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Source: The post is based on the article “Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra’ concludes in Madhya Pradesh: The story of the queen who fought the Mughals” published in Indian Express on 27th June 2023
What is the News?
Madhya Pradesh Government has launched the six-day Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra and marked June 24 as a day of sacrifice.
Who was Rani Durgavati?
Rani Durgavati (1524 – 1564) was the ruling Queen of Gondwana from 1550 until 1564. She was born in Mahoba’s Chandela dynasty.
She is chiefly remembered for defending her kingdom against the Mughal Empire.
Rani Durgavati was married to Dalpat Shah, the son of the Gond King Sangram Shah of the kingdom of Garha-Katanga. This kingdom is noted as one of the most powerful kingdoms of the Gond tribe.
The Chandelas of Mahoba and Rajgonds of Garha-Mandla dynasties became allies through this marriage.
Dalpat Shah died in 1550 and due to the young age of their son, Durgavati took the reins of the Gondwana kingdom.
War with Mughal: In 1562, Akbar conquered Malwa and made it a Mughal dominion. Consequently, the state boundary of the Rani touched the Mughal Empire.
Rani’s contemporary was a Mughal General, Khwaja Abdul Majid Asaf Khan. The prosperity of Rani Durgavati’s state lured him, and he invaded Rani’s state after taking permission from the Mughal emperor Akbar.
When Rani heard about the attack, she decided to defend her kingdom with all her might. She maintained that it was better to die respectfully than to live a disgraceful life.
However, soon the Mughals fortified the area and overwhelmed the Gonds. While fighting them in battle, she is believed to have stabbed herself with her dagger to not surrender to the Mughal forces.
Legacy: In 1983, the Government of Madhya Pradesh renamed the University of Jabalpur as Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya in her memory.
– The government of India issued a postal stamp commemorating her death on 24 June 1988.
– The train between Jabalpur Junction and Jammutawi is known as Durgavati Express after the name of the Queen.
– Indian Coast Guard 2018 commissioned ICGS Rani Durgavati, the third Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) of its kind.
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