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Chapter 3
Cultural heritage of Rajasthan

Introduction :
Rajasthan culture : very tolerant, generous, multidimensional and full of diversity.
The places like kali banga, aahad, gulund, bagaur, tilwara, ganeshwar, bairath, abhaneri
etc speak of rajasthani architecture in the sindh and pre – sindh civilizations.
Excavations in mewar area are the specimen of architecture of pre – stone and middle
stone period.
Aahad culture speaks of copper culture of rajasthan.
Discover (archeologists) of rajasthan culture : amlan and ghose, b. b lal, b.k. thapar,
rattan Chandra agarwal etc.
The most ancient fossials of the world from jaislmer.
Rajasthan known for its religion, philosophy, moral values, sects community, art,
development of literature, fairs, festivals etc, faith in folk deities, dances, music,
paintings, above all in the principle of sarva panth samadar.
Unique cultural heritage of rajasthan festivals and fairs
Gangaur festival : popular in jaipur, jodhpur, Bikaner, kota, jhalawar etc.
celebrated by ladies for 18 days, worship of ishar (shiva) and gauri (parvati) on the third
of shravan month.
Shitla mata festivals depicting change in the seasons, intake of cold food on the seventh
and eighth of chetra Krishna.
Akhateej related to harvesting, on the third of baisakh shukla.
The national festivals : rakshabandan, dussehra, deepawali, holi, janamashtmi, navratra,
shivaratri, ramnavami, basant panchmi etc.
Many festivals as the symbols of sarva panth samadar : vat savitri pooja, kartik snan,
karva chauth, ahoi vrat, paryushan of jain samaj, ramzan and id of muslims, lohri of
(punjabis), guru nanak jayanti of Sikhs, Christmas of Christians, navrose of parsis etc.
Festivals related to folk deities of rajasthan : fairs of tejaji, ramdeoji, gogaji, jambhoji,
swami bhoj etc, besides pushkar fair, dussehra kota fair, gangaur and teej fairs of jaipur,
akadashi fair.
Fooldol fairs : barthari fair, keoladeo fair, shitlamata fair, maru mela, vaineshwar
fair, animal fairs of Nagpur and parvatsar.
Social, religious and economic significance of these fairs : their social significance –
merchants from far off places gather with their animals as horses, goats, cows etc.
Economic significance : revenue to the state and income to the traders through
trading of animals.
Religious ignificance : organization of fairs in different months as pushkar and
kolyat fairs in kartik, vaneshvar fair in magh, karnimata and gangaur fairs in the months
of chetra.
Places significant for particular animals
Camels (ship of desert) of jaislmer, goats of barmer, oxes of nagaur, horses and mares
of malani.
Beware, pali, kakri and Bikaner known for ship-wool.
Architecture of rajasthan
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Forts, temples, idols, palaces, monuments etc. as pieces of rajasthan architecture.
Fort architecture
Features of fort architecture
1. got built mainly during the reign of maharana kumbha of marwar and rao maldev of
marwar.
2. for security, safety of trade, dignity and warfare.
3. forts equipped with water tanks, temples, palaces, residential houses, warehouses,
repository for arms and ammunition.
4. high walls, many gates, pillars and burjis.
5. soldiers to protect these forts.
A few examples of important forts
Forts of jaislmer and Bikaner – the forts of deserts
Bharatpur fort : the strong fort of plains.
Forts of jalor, siwana, mewar, marwar, achalgarh etc. for security on different rouls.
Deeg palaces appreciated for architectural beauty by ferguson.
Description of important forts of rajasthan.
Chittorgarh fort : on a big hillock 2 kms from chittorgarh junction, at the height of 1850
feet, three miles long and ½ a mile wide, equipped with seven gates (four built by
maharana kumbha), namely pandavapol, the first gate on the plantform outside,
bhairvapol, rampol, the entry gate, hanumanpol, ganeshpol, lakshmanpol and jodanpol.
Inside the fort the temple of tuljamata, among other buildings : navlakh bhandar,
shrinagar chanvri temple, palaces of rana kumbha, rooms, verandahs. Palaces, johar,
shivalyas, monuments, platforms etc. 27 jain temples, nine storeyed kirti stambh by rana
kumbha with 157 stairs. Haveli of jaimal, palace of queen padmini, palace of kalika mata
etc.
Fort of kumbhalgarh.
Got built by maharana kumbha, about 60 km from Udaipur near village sadri, surrounded
by hills and valleys, many gates as oratpol, hallapol, hanuman pol, vijaypol, rampol,
bhairva pol, ganeshpol etc, the temple of neelkanth mahadev of nagar style, Vishnu
temple of kumbha swami, monuments of kunwar prithvi raj.
Another fort within the fort known as katargarh, having six gates, a deity temple, royat
palace, stable, peelkhana, ware house etc.highly appreciated by col tod, shri harvilas
sharda and dr. gopinath sharma.
Fort of ranthambhour
The most ancient, spacious and suitable for warfare, siuated on a hill surrounded by
aravali ranges 13 kms away from swamiadhopur railway station. Its primitive name –
ranastamhpur, entrance gate- naulakha darwaza, many buildings in it as temples,
palaces, umbrella, water tanks, badal mahal, dilli darwaza, armoury etc. temple of
ganesh of special significance, on its back is the temple of god shiva .
Three gates- torandwar, andheri darwaza and tripolia darwaza.
Architectural pieces : 50 ft high huge umbrella, pillars of royal palace, hammir’s courts
etc.
Royal palaces of amer (amber) and other forts and temples
Specimen of architecture – the best among the palaces built during the regime of raja
mansingh and raja jai singh prominent architectural pieces inside the fort – umbrellas,
fountains, sanvalia, jaleb chowk, diwan-i-aam, ganesh-pol etc. ‘jagat shiromani temple’.
The best and other temples ambrish and narsinghji. Forts of jaigarh and nahargarh, also
Chandra mahal, tripolia gate, jantarmantar, jal mahal, zanani dyodi etc.
Mehrangarh fort
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Shaped like the tail of peacock (hence known as mordhwaj) built by rao jodha, situated
on a hill top 6, miles towards south from mandaur, at 400ft height.
Entry gates : jaipol and fatehpol. Inside many palaces, armoury, barracks of soldiers, six
gates (pols) etc. on the walls and ceilings artistic paintings. Amoung the palaces – moti
mahal, phool mahal, fateh mahal and also topkhana, singar chowki, a library (pustak
prakash).
Temples of chamunda devi, anandghanji and murli manohar.
Other forts
Forts of mandalgarh, achalgarh, siwana, kota, bundi, Bikaner, jaisalmer made of yellow
marble, jalore by parmar rulers, forts built by feudal lords as hammirgarh, banera
neemrana, samod, mandawa, bisau, bagaur, deogarh etc.
Temples and sculpture
Rich sculpture in the idols of male and female deities, yakshas, yakshinis, males,
females, animals, birds, dancing postures etc. at dilwara, nagda and ossiyan.
Known for their ornamental beauty are temples of dilwara, kambhshyam, jagdish, chittor,
Udaipur etc.
Temples of abu known for ornamental style of medieval age. Vimalshah temple of white
marble – 98 feet long, 43 feet wide. Near it is dilwara jain temple.
Temples known for their beauty and artistic qualities – at badoli, nagda, mainal, kiradu
osujan, kama, pandupol and rajogarh.
Famous temples and sacred monuments :
Pushkar, a chief pilgrimage, galtaji sarovar at jaipur, jain temples of dilwara dargah of
khwaja muen-i-uddin chisti at ajmer, karnimata temple at deshnok, gogameri, pabuji,
mallinath, pipaji, ramdevji, jambhoji dev narayanji, tejaji, govind guru etc.
Many sacred monuments of shaivism, shaktism and vaishnavism, fire-places (dhune),
meditation places, samadhis, shakti sthalas of mewar – temples of deities of
dhanopmata, joganiya mata, and jhantlamata.
Other shakti sthalas : jeenmata, dadhimata, shitlamata, shiladevi, keoladeo etc.
Shaiv temples : eklingji, nathdwaras shrinath temple, dwarikadheesh, sanvalia
chaturbhujnath temple, govindji temple (jaipur), shri kalyanji temple of diggi etc.
Monuments of diverse religious beliefs, sects and sampradayas-
Nathdwara of vallabh sampradaya
Salembad of nimbark sampradaya
Ramdwara of ram snehis
Rewasa dham and vaineshwar dham of tribal area.
Literature of rajasthan
Historical, saint and folk literature in Sanskrit, prakrit, rajasthani (dingal and pingal) and
hindi languages.
A few historical texts – shishupal vadh, lalit vigrah raj, samarichechakacha, prithvi raj
raso, vansh bhaskar and veer satsai etc.
Morality dominated couplets :
Rajiaji’s and nagji’s couplets, dhola maru ra duha, jeen mata ra geet etc.
Saint literature
Bhaktmal of nabhadas, santvani of various communities, sabad sangrah, oral and
composed prose, poetry and songs related to saints, folkmen, folk deities etc, bhajans of
mirabai.
The folk literature of rajasthan in the form of vani, sabad sakhi, poem, couplets.
Saurathe, geet etc.
Contributions of saint tradition
1. enrichment of culture.
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2. in the field of literature, art, human value and environmental conservation.
3. strengthening of cultural heritage, integrative human approach etc.
4. strengthening of socio-religious superstitions.
5. eradication of social and religious superstitions.
6. promotion of welfare of human society, social equality and integration of Indian
culture.
7. positive and healthy change in public mentality.
Prominent folk deities and folkmen of rajasthan
1. gogaji – one of the five male deities, also known as deity of snakes, among
muslims as gogapeer. Gogaji is believed to be married to kalen de and born to mother,
baghleda and father, jehver chauhan, worship places of gogaji under the khejadi tree,
known as gogameri, goga navmi held in Krishna paksh of bhadrapad and navmi of
shukla paksh. Goga rakhi by the farmers before ploughing. Gogaji is offered coconut and
kheer churma.
2. baba ramdevji : born is 15th century of vikram samvat in jungal village of
pokhran, mother – manade, father – ajmal tanwar and wife- naital de. A proved saint,
dutiful, brave – warrior, a saviour of masses and cows.
His priciples :
Belief in social equality and hindu-muslim unity. Welfare of others and compassion for
all.
As a social reformer opposed reiligious malpractices and emphasized hindu – muslim
unity.
Belief in charity
One of the five deities and seers, and a symbol of power and devotion. A fair on his
Samadhi sthal, ram dev from 2 nd to 11th of bhadon every year. Muslims revere him as
ramspir.
3. brahthari – a scholar of the end of 6th century. His three texts :
1. niti shatak about morality and policy.
2. shrinagar shatak about amorous affairs.
3. Vairagya shatak about metaphysicism and detachment.
The brahthari caves and temple, a fair in his memory, his special place in nathpanth.
4. jambhoji : a shepherd in childhood born in 1451 in pipsar village, to parents lohatji
panwar and hansa devi in 1485 on the Krishna asthma of kartik, he established vishnoi
panth. Among his 20+9 principles, 20 are :
1. bathe every day.
2. be calm, cool and satisfied.
3. pray both the times.
4. hari – bhajan every evening.
5. speak the truth.
6. love and devotion
7. milk and water after sieving.
8. a feeling of compassion.
9. no – stealing
10. no ill of others.
11. belief in own religion.
12. fast on amavasya day.
13. worship of lord Vishnu.
14.not to cut green trees.
15. control on lust, anger etc.

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16. protection of wild life.
17. no opium.
18. no liquar.
19. no meat. 20. not to wear blue clothes.
Fairs in his memory at mukam twice a year. Founder of the vishnoi panth, his followers
vishnois – among whom cutting of khejiri and other green trees and poaching of animals
– totally prohibited. 363 women including amrita devi were beheaded in 1730 for
environmental conservation.
5. govind guru :
Born in banjara family of basiyan village in dungarpur on December 20, 1858, specially
impressed by swami dayanand sarswati, founded sampsabha, left drinking and non-
vegetarian diet, worked for the bhil tribe, led independence movement in the dense
forests, in the meeting organized under him by the bhils on mangarh hills on nov.
17,1913,1500 bhils were massacred in the firing by the bristish military, imprisoned for
10 years, eki-sangthan was established by him, revered as a ‘lokpurash’ in rajasthan for
strengthening bhils against social injustice.
Fine arts of rajasthan
Paintings : famous since pre-historic times, based on texts related to Jainism, shaivism.
Shaktism and vaishnavism. Many paintings regarding kalpsatra, bhagwad, Ramayana,
shiv – puran etc, also depicting women beauty, love, happiness, devotion to god etc.
Ragmala paintings of nature, religion and musical elements.
Mural paintings of elephants, horses and others on the occasions of festivals, marriages
etc, also related to day to day life.
Paintings on cloth in the form of picture texts and in the handwritten texts well known
paintings ‘fad’ in shlipura-(bhilwara) and pichwai in nathdwara. Paintings making ‘fad’
paintings known as chitare.
Mandna an important folk art of paintings, by women on the threshold, doors, walls etc.
on the occasians like deepawali, e.g. heed, sparkling, stick, imprints of feet, chariot of
luxmi, flower etc, on the occasion of holi paintings of chang, khanda, dhol etc.
Style of paintings in the havelis of shekhawati region of international fame figures,
related to vaishnava tradition of nimbark community and kishangarh school of vallabh
community.
Famous painter nihal chand portraited pictures related to radha-krishna and banithani
during the period of maharaja savant singh nagaridas. Dhola maru painting the most
attractive among all the paintings of folkmen, saints, rulers etc in rajasthan
Colours used mainly red, yellow and green.
Various local styles of paintings as mewar, marwar, Bikaner, jaipur, kota, bundi school,
pichwai of nathwara and kishangarh style.
Music – the art of rajasthan
Music has been developing in rajasthan since ancient times due to patronage given by
rulers and feudal lords of rajasthan to the musicians.
The folk music – full of spirit of valour, beauty and devotion, folk tales are narrated
through it, development of many ragas as ‘mand’ in the classical music, many regional
forms of ‘mand’ as mand of jaipur, jaisalmer, jodhpur, Udaipur etc. beautiful couplets of
these mands – a special feature, about 90 rags and raginis mira bai’s couplets, immense
contributions by the rulers of jaipur, alwar, tonk etc. and also development of music y
feudal lords. Jaipur charana of music by the mixture of vocal and instrumental music.

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Contributions by pt. Vishnu narayan bhatkhande in the field of khyal. He developed
‘manrang gharana’. Also the development of mewati gharana of khyal gayaki, the main
singers of this gharana-pt. maniram, pt.jasraj etc.
Many texts on the theoretical aspect of music as shrinagar, sabgeetraj, ragmala,
ragmanjri, radha govindsar etc. patronage to the musician and scholars by the rulers of
ranthambour, mewar, amer, Bikaner, jodhpur etc. a collection of many music related
texts in Sanskrit pustkalaya of Bikaner.
Ragmala (granth) a special text of music, by the intergration of music, poetry and
painting. Many ragas as vibhas, nat adana, dev gandhar etc. used by maharaja sanvant
singh nagri das of kishangarh.
Many ragas and raginis in the couplets of mira bai, dadu and ashtechap, local raginis
given place in the saint literature – a special feature in inclusion of lyricism of saurath.
Dhamal singing is also popular, also the art of playing music with dance in the night
jagrans.
Art of dancing in rajasthan
Rajasthan – the rangsthali of dance various types of folk dances as bhvai, kalbalia,
tarahtali, chari, ghoomar, fire dance etc.
Classical dances mainly the kathak dance of jaipur gharana developed in the form of
prayer of god. Its main features-valour, miraculous rhythm, tandav dance of shiva and
lasya and tal and speedy movement of legs. Gunjan khana of jaipur – a centre of music
and dance. Patronage to the kathak dancers by the rulers of jaipur.
In the vaishnava temples dances were based on the couplets of surdas and tulsidas,
also based on bhajans and dhruva couplets. In the gatbhav dances the mono-
presentation of the stories of bhagvat gita, the Ramayana, the mahabharta etc – through
brij or Sanskrit couplets. Dress of the dancers – silken, pitamber, bandi, dhoti, lahanga,
choli and odni.
The group dances of rajasthan – gair, ghoomar, jhoomer, bhavai, gindad of shekhawati.
Also dances by tribals, peasants and artisans and the fire dance of jasnathi panth, also
the festival dances.
Marriage time dances- one clap, two clap and five clap and 13 clap dance popular in
marwar, Bikaner and mewar accompanied by harp, tomtom and tal by men. Another
dance by the males-rannaritya, jogi dance, ang-bhang dance, kachi ghora dance, nahar
dance etc.
Loknatya kala (folk dances)
Context of folk dances – religious, puranic, historical and cultural.
Main dances – kathputli, rasdhari, gauri, khyals.
Folk arts – kartab of nats, natnis and mimcry etc.
Displayed by – instrumental music, dialogue, discussion and discourse.
Instruments of folk dances in rajasthan
Main instruments – sarangi of langas, ravanahatha of bhopas, jaiter, kamaicha, been,
dhol and nagada.
Folk instruments of different classes – bhapang, pungi, mashak, jogiya, sarangi,
tandoora, manjira, tase, sarangi, shahnai, teentara etc.
Bhil’s instruments used on different occasions-ravanahatha or gujri, galalo, nagaras,
teentara, tandura and manjira besides the traditional instruments like veena, mridung
and flute.
Handicrafts of rajasthan
Bharatpur : Ivory works, chanwar, fans of sandal, woolen blankets and carpets jaisalmer
and Bikaner – kuppas of camel skin, bags of camel hair etc.

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Kishangarh – printed cloth (clint)
Swaimadhopur – fans of khaskhas.
Jaipur : imprinting of sanganer and bagru, studed jewellery, meenakari, marble sculpture
etc.
Kota-doria, Masuria, silver utensils and ivory works.
Barmer : wooden furniture, embroidery of mirrors and imprinting clothes.
Marwar : tie and dye, brass toys, embroidered sleepers etc.
Mewar : swords, katar, gupti.
Sirohi : swords, bow, and arrow.
Tonk – weaving of clothes and making of musical instruments like sarangi tabla and
sitar.
Nathdwara – minakari and pichwai painting.
Jodhpur : chundri and safe of tie and dye.
Main centres of research, museum, archives and libraries of rajasthan : archaeological
evidences and literary compositions proof to culture, society, traditions, history etc. of
rajasthan.
Museums and archives of rajasthan :
Museum of the archaeological department of rajasthan, rajasthan state archives of
Bikaner, state archives of jodhpur, kota, Udaipur, jaipur etc.
Research centres of rajasthan :
Sardul shodh sansthan of Bikaner, anoop Sanskrit putakalya of jodhpur, research centre
of chopasine, albert museum and city palace of jaipur, museum of amer, research centre
of Arabic and Persian at tonk, lok-kala mandal and tribal research centre of Udaipur etc.
Personal collections also important sources as :
Agarchand nahta collection (bikaner)
Shastri collections of bahsdthali vidhyapeeth, personal collection of rulers, feudals and
saints bhakli literature, collection of thikanas like – mandawa, pisangam, masuda and
baners.
Research and literary magazines :
Chand from Marwari, saraswati, arya mritand shodh patrika, Udaipur, varda bisau
parampara, jodhpur, sujas from jaipur.
Books of historians and scholars kavi raja shyamal das, jammer tod, Mehta lazza ram,
gauri Shankar ooja etc and the most prominent from rajasthan through the ages. Part III
published from rajasthan arechives, Bikaner.

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