Mewar: Religious Places

Mewar had always been a secular country where Hindus, Jains and Islamic people lived in perfect Harmony. Since the end of the 12th century, Jainism gained prominence in Mewar while Rana Kumbha increased Secularism. The Afghans under Maharana Pratap henceforth settled in Mewar as well. The five religious points that are famous around Mewar are Nagda, Elingji, Nathdwara, Ranakpur, and Delwara. I will tell you about them in the order I visited them.

Nagda:

Nagda is a mere half-hour ride from Udaipur and is very close to Eklingji's Shrine. In ancient times it was called Nagahrada after Nagaditya, the father of the famous ruler Shiladitya who worked towards friendship with the Bhils. In 646AD this town flourished with Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Jainism. In the fifteenth Century, the Guhil King Mokal, father to Rana Kumbha constructed a lake in the name of his brother Bagh Singh, which still exists today, Our driver (we took a car to roam Nagda Nathwara Eklingji and Haldighati together) said it was the Eklingnath Lake but is actually called Bagh Lake.

Saas Temple

The Gateway

Architecture on the walls

Pillars inside the Bahu Temple

The Sahastra Vahu Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu was built in the late 10th Century. It was dedicated to the thousand-handed Lord Vishnu. The detached Makara Toran leads the way to the twin Vaishnavism temples on a raised platform that is now known as Saas Bahu temple. The Saas Temple (larger one) has a hall, a sanctum, and pillars with stories from the Ramayana. Both temples are now in ruins, but the splendour speaks for itself today also. No idols are found inside, they were either removed or destroyed.

Eklingji:

Bappa Rawal, the founder of the Mewari Rajputs dreamt of Lord Shiva in this Avatar. Hence the Ranas are called Dewans of Sree Ekling Nath Ji, He built a temple to the Lord, 22Kms from Udaipur, this temple complex was built over time, from 734 AD. Started by Bappa Rawal, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times, by Bappaditya, Rana Kumbha and others, to its present two stored state with 108 smaller temples. Photography is prohibited inside and one can buy flowers and lamps to offer prayers to the lord between 10,30 am to 1.30 am and witness the Sandhya Aarti from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. No leather accessories, cameras or phones are allowed inside but if you take your own lock and key with you, you can always keep your things in the lockers of the temple. It is very safe and systematic.

Inside, there is a huge Nandi and a statue of Bappa Rawal. The temple is so beautiful and peaceful, with great architecture and curved pillars of stone. The shrine has the original idol built under Bappa and is considered very auspicious. Outside the temple, I bought a small Ekling Nath Ji idol for myself.

Nathdwara:

Amongst all the temples we visited in Mewar, this was the most confusing one. Again you have to keep your belongings but it is not safe in lockers. The narrow lanes and the clumsy crowd were disturbing and you have to take a very long walk to reach the original shrine. It is situated on the Banks of the famous Banas River (Haldighati one) and is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Local folktales believe that this Krishna was actually placed elsewhere near Jaipur where Mariam Ur Zamani i.e. Heer Kanwar (popularly and wrongly called Jodha Bai) was a worshipper of this lord. But during Aurangzeb's turbulent times, this Idol was shifted to the safe havens of Vrindavan. After Raj Singh of Mewar defeated Aurangzeb the Idol was brought back on a Bullock cart which broke here and the Idol couldn't be moved. The priests said the Lord chose his place and this temple was built.

Ranakpur:

Ranakpur can be visited on the way to Kumbhalgarh by car. The car takes you to Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Gogunda together. Ranakpur was actually called Rana Pur after Rana Kumbha donated generously to build a Jain Temple there. Rana Kumbha was always known for his religious secularism. Ranapur was a small Village about 6kms from Kumbhalgarh. The road from Udaipur to Ranakpur (via Jodhpur highway) goes via the jungles of Ranakpur where Leopards and Bears supposedly roam free. During the season time, one can stay at the Ranakpur Resorts and enjoy a jungle safari in the forest. We pass by numerous creeks and streams and dense forests. Lakes, where animals come to drink water, are also seen. The road also passes through some Villages and you can feel you have travelled back 500 years with no lights or phone signals available on the road. The road is narrow and filled with scenic beauty so I enjoyed it a lot.

The Jain Temple at Ranakpur is also accompanied by a Sun Temple maintained by the Udaipur Royal Family. They being Suryavanshi, this is a very important temple.

Village Scenes of Mewar

Jungles of Mewar

Restaurants in the Jungle

Ranakpur Jain Temple

Entrance. Notice the architecture.

The roof

Pillars at the temple

Temple Complex

The Ranakpur Jain Temple had mesmerizing Marble architecture and grandeur. Note that no one in sleeveless tops or short bottoms is allowed to enter any Jain Temple. Ranakpur was the best architectural wonder I saw.

Delwara (Mt.Abu):

Delwara Jain temple is at Mt. Abu and can be visited when you go for an overnight trip to Mt. Abu via car from Udaipur. Mt. Abu has no other sites than the temples, Delwara and a Lake called Nakki. The Aachalgarh fort (only walls are left as ruins) and temples, built by Rana Kumbha was the place where Man Singh of Amer (the Haldighati one) died in 1614. Photography is not allowed. I would like to mention that a Shiva Temple built by Kumbha is also found in Aachalgarh and is a very nice one.

Anchalgarh Fort

Achalgarh Fort

Next up, is my visit to Gogunda and Kumbhalgarh! Read On!

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...

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 Queen Mother of Mewar

Let me start by saying, this is a representation of history and folklore in my own words, trying to show how great a soul this lady was. And let me start with a line here. “Naari Ki Balidaano Ko Sadev Bhulta Aya hai Itihas.” Yes, most women lay forgotten in the pages of history, only alive through the folklore and local tales that fail to reach the pages of books due to a lack of historical evidence. Their names don’t remain, but their haunting hand prints on the fort walls before Jauhar, their names on inscriptions as daughter, wife and mother, often make us wonder, who were they, how were they and how were their lives! Historically, the only thing we know about Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara, princess of Jallore and queen of Mewar is that she was the first queen of Rana Udai Singh II, the mother of most probably her only son Maharana Pratap and daughter of ally of Rana Sanga, Akshay Raj of Jallore. Apart from that her entire life has no historical existence and is spun on ...

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...

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...

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 Princess of Marwar

Historically we know nothing about Phool Bai Rathore except that she was the daughter of Ram Singh Rathore, granddaughter of Raja Maldeo Rathore and fifth wife of Maharana Pratap. There is no historical evidence of Akbar's alliance with her in particular however Maldeo did give his granddaughters in a marriage alliance with Mughals and other major dynasties. Phool Kanwar's cousin Maanwati Bai (Better known as Jodha Bai or Jagat Gossain) married Salim, Akbar's son and later emperor Jahangir. The Princess was in her chambers. The Mehrgarh Fort was in a quiet dark state and everyone feared what lay ahead. The men of the Rathore clan had gone to ally with the Mughal emperor Akbar. Rao Maldeo had decided that it was the only way to save Marwar's future. His second son Udai and youngest one Chandrasen supported his decision to save the country. But his heir and firstborn Ram Singh Rathore was a rebel. He was not going to bow down before the Mughals and lose his dignity. A...

The Navroz Incident

This popular folklore has been recreated from Col, James Todd's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan. Names I have added, from my own historical research. This one is especially for Garima to thank her for the books and love! Yet another Veer Gatha from the dessert! Ps. This is folklore with no evidence of history, please remember that Bikaner, lying in the western part of the Thar, was a small yet independent state ruled by a clan of Marwari Rathores until Raja Kalyanmal surrendered to Akbar's Rajput Policies in 1571. His fourth son Prithviraj Rathore, being a great warrior and poet was respected as one of the "Nine Gems" in Emperor Akbar's court. Prithviraj, was the son of Kalyanmal's first wife and queen Rani Songaribai Rainawati, a cousin of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai of Mewar. Hence he was cousin to the valiant Pratap Singh of Mewar. He was also married to one of Rana Udai Singh of Mewar's daughters from his other wives, sister to Kunwar Pratap, Baisa Ja...

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...

Charumati's Love

T his is written based on folklore. This is a representative work of fiction and not claiming any historical happening in the conversations. This is to show the spirit of the women of Rajputana. The year 1657. Shah Jahan had taken ill and was rumoured to be dying in Agra Fort. He was about eighty and the pressure of having an empire had taken a toll on his body. The seat of power was slowly shifting from Agra to Delhi since the prominence of the Laal Quila had increased and if the news spread was to be believed his sons were in a battle for the throne already. It was time each king chose sides once again. Dara Sikhoh was the eldest and the righteous Heir to the throne. He was believed to be a man who held high morals and was hence respected by the enemies and alliances as well. Aurangzeb was his sibling and the youngest of the brothers. Short tempered and cunning he was always dreaded by the court. As Shah Jahan took ill, Aurangzeb took this as a golden opportunity to wage ...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog