Chand Bardai: The unsung poet who immortalized the legend of Prithviraj Chauhan

There are lots of mystery surrounding the death of great emperor of Hindustan — Prithviraj Chauhan. Whether he was killed in battlefield in second battle of Tarain against Ghori or did he really kill Ghori by shooting an arrow despite being blind remains a mystery. Had not the poet Chand Bardai written ‘Prithvi Raso’, a poem dedicated in memory of Prithviraj Chauhan, the world would have never known the legend of the last Hindu king of Delhi. Born on the same date as the king, Chand Bardai was not just a poet, jester, but also a spy who worked for Prithviraj. Being a childhood friend of Prithviraj, he knew all the intimate details about the life of the king. It was Bardai who helped Prithviraj elope with Samyukta, the princess of Kannauj.

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The poem ‘Prithvi Raso’ is not a fairy tale about the happy life of Prithviraj. The worst was yet to come. Jaichand, the ruler of Kannauj shook hands with Muhammad Ghori to seek vengeance against Prithviraj. The combined army of Ghori and Jaichand was too mighty for Prithviraj Chauhan. Prithviraj Chauhan was badly defeated and imprisoned by army of Ghori. It is a strange irony that Chauhan had defeated Ghori seventeen times and pardoned him. Why Prithviraj didn’t kill Ghori remains one of the gravest mistakes in the pages of history. Chauhan was not only taken captive to Afghanistan, but also blinded by Ghori. As per historical sources, Chand Bardai went to Afghanistan to free Prithviraj from the clutches of Ghori. He even won the trust of Ghori with his knowledge and magical powers. It was Bardai who planned the killing of Ghori with Prithviraj. Prithviraj shot an arrow and killed Ghori by merely hearing the sound. The poem recited by Bardai was a code signal indicating about the place where Ghori sat. Prithviraj eventually avenged his humiliation by killing Ghori with arrow. To escape being killed by Ghori’s soldiers, Bardai and Prithviraj stabbed each other. Thus ended the legacy of a great emperor of Hindustan. Had Prithviraj killed Ghori in the first battle of Tarain, the history would have been different. Before going to Afghanistan, Bardai had handed over his poem to his son. The poem was later completed by Bardai’s son. There are also speculations related to death of Princess Samyukta. Some say that she committed Jauhar to escape from being humiliated at the hand of Ghori’s army. There is no exact whereabouts related to death of Samyukta.

The 2020 Bollywood movie — Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan was based on life and times of the great ruler of Hindustan. The movie though good, failed to capture the legend of Prithviraj. The role of Chand Bardai was played by actor Sonu Sood in the movie. As long as history remembers the courageous feats of Prithviraj Chauhan, it will also remember the poet Chand Bardai who kept the legacy of Rajput courage through his poem — Prithvi Raso.

P.S: A convict named Sher Singh Rana was in headlines when he risked his life and brought back the ashes of Prithviraj Chauhan from Kandahar, Afghanistan. Thus, the honor of our nation was regained when the remains of Prithviraj Chauhan were brought back to India.