In the year 1135, Sri Mapanji Jayabaya became the king of the Kedri Kingdom in the eastern part of Java. He reunified Java after it split, after his predecessor Airlangga died. Many Indonesian Hindus believe him to be an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. As a king, he was reputed to be extremely just. He was the ratu adil or archetype of the just king who is born to restore social justice, order, and harmony in the world during the Jamam Edan or dark era. Sri Mapanji Jayabaya also was the patron of the great work, Bharatayuddha (literally means Indian War), the Javanese version of the Hindu work, the Mahabharata.
Sri Mapanji Jayabaya made several amazingly accurate prophesies. Sri Mapanji Jayabaya also foretold in a prediction that white men (the Dutch) would rule Java, and acts as tyrants over the Javanese populace. These white men will be expelled, however by yellow men from a northen land (the Japanese) who would rule Java for a single crop cycle, after which, Indonesia would be freed. Sri Mapanji Jambaya also stated that he would return in the next jamam edan when "when iron wagons drive without horses and ships sail through the sky he will come to rescue and reunite Indonesia after an acute crisis, ushering in the dawn of a new golden age."
The accuracy of Sri Mapanji Jayabaya are amazing. The Dutch conquered Indonesia. They were later defeated by the Japanese during World War II. The Japanese stayed in Indonesia for three years, after which they left Indonesia independence, since the Japanese knew that they could no longer win the war. Indonesian nationalists, Sukarno and Mohammed Hatta, declared Indonesia independent soon after the Japanese left. Other than for the fact that the Japanese stayed in Indonesia for three years rather than one year, which the prophesy stated, Sri Mapanji Jayabaya's prophesy is completely accurate. Many Indonesian Hindus believe that Sri Mapanji Jayabaya will return soon, as the jamam edan he spoke of seems to match our times. Along with Sabdapalon, many Indonesian Hindus believe that Indonesia will enter an new golden age, under Hindu rule.

For fifty years the nation of Cambodia was fragmented, and in constant unrest. Suryavarman II defeated his many rivals and managed to reunite what is now Cambodia back into the Khmer empire.
Under the blessing of his guru, Divakarapandita, he was coronated as king of the Khmer Empire. Suryavarman II was an extremely ambitious king, in addition to being a religious reformer. Under his rule Cambodia under the Khmer Empire became a very formidable force in South East Asia.
Suryavarman conquered most of Thailand in addition to parts of Malaysia and Vietnam. He and his ally, the Champa Kingdom, however failed to defeat the kingdom of Da Viet in three campaigns. He later conquered his former ally, the Champa Kingdom. Despite being defeated by Da Viet, Suryavarman II is still considered one of the most important kings in terms of expanding the realm of the Khmer Empire.
As a religious reformer Suryavarman II propounded a form of Vaisnavism. Unlike the Indian form of Vaisnavism, he merged worship of Shiva and Vishnu into the diety, Harihara, who is depicted as half Shiva and half Vishnu. Suryavarman also began building the famous temple Angkor Wat, the largest place of worship on the planet. It is primarily a Vishnu temple, although one can still find many Buddhist elements in the artwork and architecture of the temple.
After a reign of of thirty-seven years, Suryavarman II died in a military campaign against Da Viet. He never saw the Angkor Wat compeleted and was succeeded by his son, Dharanindravarman II.

Gajah Mada
(????- 1364)

Gajah Mada was the prime minister to Rajasenegara Hayam Wuruk, who ruled the Majapahit Empire at the zenith of its power. Although he was born a commoner, he was elevated to the status of Prime Minister due to his quick-wit, intelegence and extreme loyalty to the king, Jayanagara. Gajah Mada was instrumental in restoring Jayanagara to power after a boody insurection in the year 1319. The prime minister turned against Jayanagara, after he tried to take possession of Gajah Mada's wife. Gajah Mada arranged to have a surgeon murder the king while performing an operation.
Jayanagara was succeeded by his eldest sister, Tribhuwana Wijayatungga Dewi. She appointed Gajah Mada as the commander- in-chief and Prime minister of the Majapahit Empire. Her son, Hayam Wuruk ascended the throne after her in the year 1350. In the solace of the waterfall Madakaripura, Gajah Mada took the Palapa oath, which meant that he would refrain from eating the Palapa spice until he conquered the Indonesian archipelago under the banner of the Majapahit Empire. He and Hayam Wuruk managed to defeat many kingdoms in the Indonesian archipelago, and the Majapahit Empire conquered territories in Indonesia, Malaysia, and even the Philippenes.
Gajah Mada became the patron of Prapancha, who wrote the Negara Kertagama, an epic about the power of the Majapahit Empire. Under the leadership of Gajah Mada, Java experienced a golden age. Many classics were written in Kawi, the old Javanese language, some of them being: "Pararaton," "Arjuna Wiwaha," "Ramayana," and "Sarasa Muschaya." Hinduism became more enstrengthened in the Javanese culture as a result of the golden age. Gajah Mada eventually died in the year 1364.

Hayam Wuruk
(1334-1389)

Rajasenegara (king) Wijaya started the Majapahit Empire in Eastern Java in the year 1293 CE. The Majapahit empire began a rather formidable empire in Indonesia, which was extremely politically fragmented at the time. The empire was the last Hindu empire in Indonesia. By the time of its height, the Majapahit Empire had already defeated the mighty military of Kublai Khan, a vistory on par with the Greek victory at Marathon.
Hayam Wuruk was born in 1334 a year which coincided with the occurrence of the earthquake in Pabanyupindah in Java. At the age of sixteen, his mother, the ruler of the Majapahit Kingdom, Queen Tribhuwana Wijayattungga Dewi abdicated in favor of her son, and Hayam Wuruk ascended the throne. Along with his minister, he attempted to unite the Indonesian archipelago with the help of his right-hand minister, Gajah Mada. In a decisive campaign, the city of Palembang in Sumatra was captured, and the kingdom of Sri Vijaya, a Buddhist stronghold in the archipelago fell. Over time he along with Gajah Mada, conquered a majority of the Indonesian archipelago. Under Majapahit rule, Hinduism spread across the empire, and people across the Indonesian archipelago traded with each other. The usage of shadow puppets or Wayang Kulit was used to teach the people of the Majapahit Kingdom about the Ramayana or the Mahabharata.
Hayam Wuruk died in the year 1389. He was buried in the city of Tajung, and succeeded by his son-in-law, Wikramawardhana. The Majapahit contined to remain a powerful force in Indonesia until 1478, when it collapsed. The empire that Hayam Wuruk built became a great source of pride for Indonesian nationalists, and to Hindu revivalists, who state that it was a Hindu state that united the Indonesian Archipelago.

Krishna Devaraya
(????-1529)

By the early fifteen hundreds Muslim Sultanates were already well-established in South India. Starting in 1336, two brothers, Harihara and Bukka Raya built a magnificent city in South India that would be the stronghold of Hinduism for two hundred years. In 1509, this nation, one of the few remaining Hindu states in India, Vijayanagara, Krishnadevaraya rose to power.
Krishnadevaraya started out his military campaigns by invading the sultanate of Bidar and the king of Bidar's ally, Yusuf Adil Khan.By the year 1510, most of norther Karnataka was under his rule. Krishnadevaraya had conquered Raichur, Gulburga and Bidar. Having conquered such vast lands, he built a beautiful city in Seringapatnam. By 1516 Vijayanagar's territory stretched all the way to the Krishna and Godavari rivers. Krishnadevaraya's conquests forced him to continually war with Bijapur and Golconda, both of which he successfully defeated.
He utilized his trading skills to obtain Portuguese guns and Arabian horses, in order to strengthen his nation. A traveler to Vijayanagara, Domingo Paes, describes Krishnadevaraya's Vijayanagara as "the best provided city in the world with a population of not less than a half a million." In fact he estimated the size of the city to be around that of Rome. He also described Krishnadevaraya as "the most feared and perfect king that could possibly be, cheerful of disposition and very merry, he is one that seeks to honor foreigners, receives them kindly. He is a great ruler and man of much justice.”
He was also a talanted poet himself, and also sponsored many great poets contributing to the golden age of Telegu Literature. He wrote the work Amuktamalyada, which is a deeply philosophical work about the oneness of man and God using metaphors. The literature describes the loneliness and suffering of Bhumidevi when she is separated from her lover Sri Vishnu. In addition to the Amuktamalyada, Krishnadevaraya also wrote many works in Kannada, Telegu and Sanskrit. Under the rule of Krishnadevaraya, Telegu literature experienced a golden age, as eight prominent Telegu poets composed great works during his reign. The clever Tenali Raman popular in folk tradition worked under the reign of Krishnadevaraya.
As a king, Krishnadevaraya is known to have built many temples in his kingdom, restrengthening Hinduism after its lands had fallen to muslim sultans. Krishnadevaraya did alot to assist Hinduism in a rather dark era for Hinduism.

Sabdapalon (15th century)

The Majapahit Empire based in Java, spanned the whole Indonesian archipelago and parts of Southeast Asia. It was the last Hindu empire in Indonesia. At the height, it repelled Mongol invasions by Kublai Khan and vassalized lands as far as Vietnam. By the late 1400's however, the Majapahit steadily declined in its power. As the empire weakened, the Sultanate of Malacca grew stronger. Islamic proselytizers began to gain more and more popularity in Indonesia, slowly destroying Hinduism in Indonesia.
It is this dark time in Indonesian History, that Sabdapalon lived. He was the chief priest for the king Brawijaya. In 1478, the king converted to Islam, marking the fall of the Majapahit Empire. Sabdapalon cursed the king stating that within 500 years time, he would return. He stated that he would return to an Indonesia devastated by widespread corruption and natural disasters. In this dark time, he would sweep Islam from Java and re-establish the Hindu-Jawanese religion in Java.
The punctuality of Sabdapalon's prophesy is amazing. Indonesia in 1478 was one of the most corrupt nations on the planet, and the volcano Mt. Sumeru erupted in that same year. Many new Hindu temples such as the Pura Blambangan were completed in the year 1978, oce again indicating the verasity of Sabdapalon's prediction. Ever since 1978, Hinduism has been experiencing a massive revival in Java.

Maharana Pratap Singh (1540- 1597)

The Rajputs of Mewar have always been renouned for their courage and bravery in resisting the tyranny of the Lodis and later the Moghals. The father of Rana Pratap, Rana Udai Singh II ceded the city of Chittor, the capital of Mewar to Akbar after a military defeat. It is said that after Akbar conquered the city, he ordered a massacre of 30,000 captured Rajput warriors and unarmed civilians.
Having lost the capital, Chittor, the family of Rana Udai Singh II fled to Udaipur. In 1572 Rana Udai Singh died and Maharana Pratap ascended the throne of Mewar. Before becoming king, Rana Pratap made a vow that he would not sleep on a bed, eat fancy food, or wear nice clothes until he liberated Chittor from Moghal tyranny.
The Emperor Akbar realising the threat that this single rana posed to his empire in Rajputana, requested his brother in- law Rana Man Singh to form a truce with the Rana Pratap's forces. Akbar thought that sending a fellow rajput to Rana Pratap may improve his likelyhood of peace.
Rana Pratap rebuffed Rana Man Singh, calling him a traitor for letting his sister marry a foreign invader. He told Rana Man Singh that he would not rest till Chittor was liberated from foreign yoke. Maharana Pratap revealed in this instance that he would not abandon his motherland, even if it meant his impending doom. He was well aware of the vast army that Akbar had available, but he still refused to give up and surrender to opression.
Rana Man Singh along with Akbar's son Salim (later Jehangir) led a massive army to crush Rana Pratap according to Akbar's orders. At the mountain pass of Haldighati, vast quantities of blood flowed as the Moghals narrowly won, but nevertheless failed to capture Rana Pratap, who escaped on his legendary horse.
After this escape the Rana found himself amongst the Bhil tribals, who supported his cause, and pledged their loyalty towards his mission of liberating Chittor. The remanents of Rana Pratap's army and Bhil warriors waged a powerful guerilla war against the Moghals. These attacks greatly devastated the Moghal military. Rana Pratap regained virtually all of his ancestral kingdom with the exception of the fortress of Chittor. Unfortunately, Rana Pratap fell ill prematurly, and died seeing his Chittor remain in foreign hands.
Rana Pratap embodies the Hindu resistance against tyranny. He is considered a hero all over India, and prefered the life of sacrifice to that of pleasure provided by a foreign invader. He could not tollerate abandoning his motherland, and dedicated everything to liberating her.
 

"Kasihki Kala Gayee, Mathura Masid Bhaee; Gar Shivaji Na Hoto, To Sunati Hot Sabaki!" [1]
The above were the words of a contemporary poet named Bhushan on Shivaji Maharaj meaning “[Kashi has lost its splendour, Mathura has become a mosque; If Shivaji had not been, All would have been circumcised (converted)]” [2] and they have much truth in them but if we substitute the name Gokul in place of Shivaji the words have as much truth in them as before. In the long and glorious history of Hindus there were countless Veers who fought the invaders and sacrificed their lives for their Religion and Motherland, some of them such as Veer Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap have acquired great fame and are remembered among Hindus down to the present day for their brave deeds, but there were countless others who fought just as hard but who are largely forgotten or virtually unknown and who have become obscure in the long history of Hindus, Veer Gokul Singh is one such man whose name should be remembered by all Hindus for his brave deeds and the sacrifice he made for his religion. We shall now examine who he was and what he had done to deserve such praise.
Early Life:
The early life of Gokula is obscure and not much is known about him except for the fact that he was a Jat chieftain of Sinsini village near Mathura in present day Uttar Pradesh, he was named Ola (later came to be known as Gokul) by his father Madu and had three other brothers named Sindhuraj, Jhaman and Saman. About the year 1650 A.D –1651 A.D his father and his uncle Singha had a fight with Raja Jaisingh and his elder brother Sindhuraj was killed, as a result Gokula became the next heir and shifted to the village of Mahavan past River Yamuna together with his uncle Singha. [3]
Condition of Hindus at the time:
It is important to know the condition of Hindus and our situation during those times in the country to understand the actions of Veer Gokul Singh. In the year 1658 A.D the fanatical Muslim Aurangzeb becomes the Mughal Emperor and embarks on a zealous mission to convert Hindus to Islam through any method possible. The atrocities of Aurangzeb on Hindus are too numerous and well known and need not be repeated here but it is important that we look at the situation of Hindus in Mathura and the adjacent areas since that was the place where Gokla was living at that time. The fanatical Mughals used to administer the area through officers named faujdars, one of them was Murshid Quli Khan who died in 1638 A.D, and he used to raid villages for capturing beautiful women. In the words of Sir Jadunath Sarkar “the Khan, painting his forehead and wearing a dhoti
like a Hindu used to walk up and down in the crowd. Whenever he saw a
woman whose beauty filled even the Moon with envy, he snatched her
away like a wolf, pouncing upon a flock, and placing her in the boat
which his men kept ready on the bank (of the Jamuna) he sped to Agra.” [4]. Another infamous character of the time was Abdu’n Nabî Khãn the governor of Mathura at that time. In the words of Sri Sita Ram Goel “He plundered the people unscrupulously and amassed great wealth. But his worst offence was the pulling down of the foremost Hindu temple in the heart of Mathura and building a Jãmi‘ Masjid on its site. This he did in AD 1660-61. Soon after, in 1665, Aurangzeb imposed a pilgrim tax on the Hindus. In 1668, he prohibited celebration of all Hindu festivals, particularly Holi and Diwali. The Jats who rightly regarded themselves as the defenders of Hindu honor were no longer in a mood to take it lying.” [5], It was under these trying times that a man named Gokul Singh rose to the occasion for the defense of Hindus of the area.
Rise to fame:
The rise of Veer Gokul Singh from obscurity to a position of importance starts in the year 1669 A.D, around this time Samarth Ramdas the Guru of Shivaji Maharaj was traveling in the area of Gokula and after his sermon in Muzzafarpur area in which he exorted the people to rise to defend dharma “young men,
led by Gokula, accepted the exhortation and challenge of the Guru to
devote and sacrifice their lives for the motherland. The vows were
taken, with a sip of water from the Ganga, and the Yamuna, and the
chewing of a pipal leaf.”[6], One day Abdu’n Nabî Khãn the afore mentioned governor of Mathura in the month of May tried to grab hold of the village of Sihora [7], As a result a fight broke out between the villagers and Nabi Khan at which Gokula was there and Nabi Khan was killed by the villagers. The villagers later rallied around Gokula under whose leadership they soon attacked and ruined the cantonment of Sadabad, which was established by Sadullah Khan in the reign of Shah Jahan. The success they tasted soon stirred the Hindus of the area to rebel against the Mughal authority; the disturbance caused by them was severe enough to warrant an offer from the Mughal regime to Gokula according to which he was offered forgiveness if he stopped his rebellious activities. Gokla turned down this offer and continued his rebellion; soon Aurangzeb himself sent a strong force under the command of Radandaz Khan, Hasan Ali Khan and other officers. The Mughal forces soon delivered an attack on three fortified Jat villages and in the words of K R Qanungo “Hassan Ali delivered
an attack upon three fortified villages of the Jats and won a very
costly victory. The peasants fought long and steadily,
displaying that cool obstinate valour which had ever characterised
them. When resistance became hopeless, many of them slew their women
and rushed upon the Mughals to sell their lives dearly.” [8], thus ended the first major battle against the Mughals in which Gokula’s forces made the Mughals pay dearly despite heavy odds against them.
The Battle of Tilpat:
After the first battle Gokula soon offered to battle the Mughals about 20 miles from the Jat stronghold of Tilpat, Gokula assembled a force of 20,000 and offered a valiant fight against heavy odds, the Jats suffered a loss of 3,000 men while the Mughals lost about 4,000 of their forces after an exhaustive and gory battle [9], but the superior numbers and discipline of the Mughal forces soon managed to defeat the Jats again in the second battle, Gokulas forces soon retreated to Tilpat and held out the Mughals for 3 more days despite heavy odds but soon the Mughals managed to force their way into Tilpat and took over the Jat stronghold of Tilpat, thus ended what was known as the first Jat rebellion.
The End:
After the loss of Tilpat, Gokula was soon captured by the Mughals and along with his uncle Uday Singh (who also fought in the battle of Tilpat) was imprisoned and was taken to Agra along with other captives. Many of the womenfolk committed Jauhar to escape the clutches of the Mughals. At Agra Gokula was asked to embrace Islam if he wished to live, on hearing this Gokula asked Aurangzeb to offer his daughter to him in return to poke fun at the Emperor [10], this enraged Aurangzeb and he ordered the execution of Gokula. On January 1, 1670 following the orders of Aurangzeb, Gokula was hacked to death piece by piece on the platform of Agra Kotwali (Agra Police Office) and the same thing was done to his uncle Uday Singh, thus ended the life of both the heroes and both attained martyrdom in fighting the tyranny of the Mughals but refused to give up their religion. After Gokulas death his family was forcibly converted to Islam, according to Sri Sita Ram Goel “the capture and murder of Gokul with fiendish cruelty and the forcible conversion of his family members to Islam, coincided with the destruction of the Kešavadeva temple.” [11], Gokula may have passed away but his death inspired many more rebellions among Jats against the Mughal authority and these rebellions would eventually lead to the establishment of the famed kingdom of Bharatpur. Hindus of today need to remember and honor such heroes without whom our religion and culture would not have survived, hopefully many more Gokula’s will be born among Hindus and will lift up the condition of our people.
Jai Durga Ma.
[1] Demeaning Shivaji, denigrating dharma - http://www.hvk.org/articles/0104/159.html
[2] Demeaning Shivaji, denigrating dharma - http://www.hvk.org/articles/0104/159.html
[3] Gokula turned History - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2530
[4] Sir Jadunath Sarkar’s “History of Aurangzeb – Volume iii, Pg - 332”
[5] Sita Ram Goel’s “HINDU TEMPLES WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, Volume II – Chapter 4” - http://voiceofdharma.com/books/htemples2/ch4.htm
[6] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2532
[7] Gokula turned History - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2530
[8] K R Qanungo’s “History Of The Jats - Jat History In Aurangzeb’s Reign pp 20-22”
[9] K R Qanungo’s “History Of The Jats - Jat History In Aurangzeb’s Reign pp 20-22”
[10] Gokula turned History - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2530
[11] Sita Ram Goel’s “HINDU TEMPLES WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, Volume II – Chapter 4” - http://voiceofdharma.com/books/htemples2/ch4.htm
 
 
Keladi Chennamma
(16??- 1696)

The Kingdom of Keladi was an small kingdom in Northern Karnataka. Since its founding in 1500, Keladi was blessed with many good kings, such as Chaudappa Nayaka, or Shivappa Nayaka. By the time Shivappa Nayaka’s son, Somashekhara Nayak ascended the throne, the kingdom of Keladi Stretch all the way from Goa in the north to Kerala in the south. The King Somashekara Nayak was extremely religious. He did not marry for many years, and his subjects were extremely concerned.
One day as the king was going to the Ram temple for the Rameshwara fair, he caught site of an extremely beautiful maiden. The king immediately decided to marry her. The next day, against the advice of his minister, he approached the father of his bride-to-be. The father was shocked, but immediately agreed to offer his daughter in marriage. The wedding took place in Bidanur in the royal palace. To celebrate the wedding, the royal family distributed charity to the needy throughout the kingdom and offered worship at the two largest temples in the nation.
Chennamma proved to be an excellent queen. She quickly learnt all about statecraft, politics, weapon usage, music, and literature. She learnt politics so well that she became a de facto advisor for the king. She treated her subjects and her servants with the upmost respect. When oppressed people were to scared to make pleas to their king, they pleaded with the queen, who was guaranteed to establish justice where it was taken by speaking to the king.
During the Dussera festival, many great artisans and dancers would perform or display their work for the king. During this festival a famous dancer, Kalavathi of Jambukhandi, performed for the king. The king was so astounded by the performance of the dancer that he rewarded her a grand some of wealth and appointed her as the chief dancer for his royal court. Eventually the king became seduced by her and started living in the house of the dancer, forgetting his beloved Chennamma. The king became a puppet of Kalavati’s foster father, Bharame Mavuta who was a great master in the dark arts. Bharame Mavuta eventually poisoned the king who consequently fell terribly ill. Matters of state were held in the house of the dancer rather than in the splendour of the palace. The king had no heir, so there was great uncertainty as to who would be the king’s successor.
Taking advantage of the political situation in Keladi, the Sultan of Bijapur invaded. Chennamma, in an attempt to prevent the annihilation of her kingdom, went to the house of Kalvati and begged the sickly king to take up arms and defend the nation. Somashekara Nayak whose mind was poisoned by Bharame Mavuta, and bedridden by diseases refused to.
Realising that only she could prevent the fall of her kingdom, she picked up the sword to defend the kingdom. As the enemy began besieging the capital, many important people in the kingdom were all quarelling amongst each other as to who would assume the throne of Keladi. Chennamma attempted to quell the resistance by adopting a son, Basappa Nayaka to whom she gave training in statecraft, politics, and weaponry. This move greatly reduced any discord in the kingdom about seccession.
The sultan of Bijapur sent a massive army led by Muzaffar Khan to annex Keladi. Not wavered by the might of the Bijapuri army, she told her subjects thus: "My beloved heroes of the Kannada Land, you are great warriors. Today the fate of the kingdom is in your hands. Remember, victory gives us this kingdom and death gives us heaven. There is no third way. If you win, all of you will be rewarded with befitting honors." Bharame Mavuta unconvinced by the queen, killed the king, having been persuaded by the Bijapuri Sultan’s henchmen.
As the Bijapuri army besieged, Bidanur, Chennamma’s advisors advised her and the army to leave Bidanur and hide in Bhuvangiri for the time being, since victory didn’t seem to be in sight. As the enemy breached the walls of Bidanur, they found neither the mighty queen nor the wealth of Keladi both of which were safe in the fortress of Bhuvanagiri.
Seeing the loss of their capital thousands came to Bhuvanagiri and offered their services to Chennamma. She with the help of her minister Thimmanna Nayaka, regrouped the Keladi military, expanded it with new volunteers, and invaded Bidanur. The Keladi soldiers knew their land better than the Bijapuri invaders, and utilize the jungle terrain and narrow passes to massacre the Bijapuri army. Bidanur was liberated from Bijapuri occupation. To rejoice the victory, the people of Keladi crowned Chennamma queen of Keladi. She rewarded the many who aided in her war efforts handsomely.
Andhaka Venkata Nayaka, a member of the Keladi royal family, still upset at being deprived of the throne wrote to the Maharaja of Mysore. He offered the Maharaja half the kingdom if the maharaja helped him overthrow Keladi. The kingdom of Mysore and a few other chieftans in the region invaded Keladi. Chennamma decisively defeated Mysore, and signed a treaty of friendship with them.
One day as the queen was offering alms to the destitute, four men dressed as monks approached the queen. As she asked them what they wanted, one of the men replied, "I am Rajaram, the son of Chatrapati Shivaji." He explained that Aurangzeb the tyrant king of the Moghal Empire thought that if he captured Rajaram, the whole Maharasthtra would fall to Moghal rule. The Queen happily decided to give protection to Rajaram, saying that it was a responsibility of Hindus to help the son of the protector of Hinduism regardless of the wrath of the mighty and evil Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb eventually realized that Rajaram was taking refuge in Keladi. He wrote a letter to Rani Chennamma saying that if she surrendered Rajaram, he would offer her a treaty of friendship with the Moghal Empire. The cunning Aurangzeb sent an army to invade Keladi whether or not she accepted. Rani Chennamma refused to surrender Rajaram. The massive Moghal army invaded Keladi. The army was not accustomed to the thick jungles of Keladi, and loss massive numbers to the Kannada army of Keladi. The captain of the army, Azamath Ara not willing to admit defeat to a women, decided to instead turn on Jinji, the fortress which Rajaram had fled to, and the stronghold of the Marathas. The Moghals who had defeated countless foes throughout India, were defeated by a women ruling a tiny kingdom.
Keladi flourished in the remaining years. Rani Chennamma made pacts with the Arabs to obtain horses and in exchange the Arabs received spices and rice from Keladi. She profited from trade with the Portuguese and the Dutch, who had a colonial presence in South India at the time. By this time her son was now of age to rule. Rani Chennamma gave most of the power to her son.
In the year 1696 Rani Chennamma died. As she was on her death bed she told her adopted son, Basappa Nayaka to not sin, uphold dharma, earn a good name, tolerate subjects of different religions, and to be a good ruler. Rani Chennamma was laid to rest in the Koppalu monastery in Bidanur. The Kingdom of Keladi remained powerful and sovereign for another one hundred and fifty years when the British annexed it after fighting an exhaustive war with Keladi.
 
Veer Raja Ram Jat
(1682 A.D – 1688 A.D)

Background to the Rise of Raja Ram:
It was January 1st 1670 A.D a significant but largely a forgotten day in Hindu history, on this fateful day two brave men were brought out onto the platform of Agra Kotwali (Agra Police Office) by Mughal soldiers and were hacked to death piece by piece because of their rebellion against the Mughal empire and for their refusal to accept Islam, the two men were Veer Gokul Singh and his uncle Veer Uday Singh. The martyrdom of Veer Gokul Singh thus ended a chapter of the continuing Jat resistance, but the Jats would soon rise again and this time under a capable leader who would avenge the death of Gokula and who would spell terror in the Mughal camps near Agra. The man was none other than Veer Raja Ram Jat to whose sacrifice this article is dedicated.
After the brutal suppression of the earlier freedom fighters, the Jats soon rose up under the leadership of Brij Raj of Sinsini (16 miles northwest of Bharatpur), under his leadership the people of Agra refused to pay taxes to the tyrannical Mughals, soon Aurangzeb himself sent Multafat Khan to force them to pay the taxes, Mulafat Khan was soon in retreat after Brij Raj’s force defeated him soundly in a battle and he died soon after from the wounds he suffered in the battle. Within a year of Mulafat Khan’s death, a Mughal force soon pursued Brij Raj to Sinsini and according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “The Jat chief somehow succeeded in sending away his
women from the fortress but was himself killed along with his son,
Bhao Singh, while defending it. Sinsini fell into the hands of the enemy.” [1], thus ended another chapter of the resistance in which both Brij Raj and his son Bhao Singh were martyred while fighting Mughal tyranny.
Origins and the Rise of Raja Ram:
Veer Raja Ram under whose leadership the Jats would soon rise to prominence was born into the family of Bhajja Singh (also called as Bhagwat Singh) who was the brother of Brij Raj. By this time the Jats of the area were again seething with discontent and rage against the Mughals because of the Mughal atrocities, according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “The Jats had seen their houses and
religious places being demolished, their property plundered, their
women molested and males tortured by the Mughal soldiers. Stubborn and
warlike as they were, they could not accept all this meekly. So when
they got their opportunity they paid their enemies in the same coin.” [2], It was under these circumstances that Raja Ram rose to prominence and he soon organized the Jats of different clans and Hindus of other communities who were willing to fight into a united force under his own leadership and he soon created a small army with different regiments and strengthened the defenses of his forts (the lack of which contributed to the defeat of Gokula in 1669 A.D), having thus secured his position he soon began to raid caravans and travelers and plundered them. The Jats under his leadership before long became powerful enough that they soon overwhelmed Safi Khan the Agra Suabadar and besieged him in his fort and according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “they practically closed
the roads for normal traffic between Dholpur and Delhi, and Agra and
Ajmer via Hindaun and Bayana.” [3]
Raid On Akbar's Mausoleum:
The success they tasted encouraged Raja Ram and he soon attacked Akbar's Mausoleum at Sikandara and tried to ransack it but he did not succeed due to the strong resistance of Mir Abul Fazl, a local Mughal faujdar. The skirmish with Abul Fazl caused some serious loss of troops on both sides, so Raja Ram soon retreated to Ratanpur after he captured some loot from Shikarpur to make up for his losses.
Efforts to suppress Raja Ram:
Aurangzeb soon selected Khan – i – Jahan Bahadur Zafarjang Kokaltash and entrusted him with the job of suppressing Raja Ram but Khan – i – Jahan could not succeed in any appreciable measure and he was beaten back badly. Once again in 1687 A.D a similar expedition was sent for the purpose, this time under the leadership of Bidar Bakht, which also failed to produce results, thus ended the matter for the time being.
Attack on Agar Khan:
After the repeated failure of the Mughals Raja Ram soon made a much more daring attack, this time he attacked Agar Khan the Mughal commander who was going to Bijapur from Kabul near Dholpur and according to R S Joon the Jats “carried away a large number of horses, carts and muslim women.” [4], Agar Khan soon began to chase them but was killed along with his son in law, the Mughals lost about 80 men along with Agar Khan and his son in law.
Attack on Mahabat Khan:
A short while later in 1688 A.D he soon assailed Mahabat Khan but was repulsed with a loss of about 400 men but he also inflicted heavy casualties on Mahabat Khan who lost about 190 men, 150 of whom were killed and another 40 who were injured.
Raja Ram avenges Gokula’s death:
In the same year Raja Ram soon attacked Akbar’s Mausoleum again and plundered it taking advantage of the delayed arrival of Shaista Khan, the Jats hauled out Akbar’s bones from his Mausoleum and threw them angrily into the fire and burnt them and they also damaged villages set aside for supporting the Taj Mahal and captured some local Mughal officers at Palwal [5], thus Gokula’s death was finally avenged by Veer Raja Ram Jat on Febraury 27, 1688 [6].
Martyrdom of Veer Raja Ram:
Around this time there was a bitter dispute between the Rajput clans of the Chauhans and Shekhawats over a piece of disputed land. The Mughals under faujdar Murtaza Khan of Mewat and Bilar Bakht and the Rajputs under Rao Raja Anirudh Singh of Bundi and Maharao Kishor Singh
Hada joined the Shekhawats and supported them. The Chauhans on the other hand enlisted the support of Raja Ram Jat who by now had acquired considerable power and influence, soon a fierce battle ensued between the two forces and in the words of Girish Chandra Dwivedi “Opposite Raja Ram was the Hada Chief upon whom he
inflicted a crushing defeat.
Anirudh Singh himself could not stand before the Jat onset. He became
nervous and fled along with his troops. When the battle was in its
full fury the gallant Raja Ram led a fierce charge against the centre,
consisting of the Mughals.” [7], while this was going on a Mughal musketeer hid himself behind a tree and shot at Raja Ram’s chest which caused him to pass away immediately. The death of Raja Ram demoralized his troops and the Shekhawat coalition took advantage of this soon and turned a certain defeat into victory, the battle was a key loss but the death of Raja Ram was an even bigger loss, had he lived longer he may have achieved much bigger things and in all probability would have destroyed the Mughal authority in the areas under his influence, after his death the leadership of Jats would soon pass on to Chuhraman Jat who would increase their power and who would ultimately found the famed kingdom of Bharatpur. Thus Veer Raja Ram Jat who fought Mughal tyranny till the end of his life and who infused a sense of pride and rebellion into the Hindus of the area was martyred on Wednesday 4th July of 1688 A.D [8] and the sacrifices of people like him should be remembered and honored by all Hindus of the present and future generations.
Jai Durga Ma.
[1] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2588
[2] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2590
[3] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2589
[4] History of the Jats by R S Joon – extracts available online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/files/
[5] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2589
[6] Raja Ram organized Jat power – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2574
[7] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2589
[8] The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire by Girish Chandra Dwivedi PG 33 to 41 - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/2589 
 

Let me go ma once, let me visit
hang myself with smiling and the whole Bharat will see it
Oh I will hang myself while smiling and the whole Bharat will see it
Let me go ma once, let me visit
After preparing a bomb
Was standing beside the street o ma
Instead of killing the boro Lat, I killed another English
Let me go mother once, let me visit
On Saturday, the court was full of people o ma
O ma Khodiraam was sentenced to death
Let me go ma once, let me visit
12 lakhs and 33 Crore
Are your sons-daughters o ma
With them live, make them your slaves
Let me go ma once, let me visit
After 10 months and 10 days
I will be born in aunt’s house oh ma
If you can’t recognize, see the rope in my neck
O ma if you can’t recognize, see the rope in my neck
Let me go ma once, let me visit
[English Translation of the famous Bengali song: Ekbar Biday de Ma]
At the age of nineteen, Khudiraam became a martyr. He had the Holy Bhagavad Gita in his hand and “Vande Mataram” in his mouth.
At Medinipur in Bengal, an exhibition was held by the British rulers to hide their injustice. Their puppets joined them. Then a 16-year-old boy came with leaflets in his hands, with the title “Sonar Bangla” (Golden Bengal). The leaflets also carried, “Vande Mataram.” They tried to scare the little boy but he ignored them and continued distributed the leaflets. Then a police tried to stop him, but he hit the police and told him, “Take care, don't touch my body! I will see how you can arrest me without a warrant." The police tried to catch him but he disappeared within the crowd with his leaflets.
These leaflets really moved the people and they started chanting, “Vande Mataram.” A case was filed against him but they let him go free because of his age.
Khudiram Bose was born on 3rd December 1889 in the village Bahuvaini in Medinipur district. His father Trailokyanath Basu was the Tahsildar of the town of the Nadazol prince. His mother Lakshmipriya Devi was a pious lady, who was well known for her virtuous life and generosity. Most of her children died and only a daughter survived along with their last son, Khudiram Bose. The parents died when Khudiram was only 6 and his sister, Anurupadevi and his brother-in-law Amritlal took care of him.
A born patriot, even at the age seven or eight years, Khudiram Bose thought, 'India is our country. It is a great country. Elders say that this has been the home of know- ledge for thousands of years. Why, then, are the red-faced British here? Under them, our people cannot even live as they wish. When I grow up, I must somehow drive them out.'
He was always thinking about these things. Therefore, he could not concentrate on studies. Even though he was smart, he didn’t feel like studying.
Once Khudiram went to a temple. A few people were lying on the bare ground in front of the temple. "Why are these people lying thus?", Khudiram asked.
Someone said, "They are suffering from some disease or the other. They have made a vow and are lying here without food and water. They will get up and go after God appears in their dream and promises to cure their diseases."
Khudiram thought for a moment and said, "One day I too will have to give up all 'thought of hunger and thirst and lie on the ground like these people."
"What disease has struck you?" A man asked the boy.
Khudiram laughed, and said, "Can there be a disease worse than slavery? I will have to drive it out."
He slowly grew up like this with the mantra “Vande Mataram.” He spread the values of Vande Mataram among people. Around 1905, the revolutionary activities in Bengal started to increase. It was more coming from the Hindu majority. Therefore, the English decided to stop these and divided the Bengal on the basis of religion giving the East to the Muslims. It created enormous dispute. Khudiram protested against.
The British stopped the famous revolutionary newspaper Vande Mataram. They charged against it. Therefore, everyday thousands of youths used to gather and scream, “Vande Mataram.” On the 26th August, 1907, many youths similarly gathered. They haven’t started shouting the divine mantra but the police started beating them. No one said anything but Sushilkumar Sen, fifteen-year-old, who was standing at a distance, stepped forward, and said, "Why are you beating the people without any reason?" He tried to stop him.
"Who are you? Get out!" the Englishman shouted and hit Sushil.
Sushil said, "I will show you who I am." Then he hit the policemen. He started beating the policemen until he was bleeding. The policeman started screaming in pain and then other police came and stopped the boy and arrested him.
Kingsford, a cruel British, conducted the case of Sushil. He said "You have broken the law by attacking a British Policeman engaged in maintaining peace,"
"Then why did your 'peace-loving' police man attack our people standing peace fully?" Sushilkumar without fear asked.
"An impertinent fellow! I order a punishment of fifteen lashes. Take him away," Kingsfor asked
The police took out Sushil, and stripped him. They mercilessly gave him fifteen lashes. Sushil did not weep, nor did his smile fade. At every stroke, he cried 'Vande Mataram'!
Surendranath Bannerji, an elderly leader, admired Sushilkumar's courage and blessed him with the gift of a gold medal. The National College, in which he was studying, was closed for a day in his honor.
The British realized the anger among people against Kingsford, so they decided to remove him to some place else. He was transferred to Muzaffor but still he didn’t stop his cruel acts. Therefore, on 1908, the revolutionaries, decided to kill him.
They arranged a meeting about the plot of killing Kingsford. Aravinda Ghosh, Subodh Mallik, Charudatta and others were present at the meeting. Many people were willing to take this task but the leader was worried about the choice of person. Suddenly, he looked at Khudiram. He asked Khudiram, if he was willing to do his task. He also warned Khudiram about danger if he gets caught. Khudiram said, “I know. At the worst they can hang me. Master, I take it as a boon. Bharat Mata is my father, mother and all. To give up my life for her is, I consider, an act of merit. My sole desire is only this. Till our country wins freedom, I will be born here again and again, and sacrifice my life." The leader then sent Prafulla, another young revolutionary with Khudiram. They were given bomb and revolver.
On April 30, 1908, they met at European Club at Muzaffarpur with the bomb and revolver. Khudiram threw the bomb at the Kingsford but he missed. He ended up killing another two English. Then he was arrested and tried for it.
During his trial many people shed tears. However, he was smiling even before he was hanged. He had the Bhagavad Gita in his hand just before he died he said, “Vande Mataram.” A true hero of Hinduism. He makes us proud and feels like doing something for this glorious culture.

 
Subash Chandra Bose
(1897 to 1945(?))

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the great hero and more of a legend was born in on January 23rd 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa as the ninth child among fourteen. His mother was Prabhavatidevi, a pious and spiritual lady and his father Janakinath Bose, a famous lawyer. He comes from a really popular and wealthy Kulin Kayastha family of Bengal.
When he was young, he started wondering about life and the freedom of Hindustan. At the age of eight, he asked his mother, “Ma, am I ready?” It was amazing. At the age of 15, he started reading Swami Vivekananda’s work and started getting answers to his questions. In his autobiography, he wrote that at his younger youth age, he was overwhelmed with destroying sexual desire from his personal life. However, later in his life, he realized that sex part of human desire and cannot be destroyed. Therefore, he was a thinker at his young age. He was a smart student. He got the highest mark at the matriculation examination of Calcutta province and passed his BA in Philosophy from the Presidency College in Calcutta at the age of 22. Then he went to England to appear for an Indian Civil Service examination and passed the examination.
He started his political affair with Deshbondhu Chittaronjon Das. Even though Das worked under Congress, he and Bose had different opinions than Congress. Bose wanted the total independence of India but Congress wanted in a phase. Because of these and other differences, Das created his own party and named it, Swaraj Party. This party however worked under Congress as well. Later on April 1924, Swaraj Party got most of the seats in Calcutta and Das became the Mayor and Bose became the Chief executive officer of the Calcutta Corporation.
As the WW2 start coming closer, Bose realized before many other Congress that the British would use the Indian people as soldiers in their struggle against Germany. He warned about this but very few listened to him. During the Indian National Congress election, Bose was elected President twice on 1937. However, Gandhi had problems with Bose and his views. Therefore, he kept talking against this. Bose realized that if he tries to stick to his constitutional rights of having the seat of the president, the Congress would be divided. Therefore, he resigned and started his own party, The Forward Block.
As the war came closer, the British started training Indian soldiers at a mass to recruit them against the German. Bose realized that if these trained soldiers rebel against the British, then the British would be defeated. His work to start a rebellion among these soldiers became known among the British and they arrested him. Bose then went on a hunger strike and after 11 days, he became really sick. Then the British removed him from the prison and put him in house arrest. However, Bose suddenly disappeared from the house around the beginning of 1941.
Then after many work, he reached Germany and from the radio, he vowed to fight against the British. The Germans and Japanese decided to support Bose. Then he went to Japan and built Indian National Army to attack the British. These soldiers were arrested by Japan during the war. Bose used these people to fight against the British. However, around 1945, Bose faces a plane crash. After that, no one knew what happened to him. Huge research institutes are set up to find information about Bose. Because there is no information about Bose after the crash, he remains as a legend among Hindus and Indians.
 
 

Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872 in Calcutta; he was the third of the six children born to Dr. Krishna Dhan, a surgeon, and his wife Swarnalata Ghose. He was educated at a convent school in Darjeeling in his childhood. At age the age of 7 Aurobindo was sent to England along with two of his brothers to acquire an English education by his Anglophile father who wanted his children to become Westernized. In England an English family looked after him and he was admitted into St. Paul's School in London in 1884 and he later went on to join King’s College, Cambridge, where he studied for two years. In 1890, he passed the I.C.S examination with flying colors, but he had become aware of the movement for an Independent India, and did not want to serve the British colonial administration, so he voluntarily disqualified himself by not attending the compulsory riding test and returned to India at the age of 21 in 1893.
In Baroda he acquired the job of a revenues administrator under the Baroda Government and he later went on to serve as the Vice-Principal in the Baroda College. Sri Aurobindo was an avid reader and already mastered Latin, Greek, English, Italian and French languages during his stay in England and after returning to India he began to study Sanskrit and other Indian languages along with Hindu scriptures in his spare time and soon became fluent in Sanskrit, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. At the age of 28 in 1901 he was married to a religious Hindu girl named Mrinalini Bose according to Hindu marriage rites. In the year 1906 he finally left Baroda for the city of Calcutta where he became the first principal of the newly established Bengal National College.
The time period of 1902-1910 was the period of Sri Aurobindo’s active political life. In 1905 the British ruled province of Bengal was partitioned into Hindu majority West Bengal and Muslim majority East Bengal that sparked widespread agitation throughout Bengal, it was during this period that the Swadeshi movement gained popularity in which Sri Aurobindo played a major role. He became a leader of a group of freedom fighters who were dubbed as extremists because of their willingness to use direct action and non-constitutional methods to achieve their objective of complete independence for India. Later in 1907 Sri Aurobindo became the editor of a nationalist newspaper named Bande Mataram which was circulated all over India, the newspaper however was closed down by 1908. He was prosecuted for sedition in 1907 but was acquitted and in 1908 he was again arrested in the Alipore Conspiracy Case, but he came out in 1909 after being in prison for about a year. By the time he was out of jail the movement that he was part of was broken and its leaders dispersed, he later tried to revive the movement by publishing an English weekly newspaper named Karmayogin and a Bengali weekly named Dharma. But by 1910 he felt more and more drawn towards spirituality because of his profound spiritual experience in Alipore Jail and withdrew from politics.
In the year 1910 Sri Aurobindo finally moved to the French colony of Pondicherry, but he was already estranged from his young wife who by now had gone back to her parents but she accepted the pain of separation and was faithful to him throughout this time. He spent most of his time in silent meditation and in 1918 he finally wrote to her saying that "My sadhana is over. I have achieved my object, siddhi. I have a lot of work to do for the world. You can come now and be my companion in this work."[1] She agreed to come but was stricken with influenza and passed away before she could even meet Sri Aurobindo. In 1914 four years after arriving in Pondicherry he began publishing a philosophical magazine named Arya which was published until 1921, most of his important works such as The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, The Isha Upanishad, The Foundations of Indian Culture, The Secret of the Veda, The Human Cycle, The Future Poetry and The Ideal of Human Unity appeared in the magazine Arya. It was also in the year 1914 that he met a French woman of Egyptian ancestry, Mirra Alfassa who would later be called as The Mother and who would later carry on Sri Aurobindo’s work after his death. As time went by more disciples began to gather around him, which eventually lead to the formation of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
Sri Aurobindo passed away on December 5, 1950. The Mother took over where Sri Aurobindo left off and continued his work until November 17, 1973 and their work continues even today.
Sri Aurobindo’s Political Philosophy:
Hindu society today suffers from lack of clear thinking about how to deal with problems and threats facing our society; our society is seen as passive and weak because of our refusal to do anything in the name of ahimsa. In these circumstances it would be interesting to take note of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy. Sri Aurobindo in a word was a realist who followed the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, in his own words, “A certain class of minds shrink from aggressiveness as if it were a sin. Their temperament forbids them to feel the delight of battle and they look on what they cannot understand as something monstrous and sinful. “Heal hate by love, drive out injustice by justice, slay sin by righteousness” is their cry. Love is a sacred name, but it is easier to speak of love than to love.... The Gita is the best answer to those who shrink from battle as a sin and aggression as a lowering of morality.”[2] And the following comment of his about the Hindu-Muslim problem after the Khilafat agitation when Muslim aggression was at its peak, “I am sorry they are making a fetish of this Hindu-Muslim unity. It is no use ignoring facts; some day the Hindus may have to fight the Muslims and they must prepare for it. Hindu- Muslim unity should not mean the subjection of the Hindus. Every time the mildness of the Hindu has given way. The best solution would be to allow the Hindus to organize themselves and the Hindu-Muslim unity would take care of itself, it would automatically solve the problem. Otherwise, we are lulled into a false sense of satisfaction that we have solved a difficult problem, when in fact we have only shelved it.”[3] Is very insightful and should be followed by Hindus even today if we want to permanently solve the problem.
Sri Aurobindo’s Contribution to Hindu Philosophy:
Sri Aurobindo contributed greatly to modern day Hindu philosophy through his enormous corpus of writings; his major contribution was to bring in the notion of evolution into Vedantic thought in which he put forward the idea of an evolution of spirit instead of matter as he rejected the materialistic Samkhya philosophy and his philosophy also rejected the idea of world negation.
Sri Aurobindo On Sanatana Dharma and India:
Sri Aurobindo was born into the Hindu community and had mastered the Hindu scriptures inspite of the objections of his Anglophile father and contributed greatly to Hindu philosophy, therefore it would be interesting to read his own thoughts on the connection between Sanatana Dharma and India according to which “When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is the Sanatan Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be great, it is the Sanatan Dharma that shall be great. When it is said that India shall expand and extend herself, it is the Sanatan Dharma that shall expand and extend itself over the world. It is for the Dharma and by the Dharma that India exists...”[4], the sooner we grasp this the better it is for our community and for the Indian nation.
Others On Sri Aurobindo:
It would be interesting to know what other prominent personalities thought of Sri Aurobindo, the following are some quotes from different renowned personalities about Sri Aurobindo:
“At the very first sight I could realise he [Sri Aurobindo] had been seeking for the Soul and had gained it,” – Rabindranath Tagore
“In my undergraduate days Aurobindo Ghose was easily the most popular leader in Bengal, despite his voluntary exile and absence since 1910. His was a name to conjure with.” – Subash Chandra Bose
"Sri Aurobindo is one of the greatest thinkers of Modern India...[He is] the most complete synthesis achieved upto the present between the genius of the West and the East...” - Romain Rolland [5]
In conclusion Sri Aurobindo was not just a yogic seer; he was a poet, philosopher and a revolutionary who made great contributions to modern day Hindu philosophy through his enormous corpus of writings which continue to inspire Hindus around the world even today, his translation and commentary on Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita shed new light on our own understanding of the scriptures. Hindus around the world should take pride about a person like Sri Aurobindo and we should do our bit to help fulfill his ambitions for humanity and Bharat in particular.
Jai Durga Ma.
References:
[1] Hinduism Today article titled “Exploring Sri Aurobindo, Seer of the Supermind” http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1993/9/1993-9-01.shtml
[2] “Sri Aurobindo and the Gita” by Michel Danino http://micheldanino.voiceofdharma.com/gitalecture.html
[3] “India’s Rebirth” by Sri Aurobindo http://voi.org/books/ir/IR_part3.htm
[4] “Uttarpara Speech, 30 May 1909” by Sri Aurobindo http://intyoga.online.fr/uttaspch.htm
[5] “Sri Aurobindo as they saw him” http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/sriauro/theysaw.htm
 
 
Vallabhai Patel
(1875-1950)

Vallabhai Patel was born in Nadiad, Gujarat into a farmer's family. As a child, Vallabhai had to struggle much in his educational career. He started school rather late, and even when he did complete his schooling, no one had high hopes for this future-freedom fighter. Vallabhai worked to become a lawyer, saving enough money to journey to London in an attempt to become a barrister. At the age of 36 he studied at the Middle Temple Inn in London, and stood at the top of his class. He returned to Gujarat becoming a well-off and very sought-after lawyer.
By the year 1918, Vallabhai Patel joined Gandhi's satyagraha movement, leaving his wealthy lifestyle. He took charge of many local positions within Ahmadebad, Gujarat. He resolved many previously fragile issues with an iron fist. He improved the drainage of Ahmadebad, extended the power supply, and made massive changes in the education system. He even solved many Hindu-Muslim conflicts.
Patel was also extremely active in the freedom movement. He built his name as a freedom fighter by fighting for the rights of the Gujarathi farmers devastated by the lack of rains. Patel and the farmers protested against the british by refusing to pay taxes; the british succumbed to the demands, and granted the farmer's tax relief. By 1931 Vallabhai Patel became the President of the Congress Party.
After Indian independence Patel played an even more important role. He stayed out of the election for Prime Minister, as per Gandhi's wishes; Javaharlal Nehru was elected Prime Minister. Patel over the course of his life became the Deputy Prime Minister of India and Union Minister for Home Affairs and the States for Nehru's cabinet.Patel also was responsible for integrating over five hundred princely states into the Indian Union, and played a leading role in writing India's constitution. He ensured utilizing force and the will of the people that three unwilling states: Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagadh, were integrated into the Indian Union. Patel also played a key role in halting the communal strife in post-partition India.
After seventy-five years of hard work, Patel died of a heart attack. Even as he died, the government and Indian media ignored him and his many contributions to the Indian state. He became a source of inspiration for many Hindutwawadi politicians.
 
Arumuga Navalar
(1822- 1879)

Arumuga Navalar was born in Jaffna to Brahmin parents. Sri Lanka at this time was under British rule. Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam were suffering greatly under the rule of a foreign oppressor. Hinduism and Buddhism were falling to the power of Christian missionaries, who were trying to eliminate the original religions from the island. It is in this dark era that Arumuga Navalar was born.
Being born in a highly erudite Brahmin family, Navalar studied in a Christian missionary school to learn English. In addition to his studies in English, Navalar’s father was a Tamil poet, who taught Navalar Tamil literature at a very tender age. Navalar proved to be an excellent student. In fact he made such a mark that his principle, Peter Percival, requested that he stay and teach Tamil and English in his school. Percival later requested Navalar to translate the Bible and various Christian Literature into Tamil. Navalar happily accepted. In this action he proved that he was in no way a fanatic, and tolerant of others people’s religions.
During this time, American Missionary Seminary at Batticotta decided to incorporate the Skanda Purana into its curriculum in order to convince its students to convert to Christianity. The fact that Christians translated the purana from poetry into prose further aggravated the Hindu populace.
The activities of the missionaries began to escalate the religious climate in Jaffna. Muttukumara Kavirajar a great Tamil Poet began writing many works attacking the religious imperialism that the Christian missionaries created. He wrote the famous Yesumataparikaram attacking the missionaries. By September 1842, a large number of Hindus started a school dedicated to teaching Hinduism and start a printing press to end the educational monopoly of missionaries. They called this school the Veda and Agama School.
Although Navalar was apathetic to the Hindu cause originally, he began to study the Christian Bible and eventually left it, preferring to utilize the spirituality of his own people. By the year 1848, Navalar quit his job and began studying Agama Literature and Sanskrit. He started offering free and informal classes about Shaivite Literature.
Navalar in 1849 set out to Madras to acquire a printing press. While in Madras Navalar began writing many of his great works including the Saundaryalahari, in praise of Devi. Navalar also began writing literature refuting and defending Hinduism against allegations by missionaries.
Having acquired a printing press, Navalar began to publish vast amounts of work. He eventually wrote ninety- seven publication, among which twenty three were his own original pieces. For the first time ancient Tamil works were published by Navalar thanks to his acquired printing press. Navalar almost single-handedly started a Hindu revival amongst the Tamils of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. His publishing of ancient work preserved endangered works. He wrote in the fashion that any Tamilian could comprehend his writings. He established many schools all over Northern Sri Lanka to teach and preserve Hinduism. Navalar remains a champion for Hindus in Eelam and Tamil Nadu.
 
 
Swami Vivekananda
(1863-1902)

"Religion and religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes, India will die, in spite of
politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of Kubera's wealth poured upon the head of every one of her
children."
Narendra Nath Datta was born in Kolkata on January 12, 1863 into a middle-class family. He is perhaps, best identified with making
the 1893 "World's Parliament of Religions" a memberable event where he unpreparedly represented India introducing Hindu
thought to the west after roaming penniless in Chicago. This is only one of his achievements.
From early age he was no ordinary boy, enjoying meditation during his childhood. He was a naturally born thinker. Growing
up in British India he renounced superstitious worship and would debate and command sadhus, "Show me God". At
age 18 Narendra was excitingly approached by Sri Ramakrishna after observing him and hearing him sing. He
told this young man that he has come late and knows he is an incarnation of Narayan. Narendra looked at
him with eerie suspision but later asked if he has seen God. Ramakrishna was the first to tell him that Yes, he has seen
God, Narendra was surprised and was later showed God himself when Ramakrishna brushed his foot across the
boy's forehead where then divinity flashed through his mind. From this time on Ramakrishna became his guru, and
with time Narendra gained his respect to become his disciple.
His dissenting questioning attitude lead him to
his many contributions to Hindu Dharma. From many years as an unplanted monk and teacher through-out India he grew from a Brahmo Samajist duel Hindu to a whole Hindu who has experienced mankind's oneness with god.
He has written several books, here is a list of some of them:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search- h...6671133-4944105
Read his speech:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/viv...lcome_frame.htm 
 
 

"Don't you think it is a greater pity that the leader of the Brahmo Samaj knows no Sanskrit and speaks in a language that most Indians cannot understand?"
"The Vedas were not only true, but they contained all truth, including the ideas of modern science."
Moolashankar Tiwari was born to a Brahmin family in Tankara, Gujarat. One distinguishable fact about him as a Hindu reformer was that he never bothered to learn fluent English. He was brough up from childhood as a Shaivite, his father teaching him Vedas and Sanskrit. To avoid the trap of marriage, he left home into his adulthood as a monk traveling on pilgrimage to pilgrimage, living in the wildernesses of North India.
In his mid-30s he became a disciple of Swami Virajananda which progressed him into one of the greated renowned Hindu reformers of all time. He founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 to move the Hindu Dharma away from all the fictitious beliefs, and go back to the core teachings of Vedas; renouncing child marriages, abortions, 'idol' worship over 'Deity' worship, sati, the denial of Vedic study to all castes and anything superstitutious. He preached that salvation could be reached through selfless service while at the same time teaching British India not to be hesitant cowards.
The risi's out-spoken truth which has drawn him many enemies finally caugh up to him during a Deepavali festival when he was poisened to death in 1883 after offending a King by suggesting him to lead a righteous life marked by purity, inner and outer discipline and a sense of mission. While the Brahmo Samaj was concentrated in the Bengali NW region, the later Arya Samaj was concentrated in undivided Punjab and northern provinces.
Major Source
READ HIS BOOK "SATYARTH PRAKASH" ONLINE
http://www.aryasamajjamnagar.org/satyarth_prakash_eng.htm
Read the 10 summarized teachings of the Arya Samaj
http://www.aryasamaj.com/ten.htm