Bhadrajun
Encyclopedia
Bhadrajun, is a village in the Jalore district of the western part of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

, India, dating back to ancient times of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 epic
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...

. However, in recent centuries, it was the scene of warfare between the rulers of the Marwar dynasty
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...

 and of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

.

In the 16th century, a fort known as the Bhadrajun Fort was built at Bhadrajun by the Rathore
Rathore
The Rathore is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan same caste as Lohana. Their Kuldevi is Nagnechiya Mata and "Karani Mata". Rathores are originally from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Rathores are historically considered the samurais of India...

 kings of Marwar
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...

. Today the fort is owned by Rathan Singh Rathore, son of Maharaja Maldeo, the sixteenth descendant of Marwar Ranas who ruled from Jodhpur. It is presently run as a heritage hotel. The fort has a significant collection of goods from its long past.

Geography

Bhadarjun is located in Jalore district within the Luni River
Luni River
The Luni is a river of western Rajasthan state, India. It originates in the Pushkar valley of the Aravalli Range, near Ajmer and ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, after travelling a distance of 530 km...

 basin. It is situated in a tropical and semi tropical climatic zone. The average annual and daily temperatures are high with a low annual rainfall of 434 millimetres (17.1 in). January is the coldest month, with temperatures recorded between 1 °C (33.8 °F) and 2 °C (35.6 °F). Summer is very hot, recording an average daily temperature in the range of 41 °C (105.8 °F) to 42 °C (107.6 °F). The highest temperature recorded was 48 °C (118.4 °F) on a few days.

According to the 2001 census, the population of Bhadrajun is 4,499, with 2,358 males and 2,141 females.

Legend

The word ‘Bhadrajun’ is directly linked to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 epic
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...

. Bhadrajun is made up of two words, the name of 'Subhadra
Subhadra
Image:Jagannath, Baladev and Subadra in Radhadesh.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=|Subhadra, flanked by her brothers Balarama and Jagannatha . Deities of the Radhadesh temple in Belgium...

', sister of Lord Krishna and 'Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

', the third among the five Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

 brothers of Mahabharata. Initially, it was called “Subhdr-arjun” but over the years it got changed to the colloquial usage of the single word “Bhadrajun”. The legend linked to this name is a story of romance.

According to the Mahabharata legend, Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to marry sister from Dwarka
Dwarka
Dwarka also spelled Dvarka, Dwaraka, and Dvaraka, is a city and a municipality of Jamnagar district in the Gujarat state in India. Dwarka , also known as Dwarawati in Sanskrit literature is rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country...

 (where she resided with her parents). The reason for Krishna's advice was because Arjuna along with his four brothers was under a vanvas
Vanvas
Vanvas is a Sanskrit term meaning residence in a forest . While it can be undertaken voluntarily, it usually carries a connotation of forced exile as a punishment...

 (incognito living), as per the demand of the Kauravas, for having lost their kingdom in a dice game. However, Arjuna, who was disguised as a saint, fell in love with the daughter of Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....

 (maternal uncle of Arjuna), Subhadra. Arjuna spent the last year of his 13 year exile period in Dwarka. Krishna, who was aware of this fact, advised Arjuna to escape with his sister so that his true identity would not be revealed during the marriage. Identification would have resulted in a further 13 years in exile as per Pandava's pact with the Kauravas. It would have also invited the wrath of Balarama
Balarama
Balarama , also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha, is the elder brother of the divine being, Krishna in Hinduism. Within Vaishnavism Hindu traditions Balarama is worshipped as an Avatar of Vishnu, and he is also listed as such in the Bhagavata Purana...

, brother of Krishna who wanted the Kaurava king Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...

 to marry Subhadra. Lord Krishna was not in favour of such an alliance as he was particularly attached to Arjuna, and wished nothing but the best for his sister Subhadra.

Arjuna, in disguise of a saint, fled from Dwarka with Subhadra in a chariot, in full view of Krishna and Vasudeva and the family members. After an arduous journey of three days and two nights, through mostly uninhabited forest area, they reached the valley near Bhadrajun where they decided to get married, before proceeding to Indraprastha, their capital. The marriage was conducted by a local Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 priest. The Brahmin priest was given an ear ring (vali in local language) by Subhadra and a conch-shell by Arjuna as fee for performing their marriage. The village of the Brahmin was named thereafter as ‘sankhavali’ (in the word "sankavali", ‘sankh’ means ‘conch-shell’ and ‘vali’ means “ear ring”). It is also said that Balarama, though furious initially with Arjuna did not chase him to stop the marriage. He was persuaded by Krishna and Vasudeva to forgive Arjuna and Subhadra, given that they were in love with each other. Convinced of this fact, Balarama later sent gifts to his sister - a dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...

 of jewellery , elephants, chariots, horses, servants and maidservants. Following this marriage, Bhadarjun grew in population. A small temple in the name of Subhadra, popularly known as the “Dhumda Mata”, exists even now in a nearby village.

Early history

While the mythological history of Bhadrajun is traced to Arjuna who lived in the treta yuga
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of mankind, in the religion of Hinduism, and follows the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and precedes the Dvapara Yuga. The most famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and...

, one of the four Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 eras
Eras
Eras is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Albert Boton and Albert Hollenstein , and released by the International Typeface Corporation in 1976. Eras is licensed by the Linotype type foundry....

) of Mahabharata), the history of Bhadrajun and the Marwar rulers of Jodhpur can only be traced from the 16th century. Several historic wars took place in Bhadrajun, initially against the Suri dynasty and later against the Mughal dynasty rulers.

The earliest ruler who occupied Bhadrajun was Thakur Rattan Singh, fifth son of Rao Maldeo, the Maharaja of Jodhpur in in 1549. It was a feudal land under the Jodhpur kingdom, which had ten land lords who were called Rajas or Thikanas out of a total of 1891 land lords. These ten Rajas were known as Sirayats in the State of "Jodhpur Marwar". They held high positions in the court of Jodhpur. The Bhadrajun feudatory was also one of the ten feudatories which received special privileges in the court. In the seating arrangement in the Jodhpur court, the Raja of Bhadrajun was always seated to the right of the King, since he belonged to the King’s lineage. Sixteen generations of Marawrs ruled from Bhadrajun.

Lineage and wars

The first to rule from Bhadrajun was Rana Rattan Singh, son of Rana Maldeo (also known as Chandra Sen). He was the grand son of Rana Sanga
Rana Sanga
-Historical Fact:Maharana Sangram Singh was the ruler of Mewar state, a region lying within the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, a desert region, between 1509 and 1527. He was a scion of the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs...

, the Maharana of Mewar, a renowned warrior of the period.

Maldeo of Jhodpur (also known as Rathore), father of Rattan Singh, soon after becoming King of Marwar
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...

, launched war campaigns and successfully defeated the Sindhals and annexed Bhadrajun.

In 1543, Rattan Singh fought at Girari (Sumel) against the invading army of Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...

 (the first ruler of Suri Dynasty), the then Emperor of India. He also fought a second battle at Merata, when he suffered injuries and was subsequently defeated by Viram Deo.

In 1563-64, the Rathores lost their capital city of Jhodpur to Pathan Malik, a commander of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, but they retained their territory around Bhadrajun. During this war, they could not sustain their army’s needs as adequate provisions were not available inside the fort. Also, there was no help forthcoming from outside powers. Maldeo, also known as Rana Chandrasen, abandoned the fort and reached Bhadarajun and remained there for seven years.

In 1651, Mukan Dasji of Bhadrajun fought against Raja Sawai Sur Singhji of Jodhpur in the battle against the Mughals at Mandavgarh. His bravery was duly rewarded with recognition of Bhadarajun as his jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...

(estate) with a due patta
Patta
Patta Killa, also known as Vishramgad, is situated between Nasik and Ahmadnagar in Maharashtra. Shivaji Maharaj once visited and rested there. The residents of Patta Killa are known as Pattekar, meaning residents of Fort Patta....

(document).

When Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

's army attacked Jodhpur, Udai Bhanji of Bhadrajun fought for Maharaja Jaswant Singh and saved the Maharaja's life. As a reward, he got married to the niece of the Maharana. Subsequently, he went to Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....

 to fight war against the Pathan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

’s. But in 1785, in the battle against the Mughal Emperor of India, he was killed. His wife, Jas Kanwar of Dodiali, committed Sati
Sati (practice)
For other uses, see Sati .Satī was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre...

 ('sati' was an act of self immolation undertaken by the wife on the pyre of her husband, a practice prevalent then in many parts of India).

Subsequent rulers of Bhadrajun were also involved in several battles with the kingdom of Jodhpur and with other feudatories in the region. Finally, Bhadrajun merged with the Union of India, after India became independent in August 1947. The last scion
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....

 of the dynasty, Raja Gopal Singh, now owns the estate and manages it as a heritage hotel.

Monuments

There are a number of historic monuments in and around the village Bhadrajun. The best known is the Bhadrajun fort due to its past history and present modern status as a heritage hotel.

Bhadrajun fort

The fort is constructed on top of the hill and although small, it was built as a strong hill fort. It is also strategically located in the village of Bhadrajun, which is also securely protected since it is enclosed in a horse shoe shape valley with one entry from the east. The fort walls are 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) high, built at strategical locations around the village with a uniform width of 10 feet (3 m). Bastions, known as burjis, were built to erect canons and to eject arrows against invaders. The average elevation of the place is 2000 feet (609.6 m) above m.s.l.

The fort is built on rugged hills with forest vegetation consisting of trees, cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...

, bushes and rocks. The forest around the fort is inhabited by wildlife such as jackal
Jackal
Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...

s, wild cat
Wild cat
The wildcat is a small cat with several subspecies and a very broad distribution, found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar or smaller size. Sometimes included is...

s, blue bulls, hedge hogs and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

es. The fort has been converted into a luxury hotel, with 14 furnished rooms, all with a bathroom ensuite
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....

.

Visitor information

Bhadrajun is 97 kilometres (60.3 mi) from Jodhpur. Jodhpur is well connected by road, rail and air links with rest of the country.

By road, Bhadrajun is 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) away from Jalore
Jalore
Jalor, also known as Jalore , is a city in Rajasthan state of western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalor District.- Geography :...

, the district headquarters, on the Jalore-Jodhpur road, 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...

, 356 kilometres (221.2 mi) from Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

 and 618 kilometres (384 mi) from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

.

Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...

 is the nearest railway station on the broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...

line. The nearest airport is at Jodhpur, 97 kilometres (60.3 mi) away.
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