Photos: A strange admiration of jauhar in Padmini’s Chittorgarh
Updated On Feb 20, 2018 08:35 AM IST
The release of Padmaavat has led to a renewed idealisation of jauhar in Chittorgarh. Historians, women’s rights activists call out the dangers of its glorification in today’s world.
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Updated on Feb 20, 2018 08:35 AM IST
Rajshri Shaktawat (in pink), warden of the girl’s hostel run by Jauhar Smriti Sansthan, along with some of the girls who stay there. While the women of Jauhar Kshatrani Manch and the members of Jauhar Smriti Sansthan agree that jauhar is a historical practice and that women today should be taught to stand up and fight for themselves, they still uphold Padmini’s jauhar and the principle of death over dishonour. (Raj K Raj/ HT Photo)
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Updated on Feb 20, 2018 08:35 AM IST
A view of Padmani Mahal at Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, a plaque at what is popularly referred to as Padmini Palace inside the Chittorgarh fort was covered, allegedly by the Archaeological Survey Of India, after protests against the information imparted there. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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At Jauhar Bhavan, Rajshri Shaktawat, the warden of a girl’s hostel run by the Jauhar Smriti Sansthan, confesses that not all the women who participated in the rally against Padmaavat would have committed jauhar. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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A tourist inside the Chittorgarh Mahal complex in Rajasthan. Both the fort and the town of Chittorgarh have memorials to the jauhars committed by the women in the past. Inside the fort is a Jauhar Sthal, where locals believe the last of the three jauhars had taken place. (Raj K Raj /HT Photo)
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An arched entry by a door in Padmani Mahal at Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan. The room from where Khilji was said to have glimpsed a reflection of Padmini is locked. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Narpat Singh and Govind Singh (Karni Sena) discuss the film Padmaavat at Jauhar Bhavan in Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. They are used to young women greeting them using the expression, “Jai jauhar.” (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Updated on Feb 20, 2018 08:35 AM IST