Thread by @sheshapatangi1

Mother, She is as vast as an Ocean and cannot be defined in a word.

And Panna Dai is an example.

The history of Mewar is replete with tales of sacrifice, loyalty, bravery and all that comes to the fore in the tale of Panna Dai.

She was a nursemaid of Rani Karnavati,

the wife of Rana Sanga, and bought up her sons Vikramaditya and Udai Singh.

Rana Sanga died after the Battle of Khanwa, heartbroken from the deceit of Shiladitya and the shattering loss he faced. One of his sons, Ratan Singh II, ascended to the throne, however he did not rule

for long and died soon.

Another of Sanga's son, Vikramaditya took over Mewar, however he was very arrogant and insolent. He isolated the nobles as well as the neighboring rulers with his overbearing attitude and many left him.

Taking this as the right opportunity, Bahadur Shah

of Gujarat attacked Chittorgarh, Vikramaditya took refuge in the hills. A helpless Rani Karnavati called on the Humayun for assistance, even sent a rakhi, but was in vain.
Chittorgarh fell once again, Karnavati committed Jauhar, but Vikramaditya still refused to learn lessons.

Vikramaditya II was overthrown by the nobles fed up with his arrogance, and they placed him under house arrest. The nobles appointed Banvir, the uncle of Vikramaditya and Udai Singh as the regent, since the latter was still a kid.
Banvir however was the son of Sanga's estranged

brother Prithviraj, who had been seeking to acquire the throne of Mewar from long. He saw this as a chance, to get rid of Udai Singh, and assume the throne of Mewar once and for all.

Banvir killed Vikramaditya, and now hurried to kill the 14 yr old Udai Singh, so that he

could be the ruler of Mewar for good.

On hearing the news, Panna Dai, who had put her son Chandan as well as Udai Singh to sleep, knew she had to act.

Panna realized that Udai Singh must be saved for the future of Mewar, even if it meant sacrificing her own son.

She put the sleeping Udai Singh in a wicker basket and with the help of another maid, smuggled him out of the palace.

When Banvir came in she pointed out to the bed where her own son Chandan lay asleep. The wicked Banvir murdered Chandan thinking it was Udai Singh.

How painful it must have been to a mother to see her own son being murdered right in front of her eyes.

Nothing could be more painful for a mother to see her son killed in front of her, and Panna had to witness his cremation too. However she had no time to grieve much,

her immediate task was to save Udai Singh and Mewar's legacy.

Keeping the agony of her son's brutal murder within herself, Panna fled with Udai Singh, in the rocky Arravallis.

On one side, the memories of her son's murder, on the other side living like a nomad and fugitive in

the hills.

To make matters worse, none of the chieftains was ready to offer shelter to Panna and Udai Singh, afraid of Banvir's wrath. Facing the rocky Aravalli hills, the harsh weather, Panna sheltered the young Udai Singh, as they fled from place to place.

It was only the

Bhils, who offered shelter and assistance to Panna and Udai Singh, when others refused. Finally Panna and Udai Singh managed to find refuge for some time in Kumbhalgarh, where a loyal chieftain gave them shelter.

Soon a group of nobles, opposed to Banvir, secretly met Panna and

Udai Singh at Kumbhalgarh where they were in hiding. The nobles proclaimed Udai Singh as the ruler of Mewar, and revolted against the wicked Banvir.

A combined force of Mewar and Marwar under Udai Singh, at Mavli, attacked Banvir and fought a pitched battle.
Banvir was routed

in the battle and fled, was never heard of again, and Udai Singh became the rightful ruler of Mewar.

Udai Singh later founded the city of Udaipur, and though not much is known about Panna later, her legacy remains forever. His son was none other than the great Maharana Pratap.

Panna's sacrifice was unparalleled in the history of Mewar, a mother giving up her own son for the sake of a kingdom, a true heroine.

True respect to a great lady who symbolized what Motherhood is all about.

#MothersDay

#PannaDai

#VANDEMATARAM