Wounded by arrows and unwilling to be captured, Rani Durgavati took her own life on the field; Garha-Katanga was overrun.
01The queen of Garha
Durgavati was a Chandela princess of Mahoba, married to Dalpat Shah, the Gond king of Garha-Katanga. After his death she ruled in her son’s name, built tanks still in use around Jabalpur and beat back Baz Bahadur of Malwa. Abul Fazl, Akbar’s own historian, praises her courage and her government. Asaf Khan’s invasion of 1564 had no cause beyond the wealth of the kingdom.
02At the Narrai nala
She chose to fight in the broken ground between the hills and a stream near Narrai. On the first day her army threw back the Mughal advance. The next day, with the stream in flood behind her, she fought from her elephant until an arrow struck her near the ear and another in the neck. Rather than be taken, she drove her dagger into her breast. Her son Vir Narayan fell soon after defending Chauragarh. Her samadhi stands near the spot, and 24 June is kept as her Balidan Diwas.
One of the few battles of the age led by a queen in person; Durgavati is honoured across central India.