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Karjali, a town 80 km. from Udaipur near Mavli; jagir of the descendants of Maharana Sangram Singh II’s third son, Bagh Singh; they have the title of ‘Maharaj’. Sangram Singh (1710-1734) had four sons; the first-born, Jagat Singh succeeded him, and the other three founded the jagirs of Karjali (Bagh Singh), Shivrati (Arjun Singh), and Bagore (Shivdan Singh). All the subsequent Maharanas of Mewar were linear descendants of Sangram Singh II. When Madhav Rao SINDHIA attacked Udaipur, Bagh Singh took command of the Mewar forces, and the attack was repulsed. Sindhia sent Rs. 50,000/- to Bagh Singh as a bribe to silence his cannons against the Marathas. Bagh Singh took the money and gave it to the Maharana, then continued his attack on Sindhia’s forces. For six months the fighting continued, but the Marathas could not capture Udaipur City. At the time of Maharana Hamir II’s minority, Bagh Singh of Karjali and Arjun Singh of SHIVRATI looked after State affairs in consultation with Mehta Agar Chand. Bhairon Singh, who was a great sculptor, succeeded Bagh Singh as Maharaj of Karjali. One of his creations is the statue of Goraji Bhairu at the Temple of Kala-Gora Bhairu near Sajjan Niwas Garden. Bhairon Singh died without issue, therefore Daulat Singh was adopted from the jagir of Shivrati. Daulat was the grandson of Arjun Singh of Shivrati, and second son of Shiv Singh. In the tragic KRISHNA KUMARI episode (during Maharana Bhim Singh’s reign), it was Daulat Singh who was asked to kill the teenage princes. He was so infuriated by the request that he abused everyone present, saying that the person who gave such an order (in other words, the Maharana) should have his tongue cut out, and he refused to obey the order to commit such an inhuman act.
Genealogy: Bagh Singh; Bhairon Singh; Daulat Singh; Anup Singh; Suraj Singh; Laxman Singh; Jagat Singh; Karan Singh.
Karjali House, at Moti Chauhatta, Udaipur; the residence of the Maharaj of Karjali.
Karm: see KARMA.
Karma (Karm), (Hindi) destiny. Hindus believe that God rewards a person according to the karma, or deeds, he does. Put simply (and as in the Christian religion), if he does good deeds he will go to heaven; if he commits bad deeds he will go to hell.
Karmavati (Karmeti), Rajmata (Queen Mother) (sometimes incorrectly spelled Karnavati), daughter of Narbad and granddaughter of Rao Bhand of Bundi, a small kingdom north of Mewar. Related to the Mewar royal family by birth, Karmavati also became one of the twenty-eight maharanis (queens) of Maharana SANGRAM SINGH I (1509-1527). She was the mother of two of his sons, VIKRAMADITYA (II) and UDAI SINGH (II), both of whom became Maharanas of Mewar, which then changed her title to Rajmata. There are two well-known stories connected with Karmavati and the second sack of Chittorgarh (1533 and 1534). The first was when Sultan BAHADUR SHAH of Gujarat, bent upon revenge, advanced upon the fortress in 1533, during the reign of her elder son, the young Maharana Vikramaditya. At the time, Sangram Singh's widow was acting as Regent for her teenage son, and she took the initiative to avert the attack: when the Muslim leader arrived with his troops below Chittor, she sent him valuable trophies won in earlier Mewar campaigns against Malwa, another of Mewar's Muslim-dominated neighbours. Bahadur Shah accepted the gifts and returned to Gujarat. However, the following year he returned, determined not to be dissuaded this time. Rajmata Karmavati had her infant son, Udai Singh smuggled out of Chittor to safety with his uncle, Prince Chakasen Dhundera in her home State of Bundi. Maharana Vikramaditya quit the fortress at the head of a small band of warriors, intent on attacking the Muslim force in hit-and-run guerilla raids. Then the Queen Mother employed another desperate tactic to help save the capital. Knowing that Bahadur Shah was unpopular with Mughal Emperor Humayun, having declared his independence from the Empire, Karmavati sent a message to Humayun in Agra, desperately begging for Imperial intervention. With it she sent a traditional RAKHI BRACELET. Whenever an Indian woman did this, it meant that the man, if he accepted the gift, was obliged to protect and defend her. On receiving the bracelet, legend has it that Humayun was so pleased with this delicate courtesy in the customs of Rajasthan that invested him, according to some references, with the title of her ‘brother, and uncle and protector’, he pledged himself to her service (even though she was the widow of one his father Babur's enemies). He abandoned his current conquests in Bengal and marshalled his army to march south to Chittor. As the siege of Chittor proceeded, with Bahadur Shah close to victory (see CHITTOR, 2ND SACK), Karmavati waited every day watching the northern horizon for the telltale cloud of dust which would announce the approach of the Imperial army. Unfortunately, he did not arrive in time. This rakhi bracelet episode is quite possibly the invention of a romantic (as in the medieval sense) bard of a later time, for it must be remembered that Humayun was a foe of the Rajput kingdom. True or not, the irony is that Emperor Humayun did march towards Chittorgarh near the end of 1534. It may have been in answer to Rajmata Karmavati's plea, although that is more likely coincidental than an act of chivalry on Humayun's part. The Emperor was on a campaign to punish the southern Muslim rulers of Gujarat and Malwa who had declared their independence from the Mughal Empire, and to bring them back under the Imperial banner. When Humayun arrived in Mewar, en route to Gujarat, he learned that Sultan Bahadur Shah was involved in a jehad (Muslim holy war) against the Hindu Rajput infidels at Chittor, and waited honourably in the wings for the outcome, which was not long in coming.
Realising their defence was hopeless, the warriors of Chittor prepared to make a final suicide charge and take as many of the enemy with them before they died. Before this, however, a disappointed Rajmata Karmavati led the women and children of the fort (reports claim there were thirteen thousand) in sacrificing themselves in the flames of ritual JAUHAR. Although, ultimately, she had failed to save Chittor, because of her brave attempts Karmavati became a legend as one of its great heroines.
Karmeti, Rani: see KARMAVATI.
Karn (Karna) Singh, Maharana: see KARAN SINGH II, MAHARANA.
Karnavati: see KARMAVATI.
Karni Bhawan Palace, Bikaner, an HRH Group heritage hotel. The late Maharaja Karni Singh of Bikaner, the younger brother of Arvind Singh's mother, built the Karni Bhawan Palace, now a lavish Art Deco hotel. Nearby are many temples, famous for their intricate designs and wall paintings, and Asia's biggest camel breeding farm. For reservations see HRH GROUP RESERVATIONS.
Karni Mata Temple, Udaipur, on the summit of Machhala Magra hillock just south of Shiv Niwas Palace; built by Maharana KARAN SINGH II (1620-1628).
Karoi, a town 135 km. from Udaipur in the Bhilwara District near GANGAPUR; jagir of Maharana Jai Singh’s third son, Umaid Singh and his descendants. Their title is ‘Maharaj (Baba)’. Maharaj Guman Singh fought against Madhav Rao SINDHIA.
Genealogy: Umaid Singh; Bakhat Singh; Guman Singh; Bakhatawar Singh; Surat Singh; Fateh Singh; Hamir Singh; Ratan Singh; Vijai Singh.
Kartik Poornima, a Hindu festival celebrated in October-November on the night of the full moon.
Karunda, the estate (jagir) of the nephew of Maharana AMAR SINGH I.
katar, a dagger, hung on a warrior's left side at his waist.
Katargarh (Fort), Kumbhalgarh. The aging ramparts of Kumbhalgarh enclose a smaller central fort, Katargarh. Spread over 12 km., the larger fortress encloses the palace of Maharana KUMBHA (1433-1468), barracks of a garrison, dwellings, reservoirs, fields and a village, also three hundred and sixty-five temples and shrines, which during their heyday beckoned the devout to AARTI. Within the confines of Katargarh is the ethereal BADAL MAHAL (sometimes called the Palace of Clouds), 1,000 m. above sea level, built by Maharana FATEH SINGH (1884-1930). From here one has an overview of the rugged Aravallis and the desert of Marwar. On the ridge below the Palace of Kumbha is the Neelkantha Temple, constructed by Maharana Kumbha for his daily worship.
Kathiawad, a town and district settled by Lathi, the son of Rawal SHALIWAHAN (973-977)
Kathiawar: see SURASHTRA.
Kathodis, a nomadic aboriginal race that comes from the Mewar Hills.
kavi, (Hindi) a poet.
Kazi, a judge who deals only with contracts, debts, and other civil matters.
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