A queen who defeated Mohammad Ghori in the battle of Kasahrada.
Bharat is not only a witness to the bravery of heroes but is also home to stories of brave women.
The country knows Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi but there are many more names in the list of brave women of the country which every section of the country should know.
One such name in this line is that of Rani Nayaki Devi Solanki.
You must have heard the name of Muslim ruler Mohammad Gauri. You may be somewhat familiar with this name through the movie Padmavat. How he defeated Maharaj Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain in the year 1192.
It is not known whether this should be called irony or something else, but there is some ambiguity in the pages of Indian history that needs to be exposed.
Mohammad Gauri was defeated by India's brave queen Nayaki Devi Solanki in the war of 1178.
Mohammad Ghori attacked India several times between 1175 and 1206. Mohammad Ghori captured Multan in the year 1175, Punjab in the year 1179, Peshawar in the year 1180, Sialkot in the year 1185, and laid the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate in the year 1192 by defeating Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan.
But in the war of 1178, he ran away to save his life in front of Nayaki Devi Solanki, the queen of Gujarat.
Who was Rani Nayaki Devi?
Rani Nayaki Devi was born in Goa. She was the daughter of Maharaja Shivchatta Paramandi, Mahamandaleshwar of Kandaba. The princess had a full interest in the art of war since childhood. She gained proficiency in archery, fencing, horse riding, etc. She was also skilled as a diplomat.
She was married to Prince Ajaypal Singh Solanki of Gujarat. Solanki king is also called Chalukya.
Prince Ajaypal was the grandson of Maharaja Siddharaj Jai Singh of the Chalukya dynasty and the son of Maharaja Kumarpal Solanki.
Maharaj Ajaypal Singh Solanki and Rani Nayaki Devi had two sons. Her elder son's name was Mulraj II and her younger son's name was Bhimdev II.
In the year 1175, Maharaj Ajaypal Singh was killed by his own bodyguard. Maharaj Ajaypal Singh's tenure lasted only for 4 years. Or rather, he ruled from the year 1171 to the year 1175.
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Took Command of the State
This was a difficult time for the state of Gujarat. Many foreign invaders and enemies had their eyes on this state. Who wanted to take over the kingdom of Maharaj Ajaypal Singh after his death.
Now after the king was murdered like this, the question was who would take charge of the state. Because both his sons were still young.
Everyone was aware of Queen Naiki Devi's political acumen and diplomatic skills. Therefore, the senior ministers, feudal lords, and great courtiers of the kingdom unanimously chose the queen as the ruler of the kingdom.
But Queen Nayaki Devi refused to sit on the throne. According to her opinion, the heir to the kingdom was ers son, who was entitled to the throne.
The successor of the kingdom, Mulraj II Solanki, was not yet of the age and wisdom to become a ruler. Therefore, Queen Nayaki Devi became the representative of the successor Mulraj II, and took over the reins of the kingdom as a guide.
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Mohammed Ghauri ran away to save his life in the war.
Mohammad Gauri was looking to expand his foothold completely in India. He conquered Multan in the war of 1175. His eyes were on Rajputana and Gujarat.
Mohammad Ghori was a Turkish robber, who was lustful and aggressive.
Now he was looking to capture Anhilwad Patan in Gujarat. Anhilwad Patan was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty.
According to the American historian, Tertius Chandler, the city was the largest city in the world in 1000 AD. And that was a state with a population of more than 1 lakh.
When Mohammed Ghori came to know that Gujarat was ruled by a widowed queen and a small child, he was elated. He felt what a woman and child could do. And conquering Gujarat seemed very easy to him.
But this misunderstanding of Mohammad Gauri was soon to be broken.
As soon as the news of Mohammad Ghori's attack was received, Queen Naiki Devi started preparing for war. She prepared her army. And also sought help from all the nearby kings. She did not get help from anyone except the Chahamana dynasty of Naddul, the Chahamana dynasty of Jalore, and the Parmars of Arbuda.
Rani Nayaki Devi had understood that her preparation was not enough to defeat Mohammad Gauri. Therefore, she made such a war strategy that would benefit her army.
She chose Gadarghatta, located at the foothills of today's Mount Abu, as the battlefield. It is located in Kasahrada village of Sirohi district of Rajasthan.
In the year 1178, Mohammad Gauri established her military camp by pitching tents at Gadarghatta, 40 miles away from Anhilwad.
She sent a message to Queen Nayaki Devi through a messenger that the queen should hand over herself, her two sons as well, and all the women along with their wealth to him, otherwise everyone would have to lose their lives.
In response, Queen Nayaki Devi showed approval. Due to this all the ministers and feudal lords were greatly surprised. But that was the queen's ploy to defeat the robber.
Rani Nayaki Devi sought refuge from King Kalhan Dev Chauhan of Nadol for the safety of all the women and girls of the state. King Kalhan Dev Chauhan helped them and gave a safe place to all the women and girls in his kingdom.
As per the previous plan, Rani Nayaki Devi had instructed 200 soldiers to enter Mohammad Ghori's army in disguise. She ordered her commander Kunwar Ramveer to be present at some distance from him with the soldiers.
Some warriors hid in the foothills of Mount Abu. And as per her strategy, the queen scattered 25,000 soldiers of her army all around.
Then Queen Nayaki Devi tied her younger son on her back and rode on the horse to confront Mohammad Gauri.
Mohammad Gauri was bursting with joy considering that his victory was certain.
The queen stopped at a short distance from Mohammad Gauri. And the soldiers of Queen Nayaki Devi, hidden in the army of Mohammad Ghori, were ready to attack the Turkish soldiers.
Mohammad Gauri was stunned to see Queen Nayaki Devi Solanki along with horse soldiers, foot soldiers, and soldiers riding on elephants.
Before he could understand anything, the queen severed Mohammad Ghori's private parts with a sharp blow of her sword. Mohammed Ghori, trembling with pain in his injured state, ran away from the battlefield.
Mohammad Ghauri had to run away to save his life. After this, he never looked back towards Gujarat.
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In the Pages of History
Gujarati poet Someshwar, the court poet of the Solanki king, wrote in his work about Mulraj, son of Nayaki Devi, that the king's army defeated the army of Mohammed Ghori.
The 14th-century Jain scholar, Merutunga, mentions Nayaki Devi, mother of Mularaja II, in 'Prabandha Chintamani'. Merutunga wrote that Queen Nayaki Devi defeated the Maleccha king at Gadarghatta near Mount Abu.
This war is also mentioned in the writings of 13th-century Persian writer Minhaj-us-Siraj.
In that war, Queen Nayaki did what even a brave king could not do.
It is extremely painful that despite this very little information is available about her. Many writers of that period have mentioned this war but Queen Nayaki did not get the place in history that was her right.
A great warrior like Queen Nayaki Devi Solanki was made to disappear from the pages of history by some frustrated-minded historians.
The absence of much mention of the heroic heroine Devi Solanki may be the result of a double mentality. But the country's continuous captivity in the chains of slavery and continuous invasions by foreign rulers can also be considered as the reason for erasing the achievements of such brave women from the pages of history.
India is a country of both brave men and women. Therefore it is very important to understand your roots. Because the development of the country is possible only with the cooperation of both men and women.
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