[Assam] some stuff for himendra-da

[xourov pathok]

Himendra Thakur said:

> The jailed British historian David Irving's 
> opinion that "most Jews died of diseases 
> during World War II" sounds very similar 
> to what one correspondent said in Assamnet 
> implicitly absolving the Islamic invaders 
> of any responsibility of Hindu women's death 
> in Jauhar Vrata, because, according to this
> correspondent, Hindus killed their own wives
> and daughters as a "scorched earth policy". 
> This correspondent did neither furnish any 
> evidence nor did he state whether the scenario
> was his assumption. Under what circumstances a
> man kills his own daughter and wife instead of
> protecting them?

dear himendra-da:

in c1298, the bhati rajputs in jaisalmer were
surrounded by ulugh khan.  the bhati rajputs were on
the trade route and they lived off taxing the
caravans, sometimes attacking them.  the foolhardy
bhati rajputs once made off with the khilji caravan
belonging to the delhi sultanate, and as a result they
were surrounded.  according to the rajput ballads the
seize lasted for 7 years and the bhati rajputs saw no
escape.  the rawal consulted the elders and this is
what they decided: the women and children were put to
death, by fire or sword (jauhar) and then the men put
on ceremonial dresses and opium-intoxicated, opened
the gates and rushed out to a heroic deaths (shaka).

that was probably one of the first instances of
jauhar.  the scorched earth policy is staring you
right in the face and the story is a part of the
rajput lore.  

it might interest you that the bhati rawal's children
did not die in that jauhar.  they were spirited out,
and lived to reclaim jaisalmer later.  there is an
amusing anecdote associated with how they might have
survived.

in c1634, jujhar singh bundela was trying to escape
the wrath of the mughal emperor shah jahan.  he did
not have time to set the women-folk on fire, so he put
some of them to the sword.  he was finally killed,
though.  there are accounts of this incident too.

as time went on, the system of jauhar took on
sati-like characteristics.  some later rajput kings
had their queens, concubines and slave-girls immolated
at their funerals (17th century).  these incidents too
are very well documented.  

you might also reflect a little on the origin of the
word jauhar.  it is said to come from the word
jatugriha---a house of lac.  the imagery is---the
women and children are put in a house, which is then
sealed and put to fire.  

if you need more pointers, you only need to ask.  this
"correspondent" is always happy to oblige!

-xourov
post-script: care must be taken when we discuss
incidents of the past that seem to come into conflict
with contemporary sensibilities.  if we offer
judgements, we lose objectivity.  what the rajputs or
other demographic groups did in the past should not be
held against them in the present.  no group, ethnic or
religious, is collectively responsible today for
incidents in the past.


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