Read an amazing article by NDTV this morning, the article was titled – Who Is Rani Padmini? A 10 Point-Guide To The Padmavati Row. The article claims a lot many things, principal among them are that Rani Padmini could be a legend, a folklore rather than a historical personality and that Khilji was one of the most able administrators of India.
I write this, lest we forget what was the real plot, unlike the one that Bollywood movie like Padmavati wants to propagate. Not it was not for love or lust.
Juna Khan, later to be known as Alauddin Khilji, was the nephew and son-in-law of Jalal-ud-din. He was a barbaric tyrant undoubtedly and accepted by many historians in the past, there is no denying to that.
Alauddin Khilji reigned for 20 years. He attacked and seized Hindu states of Ranthambhor (1301 AD), Chittorgarh (1303), Māndu (1305) and plundered the wealthy state of Devagiri and many other places.
He was a religious fanatic and a diabolical king. This can be ascertained from the fact that In 1298, approximately 15,000 and 30,000 people were butchered near Delhi, who had recently converted to Islam, were slaughtered in a single day, due to fears of an uprising. This shows his distrust in the converts. Even conversion and submission, and betrayal of their own religion was no escape for Hindus to save their lives.
Alauddin Khilji enforced four taxes on non-Muslims in the Sultanate – jizya (poll tax), kharaj (land tax), kari (house tax) and chari (pasture tax). He also decreed that his Delhi-based revenue officers assisted by local Muslim jagirdars, khuts, mukkadims, chaudharis and zamindars seize by force half of all produce any farmer generates, as a tax on standing crop, so as to fill sultanate granaries.
He implemented rules and regulations to grind down the Hindus, so as to reduce them to abject poverty and deprive them of wealth and any form of excess possessions that could foster an uprising. The Hindus were to be so reduced, so as to be left incapable of keeping a horse to ride on, possessing arms for protection, or wearing fine clothes, or enjoying any of the luxuries of life.
The institution of slavery and bondage labor became pervasive during the Khilji dynasty; male slaves were referred to as banda, qaid, ghulam, or burdah, while female slaves were called bandi, kaniz or laundi.
Amir Khusrow, writes in Táríkh-i ‘Aláí, “The (Muslim) army left Delhi in November 1310. After crossing rivers, hills and many depths, the elephants were sent, in order that the inhabitants of Ma’bar might be made aware of the day of resurrection had arrived amongst them; and that all the burnt Hindus would be despatched by the sword to their brothers in hell, so that fire, the improper object of their worship, might mete out proper punishment to them.”
Elliot and Dowson in The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians – The Muhammadan period, vol 3 writes, “The campaign of violence, abasement and humiliation was not merely the works of Muslim army, the Kazis, Muftis and court officials of Allauddin recommended it on religious grounds. Kazi Mughisuddin of Bayánah advised Allauddin to “keep Hindus in subjection, in abasement, as a religious duty, because they are the most inveterate enemies of the Prophet, and because the Prophet has commanded us to slay them, plunder them, and make them captive; saying – convert them to Islam or kill them, enslave them and spoil their wealth and property.”
Facts like these can be found in the dark alleys of the history of brutal genocides of Hindus.
The movie may have dream sequences of Rani Sa and Alauddin Khilji romancing, it may even, skip any hints of Rani sa falling for the Islamic tyrant Alauddin Khilji, But what will not change is the very plot that attack was driven by love/lust and not religious hatred against Hindus. What will remain unchanged is the fact that Hindus in general and Rajputs in specific will be satisfied to erase from their memory and be content that a tyrant who ruthlessly killed our ancestors, will be projected as an “anti-hero” in the very land where Hindus faced genocide since centuries.