Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela

In news : Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh inaugurated the ‘Maharaja Chhatrasal Convention Centre at Khajuraho developed under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

About the Maharaja Chhatrasal(4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731)

- He was a Bundeli warrior who chose to turn against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and seek to establish his own kingdom in Bundelkhand

Birth: He was born in Kachar Kachnai on the 4th of May in 1649, to Champat Rai and Lal Kunwar.

He was a descendant of Rudra Pratap Singh of Orchha.
Chhatrasal was a disciple of Pran Nathji and accepted him as his guru and accepted Pranami Dharma.
Patronage to poets: Chhatrasal was a patron of literature, and his court housed several noted poets. His eulogies written by Kavi Bhushan, Lal Kavi, Bakhshi Hansaraj and other court poets helped him gain lasting fame
Raja Chhatrasal died on 20th December 1731 at the age of 82. In his lifetime, he had seen extraordinary changes in India, He saw the Mughals at their height under Shah Jahan and their fall with Muhammad Shah Rangila

Influence of Shivaji

Chhatrasal was 12 when his father Champat Rai of Mahoba was killed by the Mughals. Chhatrasal offered to serve Shivaji in the latter’s war against Aurangzeb. But Shivaji suggested to him to open hostilities against Aurangzeb in Bundelkhand where he would gain many adherents. Inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji’s ideals he travelled to Maharashtra and sought guidance from him

His relations with Peshhwa Baji Rao I

The Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I’s second wife Mastani was Chhatrasal’s daughter born from his Muslim concubine

His fight against the Mughals

Chhatrasal raised the banner of revolt against the Mughals in Bundelkhand at the age of 22, with an army of 5 horsemen and 25 swordsmen, in 1671
During the first ten years of his revolt he conquered a large tract of land between Chitrakoot, Chhatarpur and Panna on the east and Gwalior on the west.
His domains stretched from Kalpi in the north to Sagar, Garhakota, Shahgarh and Damoh in the south.
Some of the Mughal generals who were defeated by him were Rohilla Khan, Kaliq, Munawwar Khan, Sadruddin, Sheikh Anwar, Sayyid Latif, Bahlol Khan and Abdus Ahmed.
Chhatrasal was able to defeat the Mughals until he was attacked by Muhammad Khan Bangash on December 1728.
He was 79 years old when he led his army against Bangash, after a severe battle Chhatrasal was defeated and was forced to retreat to his fort at Jaitpur.
The Mughals besieged him and conquered most of his territories.

Bundelkhand region

It is a geographical and cultural region and also a mountain range in central & North India.
The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lying in the latter state
As understood by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP), ‘Bundelkhand’ comprises seven districts of southern UP and six districts of northern MP:
- Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakoot districts (all in UP), and
- Datia, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Sagar and Damoh districts (all in MP).