Alha
Encyclopedia
Alha of Banaphar
Rajput
clan was the famous general of great Chandela
King Paramdidev or Parmal who fought Prithviraj Chauhan in 1182 CE.Alha's mother Devaki was Ahir. In the Purana,when Mahpati(Mahil) says that Ahlada (Alsha) has come to be of low family(kule hinatvamagatah} because his mother is an Arya Abhiri (aryabhiri: ans "Aryan" Ahir)(13.88-91).
He is one of the hero of Alha-Khand
which is popularly recited in Bundelkhand
. Alha-khand is also known as Parmal Raso.
'Alha Udal bade ladaiya jinse haar gayi talwar'
(meaning Alha and Udal were such great fighters that even swords were defeated by them), the folklore of great military experts Alha and Udal is still sung in the heartland of Bundelkhand
region of India. According to legends and folklores Alha was undefeatable , he was made immortal by the goddess Sharda. The shrine of the goddess is at Maihar in Madhya Pradesh
(India). Folklore says that he gifted his head to mother goddess by cutting it with a sword, goddess was extremely happy with the act and made him immortal; he had two maternal brothers Malkhan and Sulkhan; in folklore it is said that Malkhan possessed enormous strength, which is sung in a sentence like 'das das haathi bhuj par taule' (ten elephants were weighed by him on one hand), it's a sort of poetic interpretation, as sung in folklore. Alha had a sword given to him by Parmal, the ruler of Mahoba
and his uncle, the sword was said to be from heaven and no weapon could match the fury of that sword, numerous authors still write versions of Alha-Khand
, in which one is Lumbardar Thakur Amol Singh Bhadauriya of Kanpur district. It is said that people who listen to poetic version of Alha are filled with warrior spirit and fearlessness. It is filled with the Code of Kshatriya warriors and the gruesome hard battles fought by them until death.
'aadi bhawani durga tose bada na koy
aath khand nau dweep mei toy kare so hoy'
meaning oh great goddess of war, the oldest of old, the sole reason for evolution of world, nobody is above you; what is happening in this world is done by your power only. The warriors of Mahoba were undefeatable by anyone. They worshipped goddess and sword and hence were not defeated by anyone, the best of best and the bravest of brave, the true followers of Kshatriya dharma and defenders of vedic religion.
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Banaphar
Banaphar is the name of a clan that claims to belong to the Yaduvanshi lineage of Rajput.According to Alf Hiltebeitel Like Krishna, Udal is susceptible to "mean caste" slurs and slights because of his combined Rajput and Ahir background.-History and origin:Their traditional seat of power was...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
clan was the famous general of great Chandela
Chandela
The Chandela is a Rajput clan found in North India. A section of the Chandelas ruled much of the Bundelkhand region of central India for long periods between the 10th and the 13th centuries AD. The Chandela dynasty is famous in Indian history for King Vidyadhar, who repulsed the attacks of Mahmud...
King Paramdidev or Parmal who fought Prithviraj Chauhan in 1182 CE.Alha's mother Devaki was Ahir. In the Purana,when Mahpati(Mahil) says that Ahlada (Alsha) has come to be of low family(kule hinatvamagatah} because his mother is an Arya Abhiri (aryabhiri: ans "Aryan" Ahir)(13.88-91).
He is one of the hero of Alha-Khand
Alha-Khand
The Alha Khand is an early poetic work in Hindi which consists of a number of ballads describing the brave acts of two Banaphar Rajput heroes, Alha and Udal. This work has been entirely handed down by oral tradition and presently exists in many recensions, which differ from one another both in...
which is popularly recited in Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
. Alha-khand is also known as Parmal Raso.
'Alha Udal bade ladaiya jinse haar gayi talwar'
(meaning Alha and Udal were such great fighters that even swords were defeated by them), the folklore of great military experts Alha and Udal is still sung in the heartland of Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
region of India. According to legends and folklores Alha was undefeatable , he was made immortal by the goddess Sharda. The shrine of the goddess is at Maihar in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
(India). Folklore says that he gifted his head to mother goddess by cutting it with a sword, goddess was extremely happy with the act and made him immortal; he had two maternal brothers Malkhan and Sulkhan; in folklore it is said that Malkhan possessed enormous strength, which is sung in a sentence like 'das das haathi bhuj par taule' (ten elephants were weighed by him on one hand), it's a sort of poetic interpretation, as sung in folklore. Alha had a sword given to him by Parmal, the ruler of Mahoba
Mahoba
Mahoba is a city and Mahoba District of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in the Bundelkhand region. Mahoba is known for its closeness to Khajuraho, Laundi and other historic places like Kulpahar, Charkhari, Kalinjar, Orchha, and Jhansi...
and his uncle, the sword was said to be from heaven and no weapon could match the fury of that sword, numerous authors still write versions of Alha-Khand
Alha-Khand
The Alha Khand is an early poetic work in Hindi which consists of a number of ballads describing the brave acts of two Banaphar Rajput heroes, Alha and Udal. This work has been entirely handed down by oral tradition and presently exists in many recensions, which differ from one another both in...
, in which one is Lumbardar Thakur Amol Singh Bhadauriya of Kanpur district. It is said that people who listen to poetic version of Alha are filled with warrior spirit and fearlessness. It is filled with the Code of Kshatriya warriors and the gruesome hard battles fought by them until death.
'aadi bhawani durga tose bada na koy
aath khand nau dweep mei toy kare so hoy'
meaning oh great goddess of war, the oldest of old, the sole reason for evolution of world, nobody is above you; what is happening in this world is done by your power only. The warriors of Mahoba were undefeatable by anyone. They worshipped goddess and sword and hence were not defeated by anyone, the best of best and the bravest of brave, the true followers of Kshatriya dharma and defenders of vedic religion.
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