These are the REAL hand prints of the brave women who performed 'Jauhar' at Chittorgarh fort, Rajasthan. Heartbreaking, but pls read & think before you praise any Mughal ruler.
Jauhar was performed only when the Hindu rulers were defeated by Muslim rulers. There was no Jauhar/Saka if a Hindu fought another Hindu because, in that case, the people who were defeated were treated with respect.
The moment the Royal women, wives of warriors, other women in the forts would realize that their King will lose & that defeat is certain, they, along with with their infant children would perform 'Jauhar' - mass suicide by wearing their wedding clothes, HAPPILY, by jumping into huge pit of fire. Preferring death over dishonor by the invaders.
They were happy to die, rather than having to face dishonor, mass torture & rape at the hands of the Mughal kings & warriors. This practice was mainly carried out in the night with the Vedic chants.
You may wonder why the women did not consume poison which could take away their life instantly but choose a painful way to death i.e. burning them alive in a pyre? Well, according to the Hindu dharma, Agni symbolizes purity and it is the prefered way to dispose dead. It is apparent that there would not be enough time to cremate so many dead bodies in fire after their death.
Chittor (Mewar) had to face 3 Jauhars. The first one was in 1303 when Alauddin Khilji began the siege of Chittor.
The second Jauhar took place in 1535 when Chittor was defeated by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat during the reign of Rani Karnavati, the widow of Rana Sanga who died in 1528.
The last Jauhar is well documented in the history which happened during Akbar’s reign – It was in the year 1568 when the women of Chittor committed Jauhar for the third time. The ruler then was Rana Udai Singh II, father of Maharana Pratap.
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