To be a hero in undiscovered territories is to be obscure; these territories and their songs are lit only by the most anonymous blood and by flowers whose name nobody.
Nawab of Arcot had thought that capturing Gingee from the young Raja Tej Singh would be easy. Only seven hundred men were with Raja Tej Singh and they had defended the fort for seven years against Nawab’s Eighty thousand strong army
https://youtu.be/DRvuA2bVaU4
“ Desingu raja desingu raja ” is a hit song from Dum dum dum directed by Alagam Perumal with Richa Ahuja, Jyothika and Madhavan on the cast.
The character of Raja DeSingu is reminiscent of the stories of Maharana Pratap of Chittoor and his horse Chetak. It is quite unfortunate that in these parts history is not well documented and we regularly fail to honour our valiant heroes.
Where the story starts when Shortly after the conquest, the Rajput lord Raja Swarup Singh Bundela, was appointed as Commander of Gingee. Nine additional forts and substantial land were also bestowed. Swarup Singh’s clan was a key Mughal ally for generations. He apparently had a good relationship with the Nawab of Arcot, the provincial Mughal governor. Swarup Singh was also respected by the Nawab’s superior, the Mughal Viceroy of the Deccan, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah (who later became the first Nizam of Hyderabad).
The Rajput ruler of Gingee, treats both Hindus and Muslims with fairness. He and his wife Rambai beget a son whom they name Tej Singh Bundela, pronounced Desingu in Tamil. He was a worshipper of Sri Rangnathar of nearby Singavaram. This temple is full of rock sculptures. Desingu grows up with his childhood friend, another brave young man called Mehboob Khan (aka Maavuthukaran)
Desingu marries Ranibai, his uncle’s daughter. Meanwhile, Mehboob Khan falls in love with Ayesha. In the meantime, the Sultan of Delhi offers to free any State coming under his dominion, whose ruler manages to tame a wild horse from his stable. With the intention to free his kingdom, Swaroop Singh leaves to Delhi without informing his wife and son. But he fails to take the wild horse, and is therefore imprisoned by the Sultan. The news is broken to Desingu by the minister and he rushes to Delhi and seeks his uncle Bheem Singh’s advice.
Desingu manages to tame the horse and rides it amidst loud cheers by the huge gathering. The Sultan frees Swaroop Singh and grants Gingee’s independence.
Most times they capitulate the story of Raja Desingu – a popular ruler who reigned from Gingee. The warrior was killed in the battlefield on 3rd Oct 1714 by the Arcot rulers. His courage and valour are part of folklore eulogized in many ballads.
The famous Tamil idol, MGR had acted as Raja Desinghu in a superhit tamil film in 1950s eulogizing the hero with MG Ramachandran on lead role – “Raja Desingu”. In Villupuram district (around 150 km away from Chennai) not far away from the famous temple of Thiruvannamalai, lies Gingee fort (Chenji or Jinji), one of the few surviving forts of Tamilnadu.
The epic saga of Rajput Raja Desingu became part of Tamil folklore. Ballads, stories, puppet shows, dance dramas, stage plays, and therukkoothoo (street plays) have been inspired by the tragic tale of this brave Rajput hero of Gingee.
The Mughal Empire depended heavily on the fidelity, valour and skills of Rajput princes, nobles, and countless Rajput soldiers. Mughal alliances with key Rajput clans were established and maintained through marriages, modes of formal patronage — and sometimes by force. Even as the Empire unravelled, many Rajput clans continued to serve the Mughal Emperor. A scion of one such clan, the very young Raja Tej Singh Bundela, lord of Gingee in Tamil Nadu, entered Tamil folklore as the brave and virtuous ‘Desing Raja’ — the Tamil moniker being a corruption of his real name.
In India, young warriors who attain Veergati have been canonised — or even deified. Folklore, artistic interpretations and coloured chronicles play a great part in this. Even in modern times, we have the shrine of Jaswant Singh Rawat in Tawang. In some cases, communities once preyed by such personalities have later turned out to worship their old enemy. The ‘Ghazi Miyan’ of Bahraich and the ‘Nikal Seyn’ Sect are cases in point. Tej Singh’s reputation, his qualities and accomplishments, and his heroic death at a very young age made such an impression that legends blossomed. Raja Tej Singh, however, did not become a saint like Jaswant Singh, Ghazi Salar Masud and John Nicholson. Regardless of the origin and course of his war — and the question of the rightness of his cause Desingu, Desingh aka Tej Singh was the son of Swarup Singh, a Bundela Rajput from Orchcha (near Agra).
The Carnatic province — comprising parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — was the Mughals’ southernmost possession. Gingee was critical to its control and was wrested from the Marathas in 1698 with great difficulty.
In recognition of the military services of the Rajput chieftain, Aurangzeb is believed to have conferred the mansabdari and khiladari (land grants with custody of the forts) at Gingee in 1700 AD. In return, Swarup Singh was to pay a huge tribute to the Emperor through the Emperor’s deputy in the South, Nawab of Arcot. However, in 1714 AD Swarup Singh died of natural causes. Nawab Sadatullah Khan of Arcot claimed a hefty tribute as overdue. The headless fort was unable to meet the demand. The Nawab in turn moved his huge army to Gingee. Hearing his father’s death, Tej Singh hastened to Gingee from Bundelkhand. He hastily mobilized an army to face the Nawab. While his tiny army was routed and he himself was killed at a young age of 22, Tej Singh’s valour in the face of the mighty Nawab became the inspiration for Tamil ballads that are sung even today at Gingee.
After the death of Aurangazeb, the Mughal empire crumbled. The Deccan sliped like butter from the Mughal fingers. The Mughal governor in the Carnatic, the Nawab of Arcot declared his independence, but Raja Swaroop Singh refused to accept his sovereignty. He swore fealty to the Mughal emperor in Delhi, but the Mughal army was too far and too busy to pay his request any heed.
The fortress of Gingee was just 90 kilometers away from Arcot, the Nawab’s capital. It was fabled to be the greatest fortress in the country. Even the great Maratha, Chhatrapati Shivaji, called it the ‘most unassailable fortress’. Its location and strong defenses tempted the Nawab. Raja Swaroop Singh died of a fever and his fifteen year old son, Raja Tej Singh was crowned king. The Nawab had decided to strike the hot iron.
Unfortunately, the siege wasn’t going well.
‘Unassailable’.
The fortress was living up to its name. It stood on top a hill with seven layers of battlements surrounding it. One solitary path wound around the mountain and it was overlooked by archery towers. The top of the fortress could only be reached by crossing a tiny drawbridge built, over a rocky chasm, hundreds of feet deep.
The Marathas were ingenious folks, they had tied ropes to monitor lizards, climbed the rocky walls of the fortress and captured it. The Nawab decided to try the same trick, but Tej SIngh’s men were ready. They trained their kites and falcons to swoop down and snatch the lizards from the rocks. The Nawab cursed the blasted birds.
(The drawbrige on the top of the hill)
In the meantime Dawood goes to Nawab of Arcot and wins the confidence of the Nawab, who appoints him as his General. Desingu also dismisses his general Yusuf Khan from service for molesting a woman; the humiliated Khan turns traitor, joins hands with Dawood,
On other hand at Gingee, The hot summer sun was beating down upon the land. It had not rained for the past two years and the river Palar had run dry. Drought had hit Arcot and Gingee. Rebellion was breaking out in the kingdom. An army living off the land during a drought didn’t go well with the local people.
Inside the fortress too the situation was bad. Tej Singh had only 700 men. Most of his men were twice as old as him, but they respected him. They were even ready to die for him. The food stores had run out and there was no water either. The fortress was strong enough to withstand an army, but not a famine.
Later, in a turn of complicated events, The king Tej Singh Bunela, put on his iron armour and mounted his favorite horse, Bara Hazari – The winged horse of heaven. Not a word did he utter, but his men knew. Seven hundred pairs of feet turned and followed him on the dusty path.
Both sides soldier's are engaged in a bitter duel.
The beats of a lonely drum was the only sound. Vultures were circling in the skies knowing that the time of their feasting was near. Raja Tej Singh had heard tales of his Rajput ancestors’ bravery from his grandmother. He was now going to write his own. His helm bit into his forehead. He looked up to the harem quarters, he could feel his young queen’s eyes looking at him. He closed his eyes and muttered a silent prayer for strength. He pulled the reins of his horse and broke into a gallop.
When the drawbridge was lowered, the king saw a lone horseman in a wedding dress standing outside. It was Mohammad Khan, his best friend. He had walked out of his own wedding and had come to help. Tej Singh jumped off his horse and hugged him.
The small army galloped down. The hillside resounded with the old Rajput war cry.
‘Life is cheap. Honour is not.‘
The Nawab was not expecting an attack. His army was out searching for food and water when the gates of the fortress were thrown open. Cannonballs fizzed into the Nawab’s army. The Nawab’s elephants stampeded in the noise and crushed his own men. By the time the Nawab’s army could regroup, Tej Singh’s men had penetrated deep into their formation.
Blood and glory followed the Rajput sword. None of the Nawab’s soldiers could keep up with the winged horse of heaven. One of the Nawab’s horsemen galloped towards the Tej Singh with a lance. Just before he could run into Tej Singh, a bolt of green lightning passed them by and the horseman slid off his saddle. Headless.
It was Mehboob Khan. Tej Singh held out his sword to thank him. Mehboob Khan barely raised his sword in acknowledgement when a stray arrow pierced his neck. He fell down in a pool of blood.
Tej Singh jumped off his horse and rushed to his dying friend. He took Mehboob Khan in his lap. He looked at his friend, who had come to help him out in the battle even on his wedding day. Tears streaked his dirt-stained face. Mehboob Khan gave a slow smile. The light went out form his eyes. Tej Singh’s scream was swallowed by the noise of the battle.
The young king looked around with bloodshot eyes. The Nawab’s army had surround him and his men. He slowly mounted on his horse and whispered ‘Death’ in its ears. The horse seemed to understand and raised its forelegs. His men rallied around him. There was no noise. No trumpets, no drums, no war cries. There was only a whisper which was louder than any cry.
“Death”
~They were no longer fighting for victory.~
The Nawab surveyed the battlefield in the light of the setting sun. The red hue of the dusk mingled with the blood on the battlefield. Raja Tej Singh and his 700 men had died, but they had inflicted massive casualties on his army. Half his army was either dead or dying. He looked at the arrow-riddled body of Tej SIngh on a funeral pyre. Near him was the pyre of his faithful horse. A priest was lighting the pyres and chanting a prayer.
Tej Singh’s young queen had slumped on the ground and was sobbing into her saree. The Nawab looked at her. She was pretty and would make a good addition to his harem. The young queen looked at the Nawab and seemed to understand his thoughts. She stood up wordlessly and jumped into the orange flames of her husband’s pyre as sati.
Tej Singh’s young queen had slumped on the ground and was sobbing into her saree. The Nawab looked at her. She was pretty and would make a good addition to his harem. The young queen looked at the Nawab and seemed to understand his thoughts. She stood up wordlessly and jumped into the orange flames of her husband’s pyre as sati.
The Nawab slowly walked back to his tent. If this was victory, why did it taste so bitter.
The memorial for Raja Desingh and his wife Ranibai is located on the banks of the Palar river.
A king and his queen lie buried here on the banks of Palar. Much water has flown through Palar since their times, eroding history and brushing aside memories. Now, forgotten by the queen's namesake -- Ranipet town -- and abandoned behind a scrap godown, their only company now are some antisocial elements that frequent the area to booze and gamble. With every round of 'cheers', Raja Tej Singh and Ranibai turn in their graves.
To add to the woes of the place, thick bushes and unwanted greenery had overrun the place. With the passage of time, the marble stones laid inside the structures have mostly been shorn off. All signs of this once magnificent structure has now totally vanished without a trace.
At the inauguration of the bifurcation of Vellore district into Ranipet and Tirupattur districts, Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Dy CM O Paneerselvam and other ministers and dignitaries in their inaugural speeches traced the importance of Ranipet to the Raja Desingh era, and most importantly stressed on Queen Ranibai's sacrifice.
It is high time that the district administration restores the memorial to its past splendour.
Ardent fans of historical artefacts and residents alike want the administration to not only restore the memorial, but also convert the place into a tourist attraction, and preserve the archaic fibre of the place.
Responding to a query on the subject, Sub-collector Elambagavath said that efforts to restore the memorial is already progressing. Only after the first few steps into the project did officials realise that the memorial stood on patta land. Hence, measures to bring the land into government possession has been taken.
Swarup Singh’s son, Raja Tej Singh, was a famed young warrior who also served the Empire. Swarup Singh died in late 1713 and the question of succession arose. On the ensuing events, there are four versions, with key commonalities, but different content, tone and style.
Firstly, European records mention that in 1714 C.E., the Arcot Nawab suppressed the rebellion of Gingee’s new lord, the son of the previous Rajput lord. He had claimed Gingee as a hereditary right granted by the Emperor. This was not accepted by the provincial governor, who also raised the issue of tax arrears. The new lord was killed in an ensuing battle. Even these ostensibly unbiased records vary on the origin of the conflict. Perhaps the Nawab feared Tej Singh and used a pretence to destroy him; perhaps Tej Singh was guilty after all. Nevertheless, these sources describe Tej Singh’s stubbornness, daring exploits, and his heroic death.
This story second narrative is provided by imperial chroniclers sympathetic to Arcot and Hyderabad. They blame Tej Singh’s rashness and pretences of sovereignty for the war. The Emperor had never bestowed Gingee to Tej Singh: the latter had broken faith with his ultimate liege lord. These sources also mention the fidelity and courage of Tej Singh — and that of his friend and feudatory, Mahabat Khan. The Nawab is portrayed as chivalrous and compassionate. He pardons Tej Singh’s followers and even organises the Sati of Tej Singh’s wife, after futile attempts to convince her to live.
The third narrative from certain Marathi chronicles — diverges significantly. Tej Singh — also termed Jai Singh — is portrayed as a flawless hero and Asaf Jah is the main villain. This narrative incorporates dubious claims of pedigree and many fantasy elements, and Muslim rulers are shown negatively. This is unsurprising as Mughals and Hyderabad (ruled by Asaf Jah’s successors) were the Marathas’ mortal enemies. The Emperor is also portrayed as rather malevolent.
(The fortress of Gingee)
Gingee is located near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. It is a small town situated in a barren plain, overshadowed by the tall fortress. The hills look like some giant had once lived in this land, collected rocks together and put them up in a pile. History traces the site of a small fort built by Cholas in 9th century AD, later modified by Kurumbars and then by Vijayanagar empire when it became a citadel. It was the headquarters of Gingee Nayaks. The fort was a strategic place for fending off invaders. Marathas captured it in 17th century; then was in possession of Carnatic nawabs and finally fell to British. Once upon a time, it was so well fortified that Chatrapathi Shivaji ranked it as the most impregnable fortress in India and was called Troy of the East by the British.
Legend has it that the actual name of Gingee is 'Sengiri' meaning perhaps the "Red Hill" in Tamil that has got corrupted into Gingee. Some also say that the name Sengiri originated from 'Sanjeevi' the hill mentioned in Ramayana. The name has also been traced to Singavaram the neighbouring Vaishnavaite shrine, whose lord is considered the guardian deity of the place. Gingee was one of the greatest fortresses in India, impressing even Shivaji. The Nawab of Arcot did capture the fortress; but the siege, Tej Singh’s attack and the drought left his power in tatters. The weak Nawab found himself caught in between the clashes of the rising powers in the Deccan. The British, the French and Tipu Sultan. The Nawab lost Gingee to the French who took the fortress’ treasures to Pondicherry. The English later captured Gingee from the French. The British called Gingee, ‘the Troy of the East’. Gingee lost its former charm under the British and became a small, idyllic, agrarian village.
The fort complex is massive. It has three separate forts on three hilltops. The largest of the three is called Rajagiri, which was used by Raja Tej Singh. It is an imposing citadel built on the top of a 800 feet hillock. The base of the hillock has a fortification wall with a dried up moat.
The fortress reminds us of a fictional Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings hollywod flick. Both have seven layers of defenses with the gates for each level situated in a different direction from the next level. The top has a tiny drawbridge which leads to the crown of the hill.
Finally, we have the ornate and fantastic Tamil folklore. This incorporates themes of Vaishnavism, and even more fantastic and dubious episodes. The Mughals as portrayed as wholly steeped into Hindu traditions. Desing Raja’s bride, the Sati-mata and Mahabat Khan invokes Narayana along with Allah. At the end of an epic battle caused by miscommunication and pride (and tax arrears), heartbroken by Mahabat Khan’s death, Tej Singh dies after annihilating his enemies. The popularity of the Desing Raja emanates from this folk narrative, which wove together many popular themes. Artists and poets undoubtedly helped popularise this version regionally to inspire and entertain.
It is interesting that a young Bundela chieftain, whose native lands lay 2000 kms from Gingee became the soul of the ballads of Tamil Nadu through his valour in Tamil lands. The forts of Gingee stand mute today, witness to the saga of valour and history of the Deccan. It is also unique to hear of the ballads in Telugu on Raja Desingh, though in strict terms Tamil and Telugu lands were parts of composite kingdoms for many centuries. — the Rajput Raja Tej Singh has been immortalised in the regional memory as the valiant ‘Desing Raja’ through numerous literary works, art forms and even movies.
Raja Tej Singh is still famous among the local people who call him Raja Desingu. People sing ballads of his bravery, his faithful friend Mehboob Khan and his winged horse of heaven. Quite a few shops here are still visible named after him and even a college.
Perhaps the most popular legend in Tamil culture was that of the tragic tale of Raja Tej Singh of Senji fort in Tamilnadu who lived in 18 century, popularly known in Tamil as Thesingu Raasan,
It is amazing to find a Rajput Warrior unknown to its native place is loved by a peoples so far away from his home.
It is amazing to find a Rajput Warrior unknown to its native place is loved by a peoples so far away from his home.
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