This is the analysis of the poem the Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu

This is the analysis of the poem the Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu. Every line in this poem has metaphorical as well as a literal meaning.

For example:

Lightly, O Lightly we bear he along,

This could mean that she is very light. That is the literal meaning but the metaphorical meaning is that they are not taking it seriously as it was under their position to carry women (according to them and rest of Indian culture)

The setting of the poem is the forest and the song of the bearers that is hanging on the air. The mood is not very clear as it is a bridal procession and as always at a bridal procession there are always mixed emotions.

In the second stanza the bearers start to develop feelings for the bride. This time the poet says:

Softly, O softly we bear her along,

This shows that they have gained some respect towards her and actually treat her and her emotions delicately. The poet continuously stress on the emotional situation of the bride and her mixed emotions.

The last line of both the stanzas have particularly got to me.

We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

This represents the actual palanquin with the strings as the sticks and the pearl as the string. This also represents that they are trying not to hurt her emotionally. I think when they say it in the second paragraph they do not mean it as a burden.

Summary of poem 'palanquin bearers' by sarojini naidu?This poem expresses the joy and pride of the palanquin bearers in carrying the royal princess to her in laws house. The palanquin bearers are taking the princess in a palanquin and say that the royal princess is not at all a burden for them but a privilege as she sits and dream of her future after marriage.

According to the bearers they carry the princess very carefully as if she is like dew or a tear drop. They sing happily as they carry her away. The princess also sways long on hearing their song. They say that she is like the bird that skims on the foam of a stream

Nader Shah

Nder Shh Afshr or Nadir Shah (Persian: ; also known as Nder Qoli Beg - or Tahmsp Qoli Khn - ) (November, 1688[1] or August 6, 1698[2] June 19, 1747) ruled as Shah of Iran (173647) and was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty which briefly became one of the most powerful Persian dynasties in Iranian history. Because of his military genius as evidenced in numerous martial encounters throughout the Naderian Wars such as the battles of Herat, Mihmandust, Murche-Khort, Agh-Darband, Baghavard, Kheibar pass, Karnal & Kars, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia[5] or the Second Alexander.[6] Nader Shah was a member of the Turkic Afshar tribe of northern Persia,[7] which had supplied military power to the Safavid state since the time of Shah Ismail I.[8]Nader rose to power during a period of anarchy in Iran after a rebellion by the Hotaki Afghans had overthrown the weak Shah Sultan Husayn, and both the arch enemy of the Safavids, the Ottomans, and the Russians had seized Persian territory for themselves. Nader reunited the Persian realm and removed the invaders. He became so powerful that he decided to depose the last members of the Safavid dynasty, which had ruled Iran for over 200 years, and become shah himself in 1736. His numerous campaigns created a great empire that briefly encompassed what is now part of or includes Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the North Caucasus, Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, North India, Oman and the Persian Gulf, but his military spending had a ruinous effect on the Persian economy.[1]Nader idolized Genghis Khan and Timur, the previous conquerors from Central Asia. He imitated their military prowess and especially later in his reign their cruelty. His victories during the Naderian Wars briefly made him West Asia's most powerful sovereign but his empire quickly disintegrated after he was assassinated in 1747.[9] Nader Shah has been described as "the last great Asian military conqueror"Nader Shah was born in the fortress of Dastgerd[3] into the Qereqlu clan of the Afshars, a semi-nomadic Qizilbash tribe settled in the northern valleys of Khorasan, a province in the north-east of the Persian Empire.[11] His father, Emam Qoli, was a herdsman who may also have been a camel driver and coatmaker.[12] He died while Nader was still young.[13] According to legends, Nader and his mother were carried off as slaves by marauding Uzbek or Turkmen tribesmen, but Nader managed to escape. He joined a band of brigands while still a boy and eventually became their leader. Under the patronage of Afshar chieftains, he rose through the ranks to become a powerful military figure. Nader married the two daughters of Baba Ali Beg, a local chief.Nader grew up during the final years of the Safavid dynasty which had ruled Iran since 1502. At its peak, under such figures as Abbas the Great, Safavid Persia had been a powerful empire, but by the early 18th century the state was in serious decline and the reigning shah, Sultan Husayn, was a weak ruler. When Sultan Husayn attempted to quell a rebellion by the Ghilzai Afghans in Kandahar, the governor he sent (Gurgin Khan) was killed. Under their leader Mahmud Hotaki, the rebellious Afghans moved westwards against the shah himself and in 1722 they defeated a force at the Battle of Gulnabad and then besieged the capital, Isfahan.[14] After the shah failed to escape to rally a relief force elsewhere, the city was starved into submission and Sultan Husayn abdicated, handing power to Mahmud. In Khorasan, Nader at first submitted to the local Afghan governor of Mashhad, Malek Mahmud, but then rebelled and built up his own small army. Sultan Husayn's son had declared himself Shah Tahmasp II, but found little support and fled to the Qajar tribe, who offered to back him. Meanwhile, Persia's imperial rivals, the Ottomans and the Russians, took advantage of the chaos in the country to seize territory for themselves.

Nader Shah Ahmad Shah Durrani

Peacock Throne safdarjung Ahmad Shah Durrani

Ahmad Shh Durrn (c. 1722 16 October 1772) (Pashto/Persian: ), also known as Ahmad Khn Abdl (Pashto/Persian: ), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.[1]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-LoC-2" [2]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Engels-3" [3]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Clements-4" [4] He began his career by enlisting as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose to become a commander of the Abdali Regiment, a cavalry of four thousand Abdali Pashtun soldiers.[5]After the death of Nader Shah Afshar in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani was chosen as King of Afghanistan. Rallying his Afghan tribes and allies, he pushed east towards the Mughal and the Maratha empires of India, west towards the disintegrating Afsharid Empire of Persia, and north toward the Khanate of Bukhara. Within a few years, he extended his control from Khorasan in the west to Kashmir and North India in the east, and from the Amu Darya in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south.[3]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Chayes-6" [6]Durrani's mausoleum is located at Kandahar, Afghanistan, adjacent to the Shrine of the Cloak in the center of the city. Afghans often refer to him as Ahmad Shh Bb ("Ahmad Shah the Father")

Durrani was born in or about 1722 to Mohammad Zaman Khan, chief of the Abdali tribe and Governor of Herat, and Zarghuna Alakozai. There has been some debate about Durrani's exact place of birth.[10] Most believe that he was born in Herat, Afghanistan.[1]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Clements-4" [4]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Mehta-11" [11]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Vogelsang-12" [12]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Reddy-13" [13]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Durrani" \l "cite_note-Behnke-14" [14] One of the historians relied on primary sources such as Mahmud-ul-Musanna's Tarikh-i-Ahmad Shahi of 1753 and Imam-uddin al-Hussaini's Tarikh-i-Hussain Shahi of 1798. Others hold that he was actually born in the city of Multan during a period when his mother was taking temporary shelter with relatives due to a struggle in Herat between the Ghiljis and Abdalis.[11] Soon after Durrani was born his father died. The title of his father as governor was passed down to Zulfiqar Khan, older brother of Durrani.

Durrani's forefathers were Sadozais but his mother was from the Alakozai tribe. In June 1729, the Abdali forces under Zulfiqar had surrendered to Nader Shah Afshar, the rising new ruler of Persia. However, they soon began a rebellion and took over Herat as well as Mashad. In July 1730, he defeated Ibrahim Khan, a military commander and brother of Nadir Shah. This prompted Nadir Shah to retake Mashad and also intervene in the power struggle of Harat. By July 1731, Zulfiqar returned to his capital Farah where he had been serving as the governor since 1726. A year later Nadir's brother Ibrahim Khan took control of Farah. During this time Zulfiqar and the young Durrani fled to Kandahar where they took refuge with the Ghiljis.[15] They were later made political prisoners by Hussain Hotak, the Ghilji ruler of the Kandahar region.

Nader Shah had been enlisting the Abdalis in his army since around 1729. After conquering Kandahar in 1738, Durrani and his brother Zulfiqar were freed and provided with leading careers in Nadir Shah's administration. Zulfiqar was made Governor of Mazandaran while Durrani remained working as Nadir Shah's personal attendant. The Ghiljis, who are originally from the territories east of the Kandahar region, were expelled from Kandahar in order to resettle the Abdalis along with some Qizilbash and other Persians

Peacock Throne

The Peacock Throne (Sanskrit: : Mayrsana, Urdu: , Persian: , Takht-i Tvs) was a famous jewelled throne that was the seat of the Mughal emperors of India. It was commissioned in the early 17th century by emperor Shah Jahan and was located in the Red Fort of Delhi. The original throne was subsequently captured and taken as a war trophy in 1739 by the Persian king Nader Shah, and has been lost ever since. A 2000 report by The Tribune, estimated the value of the Peacock Throne at $810 million USD (Rs 4.5 billion).[1]A replacement throne based on the original was commissioned afterwards and existed until the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Shah Jahan ruled in what is considered the Golden Age of the vast Mughal Empire, which covered almost all of the Indian subcontinent. It was ruled from the newly constructed capital of Shahjahanabad and the fabled imperial citadel Red Fort, with its marble and golden halls bedecked in jewels and silk, perfumed water fountains and canals running, surrounded by fragrant gardens. Sumptuous feasts, religious festivals, extravagant receptions for state guests, with innumerous artists and musicians, a large zenana and thousands of soldiers, courtiers and servants who ensured for a colourful and joyful life far away from everyday worries. The focus around which everything revolved was the emperor, where he gave audiences and received petitioners. The court and its ruler was a mirror image of paradise on earth, in the very centre of the empire. Amongst the various titles he carried, such as Great King (, Badshah), he was also the Shadow of God (Zill-i-Allahi), making him the executor of God's will. The sovereign therefore also held a court of justice. It was therefore necessary to have a proper seat or Throne of Solomon ( , Takht-e-Sulaiman) to underscore his position of the just king. Just like Solomon's throne, the Peacock Throne was to be covered in gold and jewelled, with steps leading up to it, with the ruler floating above ground and closer to heaven.

Since the imperial treasury at that point was full of precious jewels, Shah Jahan had ample resources and decided to put the jewels and pearls into a more public use. Said Gilani and his workmen from the imperial goldsmiths' department were commissioned with the construction of this new throne. It took seven years to complete. Large amounts of solid gold, precious stones and pearls were used, creating a masterful piece of Mughal workmanship that was unsurpassed before or after its creation. It was an opulent indulgence that could only be seen by a small minority of courtiers, aristocrats and visiting dignitaries. The throne was even for the Golden Age Mughal standards supremely extravagant and cost twice as much as the construction of the Taj Mahal.[2]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacock_Throne" \l "cite_note-3" [3] The appearance of the throne was in stark contrast to the older throne of Jahangir, a large rectangular slab of engraved black basalt constructed in the early 1600s, used by the father of Shah Jahan.

safdarjung second nawab of awadh mughal dynasty india early 18th century

The Nawab of Awadh or Nawab of Oudh was the title of rulers who governed the state of Oudh (Awadh) in India in the 18th and 19th century. The Nawabs of Oudh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishapur.[1]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawab_of_Awadh" \l "cite_note-Avadh-2" [2]

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawab_of_Awadh" \l "cite_note-3" [3] In 1724, Nawab Sa'adat Khan established Oudh State.

As the Moghul power declined and the emperors lost their paramountcy and they became first the puppets and then the prisoners of their feudatories, so Awadh grew stronger and more independent. Its capital city was Faizabad.

Of all the Muslim states and dependencies of the Mughal empire, Awadh had the newest royal family. They were descended from a Persian adventurer called Sa'adat Khan, originally from the city of Nishapur.[4] There were many Khurasanis in the service of the Mughals, mostly soldiers, and if successful, they could hope for rich rewards. Burhan ul Mulk Sa'adat Khan proved to be amongst the most successful of this group. In 1732, he was made governor of the province of Awadh. His original title was Nazim, which means Governor, but soon he was made Nawab. In 1740, the Nawab was called Wazir or vizier, which means Chief Minister, and thereafter he was known as the Nawab Wazir. In practice, from Sa'adat Khan onwards, the titles had been hereditary, though in theory they were in the gift of the Mughal emperor, to whom allegiance was paid. A nazar, or token tribute, was sent each year to Delhi, and members of the imperial family were treated with great deference; two of them actually lived in Lucknow after 1819, and were treated with great courtesy.

Safdarjung was born as Muhammad Muqim in Khorasan, Persia and migrated to India in 1722.

In 1739 he succeeded his father-in-law and paternal[citation needed] uncle, the Burhan ul Mulk Saadat Ali Khan I to the throne of Oudh, apparently by paying Nadir Shah twenty million rupees. The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah gave him the title of "Safdarjung".[2]Safdarjung was an able administrator. He was not only effective in keeping control of Oudh, but also managed to render valuable assistance to the weakened Muhammad Shah. He was soon given governorship of Kashmir as well, and became a central figure at the Delhi court. During the later years of Muhammad Shah, he gained complete control of administration in the Mughal Empire. When Ahmad Shah Bahadur ascended the throne at Delhi in 1748, Safdarjung became his Wazir ul-Mamalik-i-Hindustan or Chief Minister of Hindustan. He was also made the governor of Ajmer and became the "Faujdar" of Narnaul. However, court politics eventually overtook him and he was dismissed in 1753.[2] He returned to Oudh in December 1753, and made Faizabad military headquarter. He died in October 1755 at the age of 46 years in Sultanpur near Faizabad

Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asif Jah I

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi (20 August 1671 1 June 1748) was a Mughal and Turkic nobleman the founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. He established the Hyderabad state, and ruled it from 1724 to 1748. He is also known by his titles Chin Qilich Khan (awarded by Aurangzeb in 169091[1]), Nizam-ul-Mulk (awarded by Farrukhsiyar in 1713[2]) and Asaf Jah (awarded by Muhammad Shah in 1725

Siraj ud-Daulah

Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud-Daulah (Urdu: , Bengali: ), more commonly known as Siraj ud-Daulah (1733 July 2, 1757), was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of British East India Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of South Asia.

Siraj succeeded his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan as the Nawab of Bengal in April 1756 at the age of 23. Betrayed by Mir Jafar, then commander of Nawab's army, Siraj lost the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. The forces of the East India Company under Robert Clive triumphed and the administration of Bengal fell into the hands of the Company.

Alivardi Khan

Alivardi Khan's father was Shah Quli Khan (Mirza Muhammad Madani) and his mother was the daughter of Nawab Aqil Khan Afshar (Mir Muhammad Askari). Alivardi's birth name was Mirza Muhammad Ali. He was a Muslim. His father was an Arab and an employee of Azam Shah, the son of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Azam Shah also employed the sons of Mirza Muhammad. But after the death of Azam Shah, the family fell into poverty. His two sons Muhammad Ali and Mirza Ahmed managed to find employment under the Subahdar (Provincial governor) of Orissa, Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan. After Shuja-ud-Din was promoted to the post of the Nawab of Bengal, the two brothers' future prospects widened

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud-Daulah

alivardi khan

Maharana Sangram Singh

The desert land of Mewar has produced abundant warriors and their heroic legends. The fables of bravery are infused in this desert soil, every time a son of Mewar is born with his own tale to tell. And amongst the numerous was the mighty Maharana Sangram Singh or as the Rajputs gloriously call him Rana Sanga; the king whose demise marked the beginning of Mughal rule and changed the course of Indian history forever.

Rana Sanga succeeded Mewar after the death of his father Raimal and his two brothers. The crisis of succession led Maharana Sangram Singh to the throne, bringing forth another mighty warrior son of Mewar who fought for his kingdom till the last drop of his blood.

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