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Bapa (Bappa), a pet name: see also BABA.
Bapji, a title of reverence for one's sire or sovereign.
Bappa Rawal (Kalbhoj) (b. Prince Kalbhoj, ca 713-d. 753, possibly at Eklingji), eighth ruler of the Guhilot Dynasty and founder of the Mewar Dynasty (r. 734-753); said by genealogists to be 80th in descent from the god Rama. Eventually, around the age of 21, he succeeded his father Rawal MAHENDRA II. Bappa Rawal is one of the most powerful and famous rulers of the Mewar Dynasty. Although a surviving member of the Guhilot clan, Prince Kalbhoj (his actual name) did not continue the family name of seven generations when he came to the throne; instead, he established the Mewar Dynasty, naming it for the kingdom he had just taken. He went on to become a celebrated hero on battlefields near and far, yet his fascinating life is full of enigmas, and many were the legends created about him. His father, Rawal Mahendra II had married a woman of the PARAMARA Rajput clan, possibly from Mt. Abu or Chandravati, both Paramara centres at that time. She was also the sister of MAAN MORI, the Paramara king who ruled much of the State of Mewar. This included Guhilot clan land, which Paramara invaders from MALWA had annexed a century or so earlier, and set up their capital in the ancient fortress of CHITTORGARH. Mahendra ruled from the town of NAGDA in the southwestern sector of Mewar. However he was lustful and inactive in his kingdom's affairs and, possibly because of this, in 716 he was assassinated ("killed by his own man"). His son, Prince Kalbhoj, was only three years old ... and the legends (and enigmas) began. One account of his early childhood suggests that his existence had to be kept a secret from either Maan Mori (his Paramara uncle) or quite possibly from his father's assassin-there is an account that the ruler of Nagda (obviously the usurping assassin) had tried to kill the young heir to the Guhilot throne, but two of his close Bhil friends (local tribals) averted the attempt. Later, for greater security, he returned to the wild and mountainous countryside around Nagda, his father's former capital. This was also the abode of Brahmans, who worshipped EKLINGJI, a local form of Lord Shiva. A further story ignores the secret journeys: The boy being far too young to rule the kingdom, a Regent was appointed to rule in his name until the child came of age, and (in a legend very similar to the GUHIL story), before committing sati, Mahendra's widow gave her young son into the care of a Kul Purohitan (the wife of a local Brahman priest). Whatever the real reason, the Guhilot line of succession entered a hiatus of about eighteen years.
Kalbhoj spent his childhood in a religious retreat in the foothills below Nagda "wandering through these alpine valleys amidst the groves of Bal and the shrines of the brazen calf (Nandi)" (James TOD in his ANNALS). He tended the Brahmans' sacred cattle, an honorary and honourable occupation, even for children of the sun (traditional descendants of SURYA the Sun God). Perhaps to establish his virility at an early age, there exists a legend about his sowing a few wild oats (see BAPPA RAWAL AND THE YOUNG MAIDENS). As with his ancestor Guhil, Kalbhoj nurtured a close association with the local BHILS. Their childhood games prepared them as warriors, and they became proficient as horsemen and in the use of the sword (see also BHIL ARCHERS, THE LEGEND OF). More importantly, as did all Rajput boys, Kalbhoj received a thorough religious training. His guru was Harit Rishi, an introspective and perceptive sage and hermit (see BAPPA RAWAL AND HOW HE MET HARIT RISHI). The youngster received lessons in morality, and was initiated into the mysterious rites of Shiva, and came to accept Eklingji as the supreme lord of the state of Mewar. Kalbhoj became Harit Rishi's disciple, and the sage quickly recognised in his young pupil inordinate intelligence and compassion. Pleased with the boy's adoration of Eklingji, Harit Rishi prophesied that the youth, then about 16 years of age, would come to rule Mewar, not in the traditional manner but as the Diwan (Prime Minister or Vice-Regent) of the supreme ruler, Eklingji. He then gave Kalbhoj a special blessing, and a specific code of conduct to follow. In the main it stated:
He and his successors were to be without avarice.
They would always honour their religion, preserving its ancient Vedic laws pertaining to service, care and compassion towards man and all living creatures.
To maintain their dignity in all situations, ever mindful that man held a special place in the realm of God's creation.
As if to reinforce Kalbhoj's suitability for leadership, a legend recounts how Harit Rishi sent his young protégé to receive the blessing of either the goddess DURGA (Shiva's consort) at the MATA RATHESHAWRI TEMPLE near Nagda, or from the traditionally important god, GORAKNATH at 'Tiger Mount' to the west (see BAPPA RAWAL AND THE SWORD). Yet another legend covers the important final moments between the guru and his disciple. Realising his pupil had been accepted by Eklingji, the aging Harit resolved to leave Kalbhoj to his destiny and to quit this world. He informed the youth of his decision and instructed him to be at the holy spot where they originally met, early the following morning.
Unfortunately, Kalbhoj overslept and by the time he arrived, his guru had already begun his ascent, in his heavenly vehicle borne by Apsaras or celestial messengers. Harit paused mid-air and, wishing to bestow a final blessing of immortality upon the boy told him to reach up to receive it. But Kalbhoj's reach did not extend that far. There exists two versions of how this blessing was bestowed. In the first, Harit Rishi commanded Kalbhoj to open his mouth. (It is said that the Prophet Mohammed gave his favourite nephew, Husain the same mode of blessing by spitting into his mouth.) But Kalbhoj blinked at the crucial moment; the projected blessing missed its mark and landed upon his foot, giving him invulnerability to weapons, but not immortality. In the second version, Harit Rishi took a betel leaf from his mouth and threw it towards Kalbhoj's open mouth, but it dropped on his foot. Rishi, watching this, said, "If this prasad (betel) would have fallen in your mouth you would have become immortal; since it has fallen on your feet, Mewar's kingdom will never slide from your feet."
Shortly after this event, Kalbhoj learned of his true identity (as stated in the official annals of Mewar): that he was really the ruler of the Guhilot Dynasty and also the nephew of Maan Mori, the Paramara king at Chittor who ruled all of Mewar, including the boy's own inherited domain. (One account states his mother gave him this information, but as she would have committed sati, it was probably the priest's wife who told him.) When Kalbhoj learned of his royal ancestry, he "disdained a shepherd's slothful life" (Tod) and decided to claim the entire Mewar kingdom, including the provinces of his Guhilot ancestors annexed by the Paramaras. Though young, he accepted his destiny, and the enormous responsibility that Harit Rishi had placed upon him. Accompanied by some twelve of his Bhil companions, including Baliya and Dev, he quit Nagda and emerged into the eastern plains, heading for Chittor. Thus began the fateful journey towards the formation of a most unique dynasty. Some past chroniclers suggested the year was 734, and that he captured the capital immediately. However, there is evidence that he was 21 when he became king, and quite a lot occurred before that. Thus it is more than likely the year was 731 when he went to Chittor, when he was 18. He is said to have arrived in the town below the fort when a fair was in progress, and there he performed a feat that awed Maan Mori and the Paramara nobles (see BAPPA RAWAL AND THE SWORD). The Paramara king gave his nephew a good reception, enrolled him amongst the fort's savants (scholars), and conferred a suitable estate upon him. Unfortunately, his actions had a negative effect upon the nobles: An inscription uncovered on the bank of Pichola Lake mentions the Mori prince's reign and affords a good idea of his power, and of the feudal manners of his court. It relates that he was surrounded by a numerous nobility holding estates on the tenure of military service, but whom he had disgusted by his neglect, and whose jealousy he had provoked by the superior regard shown to Kalbhoj.
Shortly, Mohammed Bin Kasim, an Arab, attacked Chittor. When Maan Mori called upon his nobles to provide an attack force, instead of obeying the summons to attend, they relinquished their grants, and tauntingly desired Maan Mori to call on his favourite. So the Paramara king appointed Kalbhoj commander-in-chief of his army. The youth undertook the campaign against the Arabs. The chiefs, though dispossessed of their estates, accompanied him from a feeling of shame. The Arabs were defeated and driven out of the country. According to one account, Kalbhoj even married the daughter of one of his enemies. Kalbhoj's noble deportment won the esteem of the disenchanted Paramara nobles, and they transferred their service and homage to him. This temptation provided Kalbhoj with the ability to fulfil his destiny. In 734, the vengeful nobles dethroned Mori, and the young Kalbhoj took over Chittor in the name of Eklingji.
He proclaimed that his new dynasty would be known as Mewar-which conveniently appropriated the entire kingdom-and made the fortress his capital. By universal consent, he took the additional titles of Sun of the Hindus (Hindua Suraj), Preceptor (Raj Guru, teacher and mentor) of Princes, and Universal Lord (Chakravarti). At the Chittor coronation, two of the Bhil tribesmen who had accompanied him to the fort were given the opportunity of renewing their special allegiance to Kalbhoj and his new dynasty, by applying the RAJ TILAK to his forehead. From that day, every ruler of Mewar has received the same honour by the descendants of these two tribesmen. Eventually, when Kalbhoj proved himself to be a staunch supporter of India's culture and a virtual father figure, his devoted subjects called him Bappa Rawal, a name of endearment, bappu meaning father, in this case founding father, and Rawal being the traditional Rajput title for a king. Having already won the loyalty of the Paramara nobles, Bappa Rawal further gained their support by appointing many of them to trusted positions, including guardians of the royal treasury. To honour his true sovereign, the Mewar family's god Eklingji, Bappa Rawal built a temple on the site where he first met his guru, Harit Rishi, and where he received the sage's final blessing. The town that developed there was called, appropriately, Eklingji. The town was later renamed Kailashpuri, Kailash being the legendary mountain where Shiva lives, and puri, a small township. Throughout the centuries, and even to this day, the reigning Maharana has made a regular pilgrimage to the temple (and now its reconstruction) each Monday (Shiva's day), where he continues to confirm his allegiance to a god who inspired the formation of the world's longest-serving dynasty. When Bappa Rawal visited the city of Deeg he married a princess of the ruling clan. Returning with her to Chittor, it is said he also brought a statue of the god Banmata. He built a temple (still in existence) on the fort's western side and installed the statue.
Bappa Rawal is best remembered, historically and in legend, as a great warrior, especially against India's Muslim invaders. When further armies of the Arab caliphate breached the western borders of Rajputana, Bappa Rawal combined his army, which included his Paramara vassals, with those of the rulers of Ajmer, Jaisalmer, and other smaller Rajput kingdoms. They liberated Lahore, now in Pakistan, and drove the Muslim invaders across the Indus River to the border of Sind. Some accounts say he conquered many countries west of the Indus, including modern Afghanistan and Iran (Persia). It is believed that, to celebrate his victories, Bappa married several Persian princesses and sired a large family of warriors. Ultimately, members of his family marched south, retook the Guhilots' ancestral city of Vallabhi, and re-established their line there. Others settled in Sorath, Marwar, and several other centres throughout Rajputana.
The most extraordinary legends surrounding Bappa Rawal deal with the close of his career. Advanced in years, he abandoned his children and his country, and migrated to Khurasan, a province in northeast Iran. There he married new wives and sired many more offspring, and died at the grand age of 100. Another legend has him becoming an ascetic at the foot of Mt. Meru, in Hindu mythology a golden mountain in the Himalayas. There, after having conquered all the kings of the west, he was buried alive. However, historically, Bappa Rawal returned to Mewar, for it is recorded that in 753 the weary ruler retired to the temple of Eklingji. It is recorded that he performed samadhi (a form of intensely concentrated meditation) during which his spirit left his body. The life of the mighty warrior, aged only 40, was over, but his legacy of courage and faith survived to inspire future generations of the Mewar Dynasty. Because Bappa Rawal's domain was so extensive, anecdotes stated that his subjects, presumably in Mewar and in the west, quarrelled over the correct disposal of his remains. The Hindus wanted traditional cremation, the barbarians lobbied for burial, as per Muslim ritual. Possibly, both beliefs were thwarted if another legend is taken into account: while the dispute was still raging, his coffin lid was raised and, instead of the royal corpse, there was only a mass of lotus flowers, which were planted in a nearby lake. Bappa Rawal's son, KHUMAN I succeeded him.
An interesting final note about Bappa Rawal's life being blessed with legends. Further examples show that various scholars suggested Kalbhoj's father was actually Nagaditya (626-646), or Shiladitya (646-661), or Aparajit (661-688). There was even a more recent theory that suggested Bappa Rawal, which was merely a title, was actually Mahendra II (his own father), which virtually eliminated Kalbhoj. That report also suggested Bappa has been confused with a person named Saila of Vallabhi (Vallabhi was ruled by the father of Guhil, founder of the Guhilot Dynasty) and the story of Bappa's exodus to the Muslim-held border of India and to Iran (a person called Saila had been taken as a captive to Mansura on the fall of Vallabhi). The Saila theorist concluded that the entire story of the person called Bappa Rawal is, perhaps, mere legend. However, it could be a case of mistaken identity, as an old inscription calls Bappa "Sailadheesh (Mountain Lord), the protector of Hindus against foreign danger". Notwithstanding, by separating legend and historical evidence, a positive image of Kalbhoj (Bappa Rawal) emerges. As with many rulers, fables were the inventions of doting BARDS, glorifying their beloved leader and his life. Bappa Rawal did exist, and was such a remarkable man that he inspired the unorthodox. Although his leadership was through natural succession, the formation of the Mewar Dynasty was unique. A sage with astute perception and foresight had entrusted his disciple with the responsibility of governing a land and its people in the name of a god, and had given him a code of conduct based on ancient Vedic laws by which he was to govern. Because of Bappa's staunch leadership, Mewar became the symbol of Rajput resistance and the leading kingdom in Rajputana. This status would carry the Rajput warrior clans of India to great heights of endurance and glory in the troubled centuries that lay ahead. There is evidence that, for about two centuries following the reigns of Bappa Rawal and his son, Khuman I, Mewar was a vassal of the Paramaras during the 8th and 9th centuries. Records show that a Guhilot prince was a vassal of Bhoja, the great Paramara king, and fought many times on his behalf.
Bappa Rawal and how he met Harit Rishi. A Brahman sage, HARIT RISHI was the guiding religious force behind the founder of the Mewar Dynasty, BAPPA RAWAL (734-753) while the future king was a young, displaced prince named Kalbhoj. There is a legend of how the two met and the remarkable outcome of that meeting: Kalbhoj, who tended cattle at the Brahman retreat near Nagda, was suspected of taking the milk of a favourite brown cow for his own use. Because of the perpetual dryness of the cow when it entered the pens each evening, Kalbhoj, though indignant at the accusation, admitted the Brahman priests had every reason to suspect him. In an effort to exonerate himself, he followed the cow to a small dell that contained the phallic symbol image of Eklingji (the local form of Lord Shiva). As he watched, the cow's udder spontaneously expressed its sacred milk upon the stone image. Meditating nearby was an old hermit, a Hindu sage by the name of Harit, who was roused by the boy's exclamation of surprise. Nobody, except holy men, had ever entered this natural holy place before, so Harit was more than interested in why this boy was there. Kalbhoj told the sage all about himself, received the old man's blessing, and departed. However, he kept returning every day to wash the holy man's feet, take him milk, and gather wild flowers as offerings to the deity. In return, he received lessons in morality, and was initiated into the mysterious rites of Shiva. Harit Rishi became the boy's guru and, through him, Kalbhoj came to accept Eklingji as the supreme lord of the state of Mewar.
Bappa Rawal and the Sword. According to legend, in the early part of the 8th century, the sage HARIT RISHI sent his disciple Kalbhoj (later to become the founder of the Mewar Dynasty as BAPPA RAWAL) to the nearby Mata Ratheshawri Temple at Nagda, where Eklingji's consort, the Goddess Durga, invested him with several sacred gifts, including a magnificent double-edged sword that she tied around his waist. As with any legend, when it is often retold (in this instance by bards or wandering minstrels), details-even important details-tend to change. The legend of Bappa acquiring this magical sword is one of those legends. For example, in a different version Harit Rishi sent the young man not to the see Durga at the Mata Ratheshawri Temple, but to NAHARA MAGRA, Mewar's holy Tiger Mount (southwest of Chittor, and northeast of modern Udaipur). There he met a hermit, the famed GORAKHNATH, who gave him the double-edged sword, which, with the proper incantation, could 'sever rocks'. With this he is said to have opened the road to fortune leading to the throne of Chittor because later, when he arrived at Chittor to claim his inheritance, a fair was being held on the plain below. A mysterious iron pillar was the fair's featured attraction. Maan Mori, the Paramara ruler of Chittor, who was Kalbhoj's maternal uncle, had proclaimed: "Any man who can cut the pillar with a sword will be given half the kingdom of Mewar." Kalbhoj drew his mystical sword and sliced the iron pillar in two. He was invited up to the mighty fortress, where an impressed (more likely alarmed) Maan Mori welcomed his newfound relative. Within three years (734), Kalbhoj deposed Maan Mori and, as Bappa Rawal, established the Mewar Dynasty. However, it seems there was no legendary sword of Bappa, even though it does re-emerge in legend during the reign of HAMIR SINGH I (1326-1364) (see HAMIR AND THE LEGENDS), and there is even speculation that this was the sword which was worshipped annually by the sovereign Seven Chiefs of Mewar. Their incantation at the ceremony was, "By the preceptor, Gorakhnath and the great god, Eklingji; by Takshka the serpent, and the sage Harit; by Bhavani (Pallas) strike!"
Bappa Rawal and the Young Maidens. Prince Kalbhoj of the Guhilot clan, who would later establish the Mewar Dynasty (734), taking the name BAPPA RAWAL, spent his childhood near Nagda. As with most high-spirited princes, there are several legends from Bappa's early years as a youth in the wild Aravalli Hills. The pranks of this royal shepherd (he attended the sacred cattle of the Brahmans) include his allegedly innocent mischief among village damsels, although perhaps it was not so innocent. One afternoon, in a game of his own devising, he 'married' several of the young girls, which ended with his having to flee Nagda to a hide-out in the hills to escape the maidens' irate parents. (An interesting footnote to this legend of potential virility is that Bappa Rawal is said to have married many women, Hindu and Muslim, and sired well over one hundred children.)
Bapu (Bapuji), pet name, (Hindi) honoured father: see also BABA.
Bapu Bazaar, a shopping area in downtown Udaipur. It offers a dazzling variety of items including fabrics embossed with gold and silver patterns (khari), tie-and-dye fabrics, paintings of cloth (pichhwais), hand-carved furniture, puppets and traditional wooden toys, lacquer work (meenakari), all manner of kitchenware, brass, silver and copper jewellery, and colourful embossed pottery, modern and traditional Rajasthani clothing including saris and men's pyjama suits, beautiful tablecloth and serviette sets, quilts and towels, and marble and sandstone carvings in the finest filigree.
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