Monday, July 22, 2024

A tale of the last King of Burma and a princess

It is well-known to us in India that the last Mughal King, Bahahur Shah Zafar II, was interned to Rangoon of Burma (now Yangon in Myanmar), after the defeat in the war with the British in 1857. What is lesser known that, by reciprocation, the last Burmese King, was interned in India. King Thibaw, after he lost the Anglo-Burmese war in 1885, was unceremoniously packed off with his family members, two queens and four minor daughters, and exiled to the then Mumbai Presidency of British India.


King Thibaw (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

The Burmese King was probably luckier than Zafar. Though he had to live in a smaller confinement for the first 24 years of his stay in India, the British built a grand palace for the exiled King and his family, atop a hillock in the coastal town of Ratnagiri (now in Maharashtra), in 1906. This is a building made of brick and laterite stone, with typical British architecture of the time. Today, the palace is minimally maintained by ASI with very few visitors. It comes back to life for three days, once a year, during the art and culture festival of Ratnagiri, which is being held in the last week of January (Friday -- Sunday) since 2008. The King lived a reclusive life in the palace and died in 1916. Soon after his death, his surviving family members were relocated back to Burma. None of these family members ever came back to India, ... except for one, who pleaded to be sent back.

 

King Thibaw's palace (Thiba Palace), Ratnagiri


Myat Phaya Gyi, the eldest princess and the daughter of the first queen Supayalat, then about 26 years of age, had a love affair with one Gopal Bhaurao Sawant, a gatekeeper of the palace. She hid the affair successfully, unfortunately till the arrival of her baby daughter "Tutu". However, Gopal was already a married man, and Phaya was never accepted as his wife. 

 

Princess Phaya Gyi (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

The half-caste child and the conduct of princess Phaya were never appreciated in the royal household, as well as the people of Burma. Eventually, Phaya pleaded to come back to Ratnagiri with her daughter and the request was granted. Though Gopal promised their upkeep, he did not keep it, and even squandered her royal pension, received from the British government. 

Phaya lived in Ratnagiri for rest of her life in abject poverty. She lived in a hut till it was demolished by the (British) Indian police. She slept on the ground near the hut for a few days till she died on 3rd June, 1947.

The princess'es hut

Tutu eventually married an Indian driver, Shankar Power, and her descendants became Indian citizens. It appears that Tutu discussed little about her or her mother's life to her new family, and the current generation does not know much about them.



Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Experiencing Uzbekistan: the center of the Silk route

Uzbekistan, being at the center of the ancient silk route and with it's chequered history, had been beckoning us for quite some years. After lots of deliberations, we decided to visit the country in the summer of 2024. The decision was facilitated by introduction of a direct flight from Delhi to Tashkent, and constant encouragement from our son.

We always prefer to travel on our own, rather than in an organized group. That gives us a flexibility to travel at our own pace, concentrate more on the things that we want to enjoy and interact more with the local people. And most of all, we enjoy planning the trip that needs quite a bit of research, not only about sight-seeings but also about logistics, which helps us learn a lot about the place. The focus of our trip was to visit the architectural marvels of the Islamic period, though Uzbekistan offers ample natural beauty and other attractions. We planned to visit the cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, besides Tashkent, which is the gateway to Uzbekistan.

 

Itinerary
Our itinerary. Dotted lines indicate train travel. Others are flights.

 

TASHKENT

May 17

We landed in Tashkent around midnight, and immediately faced the first hurdle. We didn't have a single som (the Uzbek currency) in our pocket and none of that cards that we were carrying worked at the airport ATM machine. (We missed a heart-beat, though we never faced the problem again during our entire trip.)  Somehow, we landed up in our hotel and managed to get some local currency from the ATM across the street. After gobbling a sandwich from a  next-door 24x7 cafe, we crashed on the bed for the night, or whatever was left of it.

May 18

We woke up the next morning with an overcast sky and moderate rains. Since "sight-seeing" was not possible, We took a bus (randomly) that took us a little away from Tashkent, to a small village close to the Kazakastan border. It appeared to be a settlement of Chinese and Nepalese immigrants, who have come to Uzbekistan in large numbers to work for it's many development projects. On the way, we had the first glimpse of the famous Chorsu Bazori (Bazaar), which is a huge dome housing a market of all possible grocery items. We decided to visit it later. We also crossed the statue of Lal Bahadur Sastry and a road named after him. Incidentally, Lal Bahadur had been Prime Minister of India during 1964 -- 66 and suffered a mysterious death in Tashkent.

Chorsu Bazaar
The Chorsu Bazori

Uzbekistan was a part of erstwhile USSR and gained independence in 1991. "Mustaqillik Maydoni" (Independence square), a huge garden with fountains, commemorates that. When the rains stopped in the afternoon, we started our exploration of the town by paying a tribute to the Uzbek independence. We were quite impressed by the beauty of the place. There were quite a few local visitors, including couples enjoying cosy nooks and a group of school children exploring the place and bubbling with joy.  

Incidentally, the word "Uzbek" is an amalgamation of two words uz and bek (the first meaning own and the second meaning master or leader in Turkic).

Mustaqillik Maydoni
The park and the fountains of Mustaqillik Maydoni

Closer  to the evening, we moved to the Amir Timur Square. Timur, appretince to Gengis Khan and the founder of the Timurid dynasty with the headquarters in Samarkhand, is the national hero of Uzbekistan and is held in very high esteem. He had several expeditions to expand the empire over the entire Central Asia towards the close of the 14th century. Timur square occupies the heart of the city with a beautiful park around a statue, and overlooked by an enormous Soviet era "Hotel Uzbekistan" and several other important buildings. We ended the day with a taste of traditional Uzbek dishes and retired in our hotel. 

In India, Timur the lame is remembered with horror for ransacking of Delhi (1398), which is believed to have resulted in more than 1 million people being killed.

Timur
Statue of Timur with Hotel Uzbekistan in the background during sunset hours

XIVA (or KHIVA)

May 19

We started for Xiva (Khiva) in the western part of country. Khiva, an oasis in the surrounding desert, was the capital of Khorezm (or Khrasam) Khanate till it was annexed by Russia in the 19th century. Today, the "Ichan Kala" of Khiva, the walled inner city, is an open-air museum, a UNESCO world heritage site and is the home to many archaeological remnants from the 10th - 19th centuries. There are four gates to the outer world, built during the 18th and the 19th centuries. The most popular one is the Ata Darvoza (the west gate) with the ticket counters, curio shops and other touristy activities. The more useful one (for the locals) is the Bagcha Darvoza (the garden gate, towards the north), which opens towards the public buildings and the bazaar, and is the center for public transport.

The walls of Ichan Kala
The mud and brick wall of Ichan Kalan
 

Khiva is connected to Tashkent by rail, but we chose to fly as the journey by a slow train would take a good part of the day. We hoped to get a glimpse of the natural landscape (especially the course of Amu Darya river) from the flight, but unfortunately, the sky was overcast.  

As we landed at the Urgench airport (the nearest one to Khiva), we found something very intriguing. Our plane was the only one to be seen in the airport. But the airport claimed itself to be an "international" one. More interestingly, all the signage around the immigration area were in Chinese only. Later during our trip, we found the same at the Bukhara airport too. It was pretty evident that there are lots of Chinese involvement in the development projects in Uzbekistan, even at such remote places.

We reached Khiva by the afternoon, in good time to start our exploration. As recommended by our host in a modest home-stay (in Ichan Kala), we purchased the tickets that would allow us entry to the most of the archaeological sites and the museums there and would be valid for next 48 hours. We took a short walk from our hotel to the west gate and were overwhelmed by the beautiful tile-work and wooden works on the various madrasahs, mosques and the minarets, and even in the private buildings where the residents presently live.

Tileworks and woodworks
Tile-works and wood-works in Khiva

One of the famous landmarks in Ichan Kala is the Kalta Minor, an unfinished minaret that stands next to Md. Amin Khan Madrasah (now converted to a hotel). The minaret (period of construction: 1852 - 1855) was planned to exceed India's Qutab Minar (73m) in height, but the work was abandoned after the death of the then Khan of Khiva.

Katla Minor and Amin Khan Madrasah
Around Kalta Minor and Amin Khan Madrasa. Bottom left: Sahtoot (mulberry) shrub

We strolled around in the citadel, all the while enjoying the beauty of the architectural marvels. The monuments in Ichan Kala are well-lit in the evening, and a feast for the photographers. Here are a few glimpses.

Night photographs
Night photographs of Ichan Kala

May 20

We have one more day at Khiva. In the early hours of the morning, I strolled around the residential quarters of Ichan Kala. The residential houses were next to the archaeological relics -- many of the families host guests, who want to feel the real ambience of Khiva.

Ichan Kala
The town of Ichan Kala

A little later in the day, we set out to see few other monuments of Ichan Kala. We start with the Juma Masjidi (or the Friday mosque), which dates back to the 10th century, and had been rebuilt in 1788. It is a large one-story brick building with a flat roof, supported by 212 exquisitely curved wooden columns, some of which are from the original construction. The columns must have been replaced from time to time -- some of them appeared to be quite recent. Like all other mosques in Uzbekistan, it has a tall and well-decorated minaret, this one known as the Jummi Minor.

Jummi Masjidi
Jummi Masjidi and Jummi Minor. Pillars from three different ages.

Close to the mosque, there is the Museum of Scholars that narrates the history of the learned people in Khorezm region and elsewhere in Uzbekistan. Sciences (especially astronomy) and mathematics flourished in Central Asia during the 10th -- 11th century. The museum exhibits statues of the scholars and some books (original manuscript) written by them. Other exhibits include a model of Mirzo Ulugh Beg's observatory. We learn more about Ulugh Beg later in Samarkhand.

Museum of scholars
Models depicting the scholars of the middle age, their study and Ulughbeg's observatory

 

At our next stop, Tosh-Hovli, we were again overwhelmed by the tile and the wood-work. The palace was the residence of the Khans (rulers) of Khorezm for about 40 years in the late 19th century. 

It is said that the plan for construction of the extravagant new mansion was laid down in 1831 which incorporated a tight two year building schedule. When the architect pointed out the impossibility of the target, his head rolled (literally) and a new architect was appointed. Despite the best efforts by the new appointee, the palace took eight years to complete. We are not aware of the fate of the new architect.

Tosh Hovli
Decorations at Tosh Hovli

There are many other monuments and museums at Ichan Kala, but we could not cover them all. Interesting activities, which we did not indulge, in could be to walk on the fortress walls and to climb some of the minarets to get a bird's eye-view of Khiva. However, that was partly compensated by climbing the roof-top of our home-stay that boasted the highest rooftop in Khiva.

Khiva
Some random shots


And of course, we enjoyed specialty dishes from Khorezm region over the two days. We found a nice restaurant "Terrassa" in the Ichan Kala itself. Our fare included Shashliks, Plov, Gumma (like patties, stuffed with meat or vegetables) and Shivit Oshi (Green noodles served with meat or vegetable stew).

 

Terrassa
At Terrassa restaurant, Khiva

Terrassa

 

May 21

It is time to bid good-bye to Khiva. We would take  a flight to Bukhara in the afternoon. But my Khiva visit would have been incomplete without having a look at the new city, or the Dishan Kala (the outer fortress). This was constructed during mid-nineteenth century and is now a part of the modern city, though some historical monuments remain. This morning, I preferred to roam around the modern city for a while. I was astonished to see the modern development, wide roads with broad footpaths, modern public buildings with traditional decorations, efficient public transport system and the relaxed residential neighborhoods, even in such a remote place.

Dishan Kala
Dishan Kala. Qosh Darvoza (the north gate of Dishan Kala), Public buildings and residential quarters


Finally, I took a peep into the Khiva Bazori (central market place of Khiva). It is quite a big open space with stalls selling various items, right from raw and cooked food to garments and shoes and other stuff of daily requirements. Remarkable was the collection of dry-fruits, ground-nuts, apricots, figs, walnuts, almonds, raisins, and so on ... many unknown to me. In the butchery section, I was surprised to find beef and chicken, but no trace of lamb or goat. 

Khiva Bazara
Khiva Bazaar


BUXORO (BUKHARA)

We reached Bukhara in the early evening and checked into our hotel, next to the Lyab-i Hauz (meaning "by the pool") area. The tank in a mosque-madrasa complex was the source of water in that area in the pre-Soviet days. We took a stroll in the Lyab-i Hauz area in the evening before it was time to hit the bed.

As the history goes, the area where the tank stands belonged to a Jew widow, who refused to sell the land to the then vizier, who wanted to construct the pool there. When the land could not be legally acquired, the vizier acquired it by some unfair means, though relenting to the demand by the lady to establish a synagogue in a nearby area. A Jewish settlement soon grew around the synagogue. 

Lyab-i Hauz
Lyab-i Hauz mosque and madrasah complex

 May 22

Before we further explore the town, our hotel "Lyabi House" needs some introduction. It is housed in a building that was the erstwhile residence of a wealthy Jewish family in a narrow lane next to Lyab-i Hauz, and near the synagog. The building, especially the dining space is well-decorated. The rooms have been quite spacious and comfortable. However, we found the steps leading to our first floor room a little too steep for our age.

Lyabi House
Lyabi House, and it's well-decorated dining hall

Our first destination for the day was the Ark of Bukhara, a massive fortress at the center of the city, originally built around 5th century. The fortress was in use till 1920, when Russia annexed the country. Today, one can visit a mosque, a coronation chamber, both with exquisite tile-work and a museum that houses antiques from the fortress.

Ark of Bukhara
Ark of Bukhara

The Bolo Hauz mosque, which is a stone's throw from the fortress was our next stop. Built in the early eighteenth century, it is one of the UNESCO heritage sites in the city. It served as a Friday mosque during the time when the Emir of Bukhara was subjugated under the Russian rule. Several thin columns of painted wood were added to the frontal part of the Iwan (entrance hall) at a later date.
 
Boloi Hauz
Bolo Hauz mosque

 

Later in the day, we visit a few other monuments. Most notable was the mausoleum of Ismail Samani with an intricate brick-work, constructed during the 9th century. Samanids, a Persian dynasty, ruling over north-eastern Iran and western Central Asia from 819 to 1005. Under Ismail Samani (who ruled from 892–907), the domains of the Samanids expanded, and Bukhara became the Samanid capital. The mausoleum is the burial of Ismail and some of his family members. It depicts the remarkable architectural style of Central Asia in the early tenth century, and the region’s pre-Islamic architectural traditions. A huge park surrounds the mausoleum today.
 
Ismail Samani
Mausoleum of Ismail Samani
May 23
 
We explore a few other monuments around Lyab-i Hauz in the morning. The first one to visit is Chor Minor, a structure with four minarets. We were a little disappointed since it is much less in grandeur than it's namesake in our own Hyderabad. The next one is Kalon Minor. The minaret was built on a site over an existing structure named "Kalyan" (well-being in Sanskrit). That gives a hint to Buddhist/Zoroastrian past of the town. 
 
Bukhara
Chor Minor and Kalon Minor. Handicrafts on display
 
Closer to Lyab-i Hauz, we visit the ruins of an ancient bath-house, and have a close look at Toqi Telpakfurshan (also known as Toki Sarrofon, or the money-changer's dome), the ancient trading dome dating back to the 16th century. It is a vibrant marketplace today. One thing that we notice in Bukhara is that most of the historical sites are a bit too commercialized with curio shops all around, and even inside the monuments.

Bukhara
An ancient bath-house with a caravansarai and a mosque in the background. Toqi Telpakfurshan, a vibrant market-place


 
Now a bit about Bukhra food. Manti (similar to Tibetan momos) and Somsa (Samosa!) are popular snacks. Shashliks, Surpas (soups) and Plov are for the main courses -- all accompanied with bread and generous portions of salad. Bukhara Plov has a quite distinct taste from the one that we tasted at Khiva. 
 
An interesting lesson that we learned the hard way is that Plov is consumed by the Uzbeks only at the lunch time and not for the dinner. At popular restaurants, the stock of Plov may get exhausted by 12:30 pm, or so. 

Bukhara Plov
A plate of delicious Bukhara Plov


 
It is time to move on to our next destination, Samarkand. We take a high-speed Afrosyab train from the Bukhara station. During the journey, the train clocked a maximum speed of 160 kmph, and maintained steady 158 - 160 kmph for quite a long distance.

Bukhara
Bukhara railway station, the Afrosyab train

SAMARKAND

We reach Samarkand in the early evening. Samarkand had been the capital of the Timurid empire with Registon (means a desert) was the heart of the city, a public square, where people used to assemble to hear royal proclamations, and a place for public executions. We checked in a hotel close by and came down to the square. The illuminated monuments of the square was a feast to the eyes. The place is framed by three madrasahs on the three sides, the Ulugh-Beg madrasa (15th century), the Sher-Don madrasah and the Tilya-Kori madrasah (both 17th century). We found a large crowd of visitors, mostly from other towns of Uzbekistan, enjoying the beauty and the evening breeze. However, we found a public platform built at the center with two huge bright TV screens (subdued by editing, in the photo) to spoil the view of the facade.

Registon
Registon square in the evening. Ulugh Beg Madrsah (to the left), Tilya-Kori Madrasah (at the center) and Sher-Don Madrasah (to the right).

May 24

It was a rainy morning and we had to choose indoor venues. Our first destinations for the morning was Ulugh-Beg museum, which stands on a small hillock, which was the site where his observatory once stood. Mirrzo Ulugh-Beg had been the favorite grand-child of Timur, but he is known more for being a mathematician and an astronomer. He constructed the observatory during 1424 and 1429, that had been one of the finest observatories in Central Asia at that time. In the museum, we learn about Samarkand's glorious time during his reign. After his death (1449), one his followers, Ali Kushchi, continued his legacy and relocated to Istanbul some 20 years later with cart loads of Ulugh Beg's work. That is how the knowledge spread to the western world. 

Ulugh Beg
Ulugh Beg's Observatory (museum), a part of his sextant that still survives, a grand statue of Ulugh Beg

Our next destination was yet another museum, the Afrosyab musem that is located nearby. The museum is named after the community of the oldest settlement found in that locality that dates back to 7th-8th century BC, and is an interesting showcase of the passage of the history of the region since that time. One interesting fact about Samarkand is that it had been known as "Markanda" in the ancient times, showing a possible linkage to the Indian civilization.

Afrosyab
Artifacts and paintings from the Afrosyab museum

Our afternoon destination was Shah-i-Zinda (the living Kings), which houses mausoleums of the Shahs (Kings) of the bygone era. Though the oldest of the mausoleums dates back to the 11th century, the most prominent ones belong to 16th-19th centuries. Notable ones are the mausoleums for Timur's wife and some other family members. (Timur's mausoleum is elsewhere in Samarkand). Mausoleums of some other important military-men and scholars are also there in this complex. The exquisite tile and the wood-works at the mausoleums are truly baffling.

Shah-i Zinda
Shah-i-Zinda

May 25

Our Uzbekistan trip is nearing it's end. Today is our last day at Samarkand. In the morning, we visit the Bibi Khanym mosque that had been the grandest mosque in the Islam world in the 15th century. It is said the the mosque had been constructed with the huge loot from Timur's raid of India (including 39 elephants that carried the building material!). However, the mosque did not survive long. The design was stretched beyond the capacity of the then building technology, and it collapsed on it's own weight. There was restoration efforts at a later time, but a devastating earthquake in the 19th century brought it down to rubble. The complex was renovated again in the Soviet era. Like all other monuments, this one too is replete with exquisite tile-work. The most important exhibit is a massive Quran in a glass enclosure at the Iwan (entrance) of the mosque. The Shahtoot (mulberry) and the juniper trees add some comforting shade and beauty to the place.  

As the story goes, the mosque was ordered to be built by Timur’s Chinese wife, Bibi-Khanym, as a surprise while he was away on one of his campaigns. When the architect fell in love with her, he refused to complete the job unless he could give her a kiss. This kiss left a mark and Timur, when he found it, had the architect summarily executed. We do not know the fate of Bibi Khanym. But from then on, all women in the Islam world were ordered to wear veils, not to tempt other men! (Source: VisitWorldHeritage.com)

Bibi Khanym
Bibi Khanym mosque

 

A trip to Samarkand is incomplete without it's Shashliks and Plov, which we have relished to our heart's content by now. In the evening we take another high-speed train back to Tashkent. This time, the train clocks a maximum speed of 208 kmph, though for a short distance.

Food
Plov (served with sour cream) and Shashliks, Samarkand style

TASHKENT

May 26

This is our last day in Uzbekistan. We are lodged in a cute home-stay in the old quarters of the city.  

Chorsu Inn
Old town, Tashkent on a Sunday morning

In the morning, we visit the Hazrati Imam Complex (also called Hastimom or Hastim), an architectural monument dating from the 16th to 20th centuries. The complex houses quite a few mosques and madrasas. The centerpiece is the mausoleum of Hazrati Imam, who was also known as “Qaffol” (locksmith) for his skills on the subject, and the mausoleum is known as Qaffol Shoshiy mausoleum. The mosque in the complex houses one of the 12 original versions of the Quran.

Hazrat-i Imam
Hazrati Imam Complex

The last afternoon of our trip had been reserved for visiting the Chorsu Bazori, which is a market place under a huge dome of all sorts groceries, bakeries, vegetables, fruits, cereal and pulses and condiments. The upper floor is exclusively reserved for the butcheries -- we were told, even horse meat is also available there. The original dome has been surrounded by shops selling other items, notably garments and shoes, and several eateries serving local fare straight from the oven. While our main aim was to experience the place, we could not resist the temptation of buying an assortment of dry fruits and some local spice-mix.

Chorsu
Different sections of Chorsu Bazori

Late in the evening, we fly for India, with our hearts full of memories of Uzbekistan. It is not only the beauty of the monuments, but the history of the land, modern city-scape, the rich flavors of the food, vibrant marketplaces, and above all, warm interaction with the people. Wherever we went, the local people greeted the "people from Hindustan" with a warm smile and often with a hug. Some pointed out the old relationship between the two countries with the name of Babar, who "migrated" to India, with all good intentions. Similarity of many Uzbek words with Indian ones, though not unexpected, was appealing. Our trip to Uzbekistan has indeed been an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we shall cherish it for a long time to come.







Monday, October 2, 2023

A temple for Duryodhan

The epic of Mahabharata depicts a story of rivalry between the cousins in an ancient royal family, which culminates into the great war of Kurukshetra. There are quite a few variants of the epic. A common narrative is that the Kaurava brothers used deceptions and unfair means to deprive their cousins, the Pandava brothers, of the kingdom, which were rightfully theirs. When the Pandavas reclaim the kingdom at a later date, the Kauravas do not budge, and the cousins go to war. The Pandavas emerge victorious and the Kauravas perish. At the end, righteousness triumphs over the wrongdoings.

Common perception holds the five Pandava brothers, Yudhishthir being the eldest, as epitomes of virtue and the Kaurava brothers (there were a hundred of them), led by Duryodhan the eldest, as the villains of the story. But the irony is that there are no temples for any of the Pandava brothers (though some temples in present day Pabbar valley of Himachal Pradesh are attributed to the five brothers), while some 20 odd temples for Duryodhan and his military associate Karna dots the villages in the Tamasa (Tons) valley of Garhwal region of Uttarakhand in India today. 

Karna needs some more introduction. He was the eldest of the Pandava brothers, born to and abandoned by his virgin mother  in his infancy, rescued and raised by a charioteer and his talents discovered by Duryodhana. Eventually, he became a close friend of Duryodhana and was one of the greatest generals in the Kaurava army during the Kurukshetra war.


Tamasa (Tons) Valley

It is said that some soldiers from the defeated army of the Kauravas, loyal to Duryodhana and Karna, took refuge in this remote hilly region after the Kurukshetra war, and started worshiping their heroes. These warriors were known for their bravery and valor, despite whatsoever shortcomings they may have had. Even today, their descendants preach no other god but those two [1]. It is also said that the river Tamasa (river of sorrow) carries the tears of the villagers, who wept at the death of Duryodhan.

 

Osla village nestled on the slopes of the Himalayas

We stopped over for a night at the village of Seema on our trek to Har-ki-Dun (the valley of Shiva). We heard about the temple of Duryodhan in the nearby Osla village from the local people and decided to visit it. It was a wooden temple with exquisite curving, but almost in ruins. As contact with outside world grows, quite a few of the villagers, including the contemporary priests, do not openly admit to worshiping the villains of Mahabharata -- they refer to the temple as the temple of Someswara (Shiva) instead. Unfortunately, the door was locked and we could not visit inside. Other temples for Duryodhan and Karna can be found in the valley of the river Tamasa (Tongs), such as in the villages of Saur, Jakholi and Netawar, in Uttarakhand.


The temple of Duryodhan at Osla

By some other theory [2],  the Pandavas and the Kauravas were not cousins, but belonged to different clans, which had long-standing rivalries. The Pandavas belonged to a Mongolian race, called the Kiratas, who dwelt in the Pabbar valley (in present day Himachal). The Kauravas hailed from the Khasa cult and dominated the Tamasa valley of Uttarakhand. Temples attributed to characters of Mahabharata in this Himachal Pradesh - Uttarakhand region support the theory. The temples of Duryodhan and Karna in the valley were built in wood in a style adopted by the Khasa cult at that time (7th - 8th century AD). Some of the temples, for example the one at Saur (which is the biggest of these), has been renovated in the recent times.

References:

  1. Uttarakhand: Temples devoted to Duryodhana and Karna of Epic Mahabharata 
  2. India Mapped. Temples in India

A related story: The Ethereal Ghost of Har-ki-Dun

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Friday, March 3, 2023

The ghost of Chilika

Chilika is a large lagoon covering about 1100 sq km area in the state of Odisha, India, and opening into the Bay of Bengal. The water is saline and is natural habitat for dolphins and many varieties of fishes. Several species of birds flock here during the winter months. Behrampur, or Brahmapur (different from a bigger town by the same name) is an island village close to the mouth of the lake with a population of few thousands of people, mostly engaged in fishing. The village is complete with brightly painted dwelling units, a few temples, a couple of government run schools and even a leisure resort. 

 

Brahmapur, the island village in Chilika (source: Google maps)

 

We stayed in the resort at Brahmapur and explored the village. One of the villagers, a priest from one of the temples, told me this story. Once upon a time, there was a demon king called Raktabahu (literally means blood-stained arms), who planned to attack and vandalize the temple-town of Puri, which is quite close to Chilika. He organized a large fleet and concealed it in the lagoon the night before the attack, close to Brahmapur village, to prevent premature detection by the King of Puri. By the grace of Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri, a huge storm raged over the lagoon that night and Raktabahu and his men perished with their ships. The story, however, is silent about the casualties of the village-folks by the grace of the Lord. Asking this question elicited a deep frown from the priest. The dissatisfied souls of the perished men haunt the lagoon, and their howls can be heard on stormy nights. On a few occasions, the villagers who ventured into the lagoon in darkness have even encountered the ghosts of Raktabahu and some of his men. Needless to say, such encounters had not been pleasant. 

 

Birds at Chilika lagoon

A dig into the history tells a different story. There was indeed a king named Raktabahu, alias Govinda III, of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, who ruled during 793–814 CE. The Rashtrakutas had their capital in Manyakheta (near present-day Kalaburgi of Karnataka) and extended their empire from the Gangetic planes in the North and to deep down the South covering parts of present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 

 

The extent of Rashtrakuta empire (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Much of this expansion was done by Raktabahu, the fifth ruler of the dynasty. As a part of his expansion plan, he did attack Puri and was indeed successful in conquering the town despite Jagannath's blessings. That was the first time when the temple of Puri was vandalized. Forewarned of the attack, the king of Puri and the priests of the temple removed the idols to a place called Gopali, near Subarnapur or Sonepur, in Sambalpur district of Odisha. The idols were buried deep into the ground for protection against vandalism, where it remained for about 150 years. King Yayati I of Chandravamsha (the descendants of the Moon) reestablished the idols in the Puri temple, after performing Naba-kalebara (new body) ritual, when the replicas of the original (and by then decayed) idols were apparently created. The place where the idols were buried is now known as Patali Srikhetra. 

 

An abandoned Kali temple at Brahmapur village

The ghost story of Chilika seems to be a cock-and-bull story, invented by the village priests in praise of Lord Jagannatha and to demean the king who attacked Puri. The howls on stormy nights are best explained by the passage of the strong wind through the pine trees on the nearby sea shore. 

 


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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The oldest mosque of Vijayapura (Bijapur)

Viyayapura, or Bijapur at it is popularly known, is famous for it's Gol Gombuz. Some tourists venture further to Ibrahim Rauza and Bara Kaman. But, there are many more monuments in and around Vijayapura, which are lesser known and are rarely frequented.

Amidst the hustle bustle of the town, there is a quiet corner, where stands the oldest mosque of Vijayapura, mostly ignored by the tourists. Even many of the local people are not aware of it's significance. Known as the Karim-ud-din mosque, it looks more like a Hindu temple. It was built in 1320 AD under the orders of Karim-ud-din, who was the then governor of Bijapur. Incidentally, Karim-ud-din has been the son of Malik Kafur who had been the General of Alauddin Khilji, and was instrumental in bringing a large part of the Deccan under Muslim rule.

Karim-ud-din mosque at Vijayapura

 

Curvings in the mosque in Chalukyan temple style

While construction of mosques and other monuments by the rulers were not uncommon, why was this mosque constructed like a Hindu temple? It is said that there were no architects for designing mosques were available in the region in those times. Karim-ud-din mosque was designed by one Revaya, in the style of Hindu temples that had been the only places of worship he had been familiar with. The mosque was assembled from an assortment of debris of nearby broken Hindu temples (handiwork of Malik Kafur?), which give it an unmistakable "Hindu" look. However, the statues of gods and humans seem to have been carefully chipped off. By some alternate theory, the place had been an Agrahara (Hindu college) which has been converted to a mosque by the orders of Malik Kafur. Whichever theory may be true, it had been the principal mosque of Bijapur for about 150 years till Jami Masjid was built during the early years of Adil Shahi dynasty. 


The outer wall of Karim-ud-din mosque

Our local taxi driver who took us around in Vijayapura did not know about this mosque. We could locate the place with some difficulty, with the help of the Google map. When we visited the place, we did not find a single soul, except an old lady who kept the place clean and lighted some incense at the tomb of a saint housed in the premises (possibly at a later date). The ancient structure had been supported with scaffolding (by ASI) with no repair-work in sight. It appears that what could be a very significant historical monument is not given enough importance and is left to decay.


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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Mahishasura: The story of a vanquished king

What is present day city of Mysuru (Mysore or Mahishur) in the southern state of Karnataka, was the kingdom of Mahishasura (Mahisha, the Asura) in the ancient times. Indeed, the name Mysuru is derived from "Mahisha Ooru", meaning the home of Mahisha. Contrary to the beliefs of many, Mahishashur was not a demon, but a respected king, brave and caring for his subjects. Indeed, all Asuras were not demons, they were merely the original inhabitants of the Deccan land before the Devas invaded it. As in every community, there were some good guys and some bad guys among Asuras; the bad ones were called the Danavas and the good ones the Adityas. We can assume Mahishashur was one of these Adityas. The name Mahisha was conferred on him as he was as brave and strong as a buffalo; his physique had nothing to do with the animal as suggested in some of the Aryan myths, and believed by the people in general.

Statue of Mahisasura at Kalamandira

Now, as the Devas (Aryans) were set to colonize the Deccan, there was bound to be disputes on territories and the Asuras and the Devas became arch-rivals. The history (or, rather the myths) are filled with bloodshed. The story of Mahishasura is also no exception. To protect his territorial integrity, Mahishasura fought the Devas, and their chieftain, Indra was badly beaten. 

The Devas tried to dig out some weak spot in Mahishasura to plan an attack on him. Apparently, Mahishasura had a boon from the supreme god Brahma that only a woman can kill him. The Devas were forced to train a woman, goddess Durga (also, called Chamundi), in warfare and send her to the battle with Mahishasur. A fierce battle took place for nine days on a hill-top, now known as the Chamundi Hill, at an edge of the city Mysore where Mahishasura was killed.

There are quite a few variants of the story. By another version of the story, it was not a fair fight. Mahishasura fell for the feminine charm of the Devi and was killed when he lowered his guard. By yet another version, Mahishasura was a Dalit or Shudra (lower caste by Brahminical definition) chieftain. He embraced Buddhism and had a monk-like character. Going by this theory, Mahishasura was killed in the Brahiminical-Buddhist conflict that prevailed India around first century AD. (See this blog to get more information about the conflict.)

Well, in whatever way it may be, Mahishasur was vanquished to the relief of the Devas and Brahminical rule was established in the region. A couple of statues (of recent age) in Mysuru reminds us of the great king. A nine-day festival every year commemorates the triumph of Chamundi (or, Durga) at Mysore and elsewhere in India. While the entire country rejoices, a section of population, in northern part of West Bengal and Jharkhand, claim themselves to be the descendants of Mahishasura and mourns the slaughter of their forefathers during those nine days. Of late, we see some rallies in support of Mahishasura by politicians, who cash on "Dalit" sentiments, in Mysore.

There may not be any truth in the story, and all the characters may be mythical. They do not reflect my personal belief either. They are not intended to hurt the sentiments of any community. They are just shreds of stories that I have heard here and there, and tried to string them together with some colors and spices added to them.

But the fact remains that the victory of the Devas were absolute. Demonization of the Asuras is perhaps the consequence of history being written by the victors. Though the Asura culture was superior to the Deva's at that time, there is no trace of it left in South India today. Only exception is possibly the 'Onam' festival of Kerala that commemorates another great Asura king Mahabali.

Update (22-Oct-2023)




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