PADMINI (Cave of)
24.883300,74.633300
Description
A »great subterranean retreat / cavern« (TOD 1829-1832, 1: 215) or »now-blocked cellar« at Chitrakot is associated with the jauhar (janhas, johur) or suicide of queen Padmini whose beauty influenced Alla-ud Din to sack Chitrakot (note 1) in 1303 CE. The modified natural cave (?) or man-made rock chamber (?) is walled up and believed to connect to subterranean chambers by a (fabulous?) tunnel known as Rani Bindar. Possibly identical with the cave of –>Suvarna of LAW (1937 edited 1976). SITUATION 1986: Descending from the southern edge of Mahasati by a long flight of steps to the small well Gaumukh Kund and the reservoir Sas-Bahu Kund stands a Jain temple dedicated to Parshvanatha at its northern side. Here, a subterranean gallery is said to have led to the palaces of Maharana Kumbha. A short distance away lie another two tanks, Hathi Kund and Katan Baoli (after STRASSER 1986: 135).SITUATION 1993: The site is reached by a long flight of steps from beyond the Sammideshwar temple to the water reservoir Gaumukh kund: »…at the very edge of the cliff, you'll see this deep tank. A spring feeds the tank from a carved cow's mouth [note 2] in the cliff side from which the reservoir got its name. The opening here leads to a cave in which Padmini and her compatriots are said to have committed janhas.« (after LONELY PLANET, India 1993: 588; 1997: 643; 1999: 692; 2001: 585; 2005: 187; omitted in LONELY PLANET, India 2003: 597, 2009: 211; LONELY PLANET, North India 2001: 718). SITUATION 2005 (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 187): »Rana Khumba Palace … After entering the fort and turning right, you come to the ruins of this palace …« CAVE DESCRIPTION 1822: NOT SEEN: A »… sequestered spot in a deep cleft of the rock, where there is a living fountain, called the gao-mookh, or 'cow's mouth,' under the shade of an umbrageous burr tree [note 3]« (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 215 after HERBERT a.i.). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1829: »The author has been at the entrance of this retreat, which, according to the Khomán Rásá, conducts to a subterranean palace, but the mephitic vapours and venomous reptiles did not invite to adventure, even had the official situation permitted such slight to the prejudices. The author is the only Englishman admitted to Cheetore since the days of Herbert, who appears to have described what he saw« (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 215 note 1). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1832: »On the side of the dell is a subterranean channel called Rani- bindar, which, it is said, leads to suites of chambers in the rock. This was the scene of the awful jauhar when the queens perished in the flames; on which the cavern's mouth was closed« (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 2: 609). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1997: »The opening here leads to the cave in which Padmini and her compatriots are said to have committed jauhar« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 643). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005: »Padmini's jauhar is said to have taken place in a now-blocked cellar« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 187). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2009: Omitted (LONELY PLANET, India 2009: 211)CULTURAL HISTORY - Cave legend: TOD (1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 213-215) gives a readable account of the heroic story of "Pudmani" (a title bestowed only on the superlatively fair, and transmitted with renown to posterity by tradition and the song of the bard), "Bheemsi" and "Alla-o-Din" which ends at the cave: »The funeral pyre was lighted within the 'great subterranean retreat,' in chambers impervious to the light of the day, and the defenders of Cheetore beheld in procession the queens, their own wives and daughters, to the number of several thousands. The fair Pudmani [sic!] closed the throng, which was augmented by whatever of female beauty or youth could be tainted by Tartar lust. They were conveyed to the cavern, and the opening closed unto them, leaving them to find security from dishonour in the devouring element … since this devoted day the cavern has been sacred: No eye has penetrated its gloom, and superstition has placed as its guardians a huge serpent, whose "venomous breath" extinguishes the light which might guide intruders to "the place of sacrifice".«
NOTE 1: Chitrakot, the fortress of Chittor, N24°53': E074°38' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) and at N24°53': E074°39' (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 10: 298) is also found spelled Chittaurgarh (Bartholomew 1996: Indian Subcontinent 1:4 mill; Collins s.a. = circa 2004: Subcontinent 1:4 mill), Cheetore (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 213-215), Chitor (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 10: 298-300), Chitorgarh (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003), Chitrakoor (on old coins of Mewar state), Chitrakot (?), Chittorgadh (?), Chittorgarh (LONELY PLANET 2001: 585, 2009: 211; STRASSER 1986). NOTE 2: In 1822, Gaumukh was seen as a »… sequestered spot in a deep cleft of the rock, where there is a living fountain, called the gao-mookh, or 'cow's mouth,' under the shade of an umbrageous burr tree« (HERBERT a.i. in: TOD).NOTE 3: The »burr tree« (TOD 1829) is another name for the banyan, a sacred species of fig-tree (Ficus religiosa).
Documents
Bibliography 30/04/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: Padmini commited jauhar in 1303 A.D. (LONELY PLANET 1999: 692; 2001: 585) or in Samvat 1346 = 1290 A.D. (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, 1: 214). 1822, before: HERBERT (J D ?) visited and described the cave. 1829.02.27: James Tod, Political Agent to the Western Rajput States, had been to the entrance (TOD 1829-1832 edited 1914, 1997, vol. 1: 215 note 1; vol. 2: 603-609).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 | CHITTAURGARH PIT (DUBOIS 1996) no. 1 | ||
| 22.4 | CHITTAURGARH PIT (Dubois 1996) no. 2 | ||
| 51.0 | BANKAKHERA SHELTER | ||
| 51.3 | DEKAN ROCK SHELTERS | ||
| 90.3 | Pataachar Caves | ||
| 100.8 | CHAMBAL CAVERNS | ||
| 111.4 | Gapernath | ||
| 119.0 | RANIJ-ki- BAORI | ||
| 119.0 | NAGAR SAGAR KUND |