Mastani
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Mastani was one of the most beautiful women in the history of India and mistress to one of the most powerful warriors of 18th century India.
They say, "Behind the success of every successful man is a woman". Mastani probably inspired the Peshwa Bajirao to succeed brilliantly, putting up one of the greatest contributions in building the Maratha Empire in India and gaining total control over Mughals, during his brief lifetime.
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[edit] Early life
Legend describes Mastani as a daughter of Maharaja Chhatrasal(1649-1731) of Bundelkhand through his Persian mistress.
Through 1727 and 1728, Mohammad Khan Bangash the Mughal, with an army of Afghans invaded Chattrasal’s kingdom, took Jaitpur and imprisoned him and his family within the Mughal camp.
The eighty-year-old Chattrasal sent a distress message to Bajirao, who was on a military campaign in the vicinity, asking for his aid.
Bajirao and his mighty Maratha army helped Chhatrasal and his Bundela Rajput forces to retake Jaitpur. The old Bundela king re-entered his capital in full state, amidst the welcoming cheers of his citizens and the boom of the victorious Maratha cannons.
In gratitude and as a token of his deep affection for Bajirao, whom he treated like a son-in-law, Chattrasal gave his young and beautiful daughter Mastani along with a third of his kingdom, including Jhansi, Sagar and Kalpi to Bajirao in May 1729. Chhatrasal's sons treated Bajirao as a blood-brother and later fought alongside him in many of his future campaigns.
[edit] Life with Bajirao
Mastani lived with Bajirao at his Shaniwar Wada Palace at Pune.
A worthy daughter of an illustrious Rajput father, Mastani was a skilled horse-rider. She rode a tall horse and accompanied Bajirao on all his campaigns. This often meant riding hundreds of miles over rugged country, living in camps under canvas and sharing his rough fare. She was said to be as good as any soldier in horsemanship, spear throwing and sword play.
She also had a talent for dancing and singing and Bajirao was infatuated with her. On one occasion the Peshwa went so far as to forget protocol and took her with him to Satara, when he went to pay his respects to his King Shahu. This apparently drew a indignant reprimand from the Maratha monarch.
When Bajirao attacked the Mughal imperial capital of Delhi, a Mughal scout stumbled upon Bajirao and Mastani, seated on one saddle cover, drinking and singing while they rested. After a perilous and hard-fought battle, having ridden over 40 miles in the day, Bajirao and Mastani sat and enjoyed themselves like young lovers on a picnic!
Bajirao's love for Mastani and his neglect of his first wife, Kashibai inspired resentment in his mother, Radhabai. Bajirao's brother Chimnaji Appa, tried to get rid of Mastani twice.
Attempts on her life stopped following a strong rebuke from Maharaja Shahu who worried that her untimely death might disturb Bajirao emotionally, enough to impact his leadership.
Bajirao's son, Balaji, tried to coerce Mastani into leaving the Peshwa, but she refused to do so. Ultimately, enraged by her growing influence on Bajirao and his father's neglect of Kashibai, Balaji had her placed under house arrest as soon as Bajirao left on a military campaign.
The local brahmin priests, who had a strong influence on the Hindu rulers, also never accepted Mastani. They even blamed her for the great Peshwa's taste for alcohol and meat. But Bajirao was too powerful a Peshwa to be swayed by their lobbying and politicking.
Bajirao had ardently desired that his son by Mastani be invested with the sacred thread as is the right of the son of a brahmin. This ceremony is called Munj(Marathi) or Upanayanam (Sanskrit). But even the powerful Bajirao could not get the orthodox Pune brahmin priests to agree. With a heavy heart he had to bring up the lad as a Muslim.
Later, following the murder attempts, and his family's intolerance of her, Bajirao built a separate residence for Mastani at Kothrud, some distance away from the Kasba of Pune.
[edit] Death
Bajirao was inspecting his lands at Khargon when he took suddenly ill. His fever climbed and by nightfall, he died in the army camp at Raverkhed on the banks of the Narmada, pining for Mastani.
Bajirao's wife Kashibai, his brother Chimnaji and his son Balaji(Nanasaheb), came to Khargon and with them came Mastani.
Bajirao's mortal remains were consigned to flames on 28 April 1740, at Raverkhed on the Narmada. Mastani spent her life in Shaniwaar Wada after Bajirao's death, but died soon to meet her love.
Kashibai, Bajirao's large-hearted wife, took the six-year-old Shamsher Bahadur into her home and raised him as one of her own. Shamsher grew up into a formidable warrior and fought in the Third Battle of Panipat against Ahmed Shah Abdali, alongside . The Marathas lost that battle and Shamsher Bahadur, barely 27-yrs-old at the time, lost his life fighting alongside his half-brother Sadashivrao Bhau and his half-nephew Vishwasrao: Nanasaheb's son.
Shamsher Bahadur's son, Ali Bahadur ruled over Bajirao's lands in Bundelkhand, and founded the state of Banda, UP.
[edit] Movies
The story of Bajirao and Mastani has been made into a motion picture. Mastani, directed by Dhirubhai Desai, was released in [[1955 in film|1955]
Offlate Bollywood has taken a keen interest in making a movie on Mastani. Sanjay Leela Bhansali had announced in 2003, that he will be making a film titled Bajirao Mastani where Salman Khan and Aishwarya were scheduled to play the lead roles. After the famous Salman-Aishwarya spat, Ms Rai refused to work with Salman again. Then there were rumours that Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor were approached for the female lead. But last heard, model Shivani Kapur has agreed to step in the role of Mastani.
Bhansali has however shelved the film for now and is now concentrating on Saawariya
