-Narrated by Queen Didda of Kashmir.
"Didda was very beautiful and lame. She was a ruthless, Machiavellian, power-hungry queen." The great Kalhana described me in the famous and widely respected 'Rajataringini'. This is how everyone perceives the longest-ruling Queen of India. She broke down all the chains holding back women in ancient times because the patriarchal society's prejudice against powerful and assertive women has blinded everyone. I was born to King Simharaja of the Lohara Dynasty
. As a physically disabled princess who had to be carried around by a woman named Valga, I was called lame and Charanhina (footless). At the age of 26, I was married off to a pleasure-loving and dissolute King named Kshemagupta, who was addicted to women and gambling. My marriage took place for political legitimacy for his rule in 950ce in the serene land of Shrinagara. In that era, queens' sole purpose was to provide an heir to the kingdom. However, I, someone with innate political and administrative knowledge, could not stay back and watch the incompetent King ravish the kingdom. In a time when uttering a few words in matters of administration was unspeakable for women, I took to trade and administration of the kingdom into my own hands and ruled along with my husband. Slowly coins got minted with Di (Didda) Kshemagupta Deva inscribed on them. The people were surprised to see the rare occurrence of a husband adding his wife's name to his own. This was an iteration of my growing power and achievements that, despite disagreement from the nobles and the council, the coins were minted in joint names. As my political power and influence rapidly increased, people started ridiculing my husband and calling him 'Diddakshema' or hen-pecked.
My enemies multiplied. They accused me of witchcraft to bring the King under my control. People couldn't digest the fact that their queen was ambitious and wanted to conquer more lands. What in men would be admirable ambition and display of masculinity became in me an evil. My political survival skills with the application of Arthashastra, my ability to rule, select able lieutenants, and my achievement of bringing stability to the fractured kingdom I had inherited were overshadowed by these vile and futile accusations.
The birth of my son, Abhimanyu, marked a new chapter for me. The King was happy to have an heir, the people were happy for their future ruler, and I was delighted solely because of his existence. However, the happiness was short-lived as in 958ce, King Kshemagupta died of an acute fever, and I became a widow. Robbed of all my choices, I was forced to perform sati with his other wives and burn myself along with his dead body. Snatching a mother from her son is equivalent to destroying the son's present and future. I could not leave my son alone thus, I persisted. Refusing to die with my husband infuriated the council and the high-caste civilians. To prevent any harm to my son, I declared him the King and hid him in a 'math' (temple). I became the regent and ruled on behalf of my son. Is this not something a mother does to protect her son out of love? Apparently not, because I was deemed to be ruthless and greedy since 'I took my son's share of power and locked him up'. Death threats surrounded me. Everyone seemed suspicious. With the help of my trusted minister, Naravahana I killed most of the rebels, including my husband's nephew. I broke the backs of the rebellious Damaras, the powerful landlords of the regions around Pooch and Rajaouri. One of my warriors joined the rebels and attacked the throne during these times. This revolt was the most difficult to subdue, but we were successful under my command and my minister's assistance. In the ensuing tug-of-war, the aristocracy occasionally managed to nearly dethrone me, but I, being artful, outfoxed my rivals every time, using diverse and dynamic manipulations. These revolts helped me make a name for myself. As Kalhana wrote, "The Lame Queen whom no one had thought capable of stepping over a cow's footprint got over the host of her enemies just as Hanuman got over the ocean". Other rulers became frightened of our power and accepted our sovereignty. I became all-powerful, and my reign became uncontested, making the agitation-prone region enjoy an era of relative peace.
However, while I gained political power, my personal life crumbled. Abhimanyu died in 972ce. His death broke me, deprived me of my ray of hope, and engulfed me in grief, but I had no time to mourn. I needed to be strong to protect his minor son, Nandigupta. My rule as the regent continued after I crowned him. In the memory of my son, I built Abhimanyusvamin Temple and Abhimanyupura Town. Thenceforth grief did not leave my trail. Nandigupta fell sick and died in a year, followed in quick succession by my next grandson Tribhuvangupta, who had been crowned in 973ce. My subjects supported me in my sadness. They offered prayers in the temples and started referring to me as their older sister. I was given the love and respect of a 'Didda' or a sister. However, my sadness was overlooked by the high-caste civilians and nobles. I was accused of murdering my own son and grandsons to get hold of power. Could they not see me sinking deep in sadness while efficiently managing a kingdom full of enemies?
I crowned Bhimagupta, my third grandson, in 975ce and continued my rule as a regent. Bhimagupta suddenly died in 980ce. The High-Caste Society continued their misconceptions when it was implicated that I imprisoned and tortured him to death. Another damaging accusation made against me is that I took Tunga, a Gujjar shepherd, as my lover and promoted him to be the Prime Minister though I was more than fifty years old by the time I met him. This did not bring me down and instead drove me forward and willed me to finally ascend the throne in my name. As the direct ruler, I issued coins in the name of "Sri Didda". I administered a strong and prosperous kingdom for 22 years. My subjects held me in high esteem, and they showered me with the love I longed for. Under my rule, 64 temples were constructed, which I named after my husband and son. For a stable administrative council, I made the highest rank holders of the council, Samgramaraja, and Tunga, swear a holy oath that they would work with each other. With my subjects' love, political knowledge, and trusted ministers, I left behind a stable kingdom. Mahmud Ghazni's unsuccessful attacks in Kashmir in 1015 and 1023 are credited to the strong army and administration created by me. However, failing to mention my achievements as a well-loved queen, I was cited by history as the heartless, ruthless witch queen who went to varying lengths to quench her greed for greater power.
My story clearly shows how history is falsely written by aristocratic and egoistic nobles and high caste men to bring down strong queens. I do not understand why history chose not to tell the other half of the story- The other half where I was an able ruler who peacefully maintained Shrinagara for four decades. The other half where my subjects loved and respected me so much that till present times Kashmiri of all classes uses the word "Didda" to address their mother or any respected lady. The half where I created a strong army and administration that served many more dynasties in the future, and I remain the strongest woman in the history of Kashmir who outsurvived three generations.
Thus I, Queen Didda of Kashmir, the 'Catherine of Kashmir', the 'Witch Queen', am narrating the other half of the story where I never yielded to the restrictions of patriarchy and lived as a liberated woman.
Comments