Love and Redemption

Chapter 15

The blissful celebrations were enthusiastically carried out in the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh with tremendous pomp and show. The ardent people of the kingdom were merrily enjoying at the annual festival that was supposed to be celebrated joyously. The wealthy kingdom of Vijaygarh was flamboyantly decorated with colorful flowers all around.

Dressed up attractively, the men and women of Vijaygarh were seen to be dancing, singing, and merry-making as well as enjoying the most awaited festival celebrated every year in the kingdom to pay the tribute to Goddess Durga since ancestral times.

As the legend said, thousands of years ago, Vijaygarh had been a small kingdom ruled by the eminent ruler, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore. His reign had been apparently the reign of chaos and disarray for the innocent people.  Unfortunately, since the day Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had been crowned as the ruler of Vijaygarh, no rainfall had occurred. It had been a year and the people of the kingdom had been helplessly crying in the natural calamity of drought. The crops had been destroyed under tremendous heat and it had been getting difficult for the generous king to feed his people. Though the king had been trying his best, yet the situation had been getting out of control.

The then king, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had lost all hopes and was beyond disappointed. He could not see his people dying and therefore, to feed his people, he had sold all the wealth and jewels of Vijaygarh in the neighboring kingdoms to procure food crops for his people. The place wherein the people fed on wheat and rice along with the best quality of vegetables had been forced to eat millets for their survival. The water had become a legacy during those times of crisis. The king, no doubts, had been trying his best but the god of rains had been perhaps not in favor of him. The wells and tanks that served as a source of irrigation had been turned into the source of drinking water. Over the long period of twelve months, the wells had been at the verge of drying up owing to increased usage and intolerable heat.

Under these unfortunate circumstances, the neighboring kingdom of Ganganagar had attacked on the crippling kingdom of Vijaygarh with all their might. Aware of their pathetic situations and lack of funds, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had sought for negotiation however, the cunning king of Ganganagar had asked for the Vijaygarh palace situated in the heart of the kingdom.

Disappointed at the turn of fates, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had chosen to fight against this illicit demand from the treacherous king of Ganganagar.

Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had known that his defeat had been destined however, he could not accept the defeat without a battle. Exhausted and disappointed king had slept that night in his chambers wherein he had dreamt of Goddess Durga who had asked him to request support from the kingdom of Pavitranagari.

The next morning, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had sent his messenger to the kingdom of Pavitranagari seeking for help. Situated at the banks of river Yamuna, Pavitranagari had been a kingdom which seldom traded with Vijaygarh. Maharaja had not expected any help from hem but he had loads of trust and devotion towards Goddess Durga. He had been anxious the whole day especially when the sly king of Ganganagar had attacked his kingdom.

The royal army of Vijaygarh had been fighting the battle against the huge army of Ganganagar with all its might though the soldiers had also lost their hopes to win and save their motherland.

When all the hopes had been shattered and downfall had been destined, the troop of army from Pavitranagari came as an angel in the lives of the people of Vijaygarh. While the valiant army fought against Ganganagar, the messenger had gone and handed out the letter from the king of Pavitranagari to the young king, Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore.

Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had opened the letter skeptically as his hands had trembled. He had been expecting the worst but his eyes had shone with delight when he had read the letter. The letter had said,

Your highness,

I am amazed to see your messenger seeking help today because tonight I had dreamt of Goddess Durga who had said if the messenger from Vijaygarh seek your help, send the best troop of your army with the messenger. The goddess had also said that the bad days of Vijaygarh are over and Puroshottam Singh Rathore is a good man. He is young and unmarried. You can marry your sister Anupama with him.

Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore, my sister Anupama Singh Chauhan is the princess of this kingdom. I will be honored if you keep up the wish of Goddess Durga. I have sent help to you. May you are saved from all your miseries.

Best regards
Maharaja Aniket Singh Chauhan
Valiant King of Pavitranagari

Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore had been touched by the letter. He had decided two things at that moment, first, if he could save Vijaygarh, he would enshrine the blessings of Goddess Durga in his life by making a temple and ensuring a ritual that every crowned ruler of Rathore clan shall take blessings of Goddess Durga for the welfare of the kingdom every year and second, if remained the crowned king of Vijaygarh, he shall marry the Princess of Pavitranagari, Anupama Singh Chauhan.

After the long-lasting valiant battle of ten days, Ganganagar had been ultimately defeated by the allied armies of Vijaygarh and Pavitranagari. The helpless people of Vijaygarh had smiled for the first time in the year because of heavy rainfall. Their shattered hopes had relived as the poor farmers of Vijaygarh had planted seeds for the new crops. That day, it had seemed that the small kingdom of Vijaygarh had experienced its long lost happiness.

Maharaja Puroshottam Singh Rathore who had stood for the welfare of his kingdom had established the foundation of the beautiful royal temple of Goddess Durga on the hills of Shatakshigiri and the custom of annual festival of Vijaygarh. He had also married the beautiful princess of Pavitranagari and had ruled for a long time righteously since then.

Ever since that day, every year the annual festival of Vijaygarh was celebrated with joy by the people of Vijaygarh as a gesture of gratitude towards the Goddess Durga who had stood with the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh in all thick and thin times. Notably, since then the small kingdom of Vijaygarh had flourished incredibly winning against all the downfalls.

Every Rathore ruler had been the hard-core believer of the ritual of taking blessings from Goddess Durga every year in this auspicious festival.
Since, the royal kingdom of Vijaygarh had got a new heir this year, it was expected Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore would worship Goddess Durga and pray for the welfare of the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh from all the associated jinxes so that Vijaygarh could flourish in her reign too.

All the people revered the queen and hence, were actively participating in the celebrations. Maharani Aparajita Singh Rathore was also planning for this festival diligently because she was a staunch believer of Goddess Durga. She respected the culture and traditions of the Rathore clan and being a proud Rathore, she wanted to fulfill her promise of taking care of her people at any cost. The evil eye of the Prince of Shivgarh, Veerbhadra Singh Rajput was also on the prosperous kingdom of Vijaygarh and its beautiful queen. The vulture was definitely looking forward to meet his goldfish soon.

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