Ajabde Punwar (; 1 March 1542 – 20 January 1591), popularly known as Maharani Ajabde Punwar, was the queen of the

Kingdom of Mewar The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent Hindu kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a dominant state in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dynasty, foll ...

. She was the chief consort, first and favourite wife of

Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I (9 May 1540 – 19 January 1597), popularly known as Maharana Pratap (), was king of the Kingdom of Mewar, in north-western India in the present-day state of Rajasthan, from 1572 until his death in 1597. He is notable for leadi ...

, and the mother of

Amar Singh I Maharana Amar Singh I, the Maharana (ruler) of Mewar Kingdom (16 March 1559 – 26 January 1620), was the eldest son and successor of Maharana Pratap I. He was the 14th Rana of Mewar, ruling from 19 January 1597 until his death on 26 January ...

. Ajabde was known for her beauty, intelligence and influence on Pratap.

Birth and family

Ajabde was born on 1 March 1542 in

Bijolia Bijoliya is a census town in Bhilwara district in the state of Rajasthan, India and is surrounded by nature and waterfalls and is famous for Tapodaya Teerth Kshetra and Mandakini Temple. Geography Bijoliya Kalan is located at . It has an avera ...

, Bhilwara to Rao Mamrakh Punwar, the ruler of Bijolia and his queen Hansa Bai. Ajabde belonged to the family of Parmars and her father was a fiefdom under Mewar. HS Bhati, author of ''Yug Purush Maharana Pratap'', describes her as the granddaughter of Rao Asarwan Punwar and daughter of Mamrakh.

Marriage and children

Ajabde's father Rao Mamrakh Punwar and

's father

Udai Singh II Udai Singh II (4 August 1522 – 28 February 1572) was the List of Ranas of Mewar, 12th Maharana of the Kingdom of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day state of Rajasthan, India. He was the fourth son of Rana SangaTo ...

took the decision to get their children married. Ajabde and Pratap got married at a young age, in 1557. Pratap later had ten more marriages, as a result of political alliance. Throughout her life, Ajabde remained Pratap's favourite consort and had an impact on all his decisions. Ajabde and Maharana Pratap had two sons. She first gave birth to

on 16 March 1559, who became the 14th Rana of Mewar, post his father's death. Ajabde later gave birth to her younger son, Bhagwan Das. She is also the grandmother of

Karan Singh II Maharana Karan Singh(7 January 1584 – March 1628) was a Sisodia Rajput ruler of Mewar Kingdom (r. 1620 – 1628). He was the eldest son of Maharana Amar Singh I and the grandson of Maharana Pratap Pratap Singh I (9 May 1540 – 19 ...

, Amar Singh's son and the 15th Rana of Mewar.

Religion

According to the

Pushtimarg The Puṣṭimārga, also known as Pushtimarg (Path of Nourishing or Flourishing) or Vallabha Sampradāya, is a Hindu Vaiṣṇava saṁpradāya. It was established in the early 16th century by Vallabha (1479–1530) and further developed by his ...

literature, Ajabde accepted Pushtimarg and became a devotee of

Vitthalanatha Vitthala-natha or Vitthalanath (Devanagari: विट्ठलनाथ, IAST: Viṭṭhalanātha; 10 December 1515 – 10 February 1586), popularly known as Gusainji, was an Indian philosopher. He was the younger son of Vallabha, who founded ...

. The Pushtimarg literature of Vallabha Sampradaya, recognizes her as an epitome of devotion.

Maharani of Mewar

After the death of Udai Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai Bhattiyani wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him but senior courtiers preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed and Pratap ascended the throne as the 54th ruler of

Mewar Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...

in the line of the Sisodia Rajputs. He was crowned in

Gogunda Gogunda is a town and tehsil headquarters of Gogunda Tehsil in Udaipur district, located about in north-west from Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated on a high mountain in Aravalli hills and is reached by crossing a ...

on the auspicious day of

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

. Alongside Pratap, Ajabde became the Maharani of Mewar, succeeding his mother, Jaiwanta Bai Songara. Historian Chandrashekhar Sharma mentions about Pratap taking Ajabde's advice on various occasions, because of her deep knowledge about political issues. Ajabde would advise Pratap on all his administrative decision and also took important decision of the Mewar household.

Battle of Haldighati

Ajabde prominently maintained her position as the Maharani of Mewar, and managed the state affairs in the absence of Pratap during wartime. After the

Battle of Haldighati The battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between the Mewar forces led by Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal forces led by Man Singh I of Amber. The Mughals emerged victorious after inflicting significant casualties on Mewari forces, ...

, the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

under

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

, captured Mewar's capital,

Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

. Ajabde accompanied Pratap to the forest along with other fleeing members of the family.

Later life and death

Pratap later established his capital at Chavand in 1585, and it became the new seat of the Kingdom of Mewar. He later recovered much of his ancestral kingdom, which included all 36 outpost of Mewar apart from

Chittor Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

and Mandalgarh. Ajabde died in the year 1591. The cause of her death remains unknown. But according to several historians, she died at the palace in Chavand.

Influence and cultural depiction

Ajabde Punwar is considered among the most influential queens of Mewar, often being compared to

Rani Karnavati Rani Karnavati, also known as Rani Karmavati (died 8 March 1535), was a princess and temporary ruler from Bundi, India. She was married to Rana Sanga () of Mewar. She was the mother of the next two Ranas, Vikramaditya Singh (Maharana), Rana Vi ...

Meerabai Meera, better known as Mirabai, and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. She is mentioned in '' Bhaktam ...

and

Jaiwanta Bai Jaiwanta Bai Songara (), also known as Maharani Jaiwanta Bai, was the queen of the Kingdom of Mewar. She was the chief consort and first wife of Udai Singh II, and the mother of Maharana Pratap. Early life Jaiwanta Bai was born in Pali, Jalo ...

. Historian James Tod in his book, ''Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan'' mentioned about her being a "respectable figure" in the Mewar Kingdom, who had "significant impact" on Maharana Pratap's life and decisions. Maharana Pratap built the Sheesh Mahal at the City Palace,

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

for Ajabde. The complex also has various paintings depicting Pratap and Ajabde's life.

In popular culture

Ajabde has been portrayed in films and television adaptations of Maharana Pratap's life. * In the 2015 series, ''

Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap ''Bharat Ka Veer Putra – Maharana Pratap'' () is an Indian historical fiction series produced by Contiloe Entertainment. It is based on the life of Maharana Pratap, a sixteenth century ruler of Mewar kingdom. It starred Sharad Malhotra, R ...

'', Ajabde was portrayed by Roshni Walia and Rachana Parulkar. * In the upcoming series ''Maharana'', Ajabde is portrayed by Ridhima Pandit.

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
Official Website for the Royal Family of Udaipur
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajabde

1540s births 1591 deaths Indian Hindus Queens consort of Mewar