adaptations of Jayasi's Padmavat were produced. More Urdu versions appeared in the 20th century, all adhering to Jayasi's love poety tradition.

Rajput Ballads - In 1589, Hemratan composed ‘Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai’, the first Rajput adaption of the legend, presenting it as a "true tale". Between 16th and 18th centuries, more Rajput versions of the Padmavati legend were compiled in present-day Rajasthan, under the patronage of the Rajput chiefs. Unlike Jayasi's theme of courting and marriage, the Rajput adaptions emphasized their honour in defending their kingdom against Alauddin Khalji.

James Tod's Version - During 1829–32, Lieutenant-Colonel James Tod included a colonial re-telling of the legend in his ‘Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han’. His version was based on the information compiled from the oral and textual traditions of writers employed by the Rajput chiefs.

Bengali Adaptions - The epic poem ‘Padmavati’ was written by the medieval Bengali poet Syed Alaol. From the late 19th century onward, several Bengali versions of the legend were produced, when James Tod's work reached Calcutta, the capital of British India. These Bengali narratives portrayed Padmavati as a Hindu queen who immolated herself to protect her honour against a Muslim invader.

In addition to these various literary accounts, a variety of legends are located in vernacular oral traditions; these have evolved over time. The oral legends and the literary accounts share the same characters and general plot, but diverge in the specifics and how they express the details. The oral versions narrate the social group's perspective (the Muslim’s & the Rajput’s), while the early literary versions narrate the author's court-centric context.

THE FACTS :-

According to historian Aditya Mukherjee from Jawaharlal Nehru University - “in the contemporary period, there is no mention of this event, no accounts of Padmavati by Amir Khusrao, a prolific writer of the era and a courtier of Alauddin Khilji." He states that there "is no historical evidence of this Padmavati event - this story is a poet's (Jayasi’s) imagination".

Late historian Banarsi Prasad Saxena from Allahabad University believes that even the jauhar narrative is a fabrication: the contemporary chronicler Amir Khusrao refers to the jauhar during the earlier conquest of Ranthambore (1301), but does not mention any jauhar at Chittor (1303).

Another famous late historian Kishori Saran Lal points out several inconsistencies in the Padmavat legend. For example, Ratnasimha had ascended the throne in 1301, and was defeated by Alauddin in 1303 whereas Padmavat claims that Ratnasimha spent 12 years in quest of Padmavati, and then 8 years in conflict with Alauddin. According to K. S. Lal, Jayasi himself suggests that Padmavat is meant to be an allegory, not a narration of a historical event, because the author mentions that in his narrative, Chittor stands for the body, Raja (Ratnasimha) for the mind, Singhal for the heart, Padmavati for wisdom, and Alauddin for lust. K. S. Lal concludes that the only historical facts in the legend are that - Alauddin captured Chittor, and the women of the fort (including a queen of Ratnasimha) died in jauhar.

The poem Padmavat ends with Jayasi's own words, "I have made up the story and related it."

So, if Jayasi’s Padmavat is a fictional story, so does its further adaptations!

According to Alauddin Khilji’s perspective - It is already cleared that Padmavati never existed (through the reference of Amir Khusrao’s written texts on Khilji’s region).

According to Ratansimha’s perspective - When you research about Ratansimha through internet or any historic text, you will see the name of Padmavati as his wife (along with Nagmati who was said to be his first wife). But check the sources and it will lead you to Jayasi’s Padmavat.

According to Padmavati’s perspective - In Jayasi’s Padmavat, Padmavati was described as the daughter of King Gandharvsen and Queen Champavati of Singhal Kingdom (Sri Lanka). There was no king or queen of that name in that kingdom during 13th-14th century. So, if there is no king or queen, how can there be a princess named Padmavati ?

And all the other stories, literary texts, online articles, books, oral versions, youtube videos regarding “Padmavati Legend” source back to Jayasi’s Padmavat, which is a fictional story.

Hence Proved… Padmavati Is A Legend, Not An Actual History!