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Ajabde Punwar
Maharani of Mewar
Reign1572 – 1591
PredecessorJaiwanta Bai Songara
SuccessorShyam Kanwar Tomar
Born1 March 1542 (1542-03)
Bijolia, Bhilwara
Died20 January 1591(1591-01-20) (aged 50)
Chavand, Mewar
SpouseMaharana Pratap[1]
IssueAmar Singh I
Bhagwan Das
Names
Maharani Ajabde Bai Punwar
DynastyParmars of Bijolia (by birth)
Sisodias of Mewar (by marriage)
FatherRao Mamrakh Punwar
MotherHansa Bai
ReligionHinduism

Ajabde Punwar (c. 1 March 1542 – 20 January 1591), popularly known as Maharani Ajabde, was the queen of Kingdom of Mewar. Ajabde is the chief consort and first wife of Maharana Pratap, and the mother of Amar Singh I.[2] She was known for her beauty, intelligence and influence in Pratap's life.[3]

Birth and family[edit]

Ajabde was born on 1 March 1942 in Bijolia, Bhilwara to Rao Mamrakh Punwar, the ruler of Bijolia and his queen Hansa Bai.[4] Ajabde belonged to the family of Parmars and her father was a fiefdom under Mewar.[5] HS Bhati, author of Yug Purush Maharana Pratap, describes her as the granddaughter of Rao Asarwan Punwar and daughter of Mamarkh.[6]

Marriage and children[edit]

Ajabde's father Rao Mamrakh Punwar and Maharana Pratap's father Udai Singh II took the decision to get their children married. Ajabde and Pratap were married at a young age and she was his first wife.[7] Pratap later had ten more marriages, as a result of political alliance.[8] Throughout her life, Ajabde remained Pratap's favourite consort and had an impact on all his decisions.[2][9]

Ajabde and Maharana Pratap had two sons. She first gave birth to Amar Singh I, who later became the 14th Rana of Mewar, post his father's death.[10] Ajabde later gave birth to her younger son, Bhagwan Das. She is also the grandmother of Karan Singh II.[11]

Religion[edit]

According to the Pushtimarg literature, Ajabde accepted Pushtimarg and became a devotee of Vitthalanatha.[2] The Pushtimarg literature of Vallabha Sampradaya, recognizes her as an epitome of devotion.[12]

Maharani of Mewar[edit]

Greatest extent of the Kingdom of Mewar

After the death of Udai Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai Bhatiyani wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him but senior courtiers preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed and Pratap ascended the throne as the 54th ruler of Mewar in the line of the Sisodia Rajputs.[13] He was crowned in Gogunda on the auspicious day of Holi. Alongside Pratap, Ajabde became the Maharani of Mewar, succeeding his mother, Jaiwanta Bai Songara.[14]

Historian Chandrashekhar Sharma mentions about Pratap taking suggestions from Ajabde on various occasions, because of her deep knowledge about political issues.[15] Ajabde would advise Pratap on all his administrative decision and also took important decision of the Mewar household.[16]

Battle of Haldighati[edit]

Ajabde prominently maintained her position as the Maharani of Mewar, and managed the state affairs in the absence of Pratap during wartime.[2] After the Battle of Haldighati, the Mughals under Akbar, captured Mewar's capital, Chittorgarh.[17] Ajabde accompanied Pratap to the forest along with the other members of the family.[18]

Later life and death[edit]

Maharana Pratap later established his capital at Chavand in 1585, and it became the new seat of the Kingdom of Mewar. He later recover much of his ancestral kingdom, which included all 36 outpost of Mewar apart from Chittor and Mandalgarh. Ajabde died in the year 1591. The cause of her death remains unknown. But according to many historians, she died at the palace in Chavand.[19]

Influence and cultural depiction[edit]

Sheesh Mahal at the City Palace

Ajabde is among the most influential queens of Mewar, often being compared to Rani Karnavati, Meerabai and Jaiwanta Bai.[20] Historian James Tod in his book, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan mentioned about her being a "respectable figure" in the Mewar Kingdom, who had "significant impact" on Maharana Pratap's life and decisions.[21]

Maharana Pratap built the Sheesh Mahal at the City Palace, Udaipur for Ajabde.[22] The complex also has various paintings depicting Pratap and Ajabde's life.[23]

In popular culture[edit]

Ajabde has been portrayed in films and television adaptation of Maharana Pratap's life.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Maharana Pratap Jayanti: Know the real-life story of the brave Rajput warrior". News18. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Women of Mewar: The Queens who shaped the State" (PDF). Eternal Mewar. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. ^ Köpping, Klaus-Peter; Leistle, Bernhard; Rudolph, Michael, eds. (2006). Ritual and Identity: Performative Practices as Effective Transformations of Social Reality. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 286. ISBN 978-3-82588-042-2. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Ajabde Punwar: Know all about Maharana Pratap's first wife and queen of Mewar". Her Zindagi. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  5. ^ Bhatt, Rajendra Shankar (2005). Maharana Pratap. National Book Trust, India. ISBN 978-81-237-4339-4.
  6. ^ HS Bhati (2010). R. K. Sharan, S. P. Jain (ed.). "Yug Purush Maharana Pratap". ISBN 9788190325066.
  7. ^ "महाराणा प्रताप ने बिजोलिया के गढ़ पैलेस में मारा था तोरण, राजकुमारी अजबदेह से रचाया था ब्याह". Nav Bharat Times. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Maharana Pratap's childhood to marriages? A new book looks beyond the battles". Scroll.in. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  9. ^ Sharma, Shri Ram (2002). "Maharana Pratap: A Biography". Hope India Publ. ISBN 9788178710051.
  10. ^ Mathur, Pushpa Rani (1994). "Costumes of the Rulers of Mewar: With Patterns and Construction Techniques". Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170172932.
  11. ^ "UDAIPUR". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  12. ^ Barz, Richard (1992) [First edition 1976]. The Bhakti Sect of Vallabhācārya (3rd ed.). Munshiram Manoharlal.
  13. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur. Orient Blackswan. p. 48. ISBN 978-8-12500-333-5.
  14. ^ Hooja, Rima (20 September 2019). "Maharana Pratap: The Invincible Warrior". Juggernaut Publication. ISBN 9789353450649. Coronation of Maharana Pratap
  15. ^ "The Queen who left the palace for Maharana Pratap, was also his chief advisor". News18 India Hindi. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  16. ^ Meininger, Irmgard (2000). The Kingdom of Mewar: great struggles and glory of the world's oldest ruling dynasty. D.K. Printworld. ISBN 81-246-0144-5.
  17. ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. pp. 473–474. ISBN 9788129115010.
  18. ^ "Maharani Ajabde Bai Punwar". Rajputana Virasat. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  19. ^ "All about Ajabde Punwar, favourite wife of Maharana Pratap". Jansatta - Indian Express. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  20. ^ C H Payne, James Tod (27 October 2022). Tod's Annals of Rajasthan; the Annals of the Mewar. Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 9781015892064. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  21. ^ William Crooke, James Tod (18 July 2023). "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Or The Central and Western Rajput States of India; Volume 3". Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 9781019759691.
  22. ^ Henderson, Carol E; Maxine K. Weisgrau (2007). Raj Rhapsodies: Tourism, Heritage and the Seduction of History. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 236. ISBN 978-0-7546-7067-4.
  23. ^ The City Palace Museum, Udaipur: paintings of Mewar court life, by Andrew Topsfield, Pankaj Shah, Government Museum, Udaipur. Mapin, 1990. ISBN 094414229X.
  24. ^ "Rachana Parulkar excited over new look in.... Maharana Pratap". The Indian Express. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Gurmeet Choudhary and Ridhima Pandit to play the leads in Disney Plus Hotstar's Maharana. Watch teaser". Cinema Express. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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