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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Bijolia: Her Home

Bijolia is situated in the current Bhilwara district of the state of Rajasthan, 55KMs from Bundi town and 105 km from Chittorgarh on the Bundi-Chittor Road. Previously, a part of Mewar this small town has its own history and tales. For a start, it was ruled by the Punwars or Parmer Rajputs from the 11th to the 13th Century. In the 13th Century, it went under the rule of the Chauhan dynasty who made a fort at Bhilwara and thus the capital of Bijolia shifted from Bijolia town to Bhilwara fort. The Punwars sought refuge in Mewar. The Chauhan rule ended soon and Rana Kumbha brought Bijolia under Mewar's rule. The Parmers served as Rao in Bijolia as a representative of the Mewar Royals. The Bijolia Inscriptions are equally famous but sadly the town is not a tourist site especially if you travel by bus or car. The Jain Temples that are made around the 14th and 15th centuries are an example of Mewar's rich architecture. There is no good place to stay in Bijolia. A few hotels and guest...

Jauhar: All You Need to Know

“We have no Knowledge of the beginning and end of the world, the first and last of this ancient book has fallen out” Abu Talib Karim Rightly said by the poet laureate of Emperor Shah Jahan above, we do not actually know the beginning and end of anything in the universe, be it the traditions, culture or human race, or the world. What we know are fragments of the past we extract out of evidence. It is in vain to try and determine the first and last of something. For the past few months owing to some media hype on Jauhar, many of you had asked me questions. I tried to answer most of them. However, a lot remained unsaid and unwritten. Mostly because some things are impossible to put into words. But here I try my best. Today is a very significant day in history. On the 23 rd of February 1568, the world saw the last “Jauhar” of Chittorgarh, recorded in the medieval history of India. Akbar had invaded Mewar and the siege of four months ended in the Saka. There was no better day for...

Teeja Saka Chittor Ra

23rd February 1568. The sun rose on the eastern horizon, not with the hope of a new day. But, with the horror of what was to follow. The first rays of the Sun God were met by the chants of “Jai Bhavani!” that echoed in the air of Chittorgarh. The Mewaris knew it was time. Four months back, when the Mughals camped at the base of the fort, a helpless Chittorgarh had watched. Rana Udai Singh had left with his closest aides to make the new city westwards, his capital. If rumours were to be believed, he had left behind a cavalry of 8000 soldiers, under Rao Jaimal of Merta and Rawat Patta of Kelwa to look over the fort. He had also left behind some of his lesser queens and infant princes, as an assurance to the people that Chittorgarh was invincible. Their safety and hope had lived in Kunwar Pratap. Truth be said, they had already taken the crown Prince as their King. Ever since Ranisa had left with him till he became the Senapati, he had time and again proved to be a better lead...

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...

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...

Love or Obsession?

The next morning the Jahaj Mahal was woken at dawn by the sound of constructions on the roof. The women flocked to the lawn to catch a glimpse of what was happening. A pathway was being cut to the hill. On top of the hillock a pavilion was to be built, the soldiers informed. A pavilion for what? The women contemplated. “Rani Roopmati’s view point of the Reva.” Suddenly all eyes of the palace were on her. Roopmati stood there stunned. Baz Bahadur had called his best builders and chosen the highest point of Mandu to build a pavilion for his new queen. If she stood on its edge and looked at the horizon she could spot a thin silver line right where the sky met the land. The Reva. The queens were displeased. A pavilion for her? What about them? Where did she find the audacity to ask for it? But their surprises were not over yet. By mid-day builders arrived to dig out the lawn. “What is happening?” One of the concubines gasped. “Our beloved flowers are being plucked out. Why are you digging ...

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 Cortege That Shook The Raj: Kanailal Dutta

10th November, 1908 Around late morning, a procession of lacs made their way through the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Some were chanting “Vande Mataram” others blew conch shells and Ululation filled the air. Flowers were being showered from all directions and garlands made their way through the crowd, being thrown at the procession in the middle. Bhagwat Gita and Ananda Math (Novel by Bamkim Chandra) were offered. No, this was no “ Sobha Jatra ” or celebration. This was no religious festivities either. That dawn, the Alipore Jail, which opened only two years back, witnessed the hanging of Kanailal Dutta, a twenty-year-old member of the “Jugantar Dol” an anarchist group that was set up primarily by Aurobindo Ghosh (Later Rishi Arabindo) his brother Barindra and their associates. Kanailal hailed from Chandannagore and although he was not present in most of their meetings in Kolkata he was still one of their early members from Chandannagore, then a French province. “ Jai Kan...

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...

Kumbhalgarh Gogunda: Witness to Turmoil

Walls of Kumbhalgarh Kumbhalgarh was built atop a cliff 6kms from Kelwara, by Rana Kumbhakarna Singh of Mewar. He was looking for an alternative capital with the constant attacks on Delhi making Chittorgarh vulnerable to the Western invaders. It is the second most important fort of Mewar. After Mokal, Kumbha's father was killed he sought refuge here on this hill, with his mother and planned to build a fort here. But the walls were not standing. Worried, he was advised by the priests to visit a Saint at Ranakpur Village. He did so and the saint said that the Amba Devi Temple on this hill is very powerful and to build a fort he needs to give a man as a sacrifice. Kumbha in a fix asked who will do this for me. The Saint said " I will But listen to me carefully. First, at dawn, you come to me. I will not talk to you, Follow me silently. When I first start walking, start the boundary walls there. Where I stop first will be the first Pol. Where I stop second will be the next. On ...

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