nakkara, (Persian) kettledrums, beaten during grand festivals at three stated times.

Nakki Lake: see ABU, MOUNT.

Nalini-gulm Vimana, in Jain Scriptures, the celestial vehicle for heavenly beings. In a famous painting of Bappa Rawal receiving his blessing from Harit Rishi, the holy man is seen ascending also in such a vehicle. See RANAKPUR.

namaskar: see NAMASTE.

namaste (namaskar), (Hindi) a salutation made with palms pressed together.

Nana, a Ranawat estate (jagir) in the Pali District (formerly in Marwar) belonging to a nephew of Maharana AMAR SINGH I (1597-1620).

Nandi, in Hindu mythology, the Bull sacred to the Indus River civilisation as a fertility symbol; absorbed into Hinduism as Shiva's constant companion, his mount.

Nao Ghat, a wharf on the eastern bank of PICHOLA LAKE near Lal Ghat, Udaipur.

nar, (Hindi) a tiger; 'nahar' in Mewari, also 'sher'.

Nar Singh, Kunwar, one of the nine sons of Rana LAKSHA of Sisoda who accompanied their father to Chittor when it was attacked by Sultan ALA-UD-DIN KHILJI in 1303. He was one of the hundreds of Mewar warriors killed during the battle.

Nar Verma, Rawal, twenty-third ruler of the Mewar Dynasty (r. 1021-1035); he succeeded Rawal SHUCHI VERMA, and ruled from AHAR. Very little is known of his reign. His son, KEERTI VERMA, succeeded him. See also MEWAR'S LOST GENERATIONS.

Narain Dass, Raja, of IDAR who joined the force of Maharana PRATAP SINGH I after the Battle of HALDIGHATI (1576). Later he was defeated after a strong fight and fled into the mountains. He resurfaced in 1577, but was again defeated by Asaf Khan after a severe battle.

Narasimha, in Hindu mythology the Man-lion, fourth avatar of VISHNU. Brahma had given a demon invulnerability day and night against god, man or beast; the avatar Narasimha (a god, man, and beast) killed the demon at dusk.

Narbudda (river): see NARBADA.

Nar-Chhali, Kumbhalgarh. Several years before KUMBHALGARH was consecrated, legend had already glorified Nar-Chhali, a small reservoir near the fort. It was believed that a tiger ('nar') and a goat ('chhali') drank water together here, a symbol of nirvana (paradise).

Narela, the estate (jagir) about 16 km. from Chittor, held by a nephew of Maharana KARAN SINGH II (1620-1628).

Narendra Singh, Kunwar, of Bhupalgarh; son of Pratap Singh of Bhupalgarh and brother of (Maharana) BHAGWAT SINGH MEWAR (1955-1984), the seventy-fifth ruler of the Mewar Dynasty.

Narhardas, son of Achaldas, who in turn was one of the seventeen sons of SAKTA (Shakta), founder of the Saktawats. Achaldas became the chief of the Bansi family of Saktawats.

Narhardas, son of ACHAL (Achaldas), who in turn was one of the seventeen sons of SAKTA, founder of the SAKTAWATS.

Naroo Barhat, one of Mewar's heroes, an Udaipur poet during the reign of Maharana RAJ SINGH I (1653-1680) who rallied the citizens to defend the city (left vulnerable by the absence of Mewar's warring army) and valiantly opposed Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb when he sacked Udaipur in 1679. A monument to him, a small chhatri marking the place where he died, can be seen near Jagdish Temple. See JAGDISH TEMPLE.

Narpati, Rana, of Sisoda, son of RAHAP who formed the SISODIA branch of the royal family; his son was Dinakar.

Narsi Mehta (1415-1481), a poet who specialised in BHAKTI vernacular verse. The name Narsi is commonly used; also known as Mehta Narsi.

Narwahan, Rawal, eighteenth ruler of the Mewar Dynasty (r. 971-973); succeeded his father Rawal ALLAT. It is thought that, near the start of Narwahan's two-year reign, the Paramara king of Malwa, Munja Raja drove him from Chittor (ca 972) and he made AHAR his new capital. (It is also possible that this move may have occurred at the end of Allat's reign.) Ahar remained the Mewar seat of government for over two centuries, until at least the reign of Rawal SAMANT SINGH (1172-1172). An inscription reveals that Narwahan was driven from "his kingdom" and re-established the Mewar seat of government, in exile, in the small kingdom of DUNGARPUR. Narwahan's descendant, Rawal MATHAN SINGH (1191-1211) is shown as ruling from Nagda, and his descendant, Rawal JAITRA SINGH (1213-1253) is also recorded as ruling from Nagda, then finally moving back to the old capital of Chittor. Otherwise, virtually nothing is known of Narwahan's reign, except that his son, SHALIWAHAN, succeeded him. See also MEWAR'S LOST GENERATIONS.

Naryan Sewa Sansthan, a charitable organisation for the sick located 2 km. east of Suraj Pol, Udaipur.

Naryandas, Kunwar, ninth son of Maharana RAIMAL (1473-1509).

Nasir-ud-Din, Sultan, ninth ruler of Delhi's Slave Dynasty (1246-1266). When he came to the throne and put an end to ongoing family squabbles, his commander, Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban, found time to renew the Sultanate's raids into Rajputana. As they had in the past, the Rajputs united and repelled the aggressors. The Slave Dynasty went into decline (1266) when Balban usurped the Delhi throne - this was when Rawal TEJ SINGH (1261-1267) ruled Mewar.