Chand Pol (Moon Gate), Udaipur; part of the city's original western wall. It also has the alternative name of Moon Gate because it faces the east, the direction from which the full moon rises. (It is not known who built it.) See also GATES (POLS) IN UDAIPUR.

Chanda, Kunwar, of Anjana; ninth son of Maharana PRATAP SINGH I (1572-1597) and brother of Maharana AMAR SINGH I (1597-1620).

Chandan, infant son of the nursemaid PANNA DHAI, whom she sacrificed to save the life of her charge, the infant prince, UDAI SINGH (II). Also known as Moti.

Chandan Singh. There were a couple of leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Bari Sadri (Jhala Rajputs), and Nimri (Machecha Rathore).

Chandra Sen, Rao, of Jodhpur, who is believed to have joined the force of Maharana PRATAP SINGH I after the Battle of HALDIGHATI (1576).

Chandra Singh. There were a couple of leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Bambori (Paramara), and Barlias (Sisodia).

Chandrabhan, Rao, a Chauhan Rajput originally from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. When Mughal Emperor Babur marched on Maharana Sangram Singh I, Chandrabhan and his force of 4,000 joined Sanga, and died in the subsequent Battle of KHANWA (1527). Chandrabhan's descendants were given the jagir of BEDLA with the title of 'Rao'.

Chandravati Temple, near Mt. Abu: see ABU, MOUNT.

Changej Khan: see GENGHIS KHAN

Chanvar, part of the insignia of Rajput royalty: see KIRANIA.

Chappan, a mountainous tract southeast of Mewar. The chief town of the area is CHAVAND, where Maharana PRATAP SINGH I made his new capital after quitting KUMBHALGARH (ca 1578). At the time, Chappan contained about three hundred and fifty villages, peopled chiefly by aboriginal BHIL tribes.

Charak Hostel, Udaipur, on Charak Road (off Brahm Pol Road), north of Pichola Lake in the city's central western sector. It is connected with the Ayurvedic College.

Charak Road, in Udaipur's central western sector, off Brahm Pol Road, just north of Pichola Lake.

Charan (Charana) Devi, a legendary prophetic priestess who dwelt in a cave on NAHARA MAGRA. See SANGA AND PRITHVI RAJ.

Charans, hereditary counsellors, genealogists, brave fighters, court poets, and storytellers, credited with certain psychic powers. They were much respected, being trusted friends through thick and thin. Whoever caused the death of a Charan was turned out of his caste and treated as infamous and degraded beyond redemption. Charans (men or women), when engaged to attend a traveller, protected him by threatening to kill themselves if any harm befell their client. Always with the Rajputs, they were found in Mewar, Gujarat, and Marwar. Kings and landlords gave them grants of villages, and various kings also gave them Lakh Pasavs, a large gift equivalent to 100,000 rupees. It usually consisted of elephants, money, and ornaments. The kings would also invite them to occupy a place of esteem in the Royal Courts. Indeed, a Rajput's regard for a Charan was uppermost. In a procession, a Charan would sit on an elephant and the king would walk in attendance. In return, a Charan would always honour a Rajput, even to giving him shelter when the Rajput was in distress. A Charan's status was such that, if anyone who committed murder and took shelter at the house of a Charan, the pursuer would not touch the culprit.

One Charan who operated in the time of Rao Bika in Bikaner, from whom state took its name, was Karni Mata, who is said to have performed miracles. As a sideline, members of the Bhat community would also accompany travellers as guarantors against attack and robbery. On the other hand, Charans were much more daring. They acted as guarantors of bonds and even as surrogate suicides, allegedly coming back to haunt a defaulting debtor if he failed to pay up as required. A well-known instance of this occurred in the 1920s: a ruler in Kathiawar (now Gujarat) defaulted on a debt; his Charan duly committed suicide and for four years the state had no rain. His ghost was appeased only after a criminal had been executed by the local ruler on very spot where the bard had killed himself. A prominent Rajput has been quoted as saying, "We never refused a Charan; they are supposed to curse one, and people are frightened of their curses; even if you want to refuse or feel that they don't need any help, it's something a Rajput never does." Charans are also known as Deviputras (Sons of Devi), and many incarnations of the Goddess Durga were born into the Charan community. These included Karniji, Barbariji, Avarji, and Hinglajji.

Charbagh, Chittorgarh, a memorial shrine adjoining the MOKAL TEMPLE; here the ashes of the heroes, from Bappa Rawal, founder of the Mewar dynasty, down to Udai Singh II, founder of Udaipur, are entombed.

Charbhugaji Temple: see CHARBHUJA TEMPLE.

Charbhuja, another name for the four-armed Hindu deity VISHNU; also known as Charbhujaji, the 'ji' suffix is the often-used Hindu form of respect.

Charbhuja, a village known for its historical and religious importance. It is 10 km. from KANKROLI between Gomati and Chowaraya at Desori-ki-Nal, in the Rajsamand District. The original name of the village was Gabor, which means literally Fort (garh) of the Bor Rajputs, after an historical fort built there. It was renamed for its Charbhuja Temple, which is dedicated to VISHNU, Hindu creator of the universe. An old temple, the date of its construction is not known, although an inscription states that a person named Lakshman repaired the temple in 1444 during the reign of Maharana KUMBHA (1433-1468). A fair to celebrate the deity is held every September in Charbhuja on the Bhradapad Shukla or Jalajhulani Gayaras, and is attended by visitors from Gujarat and the former states of Mewar, Marwar, and Malwa.

Charbhuja (Charbhujaji) Temple, Chittorgarh, along the northern road of the fort from Satbis Devra (shrine). It is similar to the same-name temple in the village of GARBOR in that it is dedicated to the four-armed deity VISHNU, also known as Charbhuja (or Charbhujaji, the 'ji' being a Hindu suffix of respect). The god is worshipped by Vaishnavites, followers of Vishnu. Theirs is an unusual system of worship: instead of regular priests, the affairs of the temple are managed and the puja (prayer or offering) is performed, turn by turn, by Gujars, a community residing in the town below the fort. A rather fine temple with silver coins in its floor, it was erected by Maharana MOKAL in the early 1400s and was repaired later by Maharana SHAMBHU SINGH (1861-1874). As in the village of Gabor, each year on the eleventh day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapad Shukla (September) a grand fair is held there, attended by thousands of pilgrims. Situated at the northern end of Chittor fort, it is surrounded by other temples: Annapurna, Banmata, and the Chhatri of Raghva Deva. Nearby is a small settlement of some 500 contemporary dwellings housing around two thousand inhabitants, a boy's school, a primary school for girls, and an Ayurvedic Dispensary.

Charitable Trusts: see MAHARANA MEWAR CHARITIES and individual entries.

Charumati, Princess, of Kishangarh, a branch of the RATHORE family; Maharana RAJ SINGH I (1653-1680) married her to prevent her from marrying Mughal Emperor AURANGZEB. In gratitude, Charumati commissioned ornamental arches and pavilions at RAJSAMAND LAKE which the Maharana was having constructed.