Jauhar, Ritual death by Burning in the Face of Defeat
Jauhar, Ritual death by Burning in the Face of Defeat
The period from the 13th to the 15th century was a trying time for the Hindu Rajputs.This was the time the Moslem invaders entered North India and began to consolidate their rule. The Rajputs opposed the Moslems in battle. Though they fought with bravery and tenacity, yet the facts show that the Rajputs were invariably defeated.
These defeats was in a large measure due to the presence of turncoats among the Rajputs themselves, who joined the Moslems against their own brethern. The defaets of the Rajputs resulted in the Rajput women being captured and raped as well as made concubines of the Molsem rulers.
To obviate this capture and degradation of their women folk the concept of jauhar was inculculcated among the Rajput women. This consisted of dressing themselves in all their finery and jewelry and entering a burning chamber in a mass suicide. The death by burning was preferred so that the Moslem warriors could not bury them as that was against Hindu custom. The Rajputs were fanatical about their women and greatly encouraged the practice of Jauhar. While the women committed mass suicide the Rajput warriors moved into battle against the Moslems, facing death with abandan.
However in hindsight it must be stated that this concept of Jauhar was in essence a negativeidea and borne out of a fear of total defeat. Thus in many a battle with Alauddin Khilji, Iltumash and Akbar, the defeat of the Rajputs led to mass suicides by their women folk.
However this sytem of mass burning slowly died down as the Rajputs made peace with the Moslem conquerors and started giving their daughters in marriage to the Moslems. This was an admission of defeat and history records that the concept of Jauhar itself died down. Social scientists must study this defeatist mindset of the Rajputs and analyse what prompted these mass suicides.