Puars: see PARAMARAS.

puja (pooja), (Hindi) in Hinduism, ceremonial worship, ranging from brief daily rites in the home to elaborate temple ritual. See also PUJARI.

pujari, (Hindi) a Hindu priest who performs PUJA.

Pula, a northern suburb of Udaipur; National Highway No. 8 passes through Pula, heading north to NATHDWARA.

pumsavana, (Hindi) a personal ceremony made during pregnancy to procure a male child, similar to that made by Queen PUSHPAVATI, the soon-to-be mother of GUHIL, founder of the GUHILOTS, forerunner of the Mewar dynasty.

Punja, Rana, the Rajput chief of Panarwa, who headed an impressive army of tribal BHILS, who claimed that he was their chief, and not just their military leader. (This is possibly why accounts of Rana Punja say that he, too, was a Bhil.) Punja and his Bhil tribesmen fought alongside Maharana PRATAP SINGH I in the famous Battle of HALDIGHATI (1576). Thereafter, Bhils have been renowned for assisting the Maharanas in maintaining the freedom of Mewar. They proved that anyone who is prepared to lay down his life to protect the independence of his motherland does not have to belong to any particular caste or creed. Because of this, Rana Punja's Bhils were the first tribals to be given equal status as any other citizen of Mewar-a unique 'first' in the history of India. Today, the most significant implication of this is that, for centuries, Mewar has believed in equality amongst all men. Rana Punja was a true son of the soil, and his name is held in great reverence because of his contribution and services to the House of Mewar. Because of his selfless devotion and loyalty, the name of Punja was given the prefix of Rana, which is the original form of address of the Maharana himself. In the annual MAHARANA MEWAR FOUNDATION AWARDS, a citation named after Rana Punja honours works to society by people who, like Punja, are closely associated with tribal people, and particularly to those of tribal origin themselves.

punkah, (Hindi) a general terminology for a hand, table or ceiling fan; a device used in India for fanning a room, consisting of a frame covered with cloth and suspended from the ceiling. As the hand fan is small it is called a pankhi.

Puppetry: see ARTS AND CRAFTS OF MEWAR.

Puranmal. There were a couple of leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Bhindar (Saktawat), and Mangrop (Purawat); and Raja Dhiraj Puranmal, second son of Maharana AMAR SINGH II; his descendants held the jagir of Shahpura in Bhilwara District.

Purawat, a clan of Mewar, rival of the SAKTAWATS.

purdah, (Persian) a veil or curtain; also the practice of keeping women in seclusion.

Purohit, (Hindi) a family priest; a Hindu chaplain. See also RAJ-PUROHIT.

Purohitji, House of, Chittorgarh; ruins on the southern road after entering Chittor, beside those of the house of the Mahasani (Master of the Horses). A Purohit was a Royal Priest at the fort.

Pushpavati, Queen, wife of King SILADITYA VI of Vallabhi (now in Gujarat), and mother of GUHIL, founder of the GUHILOT dynasty, forerunner of the Mewar dynasty.

Legend: Pushpavati was on a pilgrimage across the border in what was to become Mewar, to receive a blessing at a shrine for her soon-to-be-born child. While she was away, Arab marauders sacked Vallabhi, killing the king and many of his subjects. On receiving the news, Pushpavati went into hiding in the wilderness of the Idar district. There, in a cave, she gave birth to a son and is said to have named him Goha, meaning 'cave born'. She gave the royal child to a Brahman nursemaid and left the Captain of her guard to protect him, then committed SATI.

Pusti Marg, followers of Vallabh Sampraydya from Gujarat, a sect that worships Lord Krishna as a child; their main pilgrimage centre is the sacred town of NATHDWARA.