Hi Friends,
I am back with a VERY interesting post as i got something worth reading for you , about an old track of Ekta Kapoor's show - Jodha Akbar. Today, i am posting some details regarding that same interesting track. Read ON.!
It was shown to us that Akbar got a Princess of Amer(Amber) married to a Rajput Prince. The Princess was shown as Sukanya, Akbar's sister-in-law & a younger sister of his wife, Mariam-Uz-Zamani, the eldest daughter of Raja BharMal.
It was shown that Akbar took responsibility of her marriage after her fiance was killed in Battle of Paronkh. It further showed that in order to get her married, Akbar gave away his Fort of Ratanpur as a dowry for this princess.
My present post is about that same old track of the show. In this regard, i know of 2 references - Rajputana docs and Mughal records. I am mentioning them below.
As per information which i have, at present:
I do not have references to prove that the Fort was given away by Akbar in reality. Though, i have been told that a Fort was given away. But, I will confirm this after i get a concrete reference personally. Rest of the details are true.
"A battle took place at Paronkh in reality also as shown to us in the serial. In that battle some rebels were killed. The battle happened in October 1562, just few months after marriage of Akbar and MUZ. Akbar took Raja Bhagwan Das, Pir Muhammed, etc. with him in this battle. As show in the serial, Raja Bhagwan offered his water to Akbar in this battle and also took an arrow shot at Akbar on himself. The connection between this battle and Sukanya's wedding could not be established, as of now. But, these events are completely true, individually. It was shown to us that Akbar proceeded on this battle after an old man named Hapa complained about some rebels who plundered his area and killed his son.
Akbarnama gives the same details as it is. Some details are present in Rajputana sources. I am still digging and will inform you more in future posts about more details as and when i come across them, because getting all these records instantaneously is not an easy job."
Till then, i have mentioned about :
i. The Battle of Paronkh.
ii. Akbar "personally" arranged the marriage of a Princess of Amer with a Rajput Prince.
I. - Battle of Paronkh in which Raja Bhagwan Das took part with Akbar..
The Akbarnama of Abu'l Fazl mentions the battle in fairly good details.
Here is the complete text from Akbarnama, Vol-2, Beveridge, Pg-251-256...The entire text may appear boring to some. So, i have highlighted the part which is worth focusing upon.
"The Almighty inflicts punishment on every evil-doer at certain times and occasions in accordance with His supreme wisdom. The wise become acquainted in some measure with this mystery and increase their wisdom. The foolish fall into the briny desert of error and having their heads turned by vain imaginings become more foolish. It is like the effect of world-illuminating day which to the sound eye is a cause of increased vision. First, it produces recognition of the various Divine favours. Secondly, it inflames the spirit of thanksgiving and makes this more active and more searching. To owl-like natures which have defective vision it is a cause of increased blindness, and makes them ignoble and obscure. Night, which is day's defect, helps the vision of low, mean, owl-like natures and keeps them under the screen of imperfect sight.
In brief, the inhabitants of the hamlets of the town of Sakit, which is about thirty kos from Agra, had not their equals for refractoriness and ingratitude. Especially eight villages of that pargana, which were known by the name of Athgarha were for insolence, robbery, manslaughter, boldness and turbulence such that the eye of the world had not seen their like. For they were both ruffians and occupiers of rough places, and they lived by audacity which the ignorant call manliness. The officers of the quarter were continually complaining of their wickedness. At last the Shahinshah went towards that village for the sake of hunting. At that time the pargana was in the fief of Ibrahim Badakshi. A brahman of the name of Hapa obtained an interview through the huntsmen and represented the oppression practised by those stubborn ones, stating they had killed his innocent son and plundered his property. The spiritual and temporal king, who made hunting a means of inquiring into such matters, became indignant on hearing the victim's complaint and announced that he would next morning proceed there and chastise the evil-doers. At dawn he went off to hunt, attended by a few men, and sent off a party ahead. He reached the village at morning. Those who had gone on ahead came and reported that the rebels had heard of the Shahinshah's coming and had fled. The flame of majestic justice rose higher, and an order was given that the jeopardisers of their lives should follow them up to whatever defiles the recalcitrants had gone, and that he himself was coming on in reliance upon God.
At last His Majesty the Shahinshah broke down the wall and entered the dwelling. Three or four other elephants joined in this work and a large number of the audacious rebels were killed. Many shut themselves up in the house. In accordance with orders, the roof of the house was broken and fire flung in. The breath of these ill-fated ones was converted into smoke. Nearly a thousand of them were sent to the abode of annihilation by the fire of the Divine anger.
Here are the You-Tube links of those Episodes related to Battle of Paronkh:
In the following episode - A villager named Hapa comes in Diwan-e-Aam(Hall of Public Audience) and tells Akbar that his son has been killed and his property plundered and looted....Jodha Akbar Episode 59 - September 6, 2013
The episode showing the Battle of Paronkh... Jodha Akbar Episode 61 - September 10, 2013
Note that the serials are dramatized version of real events. I am giving these links only for those readers who might have forgotten that track.
II. - Akbar arranged the marriage of Princess of Amer with a Rajput Prince
The Research Paper published by noted historian Prof. Badani of Aligarh Muslim University in 1990's (he specializes in Rajputana history) mentions that Akbar got a princess of Kachawaha Clan of Amer married to another Rajput Prince. As per him, Akbar personally took the responsibility and arranged her marriage with another Rajput Prince.
I am posting the scan from his research paper.
1. See the top highlighted portion of this Research Paper...
It says >
" Akbar arranged the marriage of a Princess of the Family of Kachwaha Rajputs of Amer to another Rajput Prince. Before this Akbar had himself married the Princess of Amer - Harka Bai/Mariam-Uz-Zamani. "
" This incident signifies the "emotional" , glaring and "intimate" relationship Akbar enjoyed with these families. He regarded that Princess as "His Own Daughter" .! This marriage is mentioned in Rajputana records. "
2. Now, See the End Portion of this Research Paper...
Akbar gave position in Mughal nobility to - 2 brothers of Maharana Pratap. One was Jagmaal(1572-73) and another was Sagar Singh(1583). Both were sons of Queen DheerBai Bhatiyani. This was done in order to pressurize the Rana to surrender himself and join Mughal suzerainty. Though, till his end the Rana continued his struggle lonely.
Remembering Maharana Pratap | A Tribute
3. The contrast is clear...
On one hand, Akbar was VERY CLOSE to the family of his first Rajput Wife - Harka Bai of Amer. His third surviving son Danial was sent to Amer to be present in the care of wife of his father in law, Raja BharMal. Rajputs of Amer were ranked among the highest in Akbar's nobility. Loyalty is one factor but surely not the ONLY factor. There is something unusual working here. Not all Rajput relatives of Akbar enjoyed such good relations with him.You all have read many posts on this blog till now. Try to think and decipher.
On the other hand, Akbar tried every policy to make Maharana Pratap surrender to him. No doubt, the struggle of these two people -> "A Lone Warrior Prince of Mewar versus an Emperor of Hindustan" - is still regarded and remembered by posterity.
Understanding these relationships is quite complicated for some of us, but an interesting process. But those who want to read - can read between the lines, and clearly understand the relation of Akbar and Mariam-Uz-Zamani through the docs/posts.
Mariam-Uz-Zamani | The Forgotten Enigma - Part-2
Mariam-Uz-Zamani | The Forgotten Enigma - Part-1
Facts about Akbar and Mariam-Uz-Zamani Begum
Account of Akbar and his Rajput Wife
Relations of Akbar with Mariam-Uz-Zamani and Rajputs of Amer Clan
Akbar visited Ajmer for the First Time
Here are the You-Tube links of those Episodes related to marriage:
Akbar tells BharMal that he has fixed the match of his daughter with another Rajput Prince.
Jodha Akbar Episode 83 - October 10, 2013
Jodha Akbar Episode 84 - October 11, 2013
Links of the last few episodes of the Sukanya wedding track...Jodha Akbar Episode 96 - October 29, 2013
Jodha Akbar Episode 97 - October 30, 2013
Jodha Akbar Episode 98 - October 31, 2013
Note that the serials are dramatized version of real events. I am giving these links only for those readers who might have forgotten that track.
Rajputana Sources
I tried to procure some scans from the Rajputana sources also regarding this marriage, though till now i am unable to understand the language completely..Anyways, i am posting it here. We have already seen the marriage details in the paper above..
The scans show the Clan Tree of Rajputs of Amer. In one of them, Akbar has been mentioned.
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^^^This scan mentions the Clan Tree of Amer Rajputs. From Raja Bharmal to Raja Bhagwan Das to Raja Man Singh to Jagat Singh , etc... The language is an old variant of Hindi. :-P
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^^^^This scan mentions that an ancestor of Kachawaha Rajputs of Amer - Raja Pujan Kachwaha was a general of the Rajput King Prithviraj Chauhan of Delhi/Ajmer, and participated in the battle against Muhammed Ghori n 1191 A.D. This was the First Battle of Tarain which was won, but he lost his life in this battle.
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^^^^This scan mentions that Akbar did a huge favor. Most probably, this refers to the marriage which he arranged. I do not have the scans of the annexure to this page.
Further, it says, Raja Man Singh was made the Governor of North West Provinces(present day Pakistan, Sindh, Afghanistan, etc.) by Akbar.
Also mentions that son of Man Singh - Raja Jagat Singh was made the Governor of Nagore(in Rajputana) by Akbar.
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Conclusion:
So, we saw two major events in this post.
One was the Battle of Paronkh in which Raja Bhagwan Das took an arrow on himself, and another was offering his water to Akbar in this war.
Second event was the marriage of a Princess of Amer which was arranged by Akbar himself, and he regarded that girl as "his own daughter". I do not think there can be any other incident to PROVE the close and beautiful relationship Akbar enjoyed with his Ameri Relatives. The Rajputana accounts of Amer fondly mention him in very high regard as we saw here. Remember that, Akbar also referred Man Singh as his son(Farzand). The identity of the prince and princess whom he got married are under search. So, i am waiting for further clarifications.
I would like to add that the show Jodha Akbar of Zee TV , initially started on a high note, with good regard to history. The research of their team was evident in the starting. But, slowly the show went downhill. The research skills suddenly disappeared.
Do think, what does this show about Akbar - MUZ relationship.! There are not one, but many incidents which make one think and ponder on this point. There was something special.
This article has been posted under the Jodha Akbar , Mughals(Akbar) & Rajputs section of this history Blog.
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MUZ never ceases to amaze! What a magnetic personality she must have been to have exerted such a powerful sway over the great Akbar himself.
ReplyDeleteAkbar had many wives but I don't think he ever went out of his way for any of his other in-laws the way he treated the Ameris. He adopted Man Singh as his farzand and now this Ameri princess as his daughter. And we have all learnt from your blog how he treated Bharmal and Bhagwandas. Once he had even stayed for quite a few weeks at Amer, which must have been unparalleled :)
The Sukanya marriage track was my favorite track from JA and to realise it was all true is stunning. :) That was the kind of Akbar I so want to see - the way he played mind games with Sukanya's father-in-law and finally gifted the fort to Sukanya - delightful!!!
Thanks for refreshing our memory with this terrific post - how we all wish for such tracks that had everything and the whole family could enjoy them! Wish the original Ekta research team comes back on board! :)
Abhay
ReplyDeleteSimply superb!
Initially, Ekta's team did some fantastic research. They dug up rare records and presented detailed tracks.
And you have been one of the few people who supported Ekta's research team from the beginning and showed evidence to prove that she was following the right track.
When such a well-organized research team then goes into hibernation and turns the show into fiction, even claiming that the story and its main lead, Jodha, was always fiction, then one doesn't know how to react. Why, why, why? That is the Q that refuses to go away.
Anyway, great research Abhay - it's so amazing to see you still support Ekta's old work even when the present writers comment negatively about your posts. It must have been really tough to locate these records and to present them publicly. :)
omg abhay. u cross previously set barriers everytym. wine gets better with age. d same saying iz working on u. c d difference between ur initial posts n such professionally written posts.
ReplyDeletei hv nothing mor 2 say. wht i cud write radhika wrote above. it made me fall 4 'tis amazing couple mor 2day. akbar considered amer princess as his own daughter is very genuine gesture. 4 me it speaks lot abt akbar-muz relation.
widout ny special bonding no husband wud go out of his way 2 do such a thing - coz amer was vry small in comparison 2 akbars empire. thnks a lot 4 'tis post. 1 cn c d labour n dedication going in 'tis post. u r ryt - there was smthing special.
hats off dear abhay. u r making mor n mor fans day aftr day. haha.
thnk u.
Abhay Thank u so much for this informative article. I applaud your efforts in putting together every available information for us in a single Post. Its very easy for us to read but very time consuming for you.
ReplyDeleteThough initially JA serial was interesting and based on research, now its all fiction and unbearable to watch. I am really sad to see the state of this serial and wonder why the makers took this route when so much of information was available and could have been incorporated in the serial.
Simply superb Abhay .........If iam not wrong intially u also thought this lovestory is fake but now u became big fan of their lovestory ........Thank u sooo much Abhay for such wonderful piece of info on MUZ.......
ReplyDeleteThis lady has something special bcz Akbar ki attention paana tho choti si baath nahi hota hai.......pls keep going on
Omg Radhika wt u mean negative comments by writer???
ReplyDeleteAbhay wow wow wow and all the references and proofs.
ReplyDeleteAbhay awesome it is!!!
ReplyDeleteJA the show initially presented every li'l detail from real incidents...so amazing hai na?? it feels o great to read all this and realize JA somehow did justice to the story and made us aware some facts which were not so known.
at the same time, the same show is nowhere now..NR ke naam pe tamasha! kuch bhi dikharahe hai..making daily soap out of history and feeding us craps in the name of JA's real love story! sigh..kya bolu?
anyway, Akbar was really one of a kind...:))) his love for MUZ is written all over his activities <3
lol Lakshmi :) True :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. The wealth of knowledge you have unearthed is fascinating. The passage that you shared is almost like an action novel, one can see the energy and drive of the combatants.
ReplyDeleteYour research once again shows the close bond that Akbar shared with the Amer royal family.
As for the foolish writer and one or two failed actors of the show who doubts the JA story, their motivation is obvious, they want people to discard the JA love story and come to their own pathetic Salim Anarkali trash, that is never going to happen and these fools are frustrated at the falling ratings and worried for their jobs.
I read somewhere in internet i dont know how much its true Akbar has Privatechamber in FS he never allows anyone to enter into that chamber except two members apart from him one is Birbal n other MUZ.......
ReplyDeleteAbhay ,
ReplyDeleteAnd It's really sad that the show , which once showed the REAL minute incidents of AK-MUZ has become a gutter ... which doesn't even have the much known incidents of this royal couple :(:( The show itself is no more abt JA :(:( PAthetic NR , has taken away the flavour of the show leaving the historic legends in poor limelight , and no more logical characterisation of them :(:(
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree.. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is MOST definitely stranger than fiction. Looks like a fairy tale. :)
But true at the same time. The Emperor of Hindustan arranges the marriage for the girl of his in-laws family and that too after considering her as his own daughter. Really strange but feels good to read it. :)
Lakshmi
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Birbal but yes, among his queens, only MUZ was allowed to enter his private chambers. And this was shown too :)
Some thing similar is mentioned as a legend in Fatehpur Sikri. I have
ReplyDeletenot been to FS but got to know from people. How much is true may be debatable but as Radhika said - in the serial they had shown something similar. :-P LOL
Thanks Radhika. It is well evident that initial team of writers and researchers was serious about the show. I will support all those tracks which were historically sound, no matter what anyone says. :)
ReplyDeleteAbout the views of new writers, it is quite clear, they are here
to defend the Salim Anarkali fiction and hence such remarks. :-P Lets avoid it. :)
Truth is stranger than fiction...So True...isn't it folks??? :)
ReplyDeleteRadhika,
ReplyDeleteNow i wonder even more at the kind of special relationship Akbar enjoyed with Ameri relatives. Adopting a Princess and arranging her marriage by a Mughal Emperor. This is something very rare. :)
Yes, for sure, MUZ's role must have been there. As i said, "something special" was there. :)
Thanks Iqra. The more we read, the more we come to know - the more we adore this royal couple. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sindhu. Life of JA itself has so MANY events which can make the show run for years without any leap but the makers went for a suicidal route. Hoping against hope, but we they want they can still resurrect the show by lifting the focus from SA to JA. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lakshmi.
ReplyDeleteYes, i started with this journey alone. I wanted to know whether Jodha AKbar is real or fiction, and slowly i realized that this is a very special and unique story which needs to be studied very "discreetly".
I was very suspicious and took my own time , and finally believed that there existed a very special bond between these 2 people after digging a lot. :)
Yes, MUZ was surely special. Do read this post if you missed. :)
Link>http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.com/2015/01/mariam-uz-zamani-forgotten-enigma-part-2.html
Thanks Lakshmi.
ReplyDeleteYes, i started with this journey alone. I wanted to know whether Jodha AKbar is real or fiction, and slowly i realized that this is a very special and unique story which needs to be studied very "discreetly".
I was very suspicious and took my own time , and finally believed that there existed a very special bond between these 2 people after digging a lot. :)
Yes, MUZ was surely special. Do read this post if you missed. :)
Link>http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.com/2015/01/mariam-uz-zamani-forgotten-enigma-part-2.html
Thanks a lot Sunram, but please say something more. I am sure, as usual you would be having something interesting for us. :)
ReplyDeleteWow thanks Abhay for such an informative post.sukanya's wedding track was my favourite track in ja.The Akbar in that track was awesome it had the right mix of romance politics intrigue which made me fell in love with ja serial wanted to distinguish fact from fiction and found your amazing posts on IF.you made me nostalgic of the golden days of ja and to finally know that the much adored track of ja is based on fact is a delightful surprise.The question always remains as why should a trend setter serial has been made a scapegoat in the race for trps..
ReplyDeleteMy friend Tamy,
ReplyDeleteEvery time you write something about JA. It is always so special and different. Your last line were really speak about your belief in their(JA) bond. Don't you think this story is SO amazing. ?
The more we read , the more pulled we feel to it. Akbar and MUZ's story is so so fascinating. As i say, it survived 450+ years despite all attempts, it will survive in future also. :)
Thanks Donjas. Fantastic comment as always.
ReplyDeleteThe manner in which the account has been given in Akbarnama leaves no doubt that the war must have been really enthralling and adventurous for Akbar. Esp. the part where Abu'l Fazl writes that "His Majesty used to say....".
We have been re-iterating the same thing. Akbar's closeness with Amer relatives was "unusual". It was more than just loyalty. There was "MUZ" effect as well. Here the Emperor of Hindustan "arranges" marriage for a girl from his in-laws family. More so, he was NOT from their culture if we consider this effect also, still the warmth and comfortable relations are really amazing. He had many wives and many other in laws, but something special was there about Amer.
About assessment of the comments of writer/actor on social media, i agree with you. They are a frustrated lot. Recently, i read on Twitter, Ekta has asked the writers to make sure TRP's rise AT ANY COST. It seems she is back. I am hopeful. Let's see what's in store. SA can NEVER create the charm which comes automatically with the Royal Story of Jodha Akbar.
Abhay Really appreciate the way you keep on busily collecting historical facts even though you must be busy in your education/profession The charm of a leader Akbar the influence/importance of his spouse(one among thousands) (Akbar the gr88 and MUZ) cannot be denied when facts like these come to light. Akbar who created the path with their/own
ReplyDeletepolicies made a place for a dynasty which ruled for couple of centuries. Being from different religions cultures their love/unity in diversity charms the
heart of people after so many years how can a story of a rebel son with
no vision have much interest with the viewers.
An emperor who calls his SIL his daughter and arranges her marriage tells of how his wife whose sisters marriage he arranged is so important for him.
How can the viewers not be angry and have least interest in the shown which was for them JA be sidetracked.All the achievements of JA side tracked their IQ lowered and only romance shown wont interest anyone.
Had the show been SA then maybe whoever watched it would have accepted it.
History-geek, ur post made me realise that sometimes it's refreshing to get back into the flash-back mode than watching the boring track :)
ReplyDeleteWhen i was watching battle of Paronkh,I had not joined the Forum, had no clue abt this. But I feel, the battle described in Akbarnama has no parallel to that shown in the show:(
ReplyDeleteThat means Akbarnama, n jahangirnama r the only source of jO-AK serial.
It's true Suganya,
ReplyDeleteWhile writing this post, i went through these old episodes briefly and could instantly observe the magic which was woven by JA. Gone are those days. Heard that Ekta has stepped in to revive the show. Lets see.
Read more here. Link : http://mariam-uz-zamani.blogspot.com/2015/01/jodha-akbar-tale-of-natkiya-rupanters.html#comment-1832488811
Suganya,
ReplyDeleteIt is a great compliment for me that this post helped you feel better. Thanks a lot for this. :)
I agree with what ever you mentioned about Akbar and MUZ and everyone here is amazed at the kind of attachment he had with his Ameri relatives.
The Taj Mahal post was very nice. It was written by Radhika. :)
Some points what Nehru posted in his book Discovery of India
ReplyDeleteAt Fatehpur-Sikri, Akbar, forgetful of his empire, was seated holding converse and debate with the learned of all faiths, curious to learn something new and seeking an answer to the eternal problem of man.
.......................
HIS THOUGHTS ON RISE AND FALL OF THE MUGHALS IN INDIA HE WROTE QUITE A BIT ON AKBAR WHICH I WILL SLOWLY GIVE THEM AT RELEVANT INTERVALS.
Akbar became the great representative of the old Indian ideal of a synthesis of differing elements and their fusion into a common nationality. He identified himself with India, and India took to him although he was a newcomer; because of this he built well and laid the foundations of a splendid empire. So long as his successors kept in line with this policy and with the genius of the nation, their empire endured.
When they broke away and opposed the whole drift of national development, they weakened and their empire went to pieces.
New movements arose, narrow in outlook but representing a resurgent nationalism, and though they were not strong enough to build permanently, they were capable of destroying the empire of the Moghuls. They were successful for a time, but they looked too much to the past and thought in terms of reviving it. They did not realize that much had happened which they could not ignore or pass by, that the past can never take the place of the present, that even that present in the India of their day was one of stagnation and decay. It had lost touch with the changing world and left India far behind. They did not appreciate that a new and vital world was arising in the west, based on a new outlook and on new techniques, and a new power.
Geeta,
ReplyDeleteApart from Akbarnama and Jahangirnama also we have many sources. Like, the info about Akbar getting a Princess of Amer married to a Rajput prince is not given in Akbarnama, but it is given in Rajputana sources. :)
Yes, the actual battle can not match the one shown in the serial JA.
Sunram,
ReplyDeleteThis post of yours is really amazing and hitting the right spot with great fluency. I am going to share each word of this post on Twitter. I completely agree with you. You are right, when the show had so much potential, then why wont the viewers get angry, if the makers shift to Salim. !