 |
Didi, (Hindi) a pet name for an older sister.
Digamber, a sect of the Jain religion. Jija, son of Bagherwal Mahajan Sahania and a Jain merchant of this sect, erected Chittor's KIRTI STAMBH (Tower of Fame) in the 12th century. It is dedicated to ADINATH, the first of the twenty-four Jain TIRTHANKARAS.
Dil Khush Mahal: see DILKHUSHAL MAHAL.
Dilir (Diler) Khan, son of Mughal emperor AURANGZEB. He went to Udaipur with his brother Azam to ratify a treaty with Maharana JAI SINGH (1680-1698), which the latter's father, the late Maharana RAJ SINGH (1653-1680) had drawn up with Aurangzeb. See RAJ SINGH I vs. AURANGZEB and RAJ SINGH I, MAHARANA.
Dilkhushal Mahal (Jovial Palace), City Palace, Udaipur; also known as The Palace of Joy or Palace of Happiness; built between 1620 and 1628 by Maharana KARAN SINGH II (1620-1628); it features fine glasswork and frescoes. (Sometimes spelled Dil Kush Mahal.)
Dilla, a SAKTAWAT, one of the seventeen sons of SAKTA. Their older brother BHANJI exiled Dilla and fifteen of his brothers.
Dilwara, a village at Mount Abu, site of the famous DILWARA JAIN TEMPLES.
Dilwara Jain Temples, in the village of Dilwara, Mt. Abu. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, they are noted for their intricate marble carvings. There are two quite famous temples in this complex. One is the Vimal Vasahi built in 1013 AD, the first Jain temple to be built in the village. It is dedicated to the first Jain THIRTHANKARA (teacher), Adninath. It is made of marble and looks rather plain from the outside, however its interior sculptures are quite exquisite. The other is the Luna Vasahi, built in 1231 AD and dedicated to the twenty-third Jain Tirthankara, Neminath. One special feature is the marble pendant in the dome of the porch; it has sculptures of half-open lotus flowers with cups that appear almost transparent. Another temple here is the rock-chiselled Adhar Devi Temple or Arbuda Devi Temple. See also ABU, MOUNT.
Dinakar, Rana, a member of the SISODIA branch of the Mewar royal family; second descendant of RAHAP.
Dingal, a dialect in which bards once sang the glories of their masters; RAJASATHANI, the principal language of Rajasthan with its four main dialects (MARWARI, JAIPURI or Dhundari, MALWI, and MEWATI) is derived from the Dingal tongue.
Dipawali: see DEEPAWALI FESTIVAL.
Disco Dandias, a song or music from a modern Indian film.
Diwali (Deepawali) Festival, Festival of the Lamps, the annual Indian New Year festival where all appease the goddess of wealth and fortune (LAKSHMI) by offering at her shrine. Celebrated by all classes of society, Diwali takes place in October-November. It symbolises the victory of the forces of light over the forces of darkness, and marks the triumph in the Mahabharata of Ram's return to Ayodha after killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The custom of setting off fireworks, lighting of oil lamps, and worshipping Lakshmi the Goddess of Wealth is intended to secure luck for the coming year; traders prepare their statements of accounts; and Rajputs worship various types of weapons. 'Diwali' is most commonly used as a local dialect; 'Deepawali' is a literary term used by educated people.
Diwan (Dewan), (Hindi) Prime Minister to an Indian Chief, Hindu and Muslim. See also DIWAN (PRIME MINISTER) OF MEWAR.
Diwan (Prime Minister) of Mewar. In all states of Rajputana, a court favourite held the office of what is known in Western countries as Premier or Prime Minister. (Where it was not an hereditary office, as it was in Mewar, it was often given because of the person's talents, character, ambition or intrigue.) The Diwan did not interfere with civil administration, which had its own minister; however, the two did work together. The Rajput Prime Minister was the military minister, and the political governor of the fiefs or estates of the nobles and clan chieftains. In Udaipur, this top executive post went to CHOONDA, son of Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421). The nobles, impressed by Choonda's loyalty authorised him and his descendants (later known as the CHOONDAWATS whose capital was the town of SALUMBAR) to act as Mewar's Diwans, to sign royal decrees (see also CHOONDA) and look after State affairs. This system of power was called Bhanjgarh. The Diwan became the most important person at Court as dispenser of the favours of the sovereign. Most of the time, all requests were proffered through him, that being the surest channel to success. His influence, of necessity, gave him unbounded authority over the military classes, with unlimited power over the officers of the State, and he had a powerful body of retainers always at his command. There were hereditary rulers in several States of Rajputana, but the laws of succession were so regulated that they could not usurp the throne of their prince, though they might take over his functions. At the 1818 treaty between Mewar and the British Government, the Mewar ambassador was a Choondawat elder, the grand uncle of the incumbent Diwan. Understandably, he introduced an article of guarantee that the office of Diwan always went to the family of the chief noble of the country, the Rawat of Salumbar, head of the Choondawat clan. The explanation was that this dignity was hereditary in that family. However, though the acquisition was the result of an act of virtue (on Choonda's part), it had developed jealousy and serious rivalry with other clans, which often resulted in bloody feuds. Whenever a Maharana of Udaipur left the capital, the Salumbar chief was invested with the government of the city and charge of the palace during his absence. At a coronation, the Diwan personally girt the new ruler with the sword, and gave him the mark of inauguration. Also, he led, by right, the vanguard in battle. During the final siege of the former capital of Chittor, his post was at the SURAJ POL as keeper of the Sun Gate and of the fortress itself. It was also the Choondawat Diwan who set up the Pretender, Kunwar RATAN SINGH to take the throne from the unpopular Maharana ARI SINGH II (1761-1773), a move that erupted in civil war. When the war was finally resolved, he returned to his allegiance and the defence of the capital.
Diwans of Eklingji, the traditional concept of ruling as a god's representative, the belief being that it is not the individual who matters and therefore they submerge the individual to the Supreme Being. The rulers of Mewar have worshipped Shiva in the form of EKLINGJI since the reign of BAPPA RAWAL (734-753) and have always held the office of the priest-king's Diwan or Prime Minister. When a ruler is installed, he does not sit on the gadi (throne). For him, it is the deity (physically, a solid gold image, or murti, of the god) who sits on throne while the Maharana takes a vow of being the deity's servant and looking after the people. Whenever there is a royal procession, the deity's statue leads, and the Maharana follows as his servant. This association with the god is explained in an inscription found in the temple of Natha (the Lord), now used as a storeroom of the EKLINGJI TEMPLE. See also DIWAN (PRIME MINISTER) OF MEWAR.
diwar (Hindi), a wall.
Diwer, a town on National Highway No. 8, west of Rajsamand and Haldighati, in the Bhim administrative headquarters (tehsil) of the Rajsamand district. It lies on the border of Marwar near Deovgarh and is surrounded by Sevantri, Bassi and Kuathal villages. Diwer witnessed Maharana Pratap Singh I's guerrilla warfare, and the famous Battle of Haldighati (1576) between Pratap and the forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar. After the battle, Mughal forces captured the town. According to legend, when Pratap Singh decided to abandon his debilitating fight to save Mewar from the Mughals, and was heading west into the great THAR DESERT, he received much needed funding from his Prime Minister BHAMA SHAH. He reassembled his small force and began his march back to his homeland. His first encounter was with the Mughal commander Shahbaj Khan at Diwer in 1582, where the enemy, including the Mughal commander, was slaughtered.
|
