Valentine's Day celebrates the spirit of true love. But love has been an eternal emotion that transcends all barriers. One such love story from the annals of India's history is the love story of Moomal and Mahendra. The vast and diverse landscapes of India have been witness to the inexorable march of time and history.
They have stood as mute witnesses to invading armies, rampaging marauders, devious traders, and the ilk. The mountains, rivers, forests, and deserts of India have watched silently the valour and bravery displayed on Indian terrain, they have also watched in horror, the deceit, slaughter, arson, and destruction.
The desert sands of Rajasthan have been sprayed with the blood of many a valiant Rajput warrior. The land is replete with the stories of heart-stirring bravery and valiant battles. But the arid desert has also been the place where exquisite flowers of love have bloomed. One such touching love story is the story of Moomal and Mahendra.
Moomal was a princess who stayed in a Palace known as Kak Mahal with her sisters. She was exceptionally beautiful and the tales of her beauty were heard far beyond the boundaries of Lodhruva.
Lodhrruva or Lodrawa was the capital of the then ruling Bhatti dynasty. It is today a village situated about fifteen kilometres from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India.
It is said that she would put forward some deadly challenges to whosoever proposed to marry her. Several kings and princes tried their luck but no one could get through the web of magic spun by Mumal and her sisters. Some even lost their lives in the futile attempt.
Once Rana Mahendra Sodha, the prince of Umer Kot (present-day Sindh, Pakistan) reached the banks of the river Kak while hunting. Mumal saw Mahendra for the first time and asked her attendants to invite him to the palace. This was probably a way for Mumal to test Mahendra. He was a fearless and wise-headed man. He crossed every labyrinth and hurdle to reach the palace thereby winning over Mumal. She accepted him as her beloved.
Love was in the air for Mumal and Mahendra. Mahendra was head over heels in love with Mumal and found himself a camel, which he named Cheetal because of its fast speed. Cheetal was fast enough to take Mahendra to Mumal at night and bring him back to Umer Kot by dawn.
When Mahendra's family learned of their love, they ordered to capture Cheetal and break his legs. Another camel which wasn't as fast as Cheetal was arranged for Mahendra by his friends. Helpless, he started his journey. He whipped his camel to make it run fast but Mahendra lost the direction in the dark and ended up in Barmer instead of Jaisalmer.
Mahendra did not reach Kak Mahal and the lovelorn Moomal was distraught. Her sisters tried to cheer her up. She so missed her lover, that she asked one of her sisters to dress up like him and go to bed with her.
Mahendra reached Kak Mahal in the wee hours of the morning and was crestfallen to see the figure of a man in bed with his beloved Moomal. Highly distraught that Moomal had cheated on him. He was utterly disgusted, so much so, that he didn't even wake her up and left his riding cane beside her bed. Tears sprang to his eyes, he seemed to have lost his senses, as he turned around and galloped away on his camel in a daze. He vowed to himself that he would never set eyes on Moomal again as uncontrollable sobs racked his body.
As the sun rose over the Kak Mahal, Moomal opened her eyes from a troubled sleep. Her eyes immediately fell on Mahendra's stick. In a flash, she realized what had happened and became desolate. She waited for her lover but knew deep down that he would not come back. Her grief at the separation from Mahendra was unbearable and she decided to end her life by flinging herself into a burning pyre.
Meanwhile, Mahendra, pining for his beloved was drawn to the Kak Mahal by an irresistible force, but alas he was too late! His beloved Moomal had perished in the flames. There was no life without his love thought the tearful Mahendra as he too surrendered his mortal body to flames.
Moomal and Mahendra
The corporeal elements of Moomal and Mahendra perished in the fire, but their spirits seemed to rise to the heavens in unison, bonded together for eternity. Even today the love of Moomal and Mahendra hangs seems to hang over the forgotten village of Lodrawa not far from the city of Jaisalmer.
These lovers from the many known and unknown pages of history never knew about Valentine's Day. But what they knew was true love, the kind of love for which they were ready to kill and be killed. A love that transcended the frontiers of time and space, love without boundaries, without barriers.
In these modern times, love is celebrated in the form of Valentine's Day but the love of these lovers from Indian history needs no celebration and is alive even today. If you visit the places where these immortal love stories got carved in the sands of time there is a chance that you may get to hear the soft whispers of the lovers.
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