Panna Dai
The history of Mewar proudly describes the bravery and immense courage of people for their motherland. Today, we will be sharing a story of one such gem who might not be that well known to some of us. Her name is Panna Dai.
The story of her courage dates back to the 16th century when there were lots of conspiracies going in Mewar, to conquer it. At that time, Rana Sanga who was the ruler of Mewar and his wife Rani Karnavati had four children. Udai Singh was the youngest son.
Panna Dai was the caretaker of Udai Singh who also used to breastfeed him. She also had a son named Chandan.
During the battle of 1535, Bahadur Shah attacked the kingdom. Unfortunately, the Rajputs lost the battle. Banvir who was the nephew of Rana Sanga succeeded to the throne of Mewar after Sanga’s death. Banvir was ambitious and wanted to remove all obstacles in order to claim the throne.
Amidst all of it, Rani Karnavati handed over Udai Singh to Panna Dai to ensure his safety. Panna Dai was alerted of the situation and she took a decision which might shake the heart of any mother. She knew that Udai Singh was the last hope for the safety and peace of Mewar so she placed her own son Chandan on bed and Udai Singh in a basket of flowers. When Banvir came with his sword to kill Uday Singh and asked Panna Dai about his whereabouts, she pointed towards the bed. Banvir killed her son in a fit of rage assuming him to be Uday Singh. The poor mother did not speak a single word and sacrificed her own son for Mewar. She chose the protection of her motherland over the life of her child.
Today, let’s remember the mother who did not think twice before sacrificing her own child’s life when it came to serving her motherland. We salute her courage and patriotism.
