The many Thrones of India

Well, Mysore has been in the news for the last few days and much has been written and televised about the golden throne of  the Wodeyars.

An invaluable artifact, which according to legend goes back to the times of the Pandavas, the origin of the throne is shrouded in mystery.

What many do not know is that today, the golden throne is the most magnificent piece of its kind in India. There is no other throne that even comes remotely near it in terms of heritage, myth, legend or even beauty.

Of course, here we are only taking about thrones in India and not those which have been lost forever or destroyed such as the priceless Peacock throne of the Mughals and the golden throne of Tipu Sultan.

So let us take a look at some of the thrones of India.

The Peacock Throne of the Mughals was commissioned by Emperor Shahjahan and it has been described by scores of travelers and visitors to the Mughal Empire as the most magnificent throne of its time.

History tells us that the Peacock Throne was carried away by Nadir Shah after he sacked and looted Delhi in 1739.

Nadir Shah massacred the entire population of Delhi and took away the entire wealth of the Mughals, including the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor diamond to Iran.

The throne was destroyed by assassins who murdered Nadir Shah. Today, there is no remnant of this throne but a replica made by Indian craftsmen exists in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul, Turkey.

This is also a Mughal style throne and it was also supposedly carted away by Nadir Shah, who gifted it to the Ottoman Emperor. This throne too is believed to be only a small part of the Delhi loot of Nadir Shah.  

The throne is on public display and it is in the form of a high-edged table with four legs. The cushion is decorated with pearls and a gold braid.

The Kohinoor, we know, is with the British monarch.

Apart from these two thrones, contemporary texts and accounts say that the Mughals had at least nine other thrones and almost all of them were in the red fort in Delhi and at the fort in Agra. There was also a throne in the fort at Lahore.

Nine of these thrones, including the Peacock Throne, were taken away by Nadir Shah.  

After Nadir Shah left India, a weakened Mughal Empire shrunk considerably in area and extent. The power they once wielded was almost gone. This is best represented by the throne they sat on. The throne was a crude replica of the peacock throne and it was almost entirely made of silver.

The last Mughal Emperor to sit on this throne was Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1857. The British broke it up and carted it away to their homeland after the first war of Indian Independence.

The British also plundered the Red fort and took away rubies, diamonds, gold, silver, jade and all jewels and artifacts that they could lay their hands on.

The 20th century Pahlavi dynasty in Iran also called their ceremonial seat “the Peacock Throne,” though this throne has no relation to the original peacock throne.

Another throne that was Indian and held a lot of sentiment was the gold throne of Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler. This throne was made by the goldsmith Hafez Muhammad Multani sometime between  1820 to 1830.

It was made of wood and resin core and then carefully covered with sheets of engraved gold. The base is two tiered and it is crafted with lotus, a symbol of Hindu purity. The throne today is an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Incidentally, the octagonal shape of the throne is based on courtly furniture of the Mughals. Since Ranjit Singh was renowned for his simplicity and dislike of ceremony, he rarely sat on this throne, preferring to sit cross-legged on carpets.

The throne was taken by the British in 1849 on the annexation of Punjab, after the second Anglo-Sikh war.

A throne that the British willfully broke up was the throne with the tiger motif that belonged to Tipu Sultan of Mysore. When Tipu died in Srirangapatna on May 4, 1799, the British troops looted his treasury, mint, palace and broke down the throne. Today, only a few tiger motifs-three of the eight that were crafted on the throne-and the gold Huma bird which was perched on the umbrella on the throne has survived. The rest have been lost.

Similarly, it is believed that the Vijayanagar Empire had several thrones. Most of them appear to have been destroyed or broken apart when the Muslim states of the Deccan wantonly destroyed Hampi or Vijayanagar after the battle of Talikota in 1565.

The golden throne of Mysore was one of the many thrones that the Vijayanagar Emperors sat on. It was unearthed from a secret pit in Peunkonda by one of the founders of the Vijayanagar empire, Harihara, in 1348.

The then Rajguru of  Vijayanagar, Vidyaranya, helped Harihara excavate the throne. The throne was at Anegundi when the Muslim armies marched into Vijayanagar in 1565. It then was transported to Srirangapatna and from there it came into the possession of the Wodeyars.     

This throne, the Bhavishya Purana says, originally belonged to Indra, the King of Gods. Inbdra gave it to Vikramaditya, the second son of  King Gandharvasena of Ujjaini who belonged to the Paramar dynasty.

The Bhavishya Purana also portrays Vikramaditya as the first great Hindu King among the ten great kings. He received the throne from Indra as he settled a dispute between Rambha and Urvasi. In his judgment, Urvasi's dance was superior to Rambha's because Rambha lost confidence and her garland flowers became pale as she worried about victory while dancing.

The throne then passed into the hands of Bhoja Raja and later to the Guptas and finally into the hands of the King of Kampili, Kampiliraja.

 Kampili was a tiny kingdom on the banks of the Tungabhadra river in present day Karnataka state during the 13th century. The founder of the kingdom was a Hoysala commander, Singeya Nayaka-III (1280 - 1300) who declared himself independent and created a small chiefdom. He was succeeded by his son Kampiliraja who buried the throne at Penukonda when he was forced to take on Muhammad Bin Tughlaq in 1327.

The throne remained buried in Penukonda till Vidyaranya directed Harihara to excavate it.

Another throne of the Vijayanagar can be seen on festive occasion when the idol of Virupaksha is taken in a procession. Historians believe that the Vijayanagar Emperors gave the throne to the temple in 1565 just before or soon after their defeat in Talikota, which is a small town in Bijapur district.

We have descriptions of the thrones of the Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Chalukyas and even Kadambas but none of them exist. There is also no evidence of the throne of the Adil Shahs and the Bahamani Emperors.

However, we can still see some of the most unique thrones in India.  

The Salar Jung museum in Hyderabad today has a golden wooden throne used by the Nizam during the last silver jubilee celebration.

The Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat (four Palaces), is also a palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the seat of the Asaf Jah dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad while they ruled their state.

The palace is even today held in high esteem by the residents of Hyderabad, as it was the seat of the Asaf Jahs. The grand pillared Durbar Hall has a pure marble platform on which the Takht-e-Nishan or the royal seat was laid. Here the Nizams held their durbar and other religious and symbolic ceremonies.

Another unique throne is in the Junagadh fort in Bikaner. It has the sandalwood throne. There is also a throne set on a swing. The silver throne of Jaisalmer is an added attraction of the city of Jaisalmer.

Similarly, the City palace at Jaipur housed the golden throne in the Diwan-E-Aam (Sabha Niwas) or the Hall of Public Audience.

The Golden throne, called as Takth-e-Rawal, was the seat of the Maharaja during public audience. It was mounted on an elephant or carried by palanquin bearers during the Maharajas’ visit outside the palace.

Indian royals have always set great store by the thrones that they sat on.

Today, we can guess what royalty was lie when we see the Durbar hall in the Red fort in Delhi and Agra, the Amba Vilas in the main palace in Mysore, the durbar room of the Marathas in Thanjavur palace, the durbar hall of the Lakshmi Vilas, Jai Vilas palaces and the many palaces in Rajasthan and Gujarat.  

The bearded Hanuman

The Hanuman here is round faced and he has a beard and moustache too. He is not called Hanuman but Balaji, which generally means Srinivasa or Venkataramana.

The temple to Hanuman too is known not by his name but as Balaji. The temple has some unique customs that is not found anywhere else.

This is perhaps the only temple where food is offered to the deity in kilograms and this ritual is called Savamani. The word Sava means one and a quarter and Mun means Maund and this is a unit of mass measuring 40 kilograms. Thus, Savamani means 50 kgs and this quantity of food is offered to Hanuman.

The food is generally prepared by the temple cooks and we have to intimate the temple authorities before hand about the Savamani. The Savamani is prepared in the temple kitchen but in recent years, the heavy demand has led the temple authorities to outsource it.

So we, have several caterers and shop keepers in and around the temple offering Savamani to pilgrims. Food items like Boondi, Ladu, Peda, Baati, Dal, Churma are generally prepared as Savamani.

After the Savamani is offered to Hanuman, it is later used by the family which organized it.    

Another widespread ritual is the tying of coconuts with moli (sacred red threads) in the temple premises. Devottes believe that Hanuman would fulfill their wishes if this is done with devotion and faith. This practice originated by from the Jagirdar of Sikar,  Rao Raja Devi Singh.

The Jagirdar did not have a son. He heard about the Balaji temple and he came here, tied a coconut on a tree and went back. Ten months later, he was blessed with a son, Rao Raja Laxman Singh.

This unique temple is called the Salasar Balaji or the Salasar Dham and it is located on highway no 65 near Sujangarh in Churu district of Rajasthan.

The presiding deity here is Hanuman who is better known as Balaji and his face is round unlike Hanuman in other temples.

Over the years, this temple has grown to become one of the most prominent pilgrim centres of Rajasthan. Salasar Balaji is on the religious circuit that includes the pilgrim centers of Rani Sati temple and the temple of Khatushyamji both of which are nearby.

Salasar Balaji is now considered to be a Shakti Sthal (a place of power) and the Hanuman as swayambhu (self creation).

Several miracles are ascribed to the deity.

The idol is worshipped by Brahmin priests from the Dadhich clan and the temple is managed and maintained by the Hanuman Sewa Samiti Trust.

The temple is open from 4 a.,m, to 10 p.m., and on Hanuman Jayanti it remain open throughout.

Salasar is situated on the Jaipur-Bikaner highway and it is 40 kms  from Ladnun,  57 kms from Sikar, 24 kms from Sujangarh and 30 kms  from Laxmangarh.

Salasar is about four hours drive from Jaipur.

The portable temples of Rajasthan

There is a saying that there are as many temples in India as there are people. In fact, the total number of Gods in Hinduism is 33 crores and this is more than the total number of people in our country at present (Anyway, this aspect will be dealt with in a later article).

Though there cannot be any exact estimates, it would not be way of the mark if we say that at least 10 per cent of the population goes to temples every day. If we take the population of India as 121 crores, that would mean 1.21 crores visit temples every day.

Mind you, this number does not include lakhs of people who visit more than one temple every day. So the total number could be much much more. Howeever, this post is not about the total number of people visiting temples.

This post deals with the query as to what happens if the temple comes to us instead of people going to the temple. Can you imagine such a scenario.  

But did you know that such temples exist in Rajasthan and they are very popular. These portable temples, as I would like to call them, move from place to place and even from one house to another and enable a devotee to worship his favourite deity at his or her doorstep.

These deities are carried by a group of priests known as Bhopas. They are priest-singers and they sing and chant mantras in front of a scroll which in Rajasthan is known as the Phad or Phar.    

The Bhopas are singers of the folk deities and the Phads generally depict episodes of the narrative of the folk deity and functions as a portable temple.

The Bhopas carry this Phad traditionally and they are invited by villagers to perform in their localities. The Phads are kept rolled up during travel.

These Phads are unfurled and tied between two poles at the place where the portable temple comes up. Generally, the Bhopas time their travel in such a way that they reach their destination well before nightfall.

Once the Phads are set up  and certain rituals performed, the portable temple opens its “doors”  for the villagers. The place where the Phad is placed is thoroughly cleaned, swept and water sprinkled. Incense stocks are lit. Grains and money are offered to the deities.

The performance which begins goes on throughout the night and ends only towards  early morning.

The performances mainly are tales from the epics or deal with heroic and miraculous incidents of the deity that is being worshipped on that day. The performances follow a certain sequence.

When the rituals begin, the Bhopas are expected to wear a specially designed costume called the Baga. When the narrative begins, the Bhopa points to each relevant scene or painting on the Phad with a stick.

There are many intervals during the narration and it is at such times that donations are collected, prayers offered to the deities and the name of each donor is announced by the Bhopa. A conch is blown every time a donor comes forward.

When the performance ends, the Bhopa conducts arti and pooja. The rolling up of the Phad signifies the end of the performance.

The Bhopas generally belong to the Nayak community.

The most similar type of  such a performance in Karnataka is the Yakshagana. Troupes of Yakshagana perform at villages and even in houses of people who have to do Harike. These Yakshangana performance go on all night and end only in the morning.

The Yakshagana was first encouraged by Madhwacharya. During his time, Yakshagana mainly drew inspiration from the Mahabharata and Ramayana and these scenes were played out before the disciples of Madhwacharya when they were resting at a place.

Yakshagana then spread to neighbouring Kerala where it became a distinct form called Kathakali which is a highly stylized dance form.      

The temple where no two pillars are alike

This temple has nearly 1,500 pillars and all of them are intricately carved. But what sets this out from other temples in India is that no two pillars are the same. Morever it has 38,000 idols and carvings, big ands small.

Each pillar of the Rishabanath or Adinath temple in Ranakpur village of Pali district of Rajasthan is different from the other. Built in marble, this beautiful structure can at best be described as poetry in architecture.

Generally regarded to be among the most spectacular of the Jain temples in India, this structure was built almost 600 years ago. It is also called the Chow mukha (four faced) temple and Trailokya Deepak. It has 29 halls and 80 domes and 32 arched gates.

The upper and lower parts of the domes are linked by brackets that have deities' sculptures.

The entire structure is 313 feet in breadth and 290 ft in length.

Light colored marble has been extensively used and the pillars are so built that you just cannot count it on your own. Every time you start counting, you lose the numbers and you have to start again.

It is not only the pillars that stand out here. All the statues in the temple face each other and with the pillars they form a beautiful symmetry.

One of the many carvings which are worth a detailed look is made of single marble. It is of 108 snakes with as many hoods and so many tails that you cannot find the end of the tail. Another peculiar feature of this carving is that it faces all the four directions.

However, the largest image or carving is in the axis of the temple on its western side.

The temple is designed as a structure with four faces. It is on a small hill and it has several domes and cupolas. It was built in 1437 by Dhanna Shah under the patronage of Rana Khumba, the ruler of Mewar.

In the temple complex, there are several other temples, including Chaumukha temple, Parsavanath temple, Amba Mata Temple and Surya Temple. The Chaumukha Temple is the most important and  temple with the deity of  four-faced Chaturmukha. This is a structure dedicated to Adinath, the first Tirthankara of the Jains. The deity of  Adinath, sitting on padmasana,  is white in color and about 180 cms in height.

The Temple has four different doors to get inside the chambers which then take you to the main hall where this image of Adinath is consecrated.

The pillars or columns change their color from gold to pale blue every year. The prayer hall has two huge bells each weighing 108 kgs. The temple has one of the largest  subterranean vaults spread over a mammoth area of 48000 square feet..

Another peculiarity about the temple is that its exterior is carved with erotic poses. This contrasts sharply with the beautiful but covered and modest carvings in the interior of the temple.

Some o the images and carvings are mutilated, thanks to the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

The temple is said to have taken 65 years to build.

There are two smaller temples nearby built after two other Jain Tirthankars, Neminath and Parsvanath. The small but beautiful Sun Temple here is even today under the control of the royal family of Udaipur. This temple is known for its superbly carved windows.

Rankapur is only a village which is between Udaipur (90 kms) and Jodhpur (160kms). The nearest railway station is Falna or Phalna which is 30 kms away. Rankapur is well-connected by roads and tourists generally make it a day trip from Udaipur. A local bus from Udaipur stops right opposite the temple every hour and its costs Rs 45 per person. The journey back to Udaipur takes about three hours.

Another must at the Rankapur temple is having food at the Bhojana Shala. The food is simple but extremely delicious. It is purely vegetarian but the taste is well, yummy. Eat to your heart’s content and have as many helpings as you want.

There are some good hotels around the village. You can also stay back in the rooms of the temple. They are clean but Spartan and cost you Rs. 200 per day.

Other attractions are a jeep Safari or nature hike through the Rankapur valley or the nearby Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

A horseback safari through the Aravalli mountains, the Ranakpur Valley and the Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary is worth a try.

   

A thirteen storied well and a temple of happiness

This well is thirteen stories high with 3,500 steps leading down to the earth and it is more than 100 feet deep. Meet one of the wonders of ancient India-the Chand Baori or well, which is generally acknowledged to be the deepest step well in the world.

This magnificent structure is close to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is in a small village called Abhaneri and it was built sometime in the ninth century by Raja Chand, a Nikambha Rajput ruler of the Chamana dynasty.    

The first thing that strike the eye is the large number of steps that it built down in a symmetrically designed manner. The steps number a mindboggling 3,500 and there are thirteen landings to cushion your descend.

The stairs are in the form of an inverted V in patters of four and five steps on three sides of the well.

The Raja constructed the well to solve the water problem of the area. His subjects had to dig more than 100 feet to get water and this made the Raja to think of a Baoli which would be a permanent source of water.

Locals say the well was constructed in a day by ghosts. This is disputed by archaeologists and historians who say the ghost story was a yarn spun by the locals to ensure that thieves did nit get down the well and steal water.

The water here was once cool to drink and pure. Today, it is greenish as it is not being used. The well is fortified on all sides and today it is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India.  

This well has been the setting of several Hollywood and Bollywood movies including the 1998 film, The Fall, where a group of dancers gyrated on platforms connecting two sets of steps. Another film shot here is The Dark Knight Rises.

The song from Sakhiya Sakhiya from the Akshaya Kumar film Bhool Bhooliya and Mera Dil Dil Mera from Salaam E Ishq have been filmed here.

The beautiful temple of  Harshad Mata, an eighth century monument. 

This temple, in ancient times, was known as the temple of happiness. This was so as the goddess Durga which is consecrated here was believed to be a deity which always spread happiness among the villagers of  Abhaneri.

The Goddess is always believed to be cheerful.

The temple, though in ruins is beautiful to look at. There are carvings of Vishnu. Legend has it that Raja Bhoj of the Gurjar dynasty built it in the 9^th century.  Others say Emperor Chand built the temple and designed it in the Gupta style of architecture.

Muhammad Ghazni defaced the idols and the temple during the  11th century. The local community strongly believes in the power of Harshad Mata, as the Mother of their land

Like the temple and the well, the village too seems to be in a partly ruined state. Abhaneri is also famous for several local dances such as Goomar, Kalbelia and Bhawai. The Nikumba Rajputs, also called Chauhan Rajputs, abandoned this place and settled down at Alwar. Locals believe that an ancient city is still buried under the huge sand mound nearby.
Abhaneri is a small village in Dausa district in north Rajasthan, 95 kms from Jaipur, towards the Jaipur-Agra highway. The nearest airport is Jaipur.

There is another famous temple of Harshad Mata near Porbander in Gujarat.

How Indra married Sachi Devi

We all know about Indra, the King of Gods and his wife Sachi Devi. But did you know that Indra won the hand of Sachi Devi after he dueled long and hard with a man blessed with immortality.

Sachi Devi was the daughter of Emperor Pauloma. Though an Auura, Pauloma was religious and extended a helping hand to Brahmins. He also sponsored Brahmins and Rishis.

King Pauloma had sponsored Shukracharya to take up research on immortality.

The King had an able commander in chief called Vrut who was deeply in love with Sachi Devi. However, Sachi did not want to marry Vrut as he considered him to be a mere servant of her father.

An insulted Vrut decided to take revenge by marrying Sachi. He went away from the kingdom and worshipped Shiva.

Shiva was pleased with the devotion of Vrut and blessed him with the boon of immortality, saying that he could not be killed with any known weapons of war.      

An elated Vrut set pout to conquer several kingdoms so that he would be the Emperor of a bigger and more powerful kingdom than Pauloma.

When Indra came to know that Vrut was on the warpath, he feared for the safety of Indraloka and other kingdoms. Indra too had fallen in love with Sachi and he wanted to marry her. He approached Sage Daduchi who realised that Vrut could not be worsted by any human weapons of war.

He, therefore, created a powerful weapon from his bones and handed it over to Indra, saying that it would be the cause of  Vrut’s death. Indra then marched at the head of an army to meet Vrut’s challenge.

The armies of both Indra and Vrut came face to face. Indra then suggested to Vrut that instead of shedding much blood, the dispute could be settled by them alone. Whoever won, would marry Sachi.

Vrut agreed and both Indra and Vrut fought hard. Indra finally prevailed and he married Sachi and took her to Indraloka.     

There us a temple to Sachi Devi in  Osian, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.  The Goddess Sachi is also called Sachiya Mata and Sachchiyay Mata.

She is worshipped by Marwadi, Maheswari, Panwar, Rajputs and even Pareeks-Brahmins. This temple is known as the temple of happiness and it was built by the Parmar King Upendre between the 9th and 10th century.

However, there is a stone inscription that gives a different account of the deity in the temple. This is a Jain story that says the Goddess Chamunda was accustomed to receive animal worship and a Jain monk, Vijay Ratnaprabhasuri, convinced her to stop the practice. The Goddess agreed and the grateful saint named her Sachchiyay Mata.

The temple that was built with ghee

Mortar is mixed with water for constructing buildings and this system is followed almost uniformly through out the world with very few exceptions. Both mortar and water form an indelible part of the construction in any building.

But did you know that there is a building in India where water was not used to mix mortar. Instead, pure ghee and coconuts were used in the construction.

This building still stands today and it is universally acknowledged as one of those rare buildings which are a marvel in civil engineering and building construction.

The building is in Rajasthan and it is a beautiful temple belonging to the Jains. The temple is located in Bikaner which is 331 kms from the State capital of Jaipur and 310 kms from Jodhpur.

The structure I am talking about is called Bhandasar Jain Temple. It is situated within the walled city of Bikaner. The temple is dedicated to the fifth Jain Thirthankara, Suminath.

It was commissioned by a wealthy merchant, Bhandasa Oswal or Banda Shah in 1468 and was completed only in 1514.

The temple of red sandstone and white marble stands testimony to the artistic grace and intricate workmanship of the Rajputs.  It has lavish interiors, breathtaking frescos, sculpted pillars and the ceiling has beautiful paintings.

When the temple was being constructed,  40,000 kg or 40 barrels of ghee was used instead of water in the mortar. This can be felt today too when during the hot days, the ghee melts and seeps through the walls.

The temple is a three storied structure. The gold leaf work, artistically sculpted pillars and frescoes tell us the stories of all the 24 Jain thirthankaras.

As soon as you enter the temple, you can sandstone pillars with floral designs. The first floor is devoted to the carvings of Jain thirthankaras. There are two beautiful idols of sentinels of gods on the first floor. There are beautiful balconies on the first and second floor of the temple.

The marble statue of Lord Sumatinath  sits on a silver throne inside a gold-plated marble canopy adorned with floral paintings. The porcelain tiles were imported from England.

Locals say that even the foundation was filled with ghee and dry coconut.

The temple is open from 6 a.m., to 7 p.m. This is one of the two Jain temples in Bikaner. The other temple is that of Sandeshwar. Though its is smaller than the Bhandasar temple, it has beautiful carvings on its doors and pillars.

Bikaner has 27 Jain temples. Other tourist attractions are the Junagarh fort built by Raja Rai Singh, who was a high ranking officer in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar and his son Jahangir.

The Lakshmi Nivas palace was the official residence of the Bikaner kings. The Lalgarh palace was built between 1902 and 1926 according to Mughal, Rajput and European architectural styles. The Moolnayakji Temple is the first Vaishanava structure constructed in Bikaner. Built in 1486, it quickly became the seat of the Vaishanava sect.
The temple of Karni Mata is in Deshnoke, which is 30 kms from Bikaner. There are thousands of rats in the temple and they are not shooed away. The presiding goddess is Durga. Every January, Bikaner comes alive with the magnificent camel festival. If you like adventure, take a camel ride or go into the Thar desert.

There is another Jain temple worth seeing in Phalodi. It is 184 kms away from Bikaner but let me tell you it is worth a visit. The Parasanath temple has beautifully sculpted Belgian glass. It was  constructed in 1847 by the Oswal Jains and has been built exclusively with  stones, It does not have any girders or RCC construction. It is made of old Belgium glass. This Jain temple is considered a marvel in architecture.

Bikaner is 2200 kms from Bangalore. There are trains and flights available. It is the fifth largest City of Rajasthan.