E-Paper
'Jaichandra was not a traitor'
Trying to erase the unsavoury tag of "traitor" attached to the 12th century Rajput ruler Raja Jaichandra of Kannauj, historians and residents of this Uttar Pradesh town are busy digging up facts to prove otherwise.
Trying to erase the unsavoury tag of "traitor" attached to the 12th century Rajput ruler Raja Jaichandra of Kannauj, historians and residents of this Uttar Pradesh town are busy digging up facts to prove otherwise.
Dumping the popular belief that Jaichandra had helped Muslim invader Mohammad Ghori gain a foothold in India by conspiring to defeat his rival Prithviraj Chauhan, historians and educationists now claim that the Gahadwala (Rathod) ruler of Kannuaj was a "brave king who laid down his life fighting the forces of Ghori".
They have underscored the need to rewrite history "or else, the blot on Jaichandra will remain".
A pointer in this direction was the recent unveiling of a giant statue of the king near the famous Mahabharata age Shiva temple at the fort here amid chanting of pro-Jaichandra slogans by hundreds of Kanyakubji brahmins, the traditional inhabitants of the area.
Jaichandra's enmity with Chauhan is well-known and attributed to Prithviraj III eloping with the Kaunnauj ruler's daughter, Sanyogita.
Some interpreters believe that Jaichandra connived with Ghori to defeat Chauhan in the Second Battle of Tarrain in 1192 and that he was chiefly responsible for the disunity among the Rajput rulers of the time.
Professor of medieval Indian history Ramesh Tewari pointed out that barring Chand Bardai, the court poet of Chauhan, no historian has branded Jaichandra a "traitor".
Citing the works of 11th century poet Ballabha Deo, Shukla said Jaichandra had not done anything which could be termed as "treason".
Hindi critic Ramchandra Shukla has also made references to the writings of two poets of the time, Bhatta Kedar and Madhukar, who showered praises upon the king of Kannauj, he added.
Chronicler of Kannauj history Anand Swaroop Mishra and well-known writer from the area Luxmikant Pandey have lauded Jaichandra as a "great king".
The fact that Jaichandra fought the forces of Ghori is tabled in the history books and Tewari cited The History of India by H M Elliot and John Dowson, which recounts the battle of Chandwar in Etawah district.
Jaichandra was killed in the battle and identified by his teeth, which were gold plated, Tewari said referring to the book.
According to Karuna Shankar Shukla of the Panchal Research Institute, Jaichandra was a lover of 'Vastu Kala' and popular among his subjects.
The historians and educationists are of the opinion that the accusation of traitor has not been historically proven and "it will would be a grave injustice to the erstwhile ruler of kannuaj to brand him so".
They said their attempt to "remove the blot" would be intensified and they would be contacting government and private institutions concerned to ensure the former king "is projected in the true light".
