The Ballad of Raja Malhi Prakash and Sirmour's History - Some Scrambled Thoughts

I was just walking through some documents I had saved over the years, when it struck me that there has been very little new research work or relook into the history of the hill states. One particular format has been the examination of oral ballads, very few of which seem to be available in popular culture today. However, that was certainly not the case in the British era, when much field work seems to have been done by scholars of Europe on the subject, as they panned across the state of the Lahore kingdom and their adjunct territories.

Sirmour was a Small Princely state along the Yamuna river's course

While their purpose may have been malevolent in nature, many interesting insights got captured over the course of their work, and replication or improvement on the same seems to be rather scarce, especially in the context of what the European scholars used to call the "Punjab Hill States". One such case was on Sirmour, where very little information can be found in the public domain or easily accessible.

Here, the ballad of Malhi Prakash (referred to as Mahi Prakash) as picked up by Captain R C Temple generated a lot of interest in my mind. The field notes in particular made it even more interesting. To produce the text verbatim:

"...Rája Malhí Parkásh, the fourth of the Súrajbansi (Rájpút) line of the Rájas of Sarmor.... The territories along the River Jamná in its mountain course, known as Sarmor, were conquered by one Sobhá Rawál, a Súrajbansi Rájpút, a son of Rawál (not Ráwal) Ugar Sen of Jaysalmír (founded according to Tod; Rajasthan, II., 187, in Samvat 1212, or A.D. 1155, by Bhatti Rájpúts), who established himself in the Bájan forests of the Khyrádrá Dún in Samvat. 1152, A.D. 1095, and called himself Svehans Parkásh..."

Raja Karam Prakash with his son and possibly aristocrats (courtesy San Diego Museum of Art)

The entry of the Bhati Rajputs into Sirmour has also been pointed out in the 1904 Sirmour state gazette, mentioning a fascinating story around it. I am producing it verbatim from the gazette:

"In 1139 Sambat, Madan Singh, a Súrajbansi Rájpút, was King of Sirmúr, now a ruined village in Paunta Tahsíl, on the Giri. Sirmúr was his capital, and the kingdom was known as Sirmúr or Silmúr after it. During Madan Singh's reign a woman, expert in necromancy, presented herself before the Rája and boasted of her skill. He showed himself sceptical of her powers and challenged her to cross the Giri between the Toka and Poka ranges by means of an acrobat's rope, called bharat in the tumbler's language, promising her half his kingdom if she crossed the river and returned by this means. She succeeded in crossing, and was returning on the rope when one of the Rája's officials treacherously cut the rope to prevent her claiming half the kingdom, and the woman fell into the river and was drowned. This act of treachery resulted in a flood which swept away the town, and the Rája with all his kin perished. The country was thus left without a ruler.

In Sambat 1152 Ugar Sain, Ráwal, of Jaisalmer, visited Hardwár, and there met Hoshang Rai Náth, a Bhát or Badfarosh by caste, of Sirmúr, who sang his praises and invited him to assume the sovereignty of the kingdom. The Ráwal sent a force under his son Sobha Ráwal to conquer Sirmúr. Sobha subdued the country, and made Rájban his capital, taking the title of Subhans Parkásh. His rule lasted only four years, and he died in Sambat 1156."

Significantly interesting as it is, the fact is that the linkage to the Jaisalmer Bhati Rajputs came from the dating of Todd's Antiquities of Rajasthan, which has its own limitations as per scholars of history from Rajasthan. Thus, relooks are needed to see, for instance, if the connection goes even further back in time or not. For instance, while Mahi Prakash ruled during Samvat (Vikramaditya) 1165—ll74, or A.D., 1118 to 1127, the entry of the Rawal's son in 1156 Samvat makes you wonder what the exact timelines are.

Nevertheless, an interesting angle to Captain Temple's effort was recalling the battle between Sirmour and Kyeonthal, and the ballad was recalled from Kyeonthal itself. As per the song, Malhi Parkash had fought Rup Sen of Kyeonthal following a quarrel for pride. The first four stanzas of the ballad go as follows:

तबे बारा बरस मैं राजा जोरी क्यौंठल नाराजी।
तबे नाहन सि* राजा तणी फौज पाई जोरी।
तबे जी डेरा आया था राजा रा बलग री सरी।
तबे जी बलग री बस्तरो गोए भागीरो देवी।
तबे धर्मी बाहमनी मत ली कमाई।
तबे राजा आयो गोया चढ़्हरो डेरे आमी जाए।
तबे थाली भरी मोती री भेटा राजा खी लिए।
तबे राजा तणी मही घाटी पीठी फेरी।
तबे "हेकरी, राजा, पेतरी धणी, साहिबा, तेरी।
तबे जो तू सुने, राजा, बाहमनी री वजीरी
तेरी बाहिन ईलो सुनांगणो; तू जी नाहनी फेरी!"
नहीं सुन्दा बाहमनी चोड़ी रा जाना।
"मेरी क्यौंठल नाराजी खी जानी ही जाना।
तूसी बानो, चकारो, पागरी; पहिरो संजया।"
तबे आज हुकुम राजा रा नागणी खी होआ।
तबे नागणी निग्रही गोए भागीरो देवी।
सुन्नी छल्ही गोए नागणी तो बेगो गोए न शर।
तबे नागणी री गढ़ी गोए बेगी दारी।
तबे देरी एकली पांचोट गोए नागन छुटी।
"तूसी बानो, चकारो, पागरी, शिगी करो रोटी।"
तबे देरी अजो राजा रा सैनझीरी लटी होआ।
तबे डेरा जोधो दारूरे राजा का महल्ली।
तबे सारे भाल्यो क्यौंठल रा लंबी झीरा हाला।

The translation of this text goes as follows:

When Mahî was twelve years old the Râjâ of Kyonthal quarrelled with him.
Then the Râjâ (Mahî) collected his army at Nâhan:
And the Râjâ took up his station at the plains of Balag,*
And the people of Balag ran away.
Then Dharmî, the Brâhmanî, made a plan,
(That) as the Râjâ had come she would go to his camp.
So she took a platter filled with pearls as a present to the Râjâ.
But Râjâ Mahî turned his back upon her.
Then said she “Sir Râjâ, thy face and back are one to me;
if thou hear the Brâhmanî’s petition, Râjâ.
Take golden-bracelets for thy wrists; return thou back to Nâhan!!”
He heeded not the wisdom of the Brâhman woman.
“I must go on account of my quarrel with Kyonthal.
Do you fasten on your turbans, my servants, and put on your armour.”
Then the Râjâ gave the order for (the march to) Nâgnî at once.†
Then the people of Nâgnî ran away.
Nâgnî was (left) empty and no one opposed them at all:
And the people of Nâgnî were very frightened:
And about the fifth day Nâgnî was conquered.
“Fasten on your turbans, my servants; and quickly make your bread‡.”

Then the Râjâ gave the order for Sainjûnî* at once,

And the Râjâ’s camp came to the plains of Sainjûnî.

Then the Râjâ fired off twelve jânîst† of gun powder:

And all the brethren of Kyonthal shook like grass.‡

The ballad goes on to tell how the forces of Sirmour faced a rout at the hands of the Kyeonthal forces, with much carnage but Mahi Prakash comes back, following reproachment from his Queen, with an even bigger army, and goes on to defeat Kyonthal in a second battle.

Sirmour is a region that deserves far more attention in history than it gets. Hopefully full time scholars will start bothering about it, especially given how Nahan continues to exist to this day as a beautiful town seeped in history. What is also interesting is that the Shivalik foothills of Sirmour had significance as a religious tirtha too, with several temples that clearly had importance in the region thriving there.

Painting of a panoramic view of pilgrims visiting holy sites at the Shivalik Hills near Sirmaur, Jodhpur, 1824