Rani Padmini

Rani Padmini
Rani of Mewar
An 18th century painting of Padmini.
Spouse	Ratan Sen
Religion	Hinduism

Padmini, also known as Padmavati, is a legendary 13th-14th century Indian queen (Rani). The earliest source to mention her is Padmavat, an epic poem written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 CE. The text, which features elements of fantasy, describes her story as follows: Padmavati was an exceptionally beautiful princess of the Singhal kingdom (Sri Lanka). Ratan Sen, the Rajput ruler of Chittor, heard about her beauty from a talking parrot named Hiraman. After an adventurous quest, he married her and brought her to Chittor. Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi also heard about her beauty, and attacked Chittor to obtain her. Meanwhile, Ratan Sen was killed in a combat with Devpal, the king of Kumbhalner who was also enamoured with Padmavati's beauty. Before Alauddin Khilji could capture Chittor, Padmavati and her companions were forced to commit Jauhar (self-immolation).

Several subsequent adaptions of the legend characterized her as a Hindu Rajput queen, who defended her honour against a Muslim invader. Over years, she came to be seen as a historical figure, and appeared in several novels, plays, television serials and movies.

The earliest source to mention the queen Padmini or Padmavati is the Awadhi language Padmavat (1540 CE) of Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The earlier accounts that describe Alauddin Khilji's conquest of Chittorgarh make no mention of this queen. Subsequently, many literary works mentioning her story were produced; these can be divided into four major categories: