Mesmerizing Mewar: A Dream Trip

Moti Magri: Udaipur

Rajputana is like the Mecca of Medieval History Lovers. I am no exception. My last trip to Rajasthan was to Amer (Jaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur) as well as Bikaner and Jaisalmer, the sand dunes and budding cities of the modern-day Rajputana. This one was closer to my heart. Why?

I have been addicted to History forever and hence addicted to historical shows as well. As many of my readers know and are as well, a fan of Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap hence this trip was a dream come true as I could explore the land he loved and lived for. Maharana Pratap's Mewar. I call it Mesmerizing Mewar.

Chittorgarh View From Guard House at Ram Pol

Well, for a start, you enter Bundi and Mewar and you will feel you have travelled back in time. The villages, the cities, the streets, the food, the people... Everything is strangely similar to the way it was 600 years back if not more. The name of the streets are still like Kuthariyon ki Gali, Rani ki bagh etc, the name of the villages are exactly what we read about in 600 years old history, and the people still call the Maharani's Baisa. The village scenes take you back to the era of Mewar Valor and Sacrifice. The forests are still dense with leopards, bears and small wild cats at large and the jheels and talabs are still the centre of activities and worship.

In my series I choose to title Mesmerizing Mewar I will take you all on a journey through my trip, using my pics and what I experienced at each place. These will be the parts...

Bundi: The Invincible Fort
Bijolia: The Nature and the History of a Small Town
Chittorgarh: The Dream Destination with subcategories like:
Chittorgarh - The Story of Sacrifices (Kumbha Palace and Sringaar Chauri, Rana Kumbha, Rani Karnavati, Panna Dai, Kunwar Pratap)
Chittorgarh- The Towers of Faith and Victory (Vijay Stambh and Kirti Stambh)
Chittorgarh - The Devoted Fort (Meera Bai, the Talabs and Temples)
Chittorgarh - The First Jauhar (Padmini Palace and Jauhar Sthal, legends of queen Padmini)
Chittorgarh - The Final Seige (Mohor Magri and Battleground)
Udaipur: The Modern Heritage
Eklingji, Nagda, Nathdwara, Ranakpur, Delwara: The Religious History
Kumbhalgarh and Gogonda: The Witness of Turmoils
Haldighati: The First War of Independence
Chavand: The Maharana's Capital
Mewar: Food, Culture and dreams

It will be taking a lot of my time and your patience in this journey but I hope to give you a clear view of the places the way I saw them. I first reached Bundi, the city adjacent to the princely state of what once was Mewar, now Udaipur and Bhilwara district. From Bundi, I took a cab to Chittorgarh, which is a three-hour drive, Menal and Bijolia fall on the way to the Fort, as well as the Bhimlat Mahadev and waterfalls. From Chittorgarh, we took a cab to Udaipur, it's a four hours drive. Keeping Udaipur as the centre we can visit Kumbhalgarh, Gogunda, Eklingji, Chavand, Kakroli, Rajsmand, Mt. Abu, Jaismand, Ranakpur, Nagda, Nathdwara and Haldighati, each an hour or two drive amidst the beauty of Mewar's nature. I will take you all through the journey where History comes alive to give you goosebumps.

Marked Here are the places I saw and the arrow indicates my journey direction. One thing is wrong with this Map. Bijolia is situated between Bundi and Chittorgarh 55Kms from Bundi and not near Udaipur as it is Marked here.

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The Queen of Mewar

There have been many versions, folktales and local stories in Rajputana on their Kings and Queens. None of these versions is, however, historical as history only mentions her as wife to Maharana Pratap, his consort and Queen Mother to Amar Singh. She was busy making a garland when Ratnawati rushed inside, hardly able to breathe. Concerned, the elder sister stopped her work and looked at her panting young sibling. " What is it? What's wrong?" "Jija maa sa is not letting me go to the haat mela alone. Please come with me, I need to buy some bangles." The spoiled younger one pleaded. " Wait, let me do my aarti first, then we can go." The reluctant Ratnawati sat down impatiently. In another room, their mother was helping their father get ready for the day. He was the Samant of Bijolia, the representative of the Rana of Mewar. Throughout the day he had to deal with administrative problems in Bijolia and give people justice, but today he had something...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to be killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals along Mewar with Kunwar Udai Singh attacked Chittorgarh taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon to re...

One Bullet? Not Enough!

“NOTHING COMES WITHOUT SELF SACRIFICE... NEVER GIVE UP, EVEN IF WE FACE OUR OWN END...” ~ Matangini Hazra The year was 1869. For most of India, it is famous as the year when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to change the face of India's struggle for freedom. But in a corner of Undivided Bengal, the villagers of Hogla in Tamluk, the district capital of Medinipur, witnessed the birth of a girl child to Thakurdas Maity and his wife Bhagabati Devi. One can only imagine the birth of a girl child to a loan-ridden poor peasant in a village back then perhaps meant no celebration. It meant the burden, of having no heir, providing for this child and of course arranging for her dowry. She was named Matangini literally meaning “The Female Elephant” but a name attributed to the consort of Lord Shiva, Adi Shakti. The Birth Place of Matangini is now renovated into this building. Courtesy: Midnapore. in The official records show her date of birth as the 17th of Novem...

The Reva Cries

Roopmati had watched the troops leave. She had stood behind the chief queen as she traditionally bid goodbye to her sons. She had waited for the Sultan to come to her. He did. He was confident that the sudden advancement of Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan could be curbed. It was not war, just precaution. He reassured her. Malwa would never bow to the Timurids. And he would not let anything happen to her. To Her. Roopmati felt suffocated by her husband’s affectionate hug. She felt trapped in the scrutinising eyes of all the people in the palace. Angry blaming eyes. She tried to pace herself and sing but her voice cracked in fear. Her melody was drowned in tears. Every evening a messenger would come to the chief queen with the news of war. Roopmati was kept in the darkness. She was not told about anything. She knew the rumours. She was a witch. A temptress who caused doom to the Sultan of Malwa. She was a spy of the enemy planted in his life to destroy him. She wondered if he came back...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja Udai Singh II was son to Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons, and 2 5 wives apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jallore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir as her father Akshayraj Rao was a friend and ally of his father Rana Sanga. Sajjabai Solankhini...

Women In Epics of India

Satyavati: She was the adopted daughter of a Fisherman, rejected by her King's father. She dreamed of running the kingdom because she was born a princess and refused her rights. She was the mother to the extremely talented Krishna Daipayan who she rejected as he came on the path of her dreams. She mesmerized the emperor with her beauty. She made Devabrata into Bheeshma . The king died soon. Her arrogance led to the fall of her spoilt sons and yet she desired more. She brought up her grandchildren with desires that later lead to Adharma . She was Satyavati , Princess of Matsya, Queen of Hastinapur. Draupadi Yajnaseni: She was born to be used as a tool of revenge, she knew it and had no say. Her Swayambhar was a flaw as only he could win the archery contest. She was his winner's prize. He shared her with his brothers because his mother said so. She was the direct reason behind the greatest Dharma Yudh . She was disre...

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklores, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan, however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai, but howe...

The Warrior Bride

Kelwa/Kailwa is a small village situated around two hours away from Chittorgarh and an hour from Lake Pichola. It was mainly inhabited by the Rathores and ruled by the Chundawat clan, who were once the rulers of Mewar. One chief of Kelwa, was Rawat Sihaji Singh Chundawat. He was a very close ally of Rana Sanga. His son Jaga Singhji too died fighting for Rana Udai Singhji in one war with the Afghans in 1555 AD. Kelwa’s heir was the minor child of Jaga Singhji and his widow Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. Being from the clan of the Chauhan Rajputs, she was a warrior at heart. From the early age of about four, her only son was brought up under his uncle Naga Singhji, to fight for his motherland and serve it like all other Mewaris. Fatta (Patta), as fondly called by everyone was a deft warrior even before he reached his teens. His name and bravery spread across the land, to Rana Udai Singh’s ears in Chittorgarh. He was also the nephew to Ranaji’s close aide Rawat Chundawatji. Upon the order of...

The Kaali Effect

!!BOOM!! The shopping mall echoed with a noise. The buzz grew silent. Fear crept in. Until somebody shouted, " It's just a Baloon!" The buzz grew again, the shopping continued, the romantic couples continued their walks, and the food court filled up with the aroma of the orders... A few decades back people used to laugh carefree at a balloon bursting or a tyre booming in the streets or in various crowded areas. Now in the back of everyone's head, a loud noise always brings the same thoughts... Another year, Another city, Another crowded place, Several innocent lives. They don't spare religious places too. For the sake of mankind? Religion? Politics? Power? They only know. Who are they? Nobody knows. It is said the demon Kaali who ushered in KaliYug decided to reside in a few things. Addiction, Wealth, Desire, and Anger are some such things he resides in. This is KaliYug where an innocent child's balloon makes adults fear the extremes. What is dharma here? We...

Udaipur: The Modern Heritage

Udaipur, the Capital of Mewar since 1568 ever since Akbar seized Chittor. However, for 25 Years between 1572 to 1597 Maharana Pratap decided to shift his capital from Kumbhalgarh to Chavand and decided that Udaipur was Vulnerable to the Mughal's Attack. The places to see around Udaipur are to be roamed by auto in a day, and it is best to stay near Lake Pichola. We Stayed at Gangaur Palace Hotel near the Gangaur Ghat. It is a ghat where till today the Gangaur festival is celebrated with a month-long Mela in March. Talking of Melas, I forgot to mention that Chittorgarh also celebrates the Annual Jauhar Mela in Feb-March to pay homage to the Viranganas of the 1568 Jauhar. Udaipur has 7 lakes, four of which are tourist spots. We have to visit all the other places like Haldighati, Kumbhalgarh etc from Udaipur only. The places to see in Udaipur are: 1. The City Palace and Museum : The city palace was built by several Maharajas in different sections over the years, starting from Udai Sing...

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