The Battle Fought Over a Single Watermelon

It sounds strange, but this is the only war in history fought for a watermelon, in which thousands of soldiers were killed. It is called "Matire ki Raad" (1644 AD).

This story is about a battle that people today find hard to believe, but it is recorded in the pages of Rajasthan's history as "The Battle of the Watermelon."

🍉 One Watermelon, Two Kingdoms, and Thousands of Deaths

This incident took place in the year 1644. There were two neighboring states in Rajasthan—Bikaner and Nagaur. There was a village called "Silwa" in Bikaner, and a village called "Jakhania" in Nagaur. The two villages shared borders.

It so happened that a watermelon vine grew in the field of a farmer in Bikaner.  The vine grew and entered the border of the neighboring Nagaur state, and the fruit (watermelon) grew on Nagaur's land.

2. The Debate That Turned into a War

When the watermelon was ripe, the Bikaner farmer declared, "The vine is mine, so the fruit is mine."

The Nagaur farmer retorted, "The land is mine, so the fruit is mine."

The matter was trivial, but it was a matter of rights. Gradually, people from both villages gathered. A debate ensued between the village heads (Choudharys), and then the matter reached the landlords. No one was willing to yield. Everyone said that this was a matter of their kingdom's honor.

Bloody Battle

Surprisingly, at that time, both Bikaner's King Karan Singh and Nagaur's King Amar Singh Rathore were away on business at the Mughal court in Delhi. But the armies of the two states faced each other from behind.

This was no small skirmish. Cavalry, elephants, and soldiers took to the battlefield.

Thousands of soldiers sacrificed their lives for a mere watermelon.

In the end, Bikaner's army won, and Bikaner received the "precious" watermelon.

When both kings learned of this battle, they were stunned. Even in Shah Jahan's court, it was discussed that warriors would sacrifice their lives for the sake of Rajput pride, even for a single fruit.

This story seems more like an interesting anecdote than a lengthy history.

Read more : -  A Model of Strength and Humility in Leadership