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 Groom Abductor

She was sitting inside the Palace at Dwarka. Her brothers were busy attending to guests. The Prince of Hastinapur had arrived that day with a proposal for her elder brothers. Being aloof from political scenarios the young princess, the only sister to her two brothers was not bothered. She hated the sight of the prince who troubled her aunt and cousins back in Hastinapur. But he was her brother's student and hence a favourite at Dwarka. A maid came in a hurry and informed, " There is good news Rajkumari. Your wedding has been fixed to the Prince of Hastinapur, Suyodhan by your eldest brother" Shocked she could not speak. Her brother did not bother to ask for her opinion. Her childish anger overcame her as she rushed to her other brother, the one who always had the way. Crying she reached his chambers where his wife Rukmini was present. Seeing his dearest sister cry Rukmini got up worried from her seat. "What is wrong, sister? Why are you crying?" " Where ...

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...

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 b...

Symphony of Love

A week was enough for the master to be pleased enough with the new student to tell the Sultan that she was ready for her first performance. The Sultan was extremely pleased and rewarded him with a gold chain. As the master bowed to leave, the guards announced the arrival of the chief queen. Sultan Baz Bahadur sat upright. She was his first bride, a childhood alliance his father had forced upon him when he did not even know what marriage implied. Now he only saw her face when she had complaints about the inner palace and its inhabitants. Honestly, he expected her to be there since Roopmati arrived. His queen did not like changes, especially if those changes were threatening to her position. The Chief Queen arrived with her maids, dismissed them at the threshold and came up to her husband to bow and greet him. “What brings you here?” Baz Bahadur asked, with a lingering smile on his lips. The queen could hear the hint of taunt in his voice. She forced a smile. Her marriage to this r...

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...

Roopmati's Renewal

The entourage was too large and extravagant for a musician. Roopmati remembered that as a child, during festivities, she would ride on her father’s shoulder to see the entourages pass by the main streets of the town nearby. She had seen many a musician. None had such a huge entourage. Roopmati frowned a little unsurely as she took her father’s leave. His warning rang in her ears. “Remember what you do, how you behave will all come back to me.” She nodded. The chief queen was at a loss for words. She had never seen the Sultan himself step into the Mahal to check the chambers to be allotted to one of the girls who were coming in. She was not one of the girls. She was a musician. The queens were curious. What would her position be then? She could not be a concubine, and she was not a queen. A musician in the royal palace of the ladies? Had the Sultan lost his senses? Or did he have some other agenda? If he wanted someone, he had them. He was the Sultan. There was no way he was...

Love or Obsession?

The next morning, the Jahaj Mahal was woken at dawn by the sound of construction 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 the 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 midday, 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 d...

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...

To Protect and Honour

Roopmati was dressed in her best clothes for the evening in honour of the Prince of Khandesh, as she approached the Mehfil. Wine poured with music as Baz Bahadur found himself humming the songs she presented with a smile on his face. Roopmati looked up at him through her veil, and she wore a smile as she sang. Although her face was not visible, Baz Bahadur knew it was on him. A sudden warmth gushed through his veins to his ears. It was then that Mubarak started praising Roopmati as she bowed. He was highly intoxicated, and his praises swept from her voice and singing to her beauty, the poetry that talked of her and finally a proposal to take her along and give her more luxuries than Malwa promised. Roopmati stepped back, a little shocked at his proposition, as Baz Bahadur stood up to make him stop. The Mehfil broke as Baz Bahadur ordered Mubarak’s men to let him sleep his high off in the guest wing, and he turned to see that Roopmati had already left. Roopmati felt insulted at the prai...

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...

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