In the annals of history, a figure emerged with a striking tale – an individual who presented a Mundamala crafted from an authentic human head to the revered Mother Goddess. The intriguing question lingers: Who was this enigmatic personality that undertook such a distinctive offering?
This narrative unfolds during an era marked by the escalating dominance of the Mughals in India. In this period, the Bishnupur state held a distinctive prideful position in the Bengal region. Concurrently, India found itself under the rule of the Afghan invader Soleiman Khan Karrani, harboring ambitions to subjugate the entirety of Bengal. However, prior to this grand endeavor, Dawood Khan Karrani, a recklessly ambitious son of Soleiman Khan Karani, marched towards Bishnupur, commanding a vast army of more than one lakh Pathan soldiers stationed in Bengal.
Thus, in the year 1575, Dawood Khan Karrani spearheaded a formidable assault on Bishnupur, commanding a substantial army of Pathan soldiers. His aspiration was to seize dominion over the Bengal region within the confines of the Bishnupur kingdom.
Responding to this threat, Hambir Malla Dev, the valiant prince of Bishnupur, led his forces into action, seeking divine favor from the revered Kuldevi Maa Mrinmayee of Mallabhum, also recognized as Maa Kali. However, it was already too late; the invaders had assaulted the small village of Ranisagar nestled within Bishnupur. As a massive army, numbering in the lakhs, descended upon Ranisagar, panic ensued among the populace. People scattered in every direction, desperately trying to secure their lives amidst the chaos.
After laying waste to Ranisagar, the invaders redirected their forces toward the region of Prince Hambir Malla Dev. Notably, the Bishnupur kingdom boasted a total of twelve forts, one of which was the formidable Mundmal Fort. The battleground for this intense conflict unfolded in front of Mundmal Fort. Hambir Malla Dev engaged in the battle alongside his army, sparking a ferocious clash between the two factions. The entire battlefield reverberated with the cries of Pathan soldiers. In a display of merciless determination, Hambir Malla Dev vanquished the Pathan soldiers with such brutality that the fort's eastern gate became a chilling spectacle, strewn with the lifeless bodies of the fallen Pathan warriors.
The brutality of the war reaches chilling heights when one contemplates Hambir Malla Dev's grim tribute—a Mundamala (garland) fashioned from the severed heads of the invading Pathan soldiers. This macabre offering was presented to the formidable demon-quelling deity, Maa Mrinmayee Devi. Recorded in history as the Mundamala Ghat War, this conflict stands as a stark testament to the unforgiving nature of wartime, where unimaginable acts are committed in reverence to the divine.
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