Story of Baga Rawat

Story of Baga Rawat : In ancient times, a series of princes ruled over a place called Katyurgarh. One of them was a prince named Baga Rawat. His grandfather’s name was Kali Nag. Kali Nag had a son named Gangu Rawat, and Gangu Rawat had a son named Baga Rawat. Baga Rawat built a strong fort at Katyurgarh. He had five sons, named Anandu Rawat, Doma Rawat, Kalni Rawat, and Adam Khan.

When his eldest son, Anandu, became old enough to marry, Baga wanted to find him a suitable bride. In a nearby village, there were three brothers named Gyanu, Hari Singh, and Bhow Singh. They were from a good Patwal Rajput family. Baga asked Gyanu to give his daughter in marriage to Anandu. However, the Patwals thought that Baga’s family was of a lower caste and refused his request.

Baga was a great warrior, and he threatened the Patwals that if they didn’t let their daughter marry Anandu, he would invade their territory and kidnap the girl. Gyanu was scared and agreed to the marriage, and the ceremony was performed.

When Gyanu’s brothers heard about the marriage, they were very angry and disowned Gyanu. The entire village stopped providing supplies to Gyanu’s family, causing them to starve. Eventually, Gyanu left the village and went to Baga Rawat for help. Baga welcomed him warmly, and after hearing about Gyanu’s troubles, he sent fifty men to help him plow his fields.

While the fifty men were working on Gyanu’s fields, a piece of clay accidentally fell into Hari Singh’s field. This made Hari Singh furious, and he killed forty-nine of Baga’s men and sent the remaining one back to Baga crying. When the lone survivor told Baga about the incident, Baga became very angry and vowed to take revenge.

Baga and his sons went in search of Hari Singh. On the way, they encountered Hari Singh’s younger brother, Bhow Singh, who was returning home. They attacked and killed him. When Hari Singh heard about his brother’s death, he too was determined to avenge his brother. He went to Katyurgarh and killed Baga’s brother. Baga was devastated by the loss of his brother and began planning to kill Hari Singh.

Some Aujis (drummers) from Hari Singh’s village visited Katyurgarh to collect alms during the month of Chait (April). Baga asked them about Hari Singh’s whereabouts and learned that he had gone to Srinagar, the capital of the Garhwal Raja, and would be returning soon.

Baga and his sons ambushed Hari Singh, who was returning from the Garhwal Raja’s court in a palanquin, accompanied by his five wives and a large entourage. Baga approached Hari Singh’s palanquin and stabbed him. Hari Singh’s men fought against Baga and his sons, but they were all killed. The five wives of Hari Singh chose to commit Sati.

One day, while Baga and his sons were away from home, Baga’s wife was combing her hair at a window of her balcony. An evil spirit possessed her, and she died suddenly. Upon returning home, Baga found his wife dead and was heartbroken. He and his sons initially suspected that their enemies were responsible for her death, but upon examining her body, they found no injuries. They concluded that her death must have been caused by a demon.

Baga’s eldest son, Anandu, went out in search of the demon. He found a spot covered with dead bodies and slept on them that night. At midnight, the demon arrived and threatened to eat Anandu. Anandu fought the demon but discovered that as soon as he cut off one of its heads, several more grew in its place. Anandu was exhausted and prayed to his family goddess for help. The goddess instructed him to place the severed heads back on the demon’s body. Anandu did as instructed, and the demon was killed.

Anandu returned home victorious and performed the funeral rites for his mother on the banks of the Ganges River. Baga then asked Anandu to go to the Garhwal Raja’s court and request some irrigated land where they could grow rice, as their current land only produced millet. The Raja granted them a piece of land called Bansuli Sera, which was part of the Kumaon Raja’s territory. Baga and his sons settled down in Bansuli Sera.

One day, Anandu went to the Kumaon Raja’s court but gave the Garhwal Raja higher respect than the Kumaon Raja. This offended the Kumaon Raja, who offered Anandu many gifts if he omitted the Garhwal Raja’s name when paying respects to him. However, Anandu refused and left the Kumaon Raja’s territory.

Baga and Anandu then traveled to the court of the Delhi Emperor. They camped in a beautiful garden near a pond filled with colorful fish and began catching the fish, damaging the garden. The Emperor was informed of their actions and sent a strong wrestler named Akal Khan to bring them to the court. When Akal Khan confronted them and began insulting them, Anandu pulled out his tongue and sent him back crying.

The Emperor was frightened by this and devised a plan to kill Baga and Anandu. He ordered the path leading to the court to be dug up and filled with sharp spikes, which were then covered with leaves and mud. The Emperor invited Baga and Anandu to the court, promising to give them a piece of land. As soon as Baga and Anandu walked on the path, they fell into the trap and were killed.

Story of Baga Rawat :

1. Who was Baga Rawat?
   Story of Baga Rawat, Baga Rawat was a prince of Katyurgarh who faced conflicts with rival families and supernatural forces.
2. What were some of Baga Rawat’s major conflicts?
   Baga Rawat had conflicts with the Patwals, rival brothers, the Kumaon Raja, and the Delhi Emperor.
3. How did Baga Rawat defeat the demon that possessed his wife?
   Anandu, Baga Rawat’s son, fought the demon and was instructed by the family goddess to place its severed heads back on its body to kill it.