Alha

Alha of Banaphar Rajput clan was the famous general of great Chandela King Paramdidev or Parmal who fought Prithviraj Chauhan in 1182 CE[1].Alha's mother Devaki was Ahir.[2] In the Purana,when Mahpati(Mahil) says that Ahlada (Alsha) has come to be of low family(kule hinatvamagatah} because his mother is an Arya Abhiri (aryabhiri: ans "Aryan" Ahir)(13.88-91).[3][4]

He is one of the hero of Alha-Khand which is popularly recited in Bundelkhand. Alha-khand is also known as Parmal Raso[5].

'Alha Udal bade ladaiya jinse haar gayi talwar'

(meaning Alha and Udal were such great fighters that even swords were defeated by them), the folklore of great military experts Alha and Udal is still sung in the heartland of Bundelkhand region of India. According to legends and folklores Alha was undefeatable , he was made immortal by the goddess Sharda. The shrine of the goddess is at Maihar in Madhya Pradesh (India). Folklore says that he gifted his head to mother goddess by cutting it with a sword, goddess was extremely happy with the act and made him immortal; he had two maternal brothers Malkhan and Sulkhan; in folklore it is said that Malkhan possessed enormous strength, which is sung in a sentence like 'das das haathi bhuj par taule' (ten elephants were weighed by him on one hand), it's a sort of poetic interpretation, as sung in folklore. Alha had a sword given to him by Parmal, the ruler of Mahoba and his uncle, the sword was said to be from heaven and no weapon could match the fury of that sword, numerous authors still write versions of Alha-Khand, in which one is Lumbardar Thakur Amol Singh Bhadauriya of Kanpur district. It is said that people who listen to poetic version of Alha are filled with warrior spirit and fearlessness. It is filled with the Code of Kshatriya warriors and the gruesome hard battles fought by them until death.

'aadi bhawani durga tose bada na koy aath khand nau dweep mei toy kare so hoy'

meaning oh great goddess of war, the oldest of old, the sole reason for evolution of world, nobody is above you; what is happening in this world is done by your power only. The warriors of Mahoba were undefeatable by anyone. They worshipped goddess and sword and hence were not defeated by anyone, the best of best and the bravest of brave, the true followers of Kshatriya dharma and defenders of vedic religion.

External links

accc

references

  1. ^ R.V. Russels of Central Provinces (India), Central Provinces District Gazetteers: Seoni, page 25
  2. ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?id=uV-RrRoMzbgC&pg=PA134&dq=ahirs+,Alha+and+Udal&hl=en&ei=rP-GTZ2kMIaycPnm8IYD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ahirs%20%2CAlha%20and%20Udal&f=false
  3. ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC&pg=PA260&dq=rajputs+were+mlecchas&hl=en&ei=6diSTf2AEMnJcaLUqYkH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=ahir&f=false
  4. ^ Rethinking India's oral and classical epics: Draupadī among Rajputs, Muslims ... By Alf Hiltebeitel
  5. ^ Sir Alexander Cunningham, Reports of a tour in Bundelkhand and Rewa in 1883-84, and of a tour in Rewa, page 8