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Kalbhoj: The Legend of Bappa Rawal

The Historical fiction is woven mainly from folklore from James Todd's semi-historical book. However, a very vague historical presence is found in Bhojraj, the first king of Mewar. The year was 713AD. The Maurya descendants, the Moris, ruled over the Chitrakut area of western Rajasthan. The areas around Chitrakoot were ruled by many small Chieftains. One of them was Rawal Mahendra II, a Guhilot descendant. (The descendant of Guha and Nagaditya) As most power struggles suggest, one of his ministers betrayed and killed him and made himself Rawal. Once, Kalbhoj was in the forests near Nagda, close to the borders of the Solanki ruler, looking after his herds. The youngest Solankini princess was out in the forest playing with her Sakhis. They were making failed attempts to make a Jhula on a banyan tree. Kalbhoj was watching them try when one of the Sakhis spotted him. Witty and charming, he always grabbed everyone's attention. Mahendra II had two wives, his first being a Paramara pr...

Chittorgarh: The Stories of Sacrifices

Tracing Timeless Legends at Chittorgarh’s Rana Kumbha Palace The history of Chittorgarh stretches back to the days of the Maurya dynasty, whose first settlements laid the cultural bedrock of the region. It was Bappa Rawal, the inaugural Dewan of Sri Ekling Nath Ji (a revered manifestation of Lord Shiva), who became the first Rajput king to rule here. Fast forward centuries, and under the reign of Rana Kumbhakarna Singh, son of Mokal, Mewar flourished as the dominant power in western India, its boundaries protected by an astonishing network of 56 forts built by the visionary, art-loving Rana Kumbha himself. Some of Chittorgarh’s most striking landmarks are its legacy. A turn into the fort soon opens up a vista of Rana Kumbha Palace and Sringar Chauri . While visitors now use a side entrance beside Sringar Chauri (rather than the proper route via Badi Pol and the grand main gate), this detour lands you immediately in the Rani Mahal, the palace’s inner sanctum once meant for the royal ...