Gandhinagar: While the victory of the Islamic invader Muhammad Ghori in the second battle of Tarain (1192) against the last Hindu ruler of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan is a widely known historical event, what most of the people are not aware about a battle which was fought fourteen years ago in 1178. Ghori was defeated by a warrior Hindu queen named Naiki Devi in the year 1178 when he invaded Gujarat. The episode, which is part of the glorious history of Gujarat, will now be coming on screen in the form of the upcoming Gujarati movie titled Nayika Devi, scheduled to release on 6th May this year.

The movie produced by Umesh Sharma under ATree production house is the first period drama movie of Gujarati cinema, set in 12th century Gujarat. The movie is directed by Nitin G, who has directed most of his movies in Telugu cinema. The film’s star cast includes Khushi Shah, Manoj Joshi, Chunky Panday, Jayesh More, Chirag Jani and Kaushambi Bhatt.

So what makes Naiki Devi such a strong prominent aspect of Gujarat’s history? What is the significance of the battle which makes it a glorious part of Gujarat’s past?

Naiki Devi was princess of Kadamba kingdom who was married to the Chalukya Solanki ruler of Patan named Ajay Pal. Their son Mularaja II ascended the throne in 1175, after the death of the king. As Mularaja was a child, Naiki Devi as the Raj Mata took the reign of the kingdom in her hand. The kingdom comprised large parts of present day states of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the Islamic invader Muhammad Ghori, the Sultan of Ghor in Afghanistan had started invading India since 1175. In 1178, he started marching towards the capital of Chalukya kingdom, Anhilwara Patan (present day Patan of Gujarat) by crossing the desert. Ghori considered the task of conquering the Chalukyan kingdom cakewalk, as the kingdom didn’t had a strong male monarch and the Hindu queen was considered weak to defend the kingdom. Ghori’s army had technological edge as it comprised experienced warriors which included steppe nomads of central Asia, who were outstanding archers and superior armoured cavalry. Above all, Ghori and his entire army was motivated by religious enthusiasm of conquering the lands of Kaffurs and eliminating them, thus they were passionate.

Author Manoshi Sinha describes the account of the face off of Naiki Devi with Ghori in her book Saffron Swords in the following words:

“With base at Multan, Mohammad Ghori marched with a huge army to Uch, the southern part of Pakistan’s Punjab province. From there the Muslim army crossed the desert and started marching towards Anhilwara, the Chalukyan capital in 1178. 13th century Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj wrote about Muhammad of Ghor advancing towards Anahilavada, the Chaulukya capital through the routes Uchchha and Multan. Ghori did learn about Gujarat being ruled by a boy. Little did he know that the Chalukyan army would offer stiff resistance under the leadership of the boy’s mother Naiki Devi!

Meanwhile, Naiki Devi heard from her spies about the advancing Muslim army towards her capital. She heard their forces were huge. Immediately, she sought help from neighboring feudatory rulers, namely Jalor Chahamana ruler Kirtipala, Arbuda Paramara ruler Dharavarsha, Naddula Chahamana ruler Kelhanadeva, and more. They agreed to help.

Mohammad Ghori camped at Kayadara near Mount Abu and sent a messenger to the court of the Chalukyan queen with a condition that he would not attack, loot, and plunder Gujarat if the queen herself surrendered to Ghori along with her sons and handed over to him all of the gold and women of the Chalukyan kingdom. The queen pretended to agree…..”

Realising Ghori’s military superiority, Naiki Devi devised the battle strategy of combating Ghori in the rugged region of the slopes of Gadarghatta near Mount Abu in Aravalli ranges. This was in the vicinity of Kasahrada village in Rajasthan. As Ghori’s army wasn’t familiar with the narrow hill passes of Gadaraghatta, it gave Naiki Devi and her allies a significant advantage. A fierce battle ensued in which Naiki Devi defeated Ghori so badly that he never dared to attack Gujarat again. Persian historian Firishta described victory of Gujarat army and defeat of Ghori’s forces “with great slaughter”.

The historical account of valour and courage displayed by Queen Naiki Devi will now reach a wider audience through cinema.

Women warriors like Naiki Devi are the manifestation of Shakti, who have protected Dharma and motherland for centuries. Women in Indian society have made immense contributions in upholding the civilizational values as warriors as well as intellectuals. Hindu religious texts speak of ladies like Gargi, Maitreyi, Lopa Mudra, Ubhaya Bharati etc. who were known for their debating skills and high intellect. Our history has vibrant female warriors like Rani Durgawati, Rani Lakshmibai, Velu Nachiyar and Queen Abbakka who sacrificed their lives for the protection of their motherland. It is the need of the hour to celebrate the vibrant female historical icons of India who were committed to Dharma and present them as role models worthy of being followed for women empowerment.