Panna Dai

Panna Dai
Known for	Nursemaid to Udai Singh II

Panna Dhai (also spelled Panna Dai) was a 16th-century nursemaid to Udai Singh II, the fourth son of Maharana Sangram Singh. Her name, Panna means emerald, and dai means a nurse in Hindi language. She had been given charge of young Udai Singh, breastfeeding him virtually from his birth in 1522, along with her own son Chandan (also known as Moti), who was of similar age and Udai's playmate. When Udai Singh was attacked by his uncle Bhanvir, Panna Dai sacrificed the life of her own son Chandan in order to save the life of Udai Singh.

Not much is known about Panna dhai's early life but there are evidences that she belonged to the Gujjar community. She was a maid of Rani Karnavati, wife of Maharana Sangram Singh. She also helped Rani Karnavti on political matters. Rani Karnavati had entrusted her with the upbringing of her sons, Vikramaditya Singh and infant Udai Singh.

The second and third decades of the 16th century were troubled times, and events moved rapidly. Sanga died of wounds sustained at the Battle of Khanwa (1527) against Mughal emperor Babur. Sanga's eldest son Bhoj Raj had been killed in the battle in 1521. Three of his other sons died during his lifetime. Then his eldest son succeeded to the throne as Maharana Ratan Singh II (1527-1531). However, when he died after ruling only four years, Vikramaditya succeeded to the throne at age 14. He was a very insolent and an arrogant king. Many nobles left his kingdom never to return again till he was on the throne.

Chittor was attacked by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535. Rani Karnavati had called upon the neighboring rulers for help. Vikramaditya took a small force of nobles and their armies into the hills to provide a second attack force; and young Udai was spirited away with a small party that included Panna and her son to safety in Bundi. The battle was lost, Chittor was sacked and Bahadur Shah returned to Gujarat. When the situation was stable, Udai Singh returned to the capital and Vikramaditya came back to continue his reign.

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