महाराणा कुम्भा (हरविलास सारदा - मेवाड़ साम्राज्य के अद्वितीय विजेता, निर्माता व विद्वान्)

Maharana Kumbha. guru. Rajguru means the Master of kings or Rajahs. Danguru means the king or the greatest of the givers. Shailguru means Master of the mountains. Paramguru, according to the inscription, is the highest preceptor of Rajas or kings. 3. The commentary on Gita Govind contains Kumbha's titles of Chāpguru, Todar- mal and Abhinava Bharatāchārya. Chapguru means master of the science of war. 4. Rasikpriya says that Maharana Kumbha was called Todarmal, as he destroyed like a मल्ल (a giant) great Rajas who were Rulers of men (नरपती) Masters of Cavalry (अश्वपती) and Masters of elephants (गजपती) The Kirtisthambha Inscription, verse 177, also calls Kumbha, Todarmal. 119

CHAPTER XIII. KUMBHA'S MONUMENTS. KUMBA was a great commander and a great sovereign. He not only greatly extended the boundaries of Mewar but immensely strength- ened its defences and adorned it with works of art. Colonel Tod says: "He triumphed over the enemies of his race, fortified his country with strongholds, embellished it with temples, and with the superstructure of her fame laid the foundations of his own."¹ He repopulated Vasantapur, and built seven lakes near it in the vicinity of Anhalkund of Vashishta² in Sirohi (near Abu). FORTS. "Of the 84 fortresses constructed for the defence of Mewar, 32 were built³ by Kumbha. He fortified the passes between the Western ¹ Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 290. ² Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, verses 8 and 9. ³ Vir Vinod, Vol. I, p. 334. Also Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 289. 120

Maharana Kumbha: frontier of Mewar and Abu and erected the fort of Vasanti near Sirohi. He built the fort of Machan to defend the Shera Nullá and Devagarh against the Mers of Aravalli." He built the fort of Kolana, near Amba Bhawani, and the fort of Vairat near Badnor, and rebuilt the fort of Ahore (in Mewar), which had been first built by his ancestor Karan Singh, and named it Kailash Meru. "He built various other forts to overawe the Bhumiá Bhils of Jarole and Panora, and defined the boundaries of Mewar and Marwar."¹ ACHALGARH. He constructed in 1452 A.D. (S. 1509, Magh Sudi 15th) a citadel on a peak of Mount Abu, since well known as Achalagarh² within the ruined fortress of the ancient Parmār kings of that country, where he often resided. The traveller would find the ruined towers of Achalgarh buried in the dense masses of ¹ Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 289. ² Eklinga Mahatmya, Sl. 64. And the Chitorgarh Ins- cription, Plate XXI, Cunningham's A.S.R., Vol. XXIII. 121

Maharana Kumbha. clouds that surround him. The first pol (gate) of this ancient fortress is the Hanuman Pol, "which is composed of two noble towers built with huge blocks of granite, black with the rude blasts of some 1,000 winters. The towers had been connected at the top by the guard room, and the gate served as the entrance to the lower fort, whose dilapidated walls are discernable up the irregular ascent. Another portal called the Champa Pol, from a noble Champa tree close to it, which was formerly denominated the "Gate of Wisdom," conducts to the inner fortress. The first object that strikes the view on passing the latter gate is the Jain temple to Paraswanath, erected at the sole expense of a banker of Māndu. Its columns are of the same charac- ter as those of the ancient shrine of Ajmer. "The upper fortress is attributed to Kumbha. But he probably only repaired this, the Donjon of Achalgarh, which with the interior works, is of the most remote antiquity. There are the ruins of a granary, the Bhandar of Kumbha Rana, coated within with a very strong cement. Close on the left, is the palace 122

Maharana Kumbha. of Oka Rani, his queen, so designated from being of Oka Mandal, (Kathiawar) near the Land's End of the Hindus. A small lake in the keep is called Sāwan Bhādoon, and well merits the name of the two chief months of the monsoon; for, in the middle of June it is yet full of water. On the most elevated knoll to the east are the remains of an alarm tower which still bears Kumbha's name. From this point the eye, occasionally piercing the swift- scudding clouds, has glimpses of the ruined altars and palaces of the brave race who on the spot whence I surveyed them, had fought and bled in their defence."¹ A blending of all beauties, streams and dells, Fruit, foliage, crag, wood, cornfield, mountain, vine, And chiefless castles, breathing stern farewells, From gray, but leafy walls, where Ruin greenly dwells." An equestrian statue of Maharana Kumbha with those of two other Maharanas and a bigger one of the Purohit or the family priest of Kumbha in a humble straw shed on the descent from Achalgarh to Dilwara still receive divine honours. ¹ Tod's Travels in Western India, p. 94.

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Maharana Kumbha. Col. Tod describing his visit to Achalgarh, says:—"As the sun dispelled the watery darkness which enveloped us, the landscape of this magic realm was to the last degree imposing, every change of position unfolding some new object. First, Jain shrines of Dilwara (being S. 80° W. six miles distant), backed by the peak of Arbudha Mātā; the Guru Sikra (N. 15° E. four miles), with many other pinnacles scattered over the summit of this fairy land, each with its name and its legend. On the descent, I paid my homage to the representative of one of the worthies of Mewar, an equestrian brass statue of Rana Kumbha, who within these walls had often stood the brunt of war. It was pleasing to witness the homage still rendered within these now desecrated walls, to departed worth; prayers are made, and daily oblations of saffron brought to the defender of Achalgarh, and these not by any of his decendants, who are ignorant of this deed, but by others utter- ly unconnected with him, actuated by the traditional record of his glory or greatness. The humble straw shed which covers these 124

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Kumbhalgarh

Maharana Kumbha. effigies conveys a finer lesson to the mind than if they were enshrined in marble."¹ At Abu, Kumbha built the temple of Kumbhaswámi (which still stands) and a large tank named, Ramakund, in front of it.² He excavated four other tanks there.² He remitted the pilgrim tax levied at Abu.² KUMBHALGARH.¹ The highest monument of Kumbha's military and constructive genius, however, is the wonderful fortress of Kumbhalgarh or Kumbhalmer, second to none in strategical importance or historical renown. It was to this impregnable fortress that the Maharanas of Mewar always turned their eyes, when Udaipur became unsafe and Chitor unten- able. It is to Kumbhalmer that the Maha- ranas, from Udai Singh to Ráj Singh, sent the royal households, when the entire might of the Moghal Empire was used for the des- truction of their country. It was the ambition ¹ Tod's Travels in Western India, pp. 95-96. ² Kumbha's Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription (Vs. 12 and 13). Near the Ramakund, stands a statue of the Parmar king Dhārāvarsha armed with a bow, and three stone buffaloes. 125

Maharana Kumbha. of Akbar, the greatest of the Moghul Emperors of India to take it, when his hosts, led by the greatest of his generals, the renowned Mán Singh of Amber and supported by the armies of the Rathods of Marwar and Bikaner, the Kuchhwahas of Amber (Jaipur) and other Rajput Chiefs, invaded the country of the immortal Pratap. The cunning of Akbar succeeded in raising against this devoted land most of its Rajput neighbours, and the fortress fell. It was, however, soon recovered by Pratap; and the successors of Akbar—Jahangir with all his vain glory, and Aurangzeb with all his craft and cunning—failed to make any im- pression on this historic fortress. When Prince Khurram, ennobled with the title of Shah Jahan (king of the world), with all the resources that the empire could command, supported by Emperor Jahangir at the base of operations, Ajmer, overran the country of Pratap's noble son, Amra; or when that destroyer of the Moghal Empire, Aurangzeb, collecting the Imperial armies from all parts of the Empire, vainly launched 126

Maharana Kumbhá. his legions against the chivalrous Maharana Raj Singh in an attempt to deprive this sacred soil of its ancient independence, this stronghold, the ever memorable Kumbhalgarh, provided shelter to those who were dear to the noble defenders of their fatherland. This fortress, which has played a part in history, seldom rivalled and never surpassed, was the bulwark of Mewar throughout the Moghal rule in India. "When they were young and proud, Banners on high and battles passed below ; But they who fought are in a bloody shroud, And those which waved are shredless dust ere now, And the bleak battlements shall bear no future blow." Kumbhalgarh and the Kirtisthambha (Tower of Victory) at Chitor, are the two pillars on which the fame of Kumbha as a great commander and a great sovereign rests. Kumbhalgarh, situated on the 25°9′ N. and 73°35′ E., about 60 miles north of Udaipur, stands on a high peak of the most westerly range of the Aravalli hills, on the site of an ancient stronghold, which, according to tradi- tion, was built by the famous Jain king Samprati, who flourished in the third 127

Maharana Kumbha. century¹ of the Christian era. Kumbha began the construction of the fort in S. 1500 (1443 A. D.), and it was completed on the 13th of the dark half of Chaitra, S. 1515 (A.D. 1458).² It was designed and built by Kumbha's architect Mandana. Kumbhalgarh is defended by a series of walls with battlements and bastions built on the slopes of a hill, and contains a domed palace and buildings which are reached though several gateways along a winding approach. The palace in it built by Kumbha and rebuilt by the late Maharana Fateh Singh stands 3,568 feet above sea level, and commands a fine panoramic view of the wild and rugged scenery of the Aravallis³ and the sandy plains of Marwar. Below this peak, on every side and enlosed within a high battlemented wall, so thick as to allow 8 horsemen to ride abreast, ¹ Samprati was the second son of Emperor Asoka who died in 236 or 237 B. C. His eldest son Kunal reigned for 8 years and was succeeded by Samprati who also reigned for 8 years. ² Chitorgarh Inscription, Cunningham's Archæological Survey Report, Vol. XXIII, plate 21. ³ The names of several neighbouring hills are given in the Chitorgarh Inscription as Nila, Shweta, Hemkut, Himvat, Nishad, Gandhamadan. 128

Maharana Kumbha. the uneven ground is studded with numerous old temples and reservoirs, barracks for the garrison, grain stores and other domed buildings. The formidable bastions in the battlement- ed wall of Kumbhalgarh, as the illustration on the opposite page will show, are peculiar in shape and are so built that the enemy may not be able to scale them by means of ladders. Outside the fortress, at some little distance on a mound, is a fine temple consisting of a square sanctuary with a vaulted dome and a colounade of elegant pillars all round. Describ- ing this ancient temple, Col. Tod says:—"The design of this temple is truly classic. It consists only of the sanctuary, which has a vaulted dome and colonnaded portico all round. The architecture is undoubtedly Jain, which is as distinct in character from the Brahminical, .as their religion. There is a chasteness and simplicity in this specimen of monotheistic worship, affording a wide contrast to the elaborately sculptured shrines of the Saivas, and other polytheists of India. The extreme want of decoration best attests its antiquity, 129

Maharana Kumbha.

entitling us to attribute it to that period when Samprati Raja, of the family of Chandra- gupta, was paramount sovereign over all these regions, (two hundred years before Christ); to whom tradition ascribes the most ancient monuments of this faith, yet existing in Rajasthan and Saurashtra. The proportions and forms of the columns are especially distinct from the other temples, being slight and tapering, instead of massive, the general characteristic of Hindu architecture; while the projecting cornices, which would absolutely deform shafts less slight, are peculiarly indicative of the Takshac architect. A massive monolithic emblem of black marble of the Hindu Jivapitri, had been improperly introduced into the shrine of the worshippers of the 'spirit alone.' Being erected on the rock, and chiselled from the syenite on which it stands, it may bid defiance to time. There was another sacred structure in its vicinity, likewise Jain, but of a distinct character; indeed, offering a perfect contrast to that described. It was three stories in height; each tier was decorated with numerous

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Katargarh and the Vedi.

Maharana Kumbha. massive low columns, resting on a sculptured panneled parapet, and sustaining the roof of each story, which being very low, admitted but a broken light to break the pervading gloom."¹ In the central open space of the fort, on a conical hillock, stands the inner fort of Katárgarh. It is crowned with a palace called the Jháli-ká-Máliá or the palace of the Jháli queen. There are seven gates leading up to the fort. The principal (exterior) one, called the Hanumán Pol, from the image of the god Hanuman which with the gates was brought by Kumbhá from Mandor² and set up there, faces the south at the head of a road which winds gradually up through the gorge from the town of Kailwara at its base—a place of great historical interest. Between Kailwara and the Hanumán Pol there are two gates, the first being Aret Pol, or barrier thrown across the first narrow ascent about a mile from Kail- ¹ Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol. I, pp. 670-71. ² Kumbhalgarh Inscription, v. 3. 131

Maharana Kumbha. wara. The second is called the Hulla Pol; the third is the Hanumán Pol, between which and the summit there are four more gates, viz., tha Gate of Victory, the Sanguinary Gate, the Gate of Ráma and the Chaugán Pol. Colonel James Tod says: "It would be vain to attempt describing the intricacies of approach to this far-famed abode, whose exterior is delineated by the pencil. A massive wall, with numerous towers and pierced battlements, having a strong resemblance to the Etruscan, encloses a space of some miles extent below, while the pinnacle or Sikra rises like the crown of the Hindu Cybele, tier above tier of battlements, to the summit,¹ which is crowned with the Badal Mahal or 'Cloud Palace' of the Rana. Thence the eye ranges over the sandy deserts and the chaotic mass of mountains which are on all sides, covered with the cactus, which luxu- riates amidst the rocks of the Aravalli." As one ascends the fort hill, there is on ¹ Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (original edition), Vol. I., page 670. 132

Maharana Kumbha. the left, Tārā burj called after Tara, the heroic consort of prince Prithviraj, son of Rana Rai Mal and grandson of Maharana Kumbha. Before we reach the Chaugan Pol we come to Nārchhālī, a small empty reservoir, from where, it is said, the tiger (nār) and the goat (chhālī) used to drink water together before the fort was built. After crossing the Chaugan Pol, the visitor has to his right the Topkhānā, where a cannon is pointed out as a trophy brought from Nagor. Further onwards is Nava-choki, which is really a temple dedicated to Navadurga. Here is a small fragmentary inscription stone in the pavement of the hall floor. Therein only two names can be traced, viz., those of Mokal, father of Kumbha, and Prayāga, i.e., Allahabad. The last gate, as stated above, is the Pāgdā Pol, so called because the Mahārānā here dismounts from his horse before entering the palace. Just inside the Hanumān Pol on the ridge below the palace is situated the Vedi, or the place where the Yajna in consecration of the fort was performed by Kumbhā when it 133

Maharana Kumbha. was completed. It is a beautiful three-storied building of great architectural merit; each tier is decorated with numerous massive low columns, resting on a sculptured paneled parapet and sustaining the roof of each storey, which being very low, admits but a broken light to break the pervading gloom. A memorable structure built by Maharana Kumbha, in A.D. 1458, in the gorge below the fort on the brow of the mountain overlooking the pass, is the Mámádeva Temple. The court of the temple is formed by a strong wall enclosing a large area. The interior of this wall was covered with immense slabs of black marble, on which was inscribed the history of Mewar from the time of Guhil, the founder of the royal family, to Maharana Kumbha. Col. Tod thus describes the state of these tablets when he visited this place on 19 October, 1819 A.D. “What a sight for the antiquary! not one of the many tablets was entire; the fragments were strewn about, or placed in position to receive the flesh-pots of 134