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

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

130

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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

Maharana Kumbha. the sons of Ishmael, the mercenary Rohilla Afghan.”¹ “The tablets and most of the images of the divinities referred to by Tod, which were for long lying utterly uncared for, were removed by Pandit Gaurishankar Ojhá to the Museum at Udaipur. The fragments of the tablets, so far as a through search could bring to light, were picked up and pieced together by him, and can now be easily deciphered there. The importance of these inscriptions can never be overrated. They set forth the history of Mewar from the time of Guhila, the founder of the Udaipur family, to Rana Kumbha.”² Behind the temple of Mamadeva is an odi, or raised dais where Tārā, wife of Prince Prithviraj, elder brother of Maharana Sāngā, used to shoot tigers On quitting the temple of Mamadeva, attention is attracted by a simple monumental ¹ Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol. I., p. 672. ² Progress Report of the Archæological Survey of India, Western Circle, for 1908-9, by Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar. 135

Maharana Kumbha. shrine on the opposite side of the valley, and almost in the gorge of the pass. “It was most happily situated, being quite isolated, over- looking the road leading to Marwar, and consisted of a simple dome of very moderate dimensions supported by columns, without any intervening object to obstruct the view of the little monumental alter arising out of the centre of the platform. It was the Sybilline temple of Tivoli in miniature. To it, over rock and ruin, I descended. Here repose the ashes of the Troubadour of Mewar, the gallant Prithviraj, and his heroine wife, Tara Bai,¹ whose lives and exploits fill many a page of the legendary romances of Mewar.”² In the shrine is a memorial stone on which various small figures are sculptured on each one of its four sides, with small inscriptions above, descriptive of them. Thus e. g, on the east side it bears five figures, the central one of which rides a horse. He is called ¹ This fair 'star' (Tara) was the daughter of Rao Soortan, the chieftain of Badnor. For some account of Tarabai and Prince Prithviraj see my monograph on "Maharana Sanga", Chapter IV. Prithviraj was one of the most heroic Rajputs that adorn the history of Rajputana. ² Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 673. 136

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Chitorgarh.

Maharana Kumbha. Prithirājaji, i. e., Prithviraj, and the horse, Sāhanadivā. Immediately on his right is Tárádê (Tara Devi) and further Bai Pāmāde. On his left also there are two figures, the names of which are, however, gone. Memorial stones mark the places where ladies became Sati on the funeral pyres of their husbands, and this particular stone commemorates the fact that Taradé (Tara Devi) and Pamade be- came Sati on the death of prince Prithviraj. Near the Māmādeva Temple, Maharana Kumbha built a large Kunda (reservoir of water), at the edge of which Kumbha was saying his prayers when he was treacherously stabbed by his son, Udá the Hatiáro (parricide). Kumbhá built the Kumbhaswami Temple in the fort and constructed a lake by it, and laid out a garden.¹ CHITORGARH. Kumbha strengthened the defences² of ¹ Kumbhalgarh Inscription, verses 130, 131 and 143, ² The Chitorgarh Kīrtisthambha Inscription, verse 26. Verse 183 says that in Kartik S. 1507 (A.D. 1450) Kumbha built a new bastion with battlements. The architect employed by Maharana Kumbha in Chitor was Nātha, brother of Mandana, who had built Kumbhalgarh, vide, p. 38.—S. R. Bhandarkar's Report of a Tour in Rajputana etc. 1907. 137

Maharana Kumbha. Chitor and built seven¹ of its gates—the Rampol with circular bastions, after Ráma the great hero of the Solar dynasty, the Surya Vamsa, of which the Maharana of Mewar is the head. This Pol was partly dismantled by Emperor Shah Jahan. The remains of its plinth are handsomely carved with figure friezes; the Hanumánpol, called after the temple of this god; the Bhairavapol, since associated with the name of Bhairavadas Solanki, who fought bravely and was killed at that spot in the battle against Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujrat in A D. 1534-35 ; Lakshmipol, Chámundápol, Tarapol and Rajpol.² Maharana Kumbha built the present road³ up the hill by which carriages can go up to the fort. Before his time there was only a foot-path. Maharana Kumbha also built a Rama Kund at Chitor⁴ and several stepped wells and reservoirs for storing water. ¹ Kirtisthambha Inscription, verses 36-42 and 125. ² The last four pols are now called Lakshmanpol, Jorla- pol, Ganeshpol and Pádalpol. ³ The Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, verses 34-35. ⁴ Chitor Kirtisthambha Inscription, verse 33. 138

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