Through this award-winning novel, the author has attempted to illuminate a lesser-known chapter of Meerabai’s life

Meera

By Debasree Chakraborti

Location: Chittorgarh

On a bright morning in the year 1516, when Shri Chaitanyadeva had completed his pilgrimage across South India and returned to Puri, the entire city of Chittor came alive to welcome their new bride. That day, the whole town was adorned with pink flowers, reaching as far as the eye could see. Dressed in a red lehenga, Meera, in the guise of a bride, rode a camel toward the Chittor fort.

The camel was adorned with a golden seating structure, cushioned with padding, covered in a silk sheet and pillows. The seat was enclosed by red curtains, which were intricately decorated with diamonds and gold designs. From within this veil of crimson light, Meera gazed upon her new family and their members with awe and wonder. The people of Chittor, too, eagerly waited to catch a glimpse of their new princess.

In front of Meera’s camel rode the camel of the young prince. After crossing the borders of Merta, Prince Bhoj was made to mount a camel, for the dacoits of the Aravalli region were known to be extremely fierce and cruel. Many royal families and newlywed couples from Rajputana had fallen victim to these marauding gangs.

Camels, being tall animals, were ideal for such journeys. The newlywed couple would be placed atop them, sometimes accompanied by additional camels, each of their seats enclosed in the same red curtain — making it impossible for outsiders to know who was in which camel. Moreover, from Merta, Rao Dudaji had sent a large force along with the caravan from Chittor, surrounding and protecting the bridal procession.

Upon reaching the borders of Mewar, the couple was seated atop two royal camels waiting there and taken toward the fort. A messenger from Rao Dudaji’s court was also sent with offerings to the leader of the Aravalli dacoits, ensuring the safe passage of Meera and Bhoj to Mewar. On either side of the road, the people of Chittor stood showering flowers in celebration. Meera, from Merta……had brought along a large quantity of sweets and gifts from Merta for the members of her new family. As the procession moved forward, Meera’s maidservants distributed these sweets and gifts among the people lining the streets. The people of Chittor were deeply pleased by such heartfelt gestures from their new princess. Many queens had come to Chittor before, but none had ever brought gifts or sweets for the townspeople. From that very first day, Meera won the hearts of the common people of Chittor.

Inside the fort stood a grand Shiva temple, and in front of it waited the women of Mewar’s royal household. The camels were halted near the temple, and the newlywed couple was brought to its gate.

When Prince Kunwar Bhoj and Princess Meera arrived at the gate of the Chittorgarh Fort, two massive trumpets blared from either side of the grand entrance. Alongside the beats of the nagaras (royal drums), Rajput women began dancing in celebration. Slowly, the prince and princess entered the fort atop their camels. Today, the entire fort was adorned with pink flowers. Rana Sangha had ordered roses from Kashmir to decorate the city. It was the wedding of Chittor’s crown prince — no effort was spared by the king in the grandeur of the arrangements. From the raised platforms on either side of the fort, women showered flowers onto the procession. Meera’s face was covered with a red veil, revealing nothing, yet she soaked in the royal welcome with all her heart and soul.

The Sisodiyas were Shaivites — devoted worshippers of Lord Shiva — hence the grand Shiva temple inside the fort. At its entrance, the senior queen Kunwarbai and the royal matriarch Ratan Kunwar Jhali stepped forward to welcome the bride and groom. Meera’s face was still hidden beneath her veil. Royal mother Ratan Kunwar Jhali came forward and said, “We’ve all heard praises of our granddaughter-in-law’s beauty and are enchanted — now let us see her face.” Saying this, the royal mother gently lifted Meera’s veil up to her chest.

A large nath (nose ring) covered part of Meera’s face, but as the veil was lifted, her moon-like radiance spread all around. Everyone was captivated by the new bride’s beauty. Slowly, Meera walked toward the Shiva temple, her steps graceful and measured. Her grand red lehenga was so wide that two maidservants held it from either side as she walked, the jingling of her ornaments echoing softly. Meera was…

Everyone wondered silently — Meera is a devotee of Giridharji (Krishna), would she bow and offer salutations before Lord Shiva?

Just then, the couple bowed down, touching their foreheads to the floor in reverence to their kuladevta (family deity). While the prince rose after offering his respects, the princess remained kneeling with folded hands and closed eyes. All present looked at the new bride in amazement.

Suddenly, Meera began to sing:

“Shiv math par souhe laal dhwaja,

Kaun shikhar par Gauri viraje — Kaun shikhar par Gauri viraje — Kaun shikhar par Bam Bhola,

Uttar shikhar par Gauri viraje, Dakshin shikhar par Bam Bhola,

Meera ke Prabhu Giridhar Nagar Hari ke charan par chitt mora.”

(“Red flags fly atop Shiva’s temple.

On which peak does Gauri reside? On which peak resides Bam Bhola?

Gauri sits on the northern peak, Bam Bhola on the southern.

But Meera’s mind forever dwells at the feet of her beloved Lord Giridhar.”)

When Meera finally rose to her feet, everyone saw the idol of Giridharji held reverently between her palms. No one had noticed this idol when she first entered the temple. It became clear to all that Meera had come to Mewar bringing her beloved Lord Giridhar with her.

Queen Mother Ratan Kunwar Jhali stepped forward and asked, “This idol — it belonged to my gurudev Raidas. How did it come to be in your possession?”

Meera looked at the queen mother and replied, “He gave it to me through someone.”

The queen mother immediately understood why her gurudev Raidas had sent the proposal of marriage with the prince through a representative. She stepped back and stood beside her son, Rana Sanga, saying, “My granddaughter-in-law is a highly evolved practitioner of the Vaishnava spiritual path. Never neglect her, for doing so would bring misfortune to Chittor.”

Thus, from her very first day in Chittor, Meera began to shine with the brilliance of her divine gift.

The new bride was taken to her palace chambers. Meera was delighted upon entering her new residence. The palace was spacious and open, much like her quarters back in Merta. Before coming to Chittor, she had been warned that the palace there would feel suffocating once she entered — but on her first day, she felt nothing of the sort. In fact, the palace was far more beautiful than she had ever imagined. (Continues) 

Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, 

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date, was published last year and translated by Nasir Aijaz into Sindhi language.