"I would love to turn into the unheard empress who made Mughals afraid of her than the glamorous princess who gave up her independence and identity just to become a Mughal Queen."
― Jyoti Dixit, Internet Personality
From the legendary Amazons of Greek mythology to Queen Boadicea of Roman Britain, warrior women have fascinated the world for millennia. India, too, has its share of indomitable women who proved themselves to be fierce fighters and skilled leaders. Among these unsung warrior women is Naiki Devi, the Goan princess who became the Chalukya queen of Gujarat and defeated the mighty Muhammad Ghori on the battlefield.
In 1173, the young Ghurid prince, Muhammad Shahabuddin Ghori, had just conquered the Ghaznavids in Afghanistan. An ambitious ruler, he conducted successful raids deep into the heart of Indian territory, something Alexander’s troops, the Persians, the Arabs, and even Mahmud of Ghazni could not.
Muhammad Ghori’s first invasions were in the states of Multan and the fortress of Uch. After capturing Multan and Uch, he turned southwards towards the southern Rajputana and Gujarat. His target was the prosperous fortified town of Anhilwara Patan. Established by Vanraj of the Chapotkata dynasty in the 8th century, Anhilwara Patan was the capital of the Chalukya dynasty, which supplanted the Chapotkata's.
When Ghori attacked Anhilwara, it was under the rule of Mularaja-II. He had ascended the throne at the tender age of 13 after the demise of his father, Ajayapala. However, his mother, Naiki Devi, was the one who took over the reins of the kingdom as queen regent. It was this very fact that had made Ghori confident about capturing Anhilwara. He assumed that a woman and a child would not provide much resistance.
Naiki Devi, the daughter of the Kadamba king of Goa, was well-trained in sword fighting, cavalry, military strategy, diplomacy and all other subjects of statecraft. Undaunted by the prospect of Ghori’s imminent attack, she took command of the Chalukyan force and committed herself to organise a well-planned opposition to the invading army. Naiki Devi also sent out emissaries to develop crucial partnerships and appeal for assistance from nearby provinces for help, including Prithviraj Chauhan. While these kingdoms did not accede to her request, she did receive aid from Chalukyan feudatories. Realising this was not enough to defeat the massive hordes of enemy soldiers, the alacritous Naiki Devi carefully planned a battle strategy that would even the odds. She chose the rugged terrain of Gadaraghatta, an area at the foot of Mount Abu near the village of Kasahrada, as the site of the battle.
The narrow hill passes of Gadaraghatta were unfamiliar ground for Ghori’s invading army, giving Naiki Devi a massive advantage and balancing the odds in one masterful move. When Ghori and his army were finally at Kasahrada, the fearless warrior queen rode into the battle with her son on her lap, leading her soldiers in a ferocious counter-offensive. In the war that followed, known as the battle of Kasahrada, the outnumbered Chalukyan army and its troop of war elephants crushed the invading force that had once beaten the mighty sultans of Multan.
Facing major defeat, Ghori fled with a handful of bodyguards. His pride shattered, and he never again tried to conquer Gujarat. If it was not for the indomitable queen of the Chalukyas, India's history would be very different.
Interestingly, Naiki Devi’s victory finds several mentions in the accounts of the state chroniclers of Gujarat along with the Chalukyan inscriptions.
Udayaprabha Suri, a poet, states in his Sukrita-Kirti-Kallolini, that Naiki Devi’s army had defeated the Hammira (Sanskrit form of Emir) and his mlechchha (foreign) army, whose soldiers were covered from head to toe to protect themselves. Furthermore, a Chakukyan inscription from the reign of Bhima II (Mularaja II’s brother and successor) states that even a woman could defeat the Hammira during the reign of Bala Mularaja. However, the most detailed account of the Battle of Kasahrada can be found in the works of 14th-century Jain chronicler Merutunga who describes how Naiki Devi fought the mlechchhas at Gadaraghatta and conquered their leader.
One of the toughest women in the history of India, Naiki Devi’s unflagging courage and invincible spirit are at par with the legendary Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi, Rani Tarabai of the Marathas and Rani Chennamma of Kittur. Yet, very little is written about her and her incredible story in the history books. It is time this changed.
Bibliography:
Pal, Sanchari. "Naiki Devi, the Gujarati Queen from Goa Who Defeated Muhammad Ghori” TheBetterIndia. 2 Jun, 2018. Web. 30 Jul, 2022. <https://www.thebetterindia.com/143628/naiki-devi-chalukya-queen-gujarat-goa-defeat-muhammad-ghori/>
Comments