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

Maharana Kumbha. one popularly known as Nāl-Mandapa. Each one of the open porches is accessible by another flight of stairs ; but of the latter, that facing the west, contains far more stairs than the others and consequently the entrance on the west is considered to be the principal one. Facing the sides of each of the Mukhamanda- pas of the principal or Chaumukha shrine is a mādar or larger subsidiary shrine; and facing each Sabhamandapa is a smaller subsi- diary shrine or Khūnt-ra Mandar, so called because they stand exactly on the nāsaks or angles formed by lines drawn through the centres of the Sabhamandapas. The sides of the temple, between the mādars and the entrances are occupied by bhāmtis or ranges of cells for images, each with a pyramidal roof of its own but without any partitioning walls. They contain inscriptions belonging to the first half of the 16th Century and recording the erection of devakulikās or cells by Jain devotees, most of whom were Oswals, hailing from Pātan, Cambay and other places "¹ ¹ Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar's article in the Annual Report of the Archæological Survey of India for 1907-8, p. 211. 149

Maharana Kumbha. Mr. Fergusson says that Maharana Kum- bha, "during his long and prosperous reign filled his country with beautiful buildings, both civil and ecclesiastical. Amongst others he built this temple of Ranpur,¹ situated in a lonely and deserted glen, running into the western slope of the hills below his favourite fort of Kumbhalgarh. Notwithstanding long neglect, it is still nearly perfect, and is the most complicated and extensive Jaina temple, I have myself ever had an opportunity of inspecting."² "From the plan it would be perceived that it is nearly a square, 200 ft. by 225 ft., exclusive of the projections on each face. In the centre stands the great shrine, not, however, occupied, as usual, by one cell, but by four; or rather four great niches, in each of which is placed a statue of Adinatha, or Rishabdeva, the first and greatest of the Jaina Tirthankars. Above this are four other ¹ "It is one of the largest edifices existing, and cost upwards of a million sterling, towards which Kumbha contri- buted eighty thousand pounds"—Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I., p. 289. ² History of Indian and Eastern Architecture. 150

Maharana Kumbha. niches, similarly occupied, opening on the terra- ced roofs of the building. Near the four angles of the court are four smaller shrines, and around them, or on each side of them, are 20 domes supported by about 420 columns; 4 of these domes—the central ones of each group—are 3 storeys in height, and tower over the others; and one—that facing the principal entrance—is supported by the very unusual number of 16 columns, and is 36 ft. in diameter, the others being only 24 ft. Light is admitted to the building by four uncovered courts, and the whole is surrounded by a range of cells, many of them now unoccupied, each of which has a pyramidal roof of its own. "The internal effect of this forest of columns may be gathered from the view taken across one of its courts; but it is impossible that any view can reproduce the endless variety of perspective and the play of light and shade which results from the disposition of the pillars and of the domes, and from the mode in which the light is introduced. A wonderful effect also results from the number of cells, most of them containing images of Tirthankars, which 151

Maharana Kumbha. everywhere meet the view. Besides the twelve in the central Sikhars, there are eighty-six cells of very varied form and size surrounding the interior, and all their facades more or less adorned with sculpture............ The beauty of detail—no two pillars in the whole building being exactly alike—the grace with which they are arranged, the tasteful mixture of domes of different heights with flat ceilings and the mode in which the light is introduced combine to produce an excellent effect. Indeed, I know of no other building in India of the same class that leaves so pleasing an impression or affords so many hints for the graceful arrangement of columns in an interior. “Besides its merits of design, its dimensions are by no means to be despised; it covers altogether about 48,000 square ft., or nearly as much as one of our ordinary mediæval cathedrals; and, taking the basement into account, is nearly of equal bulk; while in amount of labour and of sculptural decorations it far surpasses any.” ¹ ¹ History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, pp. 241-2. 152

Maharāna Kumbha. An inscription in the temple incised on a slab of white marble measuring 1'1" broad by 3 feet 3 inches high, and containing 47 lines of Sanskrit prose built up in a pillar close to the entrance of the main shrine on its right, gives a record of the Guhilot dynasty, and says that the temple is dedicated to Yugadisvara, another name of Rishabdeva or Adinath, also called here Chaturmukha and says that it was built in the time and by order of Maharana Sri Kumbhakarana by Dhārnaka who is described as paramarhata, a devout Jain and ornament of the Prāgvata Vamsa, which is now known as Porvāda Mahajan community. His mother's name is given as Kamala De, and father's as Kurāpal. The inscription says that a Jaina banker Gunaraj helped in the erection of the temple, and that the town of Ranpur was founded and called after his name by Maharana Kumbhakaran. The temple was known at the time as Chaturmukha-Yugadisvara Vihāra i.e., a temple of four faced Rishabnatha. Line 46 of the inscription gives the name of the architect as Dipāka, and mentions that Dharanaka built 153

Maharana Kumbha. temples at Ajāhari, Sālera and Pindarvataka, modern Pindavārā. Local tradition has it that the temple was built by two brothers Dhanna (corruption of Dharnaka)¹ and Ratna of the Porvad caste and residents of Nāndiya in the Sirohi State. They left Nandiya and settled at Mālgad which was situated to the south of Ranpur, high upon a hill. They erected a temple at Mādadá, which came to be known as Ranpur, because the land occupied by the temple was purchased by them from Maharana Kumbha, who stipulated that the place should bear his name, Ran being an abbreviation of Rana. The temple was designed by one Dipaka or Dipa, a Sompura Brahmin of Mundātā in the following circumstances. One night at Maglad, Dhanna saw a celestial car in his dream. He called several Sompuras (architects) and gave them a description of it, and asked them to produce plans thereof. All were reject- ed except that of Dipa as it was exactly of the type of the celestial car, Dhanna had seen ¹ A descendant of Ratna, 14 generations removed from him, named Nath Mal Sah was living in 1907 A D. in Ghanerav, to which town, Dhanna and Ratna had moved. 154

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Eklingji Temples.

Maharana Kumbha in his dream. It was originally intended to have seven storeys of which only four were completed including the subterranean vault. This noncompletion of the building is given as the reason why no descendant of Ratna now shaves his head with a razor. EKLINGJI. Eklingji is the Cathedral town of Mewar. And the Maharana, like the ancient Buddhist king of Gāndhāra is the Defender of the Faith and the Head of the Church. Eklingji and Nāthdwara are the two most important reli- gious places in Mewar. The temple of Eklingji is unique in character. Eklingji is the Ishtdeva or the god which the Maharanas worship. He is held to be the master or ruler of Mewar and the Maharana his divan or chief minister. It is due to this fact, that the Maharana of Udaipur is styled divan or Divanji in Rajputana. In the warlike songs sung in Rajputana and the poems recited by the bards, divan is used in preference to Maharana. The famous poem of Dursaji on 155

Maharana Kumbha. the immortal Maharana Pratap, says:¹—दीठो कोई दीवाण करतो लुटका कटहड़ै। "Has any one seen the Maharana bow his head before the ballustrade in the Mughal Court?" Early in the 8th century, the sage Hárita conferred on Bappá Ráwal the title of Regent of Eklingji, and to this day the Maharanas of Mewar, as divans or regents of Siva, supersede the high priest in his duties and themselves perform the ceremonies when they visit the temple. Eklingji is situated in a defile about 13 miles north of Udaipur. The road, which has recently been improved, passes over undulating hills, particularly along a valley and over a gorge about two-thirds of the way, beyond which it is more level and surrounded by a number of small lakes which beautify the country. "The hills towering around it on all sides are of the primitive formation, and their scarped summits are clustered with honey- combs. There are abundant small springs of water, which keep verdant numerous shrubs,' the flowers of which are acceptable to the ¹ Maharana Yash Prakash, p. 99. 156

Maharana Kumbha. deity; especially the Kiner or oleander, which grows in great luxuriance on the Aravalli. Groves of bamboo and mango were formerly common, according to tradition; but although it is deemed sacrilege to thin the groves of Bal, the bamboo has been nearly destroyed: there are, however, still many trees sacred to the deity scattered around."¹ The temple of Eklingji is dedicated to Mahadeva or Siva. Bappa Rawal is said to have built the original temple. It was rebuilt by Maharana Mokal who built a wall round it. Maharana Raimal greatly improved it and iustalled a four faced image of Siva in it in V.S. 1545 (A.D. 1488). Maharana Kumbha renovated² the temple, constructed the magnificent Kumbhaman- dapa (domed hall) in front of the sanctum sanctorum and the toran (archway) leading to the mandapa (dome). He presented the temple with the gold flagstaff and numerous Kalus and bestowed on the temple for its maintenance, the four villages of Nagada³ ¹ Tod's Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 515. ² Kumbhalgarh Inscription verse, 241. ³ Nāgada, in olden days a famous town, was the capital of the rulers of Mewar. It is situated not very far from Eklingji. 157

Maharana Kumbha. Kathdāwan, Malak-Khera and Bhimān.¹ The temple of Eklingji is of an unusual design having a double storied porch and a double storied sanctuary, the former covered by a flat pyramidal roof composed of many hundred circular knobs, the latter roofed by a lofty tower of more than ordinary elaboration. “It would be difficult to convey a just idea of a temple so complicated in its details. It is of the form commonly styled pagoda, and, like all the ancient temples of Siva, its sikhara, or pinnacle, is pyramidal. The various orders of Hindu sacred architecture are distinguished by the form of the sikhara, which is the portion springing from and surrounding the perpendicular walls of the body of the temple. The sikhara of those of Siva is invari- ably pyramidal, and its sides vary with the base, whether square or oblong. The apex is crowned with an ornamental figure, as a sphynx, an urn, a ball, or a lion, which is ¹ Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol. I, p. 515. The shrine of Eklingji is endowed with twenty-four large villages from the fisc, besides parcels of land from the chieftains. 158

Maharana Kumbha. called Kullus. When the sikhara is but the frustrum of a pyramid, it is often surmounted by a row of lions, as at Bijolli. The fane of Eklingji is of white marble and of ample dimensions. Under an open- vaulted temple supported by columns, and fronting the four faced divinity, is the brazen bull, nandi, of the natural size; it is cast, and of excellent proportions. The figure is perfect, except where the shot or hammer of an infidel invader has penetrated its hollow flank in search of treasure. Within the quadrangle are miniature shrines, containing some of the minor divinities. The high priest of Eklingji, like all his order, is doomed to celibacy, and the office is continued by adopted disciples. Of such spiritual descents they calculate sixty- four since the sage Harita, whose benediction obtained for the Guhilot Rajput the sove- reignty of Chitor. The town of Eklingji is separated from Nagada by a lake, which is one of the many artificial waters that beautify the Udaipur valley, and its bund or dam was built by 159

Maharana Kumbha. Bhogaditya, five generations before Bappa, and has since been frequently repaired. It is shut in by wooded hills, and on its western margin are two interesting temples, both ranking high as specimens of ancient Hindu architecture. OTHER TEMPLES. Following the example set by Maharana Kumbha, the people of Mewar following different faiths constructed several fine temples and dedicated them to the gods of their worship. In Ranpur itself, Porwad mahajan Vanshisagar’s son Kurāpal’s son Ratna, and Ratna’s sons and grandsons built with Maharana Kumbha’s permission in S. 1496 (A.D. 1439), a magnificent Chaumukha (four faced) temple called Trilokyadipak (the light of three worlds) dedicated to Yugadishwara. This is one of the notable temples of the Jain faith in India. Shah Gunaraj, who was a favorite of Maharana Kumbha, built temples in Ajahari (Ajari), Pindarvataka (Pindwara)—both at present in the Sirohi territory—and Salera (Mewar) and renovated many old temples.¹ ¹ Bhavanagar Inscriptions, pp. 114-15. 160

Maharana Kumbha. Maharana Kumbha’s treasurer Vela son of Sah Kelá built a temple at Chitor and dedicated it to Sāntinath.¹ Similarly a Siva temple on a hill near the Sema village, not far from Eklingji, and several Jain temples in Vasantpur, Bhula and other places were built in Kumbha’s time. This shows that in Kumbha’s time, Mewar was in a very prosperous condition and the people were rich and happy. SINGAR CHANVRI. Midway between the Nava Lakha Bhandar and the Nava Kotha, built by the imposter Banbir in A.D. 1537, and near the Tower of Victory, stands the “graceful and richly carved”² building called the Singar Chanvri or Vedi built by Bhandari Velaka or Velā, son of Sah Kela, Maharana Kumbha’s treasurer, in V. S. 1505 (A.D. 1448-49). The building is square in plan with four wings projecting from its four sides and raised on a plinth some 5 feet in height. The main or central chamber of the Singar-Chanvri measures 22' internally both ways. Entrances ¹ Rajputana Museum Report for 1920-21, p. 5. ² Cunningham's Archæological Survey Report, Vol. XXIII, p. 118. 161

Maharana Kumbha. are from the north and west, the sides east and south being filled by trellis windows. In the centre of this building, and raised 4'1" from its floor, is a fortytwo-sided and highly ornamental vedi, or alter, which supports four carved pillars each 7' high and bearing lintels 1'3" deep; thus the total height of the vedi is 8'9". This vedi is at present uncovered, save by the cupola of the temple itself, and the area between its pillars is 9 square feet. Along the edges of the vedi, run small water channels with outlets at the angles The centre part of the building is covered by a circular Jain dome built in horizontal layers richly ornamented. The exterior walls are beautifully sculptured in horizontal bands containing numerous figures and floral scrolls and are worth study by any one who is a carver. The original roof terminations of the central chamber and porches of the building have disappeared. There is a perfect figure of Paraswanath over the west entrance and a less perfect one above the door to the north. Its architecture is admirable and the building, although small, is one of the most attractive in Chitor. 162

CHAPTER XIV ————— KUMBHĀ AS A SCHOLAR. GREAT as Kumbhá was as a sovereign and a military commander, he was also a great scholar and poet. The Kumbhalgarh Ins- cription says that it was as easy for him to write poetry as it was to go to battle. It is marvellous how, while constantly engaged in warfare, defending his empire against his foes, conquering new territories and adding them to Mewar, building forts, strengthening the defences of the country, embellishing it with works of art, continually moving from one part of the country to another, the Maharana could find opportunities to develop his literary abilities, and time to write poetry, compose dramas, annotate old poems and write treatises on the science of Music. The important contemporary work, Eklinga Mahatmya¹ shows that Maharana Kumbhā knew the Vedas and was well-versed in the ¹ Eklinga Mahatamya, Rajvarnan Adhyaya, slokas 172—73. 163

Maharana Kumbha. Smrities (law), Mimansa (philosophy), Natya Śastra (Drama) Rajaniti (Political Science), Ganita (mathematics); Vyakarana (grammar), Upanishads (metaphysics) Tarka (logic) and Sahitya (general literature). He knew the Karnataki, the Maháráshtri and other languages. The commentary on Gita Govinda, named Rasika Priya and the last part of Eklinga Mahatmya, which was written during Kumbha's time, show that he was a great Sanskrit scholar, and that he wrote good poetry with as much ease as prose. The former work contains quotations from nume- rous Sanskrit works and shows that Kumbhá was a man of extensive reading. The last part of Eklinga Mahátmya is a lyric and its poetry is sweet and musical, and full of grace and beauty. The Eklinga Mahatmya, sloka 74, men- tions four dramas¹ written by him. This would show that he was a scholar of Prākrita, like the famous Chauhan Emperor Visaladeva; ¹ Also Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, V. 158. 164

Maharana Kumbha. but, as none of his plays has so far been discovered, it is neither possible to speak of his proficiency in the Prákrita, nor to assign him a place due to him amongst the dramatists of India. The Kirtisthambha Inscription, verse 158, says that in his four dramas he made use of Karnataki, Medapati and Maháráshtri langu- ages, and adds that in Nātaka (play par excellence), Prakarana (play that takes a less elevated range than Nātaka) Vithi (one act play performed by one or two actors) Nātakā (a play in four acts), Bhán (monologue in one act), Prahasana (farcical or comical satire in one act), Rupaka (drama generally) he was a new Bhārata. He was an accomplished musician and possessed a knowledge of the science, un- equalled in his time. He was a most accomplished player on Vina, the noblest musical instrument invented by the Hindus. He was regarded as the highest authority on music; and because of this, the title of Abhinava Bharatáchárya (new Bharatá- 165

Maharana Kumbha. chárya), as distinguished from the old Bharatáchárya, the authority on Natya Sastra in ancient India, was conferred on him.¹ His works² on the science of music, Sangitarája, Sangita Mīmānsá, Sudpra- bandha, and Rasika Priyá³ (commentary on the celebrated master piece, the lyric poem Gita Govind) and his commentary on Sangita Ratnakar are evidence of his mastery of the science. He composed numerous poetic invocations to gods to be sung in various Rāgs accompanied by different Tāls. They are to be found in the Eklinga Mahatmya. Among other works known to have been written by him is a commentary on Chandi Shataka.² Himself a great scholar, Maharana Kumbha always valued men of learning, and showed them respect and appreciated their work. ¹ Kumbha's commentary on Gita Govind, p. 174. (Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay.) ² Chitorgarh Kirtisthambha Inscription, V. 157. See also Catalogue of Mss. existing in the Central Provinces, by F. Keilhorn, Nagpur, 1874 A.D. ³ Ibid, V. 158. 166