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This page is an extract from <br/>
ANNALS AND ANTIQUITIES <br/>
OF <br/>
'''RAJASTHAN '''<br/>

OR THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN <br/>
RAJPUT STATES OF INDIA <br/>

By <br/>
LIEUT.-COL. JAMES TOD <br/>
Late Political Agent to the Western Rajput States <br/>

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by <br/>
WILLIAM CROOKE, CIE. <br/>
Hon. D.Sc. Oxon., B.A., F.R.A.l. <br/>
Late of the Indian Civil Service <br/>

In Three Volumes <br/>
VOL. IV: ANNALS OF MEWAR<br/>
[The Annals were completed in 1829]<br/>

HUMPHREY MILFORD <br/>
Oxford University Press <br/>
London Edinburgh Glasgow New York <br/>
Toronto Melbourne Bombay <br/>
1920 [The edition scanned] <br/>
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=Mewar 09: Delicacy of the Rajputs=
==Delicacy of the Rajputs==

If devotion to the fair sex be admitted as a criterion of civiliza
tion, the Rajput must rank high. His susceptibility is extreme, 
and fires at the slightest offence to female delicacy, which he 
never forgives. A satirical impromptu, involving the sacrifice .
1 [There was no Sultan Muhammad Shah Lodi, and that dynasty did 
not begin till 1451. Firoz Shah (1351-88) was contemporary of Laksh 
Singh at Delhi. It is not hkely that a Rajput in the fourteenth century 
conducted a campaign at Gaya in Bengal ; but, according to Har Bilas 
Sarda, author of a recent monograph on Rana Kiimbha, the fact is corro
borated by inscriptions, Peterson, Bhaunagar Inscrijiiions, 90, 117, 119.] 
2 the sarangdeot cheif of kanor (on border of chappan ), on of the sixteen lords of Mewar, isalso a descendent of lakha, are some of the tribes of sondware, about Pharphara and the ravinces of the kali sind.
of Rajput prejudices, dissolved the coalition of the Rathors and 
Kachhwahas, and laid each prostrate before the Mahrattas, whom 
when united they had crushed : and a jest, apparently trivial, 
compromised the right of primogeniture to the throne of Chitor, 
and proved more disastrous in its consequences than the arms 
either of Moguls or Mahrattas. 

==Chonda renounces his Birthright==
Lakha Rana was advanced 
in years, his sons and grandsons established in suitable domains, 
when ' the coco-nut came ' from Ranmall, prince of Marwar, to 
affiance his daughter with Chonda, the heir of Mewar. Wlien 
the embassy was announced, Chonda was absent, and the old 
chief was seated in his chair of state surrounded by his court. 
The messenger of Hymen was courteously received by Lakha, 
who observed that Chonda would soon return and take the gage ; 
" for," added he, drawing his fingers over his moustaches, " I 
don't suppose you send such playthings to an old greybeard like 
me." This little sally was of course applauded and repeated ; 
but Chonda, offended at delicacy being sacrificed to wit, declined 
accepting the symbol which his father had even in jest supposed 
might be intended for him : and as it could not be returned 
without gross insult to Ranmall, the old Rana, incensed at his 
son's obstinacy, agreed to accept it himself, pruvided Chonda 
would swear to renounce his birthright in the event of his having 
a son, and be to the child but the ' first of his Rajputs.' He 
swore by Eklinga to fulfil his father's wishes. 

==Rana Mokal, a.d. 1397-1433==
Mokalji was the issue of this 
union, and had attained the age of five when the Rana resolved 
to signalize his finale by a raid against the enemies of their faith 
[277], and to expel the ' barbarian ' from the holy land of Gaya. 
In ancient times this was by no means uncommon, and we have 
several instances in the annals of these States of princes resigning 
' the purple ' on the approach of old age, and by a life of austerity 
and devotion, pilgrimage and charity, seeking to make their 
peace with heaven 'for the sins inevitably committed by all who 
wield a sceptre." But when war was made against their religion 
by the Tatar proselytes to Islam, the Sutlej and the Ghaggar 
Gaya, their Jerusalem, their 
holy land ; and if there destiny filled his cup, the Hindu chieftain 
was secure of beatitude,^ exempted from the troubles of ' second 
1 MuMi. birth ' ; 1  and borne from the scene of probation in celestial cars 
by the Apsaras,2  was introduced at once into the ' realm of the 
sun.' 3  Ere, however, the Rana of Chitor journeyed to this 
bourne, he was desirous to leave his throne unexposed to civil 
strife. The subject of succession had never been renewed ; but 
discussing with Chonda his warlike pilgrimage to Gaya, from 
which he might not return, he sounded him by asking what estates 
should be settled on Mokal. " The throne of Chitor," was the 
honest reply ; and to set suspicion at rest, he desired that the cere
mony of installation should be performed previous to Lakha's 
departure. Chonda was the first to pay homage and swear obedi
ence and fidelity to his future sovereign : reserving, as the recoin
pense of his renunciation, the first place in the councils, and 
stipulating that in all grants to the vassals of the crown, his 
symbol (the lance) should be superadded to the autograph of the 
prince. In all grants the lance of Salumbar * still precedes the 
monogram of the Rana.4  

The sacrifice of Chonda to offended delicacy and filial respect 
was great, for he had all the qualities requisite for command. 
Brave, frank, and skilful, he conducted all public affairs after his 
father's departure and death, to the benefit of the minor and the 
State. The queen-mother, however, who is admitted as the 
natural guardian of her infant's rights on all such occasions, felt 
umbrage and discontent at her loss of povv^er ; forgetting that, 
but for Chonda, she would never [278] have been mother to the 
Rana of Mewar. She watched with a jealous eye all his proceed
ings ; but it was only through the medium of suspicion she could 
accuse the integrity of Chonda, and she artfully asserted that, 
under colour of directing state affairs, he was exercising absolute 
sovereignty, and that if he did not assume the title of Rana, he 
would reduce it to an empty name. Chonda, knowing the purity 
of his own motives, made liberal allowance for maternal solicitude ; 
but upbraiding the queen with the injustice of her suspicions, 

1 This is a literal phrase, denoting further transmigration of the soul, 
which is always deemed a punishment. The soldier who falls in battle 
in the faithful performance of his duty is alone exempted, according to 
their martial mythology, from the pains of ' second birth.' 
2  The fair messengers of heaven. 
3  Sitraj 3Ianda]. 
4 The abode of the chief of the various clans of Chondawat. 
5 Vide p. 235. 
and advising a vigilant care to the rights of Sesodias, he retired 
to the court of Mandu, tlien rising into notice, where he was 
received with the highest distinctions, and the district of Halar 1 
was assigned to him by the king. 

==Rathor Influence in Mewar==

His departure was the signal for 
an influx of the kindred of the queen from INIandor. Her brother 
Jodha (who afterwards gave his name to Jodhpur) was the first, 
and was soon followed by his father, Rao Ranmall, and numerous 
adherents, who deemed the arid region of Maru-des, and its rabri, 
or maize porridge, well exchanged for the fertile plains and 
wheaten bread of Mewar. 

==Raghudeva, the Mewar Hero==

With his grandson on his knee, 
the old Rao " would sit on the throne of Bappa Rawal, on whose 
quitting him for play, the regal ensigns of Mewar waved over the 
head of Mandor." This was more than the Sesodia nurse 2  (an 
important personage in all Hindu governments) could bear, and 
bursting with indignation, she demanded of the queen if her kin 
was to defraud her own child of his inheritance. The honesty of 
the nurse was greater than her prudence. The creed of the Rajput 
is to ' obtain sovereignty,' regarding the means as secondary 
and this avowal of her suspicions only hastened their designs. 
The queen soon found herself without remedy, and a remonstrance 
to her father produced a hint which threatened the existence of her 
offspring. Her fears were soon after augmented by the assassina
tion of Raghudeva, the second brother of Chonda, whose estates 
were Kelwara and Kawaria. To the former place, where he 
resided aloof from the court, Rao Ranmall sent a dress of honour, 
which etiquette requiring him to put on when presented, the 
prince was assassinated in the act. Raghudeva was so much 
beloved for his virtues, courage, and manly beauty, that his [279] 
murder became martyrdom, and obtained for him divine honoijrs, 
and a place amongst the Di Patres {Pitrideva) of Mewar. His 
image is on every hearth, and is daily worshipped with the 
Penates. Twice in the year his altars receive public homage 
from every Sesodia, from the Rana to the serf.3 
1 [Halar in W. Kathiawar (BG, viii. 4).] 
2  The Dhdi. The Dhdbhdis, or ' foster-brothers,' often hold lands in 
perpetuity, and are employed in the most confidential places ; on embassies, 
marriages, etc. 
3 On the 8th day of the Dasahra, or ' military festival,' when the levies 
==The Expulsion ofthe Rathor Party==
In this extremity the 
queen-mother turned lier thoughts to Chonda, and it was not 
difficult to apprise him of the danger which menaced the race, 
every place of trust being held by her kinsmen, and the principal 
post of Chitor by a Bhatti Rajput of Jaisalmer Chonda, though 
at a distance, was not inattentive to the proverbially dangerous 
situation of a minor amongst the Rajputs. At his departure he 
was accompanied by two hundred Aherias or huntsmen, whose 
ancestors had served the princes of Chitor from ancient times. 
These had left their families behind, a visit to whom was the 
pretext for their introduction to the fort. They were instructed 
to get into the service of the keepers of the gates, and, being 
considered more attached to the place than to the family, their 
object was effected. The queen-mother was counselled to cause 
the young prince to descend daily with a numerous retinue to give 
feasts to the surrounding villages, and gradually to increase the 
distance, but not to fail on the ' festival of lamps’ 1  to hold the 
feast (got) at Gosunda.

These injmictions were carefully attended to. The day 
arrived, the feast was held at Gosunda ; but the night was 
closing in, and no Chonda appeared. With heavy hearts the 
nurse, the Purohit,3  and those in the secret moved homeward, 
and had reached the emuience called Chitori, when forty horsemen 
passed them at the gallop, and at their head Chonda in disguise, 
who by a secret sign paid homage as he passed to his younger 
are mustered at the Chaugan, or ' Champ de Mars,' and on the 10th of Chait 
his altars are purified, and his image is washed and placed thereon. Women 
pray for the safety of their children ; husbands, that their wives may be 
fruitful. Previously to this, a son of Bappa Rawal was worshipped ; but 
after the enshrinement of Raghudeva, the adoration of Kuhsputra was 
gradually abohshed. Nor is this custom confined to Mewar : there is a 
one who has met a violent death. 
Besides Ekhnga, the descendants of Bappa have adopted numerous household 
divinities : ttie destinies of life and death, Baenmata the goddess of the 
Chawaras, Nagnachian the serpent divinity of the Rathors, and Khetrapal, 
or ' fosterer of the field,' have with many others obtained a place on the 
Sesodia altars. This festival may not unaptly be compared to that of 
Adonis amongst the Greeks, for the Putra is worshipped chiefly by women. 

1 The Diwali, from diwa, ' a lamp.' This festival is in honour of Lakshun, 
goddess of wealth. 
2  Seven miles south of Chitor, on the road to Malwa. 
3 The family priest and instructor of youth. 
brother and sovereign. Chonda and [280] his]band had reached 
the Rampol,1  or upper gate, unchecked. Here, when challenged, 
they said they were neighbouring chieftains, who, hearing of the 
feast at Gosunda, had the honour to escort the prince home. 
The story obtained credit ; but the main body, of which this was 
but the advance, presently coming up, the treachery was apparent. 
Chonda unsheathed his sword, and at his well-known shout the 
hunters were speedily in action. The Bhatti chief, taken by 
surprise, and unable to reach Chonda, launched his dagger at and 
wounded him, but was himself slain ; the guards at the gates 
were cut to pieces, and the Rathors hunted out and killed without 
mercy. 

==Death of Rao Ranmall==

The end of Rao Ranmall was more 
ludicrous than tragical. Smitten with the charms of a Sesodia 
handmaid of the queen, who was compeUed to his embrace, the 
old chief was in her arms, intoxicated with love, wine, and opium, 
and heard no tiling of the tumult without. A woman's wit and 
revenge combined to make his end afford some compensation for 
her loss of honour. Gently rising, she bound him to his bed with 
his own Marwari turban : - nor did this disturb him, and the 
messengers of fate had entered ere the opiate allowed his eyes to 
open to a sense of his danger. Enraged, he in vain endeavoured 
to extricate himself ; and by some tortuosity of movement he 
got upon his legs, his jiallet at his back like a shell or shield of 
defence. With no arms but a brass vessel of ablution, he levelled 
to the earth several of his assailants, when a ball from a matchlock 
extended him on the floor of the palace. His son Jodha was in 
the lower town, and was indebted to the fleetness of his steed for 
escaping the fate of his father and kindred, whose bodies strewed 
the terre-pleine of Chitor, the merited reward of their usurpation 
and treachery. 

==The Revenge ofChonda==
But Chonda's revenge was not yet 
satisfied. He pursued Rao Jodha, who, unable to oppose him, 
took refuge with Harbuji Sankhla, leaving Mandor to its fate. 
Tins city Chonda entered by surprise, and holding it till his sons 
Kantatji and Manjaji arrived with reinforcements, the Rathor 
treachery was repaid by their keeping possession of the« capital 
during twelve years. We might here leave the future founder 

1 Rampol, ' the gate of Ram.' 
2 Often sixty cubits in length. 
of Jodhpur, had not this feud led to the junction of the rich [281] 
province of Godwar to Mewar, held for three centuries and again 
lost by treachery. It may yet involve a struggle between the 
Sesodias and Rathors.1 

" Sweet are the uses of adversity." To Jodha it was the first 
step in the ladder of his eventual elevation. A century and a 
half had scarcely elapsed since a colony, the wreck of Kanauj, 
found an asylum, and at length a kingdom, taking possession of 
one capital and founding another, abandoning Mandor and 
erecting Jodhpur. But even Jodha could never have hoped that 
his issue would have extended their sway from the valley of the 
Indus to within one hundred miles of the Jumna, and from the 
desert bordering on the Sutlej to the Aravalli mountains : that 
one hundred thousand swords should at once be in the hands of 
Rathors, ' the sons of one father' {ek Bap ke Betan). 

If we slightly encroach upon the annals of Marwar, it is owing 
to its history and that of Mewar being here so interwoven, and 
the incidents these events gave birth so illustrative of the national 
character of each, that it is, perhaps, more expedient to advert 
to the period when Jodha was shut out from Mandor, and the 
means by which he regained that city, previous to relating the 
events of the reign of Mokal. 

==Harbuji Sankhla==

Harbuji Sankhla, at once a soldier and a 
devotee, was one of those Rajput cavaliers ' sans peur et sans 
reproche,'' wjiose life of celibacy and perilous adventure was 
mingled with the austere devotion of an ascetic ; by turns aiding 
with his lance the cause which he deemed worthy, or exercising 
an unbounded hospitality towards the stranger. This generosity 
had much reduced his resources when Jodha sought his protection. 
It was the eve of the Sada-bart, one of those hospitable rites which, 
in former times, characterized Rajwara. This ' perpetual charity ' 
supplies food to the stranger and traveller, and is distributed not 
only by individual chiefs and by the government, but by sub
scriptions of communities. Even in Mewar, in her present 
impoverished condition, the offerings to the gods in support of 
their shrines and the establishment of the Sada-bart were simul
taneous. Hospitality is a virtue pronounced to belong more 
peculiarly to a semi-barbarous condition. Alas ! for refinement 

1 [Godwar, including the Bali and Desuri districts in S.E. Marwar, is 
now known as the Desuri Hukumat : see Erskine iii. A. 180 f.] 
and ultra-civilization, strangers to the happiness enjoyed by 
Harbuji Sankhla. Jodha, with one hundred and twenty followers, 
came to solicit the ' stranger's fare ' : but unfortunately it was 
too late, the Sada-bart had been distributed. In this exigence, 
Harbuji recollected that there was a wood [282] called mujd, 
used in dyeing, which among other things in the desert regions 
is resorted to in scarcity. A portion of this was bruised, and 
boiled with some flour, sugar, and spices, making altogether a 
palatable pottage ; and with a promise of better fare on the 
morrow, it was set before the young Rao and his followers, who, 
after making a good repast, soon forgot Chitor in sleep. On 
waking, each stared at his fellow, for their mustachios were dyed 
with their evening's meal ; but the old chief, who was not disposed 
to reveal his expedient, made it minister to their hopes by giving 
it a miraculous character, and saying " that as the grey of age 
was thus metamorjjhosed into the tint of morn 2  and hope, so 
would their fortunes become young, and Mandor again be theirs." 
Elevated by this prospect, they enlisted Harbuji on their side. 
He accompanied them to the chieftain of Mewa, " whose stables 
contained one hundred chosen steeds." Pabuji, a third inde
pendent of the same stamp, with his ' coal-black steed,' was 
gained to the cause, and Jodha soon found himself strong enough 
to attempt the recovery of his capital. The sons of Chonda were 
taken by surprise : but despising the numbers of the foe, and 
ignorant who were their auxiliaries, they descended sword in 
hand to meet the assailants. The elder 2  son of Chonda with 

1  The wood of Solomon's temple is called ahnug ; the prefix al is merely 
the article [?]. This is the wood also mentioned in the annals of Gujarat, 
of which the temple to Adinatli was constructed. It is said to be indestruc
tible even by fire. It has been surmised that the fleets of Tyre frequented 
the Indian coast : could they thence have carried the Almujd for the temple 
of Solomon ? [Almug, according to the Encyclopcedia Biblica (i. 1196) is 
either Brazil-wood or red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus). Sir G. Watt, 
who has kindly examined the question, thinks it very improbable that the 
mujd of the text is almug wood, because neither the true sandalwood {Scm
tahim album) nor the red sandalwood [Pterocarpus santalinus) is found 
in Rajputana. He identifies the inujd of the text with Moringa concanensis, 
a sinaU tree found wild in Sind and the Konkan, which yields a gum of 
considerable value, and its congener Moriruja pferygospertna {Comm. Prod. 
784), the horse-radish tree of India, is used as a dye in Jamaica, and probably 
could be so used in India.] 
1 This wood has a brownish-red tint. 
2  This is related with some variation in other annals of the period. 
many adherents was slain ; and the younger, deserted by the 
subjects of Mandor, trusted to the swiftness of his horse for 
escape ; but being pursued, was overtaken and killed on the 
boundary of Godwar. Thus Jodha, in his turn, was revenged, 
but the ' feud was not balanced.' Two sons of Chitor had 
fallen for one chief of Mandor. But wisely reflecting on the 
original aggression, and the superior power of Mewar, as well as 
his being indebted for his present success to foreign aid, Jodha 
sued for peace, and offered as the mundkati, or ' price of blood,' 
and ' to quench the feud,' that the spot where Manja fell should 
be the future barrier of the two States. The entire province of 
Godwar was comprehended in the cession, which for three cen
turies withstood every contention, till the internal dissensions 
of the last half century, which grew out of the cause by which [283] 
it was obtained, and the change of succession in Mewar severed 
this most valuable acquisition.1  

Who would imagine, after such deadly feuds between these 
rival States, that in the very next succession these hostile frays 
were not only buried in oblivion, but that the prince of Marwar 
abjured ' his turban and his bed ' till he had revenged the 
assassination of the prince of Chitor, and restored his infant heir 
to his rights ? The annals of these States afford numerous 
instances of the same hasty, overbearing temperament governing 
all ; easily moved to strife, impatient of revenge, and steadfast 
in its gratification. But this satisfied, resentment subsides. A 
daughter of the offender given to wife banishes its remembrance, 
and when the bard joins the lately rival names in the couplet, 
each will complacently curl his mustachio over his lip as he hears 
his ' renown expand like the lotus,' and thus ' the feud is 
extinguished.' Thus have they gone on from time immemorial, 
and will continue, till what we may fear to contemplate. They 
have now neither friend nor foe but the British. The Tatar 
invader sleeps in his tomb, and the INIahratta depredator is 
muzzled and enchained. To return. 

1 There is little hope, while British power acts as high constable and 
keeper of the peace in Rajwara, of this being recovered : nor, were it other
wise, would it be desirable to see it become an object of contention between 
these States. Marwar has attained much grandeur since the time of Jodha, 
and her resources are more unbroken than those of Mewar, who, if she 
could redeem, could not, from its exposed position, maintain the province 
against the brave Bathor. 

==Mokal, A.D. 1397-1433==

Mokal, who; obtained the throne by 
Chonda's surrender of his birthright, was not destined long to 
enjoy the distinction, though he evinced quahties worthy of 
heading the Sesodias". He ascended the throne in S. 1454 (a.d. 
1398), at an miportant era in the history of India ; when Timur, 
who had already established the race of Chagatai in the kingdoms 
of Central Asia, and laid prostrate the throne of Byzantium, 
turned his arms towards India. But it was not a field for his 
ambition; and the event is not even noticed in the annals of 
Mewar : a proof that it did not affect their repose. But they 
record an attempted invasion by the king of Delhi, which is 
erroneously stated to have been by Firoz Shah. A grandson of 
this prince had indeed been set up, and compelled to flee from 
the arms of Timur, and as the direction of his flight was Gujarat, 
it is not miiikely that the recorded attempt to penetrate by the 
passes of Mewar may have been his [284]. Be this as it may, 
the Rana Mokal anticipated and met him beyond the passes 
of the Aravalli, in the field of Raepur, and compelled him to 
abandon his enterprise. Pursuing his success, he took posses
sion of Sanibhar and its salt lakes, and otherwise extended and 
strengthened his territory, which the distracted state of the 
empire consequent to Timur's invasion rendered a matter of 
little difficulty. Mokal fmished the palace conunenced by 
Laldia, now a mass of ruins ; and erected the shrine of Chatur
bhuja, ' the four-armed deity,' 1  in the western hills. 

==Lai Bai==

Besides tliree sons, Rana Mokal had a daughter, 
celebrated for her beauty, called Lai Bai, or ' the ruby.' She 
was betrothed to the Khichi chieftain of Gagraun, who at the 
Hathleva - demanded the pledge of succour on foreign invasion . 
Dhiraj, the son of the Ivhichi, had come to solicit the stipulated 
aid agamst Hoshang of Malwa, who had invested their capital. 
The Rana's headquarters were then at Madri, and he was em
ployed in quelling a revolt of the mountaineers, when Dhiraj 
arrived and obtained the necessary aid. Madri was destined to be 
the scene of the termination of Mokal's career : he was assassmated 
by his uncles, the natural brothers of his father, from an uninten
tional offence, which tradition has handed down in all its details. 

1 [The four-armed Vishuu, the favourite deity of the Mertia Rathors 
{Census Report, Bajpuiana, 1891, ii. 26).] 
2 The ceremony of joining hands. 

==Assassination of Rana Mokal==

Chacha and Mera were the 
natural sons of Khetsi Rana (the predecessor of Lakha) ; their 
mother a fair handmaid of low descent, generally allowed to be a 
carpenter's daughter. ' The fifth sons of Mewar ' (as the natural 
children are figuratively termed) possess no rank, and though 
treated with kindness, and entrusted with confidential employ
ments, the sons of the chiefs of the second class take precedence 
of them, and ' sit higher on the carpet.' These brothers had the 
charge of seven hundred horse in the train of Rana Mokal at 
Madri. Some chiefs at enmity with them, conceiving that they 
had overstepped their privileges, wished to see them humiliated. 
Chance procured them the opportunity : which, however, cost 
their prince his life. Seated in a grove with his chiefs around 
him, he inquired the name of a particular tree. The Chauhan 
chief, feigning ignorance, whispered him to ask either of the 
brothers ; and not perceiving their scope, he artlessly did so. 
" Uncle, what tree is this ? " The sarcasm thus prompted they 
considered as reflecting on their birth (being sons [285] of the 
carpenter's daughter), and the same day, while Mokal was at 
his devotions, and in the act of counting his rosary, one blow 
severed his arm from his body, while another stretched him 
lifeless. The brothers, quickly mounting their steeds, had the 
audacity to hope to surprise Chitor, but the gates were closed 
upon them. 

==Rana Kiimbha, a.d. 1433-68==
Though the murder of Mokal 
is related to have no other cause than the sarcasm alluded to, 
the precautions taken by the young prince Kumbha,1  his suc
cessor, would induce a belief that this was but the opening of a 
deep-laid conspiracy. The traitors returned to the stronghold 
near Madri, and Kumbha trusted to the friendship and good 
feeling of the prince of Marwar in this emergency. His confidence 
was well repaid. The prince put his son at the head of a force, 
and the retreat of the assassins being near his own frontier, they 
were encountered and dislodged. From Madri they fled to Pai, 
where they strengthened a fortress in the mountains named 
Ratakot ; a lofty peak of the compound chain whicli encircles 
IJdaipur, visible from the" surrounding country, as are the remains 
of this stronghold of the assassins. It would appear that their 

1  [His mother was a Praraar, Subhagya Devi, daughter of Raja Jaitmall, 
Sankhla.] 
lives were dissolute, for they had carried off the virgin daughter 
of a Chauhan, which led to their eventual detection and punish
ment. Her father, Suja, had traced the route of the ravishers, 
and, mixing Avith the workmen, foimd that the approaches to the 
place of their concealment were capable of being scaled. He 
was about to lay his complaint before his prince, when he met the 
cavalcade of Kumbha and the Rathor. The distressed father, 
' covering his face,' disclosed the story of his own and daughter's 
dishonour. They encamped till night at Delwara, when, led by 
the Chandana, they issued forth to surprise the authors of so 
many evils. 

==Suja and the Tiger==
Arrived at the base of the rock, where 
the parapet was yet low, they commenced the escalade, aided 
by the thick foliage. The path was steep and rugged, and in the 
darkness of the night each had grasped his neighbour's skirt for 
security. Animated by a just revenge, the Chauhan (Suja) led 
the way, when on reaching a ledge of the rock the glaring eyeballs 
of a tigress flashed upon him. Undismayed, he squeezed the 
hand of the Rathor prince who followed him, and who on per
ceiving the object of terror instantly buried his poignard in her 
heart This omen was superb. They soon reached the summit. 
Some had ascended the parapet ; others were scrambling over, 
when the minstrel [286] slipping, fell, and his drum, which was to 
have accompanied his voice in singing the conquest, awoke by 
its crash the daughter of Chacha. Her father quieted her fears 
by saying it was only " the thunder and the rains of Bhadon " : 
to fear God only and go to sleep, for their enemies were safe at 
Kelwa. At this moment the Rao and his party rushed in. 
Chacha and Mera had no time to avoid their fate. Chacha was 
cleft in two by the Chandana, while the Rathor prince laid Mera 
at his feet, and the spoils of Ratakot were divided among the 
assailants.