Gurdan Saini
Encyclopedia
Gurdan Saini was a Rajput
warrior and military general who fought and died heroically in the battle of Ranthambore between the Turk forces of Jalaludin Khilji and Rajput forces of Rana Hamir Dev in the 14th century CE.
Sometimes the same person is also referred as Gurdas Saini by historians.
was the commander-in-chief of the Rajput army of Rana Hamir. He was regarded by his contemporary Turk historians as the most experienced Rajput
warrior in the army of Rana Hamir. According to Amir Khusro
, Khilji dynasty
's royal poet-scholar, Gurdan Saini led victorious campaigns in Malwa and Gujarat for Rana Hamir. Gurdan Saini also led the Rajput forces in the battle of Ranthambore where he was slain while leading a charge against the Turk army.
Noted historians Henry Miers Elliot and John Dowson in their work "The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period" citing Miftah al-Futuh, a work by Amir Khusro, provide the following account of this distinguished Saini general in the Sisodia Rajput army of Rana Hamir :
The account of this Saini general who commanded a force of 10,000 elite Rajput fighters and achieved martyrdom almost reads like a eulogy even from a hostile Turk source.
was linked with the famed Yaduvanshi Surasenas of Mathura, some of whom are said to have disperesed to Jalandhar doab in Punjab after the Turk invasion of Mathura. The term 'Surasena' (also spelt Shurasena) is a Sanskrit version of Prakrit 'Shoorsaini'. 'Shoorsaini' is the full version of the term 'Saini'.
The Shoorsaini or Surasena lineage of Gurdan Saini is also strongly suggested by the fact there was another commander in Rana Hamir's army, namely, Rana Mal, who belonged to this ancient Yadava lineage.
Shoorsaini lineage of Yaduvanshi kshatriyas had held the area around Mathura from the ancient time as its customary theo-political seat claiming continuity from Lord Krishna. The ancient Greek ambassdor Megasthenes left following description of this ancient royal clan which they described as Sourasenoi in Greek:
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Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
warrior and military general who fought and died heroically in the battle of Ranthambore between the Turk forces of Jalaludin Khilji and Rajput forces of Rana Hamir Dev in the 14th century CE.
Sometimes the same person is also referred as Gurdas Saini by historians.
A highly regarded Rajput military general
Gurdan SainiSaini
Saini is a Rajput descent caste of India. Sainis, also known as Shoorsaini in Puranic literature, are now found by their original name only in Punjab and in the neighboring states of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh...
was the commander-in-chief of the Rajput army of Rana Hamir. He was regarded by his contemporary Turk historians as the most experienced Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
warrior in the army of Rana Hamir. According to Amir Khusro
Amir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
, Khilji dynasty
Khilji dynasty
The Khilji Sultanate was a dynasty of Turko-Afghan Khalaj origin who ruled large parts of South Asia from 1290 - 1320. They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India...
's royal poet-scholar, Gurdan Saini led victorious campaigns in Malwa and Gujarat for Rana Hamir. Gurdan Saini also led the Rajput forces in the battle of Ranthambore where he was slain while leading a charge against the Turk army.
Noted historians Henry Miers Elliot and John Dowson in their work "The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period" citing Miftah al-Futuh, a work by Amir Khusro, provide the following account of this distinguished Saini general in the Sisodia Rajput army of Rana Hamir :
"The Rai was in affright, and sent for Gurdan Saini, who was the most experienced warrior amongst the 40,000 Rawats under the Rai, and had seen many fights among the Hindus. "Sometimes he had gone with the advance to Malwa; sometimes he had gone plundering in Gujarat." The Saini took 10,000 Rawats with him from Jhain, and advanced against the Turks, and, after a severe action, he was slain. Upon which the Hindus fled, and in the pursuit many were slain and many taken prisoners..."
The account of this Saini general who commanded a force of 10,000 elite Rajput fighters and achieved martyrdom almost reads like a eulogy even from a hostile Turk source.
Gurdan Saini's martyrdom: turning point of the Ranthambore battle
From Amir Khusro's account it is very clear that Gurdan Saini was highly regarded as a warrior by both Rajputs and his Turk adversaries. As soon as he was slain in a pitched battle, Rajput soldiers lost their morale and were either slain or taken captives. This is obvious from the following verse of Miftah al-Futuh:
"Upon which the Hindus fled, and in the pursuit many were slain and many taken prisoners..."
Background
One fact that is self-evident that he was most certainly a Rajput as Rajputs customarily did not fight under the command of non-Rajputs.Surasena Yadava lineage
Gurdan SainiSaini
Saini is a Rajput descent caste of India. Sainis, also known as Shoorsaini in Puranic literature, are now found by their original name only in Punjab and in the neighboring states of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh...
was linked with the famed Yaduvanshi Surasenas of Mathura, some of whom are said to have disperesed to Jalandhar doab in Punjab after the Turk invasion of Mathura. The term 'Surasena' (also spelt Shurasena) is a Sanskrit version of Prakrit 'Shoorsaini'. 'Shoorsaini' is the full version of the term 'Saini'.
The Shoorsaini or Surasena lineage of Gurdan Saini is also strongly suggested by the fact there was another commander in Rana Hamir's army, namely, Rana Mal, who belonged to this ancient Yadava lineage.
Shoorsaini lineage of Yaduvanshi kshatriyas had held the area around Mathura from the ancient time as its customary theo-political seat claiming continuity from Lord Krishna. The ancient Greek ambassdor Megasthenes left following description of this ancient royal clan which they described as Sourasenoi in Greek:
"This Herakles is held in special honour by the Sourasenoi, an Indian tribe, who possess two large cities, Methora and Cleisobora"
No relation with present day Mali community
Currently Mali community of Rajasthan and central Indian provinces also uses the last name 'Saini'. But Mali community started using the last name 'Saini' only in 20th century. This is also evident from the fact that census of India conducted in 1881 confirms that Saini community was not found outside Punjab, which included present day Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Based on this information it can be categorically stated that Gurdan Saini had no relation with the present day Mali caste of Rajasthan and central provinces. Secondly, Mali community was singularly known for its non-martial background. (See Rajput MaliRajput Mali
Rajput Mali is a distinctive ethnic group from Rajasthan which is included under the broader occupational group of the Mali caste as well as a separate sub-category within the Rajput group.- Origin :...
)
Further reading
- SainiSainiSaini is a Rajput descent caste of India. Sainis, also known as Shoorsaini in Puranic literature, are now found by their original name only in Punjab and in the neighboring states of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh...
- Surasena KingdomSurasena KingdomSurasena Kingdom was ruled by Yaduvanshi kings as per the epic Mahabharata. It is said to be named after the King Shoorsen. The capital city of this kingdom, Mathura was founded by Shatrughna, the brother of Sri Rama the ruler of Kosala in Treta Yuga. He conquered this region after defeating the...
- SurasenaSurasenaSurasena was an ancient Indian region corresponding to the present-day Braj region in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya, Surasena was one of the solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE The ancient Greek writers refer the region as Sourasenoi and mention its capital...
- Rana Hamir