Sherani Folktales

Samandar & the Raja's Daughter

It is said that during the raids of Ahmad Shah on India he ordered his commander-in-chief to plunder the capital of a certain raja. Samandar Khan, the commander, on entering the royal palace, caught hold of the raja's daughter and carried her away with him on horseback. On Samandar's entering his own camp, the raja sent and complained to Ahmad Shah of Samandar's tyranny and abduction of his daughter. Ahmad Shah ordered Samandar to free the raja's daughter, but he disregarded his sultan's orders, putting his sword and shield before him (as a sign of disobedience and independence). The sultan therefore wrote to the raja that he was sorry that he was not able to comply with his request, as he could not force the return of his daughter, Samandar having fled. The camp was then removed from the raja's territory.

Samandar became accustomed to sleep with his head upon the knees of the raja's daughter. On one occasion, when he was in a sound sleep, she withdrew her knees and, putting a pillow under Samandar's head, made away on horseback. The men on duty, taking her for Samandar on a round, did not interfere with her.

After a while, when Samandar got up, he was struck with astonishment, and did not know what to do. At last he mounted the horse of one of his sepoys, and went in search of her. After going a long way, he saw her in a jungle and tried to seize her, whereon she warned him not to come near her or he would be hurt. He took no notice and drew near to her, when she wounded him and he fell senseless. She left beside him two lots of ointment, so that anyone by applying it to his wounds could cure him, while she herself went off. The raja's men came and found Samandar insensible. After a while he came to himself, and asked the men to apply the ointment to his wounds, and he was cured.

Samandar then slipped away from his camp, and started for the territory of the raja whom the girl had married. On entering it he chose a place to live, where he lighted a fire so as to pass for a saint. One evening the raja's daughter, walking in the garden with her maidens, recognized Samandar, who in disguise had lighted a fire by the roadside. Separating herself from the attendants, she quietly gave him a necklace of jewels worth a lac of rupees, and asked him to be off at once, or else he would be killed if her husband came to know about him. She then passed on. Samandar plotted with an old woman, to whom he offered the necklace if she would take him to the quarters where the raja's daughter lived with her husband. She led him there and hid him.

At night-time, when she was with her husband, he got displeased with her somehow or other, and kicked her, saying that she was worth-less, having been carried off and robbed of her modesty. He said the same words a second time, on which she sighed sorrowfully, and said,-" Would that I had married Samandar, who was very kind to me." On hearing this, Samandar sprang up, dashed the husband to pieces, and carried off the raja's daughter.

Source: Sir Lucas King., Sherani Folktales