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| Author | Malik Muhammad Jayasi |
|---|---|
| Language | Persian andAwadhi |
| Genre | Historical Fiction Epic poetry |
| Set in | 13th–14th century India |
| Published | 1540 |
| Publication place | India |
| Text | Padmavat atWikisource |
Padmavat (orPadmawat) is anepic poem written in 1540 bySufi poetMalik Muhammad Jayasi,[1] who wrote it in theAwadhi language,[2][3] and originally in the PersianNastaʿlīq script.[4] It is the oldest extant text among the important works in Awadhi.[5] A famous piece ofSufi literature from the period, it relates anallegorical fictional story aboutDelhi SultanAlauddin Khalji's desire for the titularPadmavati, the Queen ofChittor based on historic conquest of chittor.[6] Alauddin Khalji and Padmavati's husbandRatan Sen are historical figures, whereas Padmavati may have been a fictional character.[7]
Padmavati, the princess of theSinghal kingdom, is closefriends with thetalking parrot Hiraman. Her father disapproves of their closeness, and orders the parrot to be killed. The parrot flies away to escape the punishment, but is captured by a bird catcher, and ultimately ends up as a pet of theChittor rulerRatansen.[8]
Inspired by the parrot's description of Padmavati's beauty, Ratansen decides to visit the Singhal kingdom. Joined by his 16,000 vassals and princes, and with the parrot as his guide, he reaches Singhal after crossing the seven seas. There, he tries to win Padmavati by performingausterities in a temple. Informed by the parrot, Padmavati visits the temple and returns without meeting Ratansen, although she begins to long for him. Meanwhile, at the temple, Ratansen decides to commit suicide for having missed her.[8] The deitiesShiva andParvati intervene, and Shiva advises him to attack the fortress of Singhal.[9]
Disguised as ascetics, Ratansen and his followers attack the fortress, but are captured by Gandharvsen. As Ratansen is about to be executed, his bard reveals his identity. Gandharvsen then marries Padmavati to Ratansen, and also arranges 16,000padmini women for his companions.[9] (Padmini is best among the four types of women, typically found only in Singhal.)[10]
As Padmavati and Ratansen consummate theirmarriage in Singhal, Ratansen's first wifeNagmati longs for him in Chittor. She uses a bird to send a message to Singhal, following which Ratansen decides to return to Chittor. Ratansen has excessive pride in being married to the most beautiful woman on the earth, for which he is punished by a sea storm during the return journey. He and Padmavati are rescued by the Ocean, but all their followers die in the storm. Lakshmi, the daughter of the Ocean, tests Ratansen's love for Padmavati by appearing before him disguised as Padmavati. Ratansen passes the test, and is rewarded with gifts by the Ocean and Lakshmi. With these gifts, he recruits a new entourage atPuri, and returns to Chittor.[9]
In Chittor, Padmavati and Nagmati vie for Ratansen's attention. Initially, he placates them by spending nights with them alternately, but then establishes peace by reprimanding them. Meanwhile, he banishes theBrahmin courtier Raghav Chetan for fraudulently winning a contest. Padmavati gifts Raghav herbangle in order to placate him.[9]
Raghav goes to the court ofAlauddin Khalji inDelhi. When asked about the bangle, he describes the unmatched beauty of Padmavati.[9] Alauddin then besieges Chittor, and demands Padmavati for himself. Ratansen rejects the demand, offering to pay atribute instead. Alauddin rejects the offer, and the siege continues. Finally, as part of fresh terms of peace, Ratansen invites Alauddin as a guest inside the fort, against the advice of his vassalsGora and Badal. Alauddin deceitfully catches a glimpse of Padmavati, captures Ratansen, and returns to Delhi.[10]
Padmavati asks Gora and Badal to help her free Ratansen. The two men and their followers enter the fortress of Delhi, disguised as Padmavati and her companions. They free Ratansen, but Gora is killed fighting during the escape, while Badal takes Ratansen to Chittor.[10]
During Ratansen's absence, theKumbhalner ruler Devpal Singh proposes marriage to Padmavati. On his return, Ratansen learns about this, and decides to punish Devpal. In the ensuing single combat, Ratansen and Devpal kill each other. Meanwhile, Alauddin's army reaches Chittor. Facing a certain defeat, Nagmati and Padmavati along with other women of the fort commit suicide byjauhar (mass self-immolation), while the men fight to death. Alauddin captures an empty fortress, thus denied his prize.[10]
Alauddin reflects on hisPyrrhic victory, and the nature of insatiabledesire and says, "Desire is insatiable, permanent / but this world is illusory and transient / Insatiable desire man continues to have / Till life is over and he reaches his grave."[11]
The earliest extant manuscripts ofPadmavat vary considerably in length, and are written in a number of different scripts, includingKaithi,Nagari andNastaʿlīq.[4]
The Nastaʿlīq manuscripts form the oldest layer of the text. The earliest extant manuscript ofPadmavat is a Nastaliq manuscript copied in 1675 inAmroha, by Muhammad Shakir. It was discovered inRampur, and contains interlinear Persian translations.[4] Other Persian manuscripts include the ones copied by Rahimdad Khan of Shahjahanpur (1697) and Abdulla Ahmad Khan Muhammad of Gorakhpur (1695).[12]
The Kaithi manuscripts contain a large number of additional verses, and are often incomplete or poorly transcribed.[4]
Mataprasad Gupta published acritical edition of the text, based on five different manuscripts, the earliest of which is from the 17th century.[13]
The earliest known adaptation ofPadmavat isPrem Nama (1590) of Hansa Dakkani, a court poet ofIbrahim Adil Shah II ofBijapur Sultanate.[12]
Twelve adaptations ofPadmavat exist in Persian and Urdu. The most famous of these areRat-Padam andShama-wa-parwanah. TheRat-Padam (1618) of Mulla Abdul Shakur or Shaikh Shukrullah Bazmi ofGujarat follows the plot ofPadmavat closely, but omits theSufi symbolism for characters and events. TheShama-wa-parwanah (1658) of Aqil Khan Razi (a governor ofDelhi underAurangzeb) retains the Sufi symbolism.[12]
TheBengali epicPadmavati written in the 17th century byAlaol was influenced by this. It inspired a number of novels, plays and poems in 19th-centuryBengali literature.[11] It also had Bengali adaptations byKshirode Prasad Vidyavinode in 1906 andAbanindranath Tagore in 1909.[14]
Padmavat is the ultimate source ofAlbert Roussel's operaPadmâvatî (1923).[citation needed]
One of the famousBurmese literatures, မင်းကုသနှင့်ပပဝတီ (Minkutha & Papawati) is a loose adaptation of the Padmavati story, being adapted into several versions of theater plays and books.[citation needed]
Early cinematic adaptations include theTamil filmChittoor Rani Padmini (1963)[15][16] and theHindi filmMaharani Padmini (1964).[14]Padmaavat (2018), aBollywoodIndian film directed bySanjay Leela Bhansali, is based on thePadmavat.[3]
The late medievalPersian historians such asFirishta and Hajiuddabir treated thePadmavat legend as history, but their accounts suffer from inconsistencies.[17] The laterRajput bards also adapted and expanded the legend, without consideration to historical facts.[18] Hemratan's Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai (c. 1589 CE) became the first popular Rajput adaptation of the legend. Between 16th and 18th centuries, more Rajput versions of the Padmavati legend were compiled in present-day Rajasthan, under the patronage of the Rajput chiefs.[19] Most medieval histories written after Firishta (16th century), including the 18th centuryBahrulamvaj, mention the Padmavati episode. The close resemblances in the various legendary narratives about Padmavati indicate that all these accounts are based on Jaisi'sPadmavat.[20]Niccolao Manucci also mentions the story in hisStoria do Mogor, but places it during the 16th century kingAkbar's invasion of Chittor.[21]
While some historians reject it as a product of poet's imagination other gives credibility of the historical events described in the text.[22] HistorianKishori Saran Lal points out several inconsistencies in thePadmavat legend. For example, that Ratnasimha had ascended the throne in 1301, and was defeated by Alauddin in 1303 whereasPadmavat claims that Ratnasimha spent 12 years in quest of Padmavati, and then 8 years in conflict with Alauddin.[23] Lal also points out the inconsistencies in the narratives of the later medieval historians. For example, Firishta states that Alauddin ordered his son Khizr Khan to evacuate Chittor in 1304, and then appointed a nephew of Ratnasimha as its new governor. However, Khizr Khan left Chittor much after 1304.[24] According to Lal, Jaisi himself suggests thatPadmavat is meant to be anallegory, not a narration of a historical event, because the author mentions that in his narrative, Chittor stands for the body, Raja (Ratnasimha) for the mind, Singhal for the heart, Padmavati for wisdom, and Alauddin for lust.[25] Lal concludes that the only historical facts in the legend are that Alauddin captured Chittor, and that the women of the fort (including a queen of Ratnasimha) died injauhar.[21]Banarsi Prasad Saksena believes that even thejauhar narrative is a fabrication: the contemporary chroniclerAmir Khusrau refers to thejauhar during the earlierconquest of Ranthambore, but does not mention anyjauhar at Chittor.[26]According toJNU professor Aditya Mukherjee, in "the contemporary period, there is no mention of this event, no accounts of Padmavati byAmir Khusrau, a prolific writer of the era and a courtier of Alauddin Khilji." He states that there "is no historical evidence of this Padmavati event - this story is a poet's imagination".[27]Although Khusrau doesn't explicitly mentioned "Padmavati" or "Padmini" , he however have referred Khilji as Solomon and himself as Hudhud-the parrot who brought the news of the beautiful queen to the fabled king.[28]Regarding the historicity of Padmini's (Padmavati) story, historian S. Roy wrote inThe History and Culture of the Indian People that "......Abu-'l Fazl definitely says that he gives the story of Padminī from "ancient chronicles", which cannot obviously refer to thePadmāvat, an almost contemporary work. ...... it must be admitted that there is no inherent impossibility in the kernel of the story of Padminī devoid of all embellishments, and it should not be totally rejected off-hand as a myth. But it is impossible, at the present state of our knowledge, to regard it definitely as a historical fact."[29]
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