What could be a greater romance than that of Baji Rao II and Rani Padmini of Amber, whose passion for each other overcomes all obstacles of faith, custom and even dynasty?
The Maharaja of Amber (now Rajasthan, India) was an ancestor of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He was a young child when his family was forced to leave Delhi after the Mughals failed to help him establish his claim to the throne. So he was raised in the east, in Agra, before finally being enthroned in 1645, at the age of 27.
In 1648, at the age of nine, he was betrothed to Rani Padmini, daughter of King Ratan Singh of Jaipur. The alliance proved to be very useful for the emperor, who could rely on his Amber subjects to harass Rajput territories. It also brought peace to the two kingdoms.
For the prince, however, it was the real beginning of a romance he would never forget. "Love came to me when I saw her, by the will of God, as the moon in its prime," he would later write to his daughter. "My love grew each day, spreading like the waters of the ocean."
Padmini and Baji Rao grew close over the years. As their relationship grew, Baji Rao grew up, spending long hours talking to the princess. She would listen to him and ask him about the war of the past and he would share with her the secrets of the past. For their love was a very, very secret.
By the time of the Mughal emperor's death, Baji Rao and Padmini had become close friends, the emperor sometimes sending her gifts and jewelry. Padmini would always decline, saying she would send them to him instead. Baji Rao never quite trusted the gifts, fearing they were part of some plot to separate him from his love.
His suspicions proved well founded. Within a week of the emperor's death, in 1707, the new emperor became very suspicious of Baji Rao and placed him under guard. There he remained for the next 21 years.
The emperor, fearing Baji Rao was plotting against him, killed the Mughal governor of Jaipur and sent his soldiers to deal with Padmini and her family. In a panic, Padmini begged her father to marry her to Baji Rao, who was still only 25 years old.
The king refused
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