Lado Sarai has the famous f Bar andlounge, the Bed Lounge, and many carpet showrooms. On what used to be theagricultural land of the village, the government, in 2002, erected a PrithvirajMemorial, valorising the last ‘Hindu’ king of Delhi, who went down bravelyfighting the Muslim invaders. L.K. Advani, at the inauguration, drew a sword andthundered about fighting terrorism from Pakistan.
The story of Prithviraj, as told to me in Lado Sarai, is slightly different...
One day, in his old age, the good king Anang Pal Tomar decided to go on longpilgrimage, and leave the kingdom in the care of two relatives, Prithviraj andJaichand. Prithviraj was given custody of Delhi and Ajmer, while Jaichand lookedafter Kannauj.
Prithviraj told Anangpal that his custody was useless unless he had authoritywhich other kings would believe in. "Give it to me in writing," he said."No King can enter Delhi without the permission of Prithviraj." So Anangpalgave it to him in writing, and went off on his pilgrimage. Not much later, whenhe returned to his city, the gates were closed to him. No King can enter Delhiwithout the permission of Prithviraj. And so it was that Prithviraj came to bethe ruler of Delhi.
Flashback. A trader from Afghanistan decided to start trading with India andthus expand his business and his profits. So he loaded his goods on camels andcame to India, and to the court of the vigorous but childless king, AnangpalTomar, along with his beautiful daughter. He offered Anangpal his daughter inmarriage. "I know that you will have children with her."
The marriage was consummated, the child was conceived, but the older queen wasjealous. While the younger queen was pregnant, she forbade Anangpal from meetingher, and when the child was born, she threw him out on a garbage pile, ghorin Sanskrit.
The child was picked up by a passing childless potter, who then brought him upas his own.
When the child was seven years old, King Anangpal passed a judgement whichdissatisfied his people. The potter’s son
suggested another way in which justice could be meted out. The news spread likewildfire and reached the palace.
Fearing the king’s wrath a servant from the palace went and told the potterwho his son really was, and asked him to send the child off to Afghanistan, tohis grandfather.
Years later Mohammad Ghori marched on Delhi to reclaim his inheritance, andJaichand joined him. Prithviraj was defeated. Lad Singh, a soldier inJaichand’s army, settled in what was to become Lado Sarai village. His foursons lived in four domed structures, four gumbads which existed there prior totheir settlement, and around these domes the village of Lado Sarai grew.
Karan Pal Singh, about 70 years old, who told me this story, also told me, Thereare three kinds of history.
One is that written in history textbooks. This is written by those in power, andcannot be trusted.
Then there is the history by the person who sits with books and tries to makesense of the past for himself.
The third is oral tradition, what people remember from what their ancestors tellthem. There is some truth in both of these.
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This article originally appeared in Delhi City Limits, February 15,2006
