Rani Padmini: The Epitome of Beauty and Sacrifice

Rani Padmini is more prominently known as Padmavati. She was a legendary Indian queen belonging to the era of 13^th and 14^th century. The extreme earliest source to mention about her is Padmavat. It is an epic fictionalized poem written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the 1540 CE.

The fantasizing story of her in the text described Padmavati as an exceptionally beautiful princess of the Singhal kingdom (Sri Lanka). Ratan Sen who is the Rajput ruler of Chittor heard about her phenomenal beauty from a talking parrot named Hiraman. After a very adventurous search, the king won her hand in marriage and brought her to Chittor. Alauddin Khalji who was the Sultan of Delhi at the same time too got to know about her beauty. Thus, Khalji laid siege to Chittor to get her. Before Khalji could capture Chittor, Rani Padmini and her companions committed Jauhar; self – immolation to protect their honor.

By: Bhavna Sharma

Content: wikipedia.org