History

The Heroism of Padmini and the Unparalleled Warrior Maharana Pratap

Ala-ud-din Khalji raided Chittorgarh and took its king Raja Ratan Singh as his prisoner. Rani Padmini was the wife of this same Raja Ratan Singh. Khalji pretended to befriend Ratan Singh, took his hospitality, and while exiting from Chittorgarh, took him prisoner by stealth and deceit. He sent this shameless message to Rani Padmini: “If you want to see your husband free, you must submit yourself to me.” Unfazed, Rani Padmini assembled five hundred palanquins with five hundred female helpers and a force of three thousand soldiers, went out and rescued Ratan Singh.

Rajputs: The Trailblazers of Warfare and the Mahakshatriyas of Mewar

When this was the perilous condition of Sanatana Dharma, it was the Rajputs who faced the aggression unleashed by Muslims. The history and contributions of the Rajputs are truly memorable given the fact that they have shown unforgettable valour and unparalleled heroism throughout. Some scholars have woven fabricated tales claiming that they were not originally from India. However, it is indisputable that they hailed from India. They also claim that there was infighting among them. However, there is no race or class or group of people that do not have infighting.

The Tradition of Kshaatra in India: The Attack of Islam on South India

Malik Kafur came to Devagiri, which was at the forefront of South India. Ramachandra was the king of that region. Initially, all of Malik Kafur's ruthless attacks bore no fruit. However, in his second battle with Ramachandra, Malik Kafur defeated him using deceit and foul-play. Soon after, he came to Kapilaraya's Anegondi. Even there, there was widespread bloodshed. Then he attacked Ballala III, a weak Hoysala king who was ruling over Dvarasamudra (Halebidu). When Malik Kafur attacked Dvarasamudra, Ballala III was away at Thiruchanapalli. The whole of Dvarasamudra was razed to the ground.

The Tradition of Kshaatra in India: Barbarism of Timur, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Vasco da Gama

Our 'leaders' and 'intellectuals' have turned a blind eye to the rampant whitewashing of the atrocities committed [by the Muslims]. And so, we can observe a few more aspects:

Just as Timur himself records, when he pillaged the town by name Dipalapura, he gave the order to kill ten thousand people within an hour and ensured that it was executed thus. He looted all the grains in every house and then set them all on fire.

Tradition of Kshaatra in India: Unbridled Barbarianism of Alauddin Khilji and Timur

A Muslim could silence a Hindu as per whim and hurl abuses on him without any repercussions. And as for a Hindu, he had to quietly swallow all humiliation without showing the slightest resentment. Ibn Batuta writes, "After defeating and destroying a king, one has to get the queen and the princesses to sing and dance in a filled assembly; and whoever desires them, they must be given away." He says that it was a common feature of Islamic imperialism to torture the common women and children and also share them with all the Muslim men publicly.

Indomitable Hindu Resistance to Islamic Invasions

Prithviraj was the last Hindu king of Delhi. It was he who originally had the Red Fort built; scholars opine that it changed due to the Islamic invasions.

The Barbarism of Islam

K M Munshi writes in his preface to the fifth volume of the History and Culture of the Indian People,

The First of Islamic Invasions of Bharatavarsha

From here onwards we shall specifically focus on the nature of the barbaric assault on India by the Islamic forces from West Asia and its unfortunate results; in the light of this we shall observe how our awareness of kṣātra helped in both the protection of the land as well as the preservation of our culture.

The Roar of the Reddys and the Might of the Gajapatis

After the demise of Prataparudra, it was the Reddy Kings who faced Muslim invasions in Andhra. Prominent among are Vema Reddy and his younger brother, Malla Reddy. Their role in protecting the Andhra country from Islamic onslaught in the 14^th century is truly laudable.

The Contribution of the Nayakas

Then we notice the ascent of the rule of the Nayakas in Tamil Nadu. This royal branch was a part of the Vijayanagara Empire itself. After the Cholas, the Pandyas came into prominence. After that, political power was assimiliated into the overarching Vijayanagara kingdom.