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Mumal & Mahendra – A Rajput love story

Mumal & Mahendra – An Immortal Rajput love story

mumal mahendra lovestory @ lemonicks.com

I am at the top of a small hillock where once was a Medhi (small palace) belonging to a girl variously called Mumal, Princess Moomal or Momal Rano, who was from Lodhruva, Jaisalmer. A broken wall, small platform and a single window are the only remains of this monument which was earlier named as Kak Mahal. Below I can see a dry river bed, which, once upon a time, gushed in full swing, a river by the name of Kak.

mumal ki medhi lodhurva @lemonicks.com

Mumal’s Medhi.

During those times the Medhi had beautifully carved windows, a scenic garden, many mazes, fake ponds and other illusions. It has witnessed the love story of Mumal & Mahendra (Rana Mahendra), her lover which stood the test of the time.

Mumal was an extremely beautiful Rajput girl whose beauty and charms were famous not only in Jaisalmer but also far and wide. She wanted to marry someone who would win her heart with his bravery and intelligence. Mumal, along with her seven sisters and attendants would weave a web of magic in Kak Mahal to test them. Several kings and princes tried their luck but in vain.

mumal ki medhi lodhurva @lemonicks.com

Remains of the Medhi.

The reputation of this palace, and of Mumal’s dazzling beauty soon became a legend. Once Rana Mahendra Sodha, the ruler of Umer Kot in Sindh (now in Pakistan), reached the banks of the river while hunting. He too was attracted by the magical Kak. From the window of her palace Mumal saw Mahendra and his friend resting by the river bank, so she sent water and some refreshments for them. She invited them to rest in the palace till next morning.

Like others, Mahendra also had to cross the labyrinths and other hurdles to reach the palace. He was an intelligent and courageous man which led him to succeed in reaching the palace, unharmed. Mumal was very impressed and decided to accept him as her consort. Mahendra spent the night at the palace and returned to Umer Kot in the morning.

mahendra

Mahendra on his love journey.

Eventually their love blossomed. Mahendra found a camel which was fast enough to cover long distance from Umer Kot to Kak & back in few hours. Each night Cheetal, the camel, used to take him to spend time with Mumal and they would return to Umer Kot by dawn. He could not keep his mind off Mumal and would keep humming “हाले नी मूमल म्हारी अमराणे रे देश” (Come with me to my Umer Kot, Oh Mumal).

One day, when Mahendra’s family got to know of his love for Mumal, they ordered to break the legs of Cheetal. That night another camel was arranged for him by his friends. The camel was not as fast and experienced as Cheetal. Mahendra didn’t have any option and started his journey. After a while he whipped the camel in order to make her go fast. The camel started running. In the dark Mahendra couldn’t figure out the direction and the result was that he reached Barmer instead of Jaisalmer.

mumal ki medhi lodhurva @lemonicks.com

Once upon a time the River Kaak flowed here, now a dry bed.


At the same time at
Medhi, Mumal kept waiting for Mahendra and started playing games with her sisters. One of her sisters Sumal dressed like a man. Time passed and they were tired and sleepy. Sumal slept in man’s attire with Mumal on her bed.

At Barmer, on realizing his mistake, Mahendra raced towards Jaisalmer and when he reached Kak Mahal, he mistook Sumal as Mumal’s paramour. Disgusted, he left his riding cane besides Mumal’s bed and returned to Umer Kot. He was highly distraught that Mumal had cheated on him.

mumal or moomal mahendra lovestory @ lemonicks.com

Mumal pleaded Mahendra to forgive her but he ignored her requests. To prove her innocence, Mumal set a fire and jumped in it. When Mahendra came to know of this, he rushed to the place where Mumal was already in flames; he joined her to be consumed by the fire along with Mumal.

And that was the end of a fervent legendary love story. If you can read Hindi, here is a longer version of Rajput love story of Mumal & Mahindra story.

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P.S.- This article, Mumal & Mahendra – A Rajput love story , or Mumal-Mahendra ki kahani, belongs to Le Monde a Poetic Travail, an Indian Travel Blog, published by the traveling couple, Nisha & Vasudevan. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. If you are viewing this on another website rather than the RSS feed reader or www.lemonicks.com itself, then that website is guilty of stealing our content. Kindly do us a favour by letting us know via Contact Us. Thank you.

43 thoughts on “Mumal & Mahendra – A Rajput love story”

  1. हाले नी मूमल मांझी अमराणे रे देश 🙂
    Beauty of The Thar Desert…..kain khajaane chhippe hain is registan me bus aap jaise dhundhne wale ho.

  2. What a story Nisha. You have beautifully narrated it. When you read such great love stories it instils in you a sense of what true love and the depth of it. Am happy I came by to read this.

  3. Chaitali,
    There is so much history around us that we are not aware of. It was nice to know about this one and I wanted to share it with others lest it’s lost. 🙂

  4. Stumbled upon your blog when I was searching for the legendary love story of Moomal and Mahendra of Jaisalmer. Loved the write up. I would like to use that page as an external link in my blog. Hope you wouldn’t mind. Keep up the good work.

  5. What a sad story! It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. If only he had believed in his true love! And the desert is an appropriately bleak setting for such a sad tale.

  6. What a story! The end is heart wrenching though. Every single place, every spot in Rajasthan is full of such legendary stories. And you can never get tired of listening to them. They are so captivating. It’s a part of the beauty of Rajasthan

  7. What a sweet and romantic narration of this eternal love story. The post packs in the fragrance of Rajasthan and the warmth of the people. Rajasthan is indeed a place where a story hangs in the air around every corner. Loved rediscovering this gem through your post.

  8. Great to read the Story it was well narrate. but it’s narration is slightly different here in Pakistan. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai one of the great poet and scholar of Sindh-pakistan has expressed and define the whole story slightly different from you through his poems, verses in his one of the great book SHAH JO RISALO in Sindhi language means a BOOK OF SHAH in English. Mumal is one of the seven love Queen’s of SHAH latif.
    1. Mumal/Moomal -Rano, Mahendra Sodha
    2. Marvi- Ammar/Umer (an other king of Umerkot Sindh and the Nrphew of Mahendra Sodha).
    3.Sassi- Punhoon.
    4. Suhni- Mehaar or Mahiwal.
    5. Leela- Channesar.
    6. Noori- Jaam Tamachi.
    7. Soorath – Rai Diach
    Regards,
    Zahid Thebo
    From Sindh Pakistan.
    Cell: 00923332616612.
    fb id: [email protected]

    1. Hi Zahid,

      Thanks for your detailed info. Would love to read that as well and if there’s a story written in English, that would be fantastic. 😀

  9. What a story and tragic ending but a fantastic testament to pure love. Stories like this really illuminate a place with something that fits and gives it more presence that its ruins. Thanks for the tour!

  10. I love legendary love stories like this! When I was a kid my aunt gave me a book of similar Indian legends and stories, complete with beautiful illustrations. They certainly makes one believe in the possibility of true love!

  11. I can picture Mahendra crossing hurdles and navigating labyrinths in the landscape in your pictures! But what a tragic end to a wonderful love story. Thanks for a refreshingly different blog post.

  12. Beautifully narrated Nisha. I only knew of the song ‘Mumal’ which is based on this story, but didn’t know there were actual landmarks in Jaisalmer to corroborate the existence of Mahendra and Princess Mumal! 🙂

  13. Oh no, I did not expect this to be a tragic story but then so many legends from those times are! You’ve written it beautifully I have to say. Never visited this fort’s remains in Jaisalmer but when I head to Rajasthan, I plan to visit a lot of historical places and hopefully, will get to this one as well!

  14. Glad to find the whole story here….
    I think somewhere in Jaisalmer I saw a painting regarding this. One local guy told me something but in a rush, I could not get the whole story. Send this to Bhansali.

  15. Amazing. My grandmother used to call my daughter mumal. When I asked my grandmother she said mumal was a queen. Really thrilled to know about her through your story
    Thank you

  16. “🏰💔 Just read the tragic yet beautiful tale of Mumal & Mahendra on Lemonicks. It’s a poignant story that captures the essence of true love and sacrifice. The historical context and the vivid description of the settings bring the story to life. It’s fascinating how such legends are woven into the fabric of Indian culture, reminding us of the power of love across time. A must-read for anyone interested in romantic folklore. 😍📖 #RajputLoveStory #MumalMahendra”

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