The so-called ‘immortal love story’ between Baaz Bahadur, the lady Sultan of Malwa and the beautiful Hindu shepherdess, Roopmati is the biggest marketing gimmick used to sell the #Mandu fort to clueless tourists.
ASI approved guides, guidebooks and even the light and sound show at the fort shove this love story down your throat with nauseating details. We hear about how Baaz Bahadur spotted the beauteous Roopmati, who was ‘just a beautiful shepherd girl with a sweet voice’ and was instantly enamoured by her, how he made her his favourite queen and built her a Mahal from where she could see her beloved Narmada every day, how he built a tank for her to bathe in and named it Rewa Kund, how she used to compose and sing love poems for him, and how he would set them to music. They hard sell it to you as a beautiful ‘syncretic Hindu-Muslim love story’.
What they omit conveniently, is the later part of this ‘love story’. Baaz Bahadur was never much of a warrior or a leader. When Akbar decided to capture the wealthy Malwa sultanate he sent his commander and his ‘milk brother’ Adam Khan to capture Mandu. Adam Khan had heard of Roopmati’s legendary beauty and lusted after her in keeping with the tradition of Alladdin Khilji.
When the battle took place, Baaz Bahadur did not put up much of a fight and fled the battlefield to quietly escape to Khandesh, abandoning his ‘beloved’ Roopmati to her own devices. History says that when Roopmati heard of his flight, she kiIIed herself by consuming poison, rather than fall in the hands of Adam Khan as a war trophy! It was a Jauhar in another form.
Meanwhile, lover boy Baaz Bahadur did not exactly miss Roopmati or mope for her. He was committed to a bigger love affair, his love for his own life. When he was kicked out of Khandesh, he escaped to Chittor. When he was kicked out of Chittor, he bounced around for a bit from kingdom to kingdom and finally, ended up in the court of Akbar himself as an ordinary musician, composing music for the likes of Adam Khan, the man who was responsible for the suicide of his beloved wife Roopmati!
Only, no one at Mandu will tell you this. They will only peddle the myth of the romantic Muzlim sultan and his love for his Hindu shepherdess wife!
And that’s exactly how history is distorted!
#mandu #roopmati #fakelovestory
Courtesy https://twitter.com/ShefVaidya/status/1721067876755345818?s=19
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