Drona, legendary warrior son of the Brahman, Bharadwaja and a nymph: see BHIL ARCHERS, LEGEND OF THE.

Duda. There were a couple of leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Deogarh (Choondawat), and Salumbar (Choondawat). Duda of Deogarh was the son and successor of Sanga of Deogarh and great grandson of CHOONDA. During Maharana Amir Singh I's reign, he was with Jait Singh in the attack on Untala, and was killed in the battle of Ranpur. Duda's son and successor, Isardas, was killed fighting Motakeet Mer. Isardas's son and successor, Gokul Das, was also killed fighting the MERS.

Dudaji, Rao, of Merta; grandfather of poetess MIRA BAI; d. 1515.

Dudh Talai (Udaipur): see DOODH TALAI.

Dulha, Kunwar, fourth son of Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421); Dulha's sons held the estates (jagirs) of Bhanpur and Samal.

Dund Pol, Udaipur; a gateway near Hathi Pol in the Ashwani Bazaar area. Although the origin of the name is not recorded, 'dund' is Hindi for punishment, so perhaps it is where justice was meted out to miscreants. See also GATES (POLS) IN UDAIPUR.

Dunga, Kunwar, fifth son of Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421)

Dungarpur, a small, independent State, south of Udaipur (now the Dungarpur District) near the Gujarat border. The first rulers of Dungarpur were Kunwar MAHAP and his descendants who resided in the town of Galiankot, where their ruined castle still stands.

durbar (darbar), (Hindi) the Court of a princely state; in some Rajput states it used to denote 'ruler'.

Durbar Hall, Fateh Prakash Palace, Udaipur; built by Maharana FATEH SINGH (1884-1930). Lord Minto, the then Viceroy of India laid the foundation stone in 1909, and the hall was originally called Minto Hall in his honour. Steeped in history, its size and splendour are breathtaking, and its capacity makes the Durbar Hall an ideal venue for large conferences, receptions, meetings or parties. Through the decades, this majestic hall has hosted weddings, court occasions, formal durbars, state banquets, and royal parties. Its walls are covered with the portraits of the Maharanas of Mewar. The famous CRYSTAL GALLERY overlooks the Durbar Hall.

Durga (Amba, Ratheshwari, Rasha Shayna, Rathasan), a Hindu goddess; the incarnation of PARVATI. In this role she holds weapons in her eight hands and rides a tiger. She is said to have sprung, fully-grown, from the flaming mouths of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Seated astride her tiger, she uses the weapons of the gods to battle demons, one in particular being Mahisasaur who was harassing the gods and goddesses to obtain supremacy over them. See DURGA NAVRATRI FESTIVAL.

Durga, a Mewar noble from RAMPURA who was a minor player in the Rang Rai affair of 1557 (see HAJI KHAN). One generation later, Durga took part in Maharana Pratap Singh's war council at Gogunda (1576) prior to the Battle of HALDIGHATI.

Durga Navratri Festival, a nine-day festival devoted to the goddess DURGA, symbolising the victory of truth and justice over evil. See also NAVRATRI.

Durjan Niwas (Nivas), Jodhpur; an HRH GROUP heritage hotel. It is a modern and fully functional, fifteen-room hotel in the heart of this historic city. In 2001, twenty more rooms and a swimming pool were being added.

Dussehra (Dasehra) Festival, an October event after the rainy season, to commemorate Rama's victory over Ravana, as recounted in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. On this day, Rajputs worshipped their weapons and horses, and went hunting. In the evening, they burned the effigies of the demon Ravana and his son as a symbol of how virtue conquers evil.

dwar, (Hindi) a barrier or wall.

Dwarikadhees (Dwarikadish), a form of the god Krishna.

Dwarikadhees, Temples of. The original temple is in Dwarka, Gujarat, and is dedicated to this form of the god, Krishna (Dwarikadhees). There is another temple in KANKROLI, 65 km. from Udaipur, built during the reign of Maharana RAJ SINGH I (1653-1680).

Dwarikadish: see DWARIKADHEES.

Dwarka (Jagat Khunt), a fishing port on the western shore of Gujarat (Saurashtra peninsula). It is also called the City of Many Gates (Sanskrit: Dvraka or Dvar-avati), and Jagat (or Jigat). In Indian mythology, Dwarka was the legendary capital of the Hindu god KRISHNA (also known as DWARIKADHEES), who founded it after his flight from Mathura (Muttra). Its consequent sanctity makes it one of the seven great places of Hindu pilgrimage, although the original temples were destroyed in 1372. It was to this holy town that Mewar's famous mystic poetess, MIRA BAI (a passionate devotee of Krishna) made her final pilgrimage and where she allegedly died, consumed into the body of her beloved Lord. Most of city's revenue is derived from pilgrimage traffic to the Temple of Dwarikadhees. Agricultural income is derived from millet, ghee, oilseeds, and salt, which are shipped from the port.

Dwarka, another name for the town of KANKROLI, 65 km. north of Udaipur, because of the Temple of Dwarikadhees that was built there by Maharana Raj Singh I.