Many people wrongly confuse Jauhar with Sati.
Jauhar was a custom of the Hindu household where women preferred to die rather than live their lives as sex slaves of the Islamic conquerors. There are various instances in Indian history where Jauhar was committed (Yes, Chittod was not the only place where Jauhar was committed, though it is more famous.)
Let’s see a list of all the famous Jauhar committed:
- Sindh: After the first Arab invader Muhammad Bin Qasim defeated King Dahir, his wife continued to hold the defense till she could and finally committed Jauhar.
- Gwalior: After the attack of the Delhi Sultan Iltutmish.
- Ranthambore: After the attack of Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji (immensely popular for marrying the wives of kings conquered).
- Chittor: Invaded thrice.
- Jaisalmer: Invaded twice.
- Kampili (Karnataka): After the attack of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq.
- Chanderi: After Babur’s attack.
- Raisen (Madhya Pradesh): Sacked Thrice.
- Bundelkhand: When Aurangzeb attacked the fort, Jauhar was committed. However, those who were unable to complete the ritual were captured and forced into the harem. Even the devout Muslim, Aurangzeb who banned music in the name of Islam did not have the sense to stop this rapine in the name of Islam!!
So, basically what was Jauhar?
Whenever the defending Hindu armies faced an imminent defeat and ran out of supplies, they used to take a brave decision. Records indicate that Jauhar took place at night. Brahmin priests attended this practice, chanting Vedic texts. As the Brahmin priests chanted, women threw themselves and their children into a fire while wearing their wedding dresses. They jumped into the fire to make sure that a Muslim invader could not even rape their dead bodies.
The next morning, men performed the Saka ritual. They bathed, put on saffron, placed a tulsi leaf in their mouths, and marked their foreheads with the ashes of their wives and children. The men then rode off into battle with the enemy. The men did not allow themselves to be taken alive either. This was called as Saka.
What happened to those who did not commit Jauhar?
Read these…
(Pictures have been taken from ‘The wonder that was India II- Saiyid AA Rizvi’)
It is better to die once than to die every day!!