Unlike most women of her day, Begum Razia, born in 1205, was trained from birth by her father to assume the throne. She was an accomplished military leader and a skilled politician. Her political skills were put to good use immediately after her father's death. Noblemen within the inner circle of the Sultanate ignored the late Sultan's wish to enthrone his daughter in favor of her younger brother, Feroze Shah. Lacking the training and skills of his older sister, Feroze neglected duties of court and embarked on an unpopular course of personal debauchery, his mother, Turkaana, step mother to Razia, becoming ruler by default. So unpopular was the rule of Feroze and Razia that the same nobles who installed them reluctantly negotiated a return to power of Razia. Feroze Shah and Tarkaana were murdered on November 9, 1236 making Razia the first ruler of th Delhi Sultanate.

Reza's troubles didn't end there. She was rumored to have taken to an Assyrian slave named Jala-ud-din Yaqut. The exact nature of their close relationship is unknown. However, a rival ruler, the rebellious governor of Batinda, Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din altunia, used the rumor as a pretense to attack Reza's forces. Reza readies her forces and leads them out of Delhi into battle but is defeated by the rebel governor who kills Yaqut. Seeking legitimacy for his claim to the Delhi Sultanate, Malik compels Razia to marry him. Meanwhile, back in Delhi, like something out of daytime soap lore, another younger brother of Razia, Mujuddin Bahram Shah, challenges the new claimant to the throne and seizes control. In an attempt to regain the Kingdom, Reza and Malik are killed in battle in the forest of Kaithal near present day Karnal, Haryana about 60 miles north of Delhi on October 14, 1240.

Although her rein was short, Reza proved to be a capable leader. She dressed as a man, refused the title Sultanese in favor of Sultan and rode an elephant into battle veiless and wearing men's clothes.

Pictured here are Daya and I at the Qutb Minar, built by a succession of Sultans of the Delhi Sultanate, including Rezia and her father. It was the largest of its time and built over older Jain temples. Look for our March Newsletter when we'll cover the fascinating tale of the Delhi Sultanate founded by slaves turned Kings and the Qutb Minar complex.

The city had humble beginnings as a small town opposite the Vishwamitiri River of a larger urban center. Its rise in prominence began in the 9th century when flooding in the year 600 AD forced most of the areas inhabitants into the township and surrounding areas. Situated on an important river and near the Gujarati coast the area steadily accumulated importance and wealth as a major trading link between Delhi, Rajastan, Bombay and as far north as modern day Pakistan.

Hindu Kings ruled the kingdom until Muslim invaders, part of the Delhi Sultanate, seized control of the area in 1297, themselves replaced by Mughal rulers in the 17th century.

Throughout the long Sultanate and brief era of Mughal rule, the Hindu Marathra kingdom to the south proved a persistent and often overwhelming concern. The Marathra federation, an Indo-Ayan race, led by a dominant Peshwar, stopped Mughal expansion into south India seizing control of most of the Indian subcontinent by the 18th century. In 1721 The Gaekwad dynasty in Baroda was started when Maratha general Pilaji Rao Gaekwad wrestled control of Baroda from its Mughal rulers and was awarded control of it along with most of present day Gujarat and Maharastra as a fiefdom of the Peshwar. The fiefdom soon became so only in name, the Peshwar only a symbolic ruler after the battle of Panipat in 1761 threw the entire Marathra federation into disarray. The Maharaja of Baroda under siege from internal elements forged an alliance with the British East India Company in 1802 that rescued and bolstered the Gaekwad dynasty. In return, the East India Company gained Paramouncy over the Kingdom's external affairs, the Maharaja retaining independence and full control of internal affairs. The agreement lasted until independence in 1947 when it was split into the modern states of Gujarat and Maharastra.

The Gaekwad dynasty still maintains the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Baroda. Daya, whose father is from Baroda, and I were treated to a private tour in 1993. The structure is incredible, a storybook Indian Palace complete with gardens, fountains and an armory stacked with weapons of every description from 17th century swords, chain male and mace to British era rifles. Polished stone floors reflected stuffed tigers and lions and ornately framed paintings traced its and its inhabitants' history.

The city itself reflects India today, a mix of modern glass and steel structures housing high tech industries and miles of ornate historic buildings. A short drive through Baroda by rickshaw can take a visitor from quaint villages through bustling bazaars to modern IT centers or Mughal era elegance. It's British Raj era name was officially changed to its ancestral name Vadodora in 1973 and, due to a surge of nationalist emotions, has gained dominance.

In the south of India, this auspicious day, called Pongal, or overflowing, is a kind of thanksgiving owing to its coincidence with harvest time and the first of a four-day celebration. The first day, Bhogi Pongal, marks a day of cleansing, a new beginning when old clothes and discarded items are thrown into bonfires. Colorful floor designs are created using rice powder, red earth, cow dung and flowers. The second day, Surya Pongal, newly harvested food is offered to the sun god. Day three, Mutta Pongal, cows are ritually washed and decorated, their horns polished. They are fed sacrificial food prepared the previous day. On the final day, Kanya Pongal, sisters pray for the happiness of their brothers and colored cooked and dyed balls of rice are placed in fields for birds to feast on.

A related story has it that on the third day, Lord Shiva instructed his celestial cow, Nandi to deliver a message to the humans on earth; "to take an oil bath daily and eat once a month". Nandi, confused, instructs humans to eat daily and bathe monthly. The infuriated Shiva compels the beast to return to earth and remain there to help the humans plow the earth to produce enough food for the daily meals.

In the Punjab, Makar Sankrant is the coldest day of the year. Bonfires are lighted and traditional Bangra dance is performed through the night. A party atmosphere predominates.

In Gujarat, the festival is celebrated with kite flying, especially in Ahmenabad, where the celebration has obtained international recognition. In the old city, a Patang Bazaar (Kite Market) develops where kites of every description can be found. After sunset, lighted box kites take flight, a beautiful sight indeed. The most fun however is to be had in aerial combat with flyers cutting the lines of other kites via sharp edges and lines encrusted with crushed glass. Falling kites create a eurphoria on the ground as children rush to capture fallen kites to reuse or resell. It's also a day for gift giving to younger members of the house and for sweets (julebi) such as a sesame seed sweet called til ladoo.

It's a very festive day throughout India and a worthwhile date to visit. Just watch for falling razor edged kites.