Talakkad and Malangi (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 8 October 2015)

The Ganga is considered as the holiest of the rivers in North India. It is said that you need to take but one dip in the river to cleanse away all the sins done in the lifetime. In the southern part of the country, the Kaveri enjoys same importance. There is one very interesting legend about this 765 Km long river. It is said that in the months of October-November Kaveri and Ganga meet underground so that Ganga, which is tainted with peoples' sins can cleanse herself with the help of Kaveri. :-)

Kaveri is one of the most ancient rivers of South India. More than 100 tributaries join her at various points of her journey. The river has 3 islands - the most important of them is Shrirangapattanam - the very place where Tipu Sultan and his father HaiderAli fought 4 battles. Tipu had conquered this region from the Wodiyar dynasty of Mysore. The Wodiyars had been ruling since 14th century. When the British defeated Tipu they handed Mysore's control back to the Wodiyars.

Throughout the centuries, the ShriRanganathSwami temple of Shrirangapattanam has been conducting Pooja of RanganathSwami who is considered to be the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Wodiyar dynasty has donated generously to this temple. There is a fascinating legend associated with this temple and the Wodiyar dynasty. It is said that this legend explains the 3 events which have been occurring to this very day:

The Wodiyar dynasty kings are not blessed with any child since past 19 generations.

A nearby village called Malangi is being slowly destroyed by Kavery.

The village of Talakkad, about 45 Kms away, has been buried under layers of sand.

And it is believed that a 400-year old curse is behind all this. So what is the story?

Talakkad is probably the only Sand Dune in Kaveri. It is made of sand flying through air. As per a book written by a historian in 1951, in a year about 12 feet of sand collected in this place. People believe that if any excavation is carried out here, it is possible that an ancient civilization like the Indus valley may emerge. The 4-5 temples that can be seen here today have been excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India. Those in the know say that there might be more such temples buried beneath all this sand. Based on the excavation done so far it can be said that the civilization here was spread in an area of 3-4 Kms. Along with Hindu and Jain religion, Budhhism was also being followed. It can be deduced that more than 1500 families used to call it a home.

There is one temple here - Vaidyeshwar temple. Anyone looking at this temple would know that there was no sand here when it was constructed. This huge stone structure could only have been constructed on solid earth, not on sand. Then where did all this sand come from? Especially when there is no ocean about. A person called Rachaiya, who stays in a nearby village, told the program anchor the story of the curse which is said to be the cause of all this mayhem.

A woman called Aalamelamma, who used to be a queen once, is responsible for this curse. And an event of immense historical significance is behind this legend. This event was responsible for annexing Talakkas and Mysore to the Wodiyar empire. As mentioned before, Wodiyars had been ruling over Mysore since the 14th century. At that time Mysore was but a small kingdom that was part of the Vijayanagar empire. The adjoining kingdom of Shrirangapattanam was much bigger than Mysore. In 1565, Vijayanagar was destroyed and the region's political scene underwent a major shift. Shrirangapattanam was then ruled by King Rangarai (who was also called as Tirumalarai). He was paranoid about the other kingdoms attacking him. So he started calling these kings for Navaratri Pooja and killing them. Mysore's Wodiyar king caught wind of it and made sure that he didn't fall into the trap. Then he attacked Shrirangapattanam and conquered it. King Rangarai was killed in this battle. His wife, Aalamelamma, shifted to the nearby village of Malangi. She was an ardent fan of the deity that was considered to be the consort of Lord ShriRanganathSwami. The temple of this deity, AadirangaMandir, is still considered among one of the most important temples of South India. In those days, every Tuesday and Friday, an Aarti of the deity used to be performed. And the idol used to be decked in the finest of the jewelries. After the ceremony was over these jewellery used to be handed over to Aalamelamma for safe-keeping. When she shifted to Malangi she took all this jewellery with her. After the battle was over, the temple priests went to the Wodiyar king and requested to get this jewellery back. The king sent his people to Malangi but Aalamelamma handed over only one nose-ring made of pearls but refused to give anything else back.The king was enraged at this blatant disregard of his diktat. He ordered his men not to come back without taking all the jewellery into custody. When the king's men came for her for the second time she was in Talakkad, which was her birthplace. She jumped into the river along with all jewellery and committed suicide, but not before uttering terrible curses:

May the Wodiyar dynasty never be blessed with children.

May Malangi be swallowed by Kaveri.

May Talakkad be buried under sand.

It is said that since then Talakkas began to be covered by sand. Malangi began to be slowly destroyed by the fast current and whirlpools in Kaveri and since past 400 years every second generation Wodiyar king is childless.

So what do the scientists and historians have to say about this?

History says that at the beginning of the 17th century there was a great famine in India. The water level went down considerably in Kaveri and whatever was left was obstructed by the dam that was constructed in the 14th century. Because of this the fine sand in the riverbed started getting blowe by the wind. Since the wind was moving from the south, the sand started getting deposited in Talakkad, slowly burying it.

Now as far as Malangi goes, the Kaveri river has an elbow bend near it. The fast-flowing water is eroding the riverbank and the village situated on it. Th whirlpools originate because of the huge boulders in the riverbed.

Okay, so did the legend of the curse came into being because the people at that time couldn't have known about the scientific reasons behind these 2 events? Or were the scientific explanations were given later in a bid to check the superstitious ideas? What then is the explanation behind the Wodiyar dynasty being childless? After all it is also said that the Wodiyar king had kept an idol of Aalamelamma in his Mysore palace and even in this day and age a pooja is conducted in the hope that her soul will find peace and the curse will be lifted.

Wait a minute! Didn't the curse say that none of the Wodiyar Kings will be blessed with a child? Then what is this about every 2nd generation king being childless? If you think again, you will realize that when a king adopts a child, the curse doesn't apply to the child because he wasn't originally a king. But the son of this adopted king is a prince and hence subject to the curse. Sounds rather silly to believe this but it has really been happening since past 400 years. Even when the last Wodiyar king, Shrikant Datt, died in 2013, he didn't have a child to succeed him. So what does science have to say about this?

Some people do have a theory about this as well. They say that since the kings get married in their own families, they suffer from a biological defect called Inbreeding Depression. And that's the reason for their childlessness. Some people also say that when the British started applying their Doctrine of Lapse in India, the Wodiyars themselves spread rumors about this curse in an attempt to save their kingdom from falling into the British hands.

Whatever the reasons, this story about Talakkad, Malangi and the Wodiyar kings is indeed fascinating!

Mehrauli Archaelogical Park (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 1 October 2015)

I missed some of this episode. The anchor was aided by a woman called Nidhi who conducts heritage walks in the park.

A lot of tourists come to visit Kutub Minar annually. But this park, which is very close by, doesn't see much of a footfall. The most ancient structure here is the resting place of the Turkish Sultan Balban (who ascended Delhi's throne in 1246). It might have been constructed around 1270 and contains no sarcophagus. No one knows where it is. The resting place of his son, Mohammad Khan, is nearby. He had died near Lahore in a battle with the Mangols. It is said that his death shocked Balban to the core and he died soon afterwards. The writings of Ibn-E-Batuta mention that Balban was deputy of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud and poisoned the Sultan to usurp the throne. But Tarikh-e-Firozeshahi, which is considered a more authentic historical document of that time, says that though Balban was ambitious and had gotten rid of most of his enemies, he has nothing to do with Sultan's murder. Upon ascending the throne, Balban enforced a lot of disciplinary rules - no one must laugh in the royal court, no one must talk loudly and everyone must obey the royal customs. Two of his most important rules were that whoever entered the royal court had to bow to the Sultan and kiss his feet.

When the anchor asked Nidhi about the fragrance that hung about the whole place she replied that it was because of the perfumes that the people apply here in hopes of getting their wishes fulfilled by the Jinns who are believed to inhabit this area. She recounted a personal experience she once had when she came to this area quite early in the morning with one of her friends. They saw a man wearing white clothes right in the middle of the road. His clothes were emitting very strong fragrance and he had an aura about his face. He smiled at her and told her that whatever she asks for will be granted. She told the anchor that that's what happened.

Another important structure here is Jamali Kamali. It houses a mausoleum and a mosque. The word 'Jamali' means a handsome guy in Urdu. In 16th century Delhi, there was a trader who also was a Sufi saint and a poet (Shaayar). His sobriquet was Jamali. Though he was from the same era as Kabir, Surdas and Tulsidas, his writing was so good that he stood on his own when it came to popularity. This was the time when the Lodhis were losing their power and the Mughals gaining theirs. Jamali died when Humayun was in Gujarat. Some say that it was Humayun who constructed Jamali's Mausoleum. These days no one is allowed inside it. From the outside there is nothing distinguishing about the mausoleum but it is said to be very beautiful inside with lot of engravings everywhere, especially on the ceiling which is said to look like a beautiful Persian carpet. 16 of Jamali's couplets have been engraved on 4 walls. Two There are 2 graves here - one of Jamali and the other one is of Kamali. No one knows for sure who this Kamali was, whether it was a man or a woman. Some say Jamali-Kamali were teacher-student, some say they were close friends and some say that they were a gay couple.

There is a mosque to the south of the mausoleum. It is from Jamali's time and might have bee constructed by him. The first proof that this area was called as Jamali-Kamali can be traced to the 19th century but history is mum about why and how these names are linked together.

Very few people know that there is a step well here. Not many details are available about its history. Though it is called Raajonki Baoli (Well of the Kings), what it actually means is the well of the stonemasons (the word for it is 'Raaj' in Hindi). It is said that these masons used to stay here, do their cooking here and use this place for social networking. The ladies and gents used to come at different times.

This complex houses another structure of historical importance - the mausoleum of Kuli Khan, the son of Akbar's governess Mahamanga. Kuli Khan was a general in Mughal armed forces. This mausoleum, which was perhaps constructed in the 17th century, represents two different periods in history. In the 20th century, Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah the 2nd, had built a palace in Mehrauli. Thomas Metcalf, who was an agent of the British East India Company, had been appointed here to keep an eye on the Mughals. When the Mughal princes came to Mehrauli, Metcalf too shifted here and turned Kuli Khan's mausoleum into a Leisure House by constructing gardens and big buildings around it. He would himself stay here and give it on rent to honeymooning couples.

After 1857, the British brought new ways of ruling in India. In 20th century, when New Delhi came into existence, the population started growing there. And then Mehrauli, along with its historical monuments slowly went into oblivion.

Mubarak Fort, Bhatinda (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 24 September 2015)

In India, whenever someone mentions a desert, the listener assumes he is talking about the state of Rajasthan. But what if someone told you that the desert is in the state of Punjab instead? Punjab has traditionally been associated with evergreen fields but once upon a time western Punjab was at the border of a great desert called Cholistan. In Turkish language, the word 'Choli' means barren land. Bhatinda is about 200 Km away from Amritsar. And here stands a fort that is slowly getting erased from the face of the earth - Fort Mubarak.

It is said that at one time the sand was stretched right upto the fort. In those days from the distance it would look like a ship moving through sand. Some people say the fort was constructed by King Kanishka (2nd century). Some associate King Bhattirao (3rd century) with it. Earlier it used to be called Bhatinda Fort. It was renamed 'Mubarak' when its control passed in the hands of the Patiyala dynasty. The word 'Mubarak' means 'Auspicious'. If you think for a moment, you would realize that this fort has been standing since Jesus was in Jerusalem. But today it is in such ruins that it is dangerous to go into some of its areas. An interesting thing about its construction is that it is made entirely of bricks. In fact, it is the oldest and biggest such fort in India. These bricks, called Nanakshahi Bricks in this region, are smaller (quarter of a size smaller) and thinner than the normal brick size. A major part of this fort was constructed by Patiyala king Aalaasingh. The bigger bricks that you see in the construction were used at the time of its restoration.

If you mention the word Fort to someone, it is automatically assumed that it contains Diwan-e-Aam, Diwan-e-Khaas along with lots of palaces. But this fort is bereft of most of such things simply because it is a military fort used exclusively for use of armed forces. One major attraction, however, is its RaniMahal or Queen's Quarters. This is the only historical building that can be seen today inside the fort. Unfortunately, if you walk there the whole structure shakes. Maybe that's why tourists are not allowed in this area of the fort. It is said that once upon a time this area used to contain beautiful paintings. The fort used to boast of 32 Buruj of all sizes. They too lie in ruins now - some are completely destroyed while some are being repaired. In the middle ages, this fort was considered as the Entry gate to India. Bhatinda was situated right on the road between Multan and Delhi. Most of the attacks on India happened along this route from the North-West and so many forts had been constructed from security point of view. The only one to stand test of time is the fort of Bhatinda.

Bhatinda is hardly 300 Km from Delhi. Naturally whoever ruled Delhi owned this fort. Its name is associated with historical figures such as Prithviraj Chauhan, Mohammad Ghori, Mahamood Gazni. But the most important of them is Razia Sultan. The rest of them came here as owners. Razia, however, came here as a prisoner. Her crime? She loved a Habshi slave called Yakut. Razia, who belonged to the Turkish dynasty, ruled Delhi from 1236 to 1240. The wealthy and influential of Delhi weren't too thrilled to be ruled by a woman. On top of it, Razia would dress like a man, would go on battlefield (sitting atop her elephant) instead of remaining in seclusion like other women and insist that she be called 'Sultan' instead of 'Sultana'. She would call herself 'Sultan Razia'. Then she fell in love with Yakut, who was earlier employed in the kitchen but was shifted into Razia's service when she liked him. Soon everyone in Delhi knew that the two are close. The elite of Delhi got the chance that they had been waiting for. When Malik Altunia of Punjab rebelled against Delhi and Razia left to fight with him, these people rebelled against her. They killed Yakut and imprisoned Razia. When she was handed over to Malik Altunia, she was brought to fort Mubarak.

It is said that she was allowed to leave fort only on Fridays, to attend prayers in nearby mosque. She would be taken there in a Palkhi. It is also said by some that Malik Altunia was in love with Razia, who was his childhood friend (though there is no historical basis for this), and wanted to marry her. After being in prison for a while Razia too agreed to get married to him. No one can say for sure why she married him - was it because she wanted to rule Delhi again with his help? Because she wanted to get out of prison? Or because she too was in love with him?

It was then that one of her brothers usurped the throne of Delhi. Razia attacked the city in a bid to get her rightful place back but she and Malik Altunia lost the battle. Their armed forces deserted them and they fell into their enemy's hands who lost no time in killing them both. The historians are not in agreement when it comes to her resting place. Kaiser, Delhi and Tonk all lay claim to her remains. But history doesn't offer any proof for this.

Then why is this fort, with such an illustrious past, in ruins today? Three main reasons can be cited for the same. One, Bhatinda was right at the border of a desert which started claiming more and more land thus making it difficult to maintain the road leading to it. Two, by the end of the 14th century, Taimur attacked the region and destroyed all the major cities that lay along the route from Multan to Delhi. And third, when the Mughals came to India at the time of Babar, they moved their kingdom's boundary from Bhatinda thus reducing its political importance. In fact, the fort doesn't find much of a mention in Mughal history. In the 18th century during the Sikh reign, the fort was passed in the hands of the Patiyala dynasty and renamed Mubarak. It shot into prominence once again. All 3 Gurus of the Sikh religion  - Guru NanakJi, Guru TegbahadurJi and Guru GobindSinghJi - had visited this fort. In fact, a Gurudwara had been constructed here to commemorate Guru GobindSinghJi's visit. Even today lot of people come to pay their respects.

The fort lost its importance during the British era. Soon it was forgotten by the general populace and slowly fell into ruins.

Leh Palace (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 10 September 2015)

In Ladakhi, the word 'Ladakh' means a region of tall mountains. A saying in Ladakhi aptly describes the difficult terrain needed to be crossed to come here - Only a special friend or a sworn enemy will take pains to come here. Ladakh's history bears testimony to this.

Did you know that this difficult-to-access terrain boasts of one of world's tallest and India's oldest standing sky-scraper? That's the Leh Palace - with its 9 floors, 2 of them underground.

Ladakh's capital Leh is situated at a distance of 430 Km from Srinagar. Leh Palace is the most easily recognizable landmark here.

The dynasty that ruled here was called Namgyal - meaning victorious. The dynasty was started by one Tashi Namgyal in 14th century. His grandson Sengge Namgyal built this palace. There are lots of interesting aspects to its construction. e.g. It is built on the foundation of the mountain's granite stone. The lower part of the walls is of stones while the upper is made up of baked earth so that the structure remains light ta the top and doesn't fall off easily during an earthquake - a frequent enough occurrence in this region. Like Tajmahal, the legend goes that when the construction was over, the hands of people instrumental in building it were hacked off to prevent them from constructing a similar structure elsewhere. History tells us that it took 4 years for the construction to complete.

Floors 4 to 6 were being used for the day-to-day activities of the royal court. The upper floors might have been occupied by the royal family. Though some paintings can be seen here today, it cannot be said with certainty that they belong to the Namgyal era. The 5th floor houses royal temple where religious ceremonies are conducted to this day. Public functions used to take place on the roof of the 4th floor.

There was a time when Leh, and this palace, represented a powerful kingdom. Their rule extended right upto Kulu-Manali. It is said that Tibet's Potala Palace is inspired by the design of the Leh Palace. Ironically it is the Potala Palace, and not the Leh Palace, that gained worldwide fame.

So why was this palace abandoned? Though it is true that the Ladakhi rulers did engage in a lot of battles with the Mughals, the Mughals never came to this region either to rule or to spread Islam. They aren't responsible for its downfall.

Ladakh was never attacked from any part of India - except for one. The Dogara General Jorawar Singh was sent here in 1834 by the then king of Jammu and Kashmir - King Raj Singh. The temperature drops to -42 in winter here. Despite this he managed to bring his army through the
Zanskar ranges - that too with such swift speed that the Namgyal ruler was caught completely unawares and hence lost the battle. This attack happened because King Raj Singh had bought Kashmir and its surrounding region for 75 Lakhs (a sum that is astronomical even by today's standards!). He wanted to recoup the expense. If the Namgyal king had given money to Jorawar Singh, he might have withdrawn his troops. But he refused and paid the price. The Leh Palace sustained quite a lot of damage during the war and the royal family had to be shifted to the Stok Palace, which is situated a short distance away.

Jorawar Singh constructed a fort to keep tab on Leh. This fort, called Jorawar Fort, though made of earth, is so strongly built that it was in use even after his time. Now the Indian army looks after it. In fact, they have their stable at the same place where Jorawar Singh used to keep his horses. A well from that time can still be seen at this fort.

Emboldened by his conquering of Leh, Jorawar Singh attacked Lhasa with the intention of taking Tibet. But the British had their interest over there and warned Lhasa in advance and also supplied them with ammunition. Jorawar Singh lost his life on the battlefield.

After 1947, Ladakh became a part of India and the palace was abandoned.

Raamnagar (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 3 September, 2015)

Raamnagar is situated at a distance of 100 Km from Jammu in Jammu-Kashmir's Udhhampur Jilla. To be frank, every state of India has at least one place called Raamnagar. If you look for 'Raamnagar' on Internet, you will get a whole list of such places. One fact, however, remains - be it a village or a city, every Raamnagar has an interesting story. Same goes for Jammu-Kashmir's Raamnagar. It is just that the story is a bit difficult to find. It is an ancient historical city. There are 3 important buildings here - Puraana Mahal, Naya Mahal and Sheesh Mahal. There is also a fort constructed by the rulers of the Dogara dynasty (from Jammu). This dynasty believes that they descend from Lord Rama.

Puraana Mahal - this is the oldest building. Though it is called Mahal (a palace) it looks more like a fort. The main courtyard has rooms on both sides. There are 3 floors. Maybe the place was inhabited by the royal family. Now it is in dilapidated condition. But still you can see the remains of Pahari Paintings. You can read about these on the internet. Though these painting on the walls and wooden roof have lost their sheen after all these years, you can guess that at one time they must be really breathtaking. The topmost floor commands a grand view of the entire Raamnagar. It is said that this place was constructed by king Suchet Singh.

During 18th century, Jammu consisted of 22 princely states. Raja Ranajit Dev, who was considered the mightiest king of his time, brought them together. He had 3 grandsons - Gulab Singh, Dhyan Singh and Suchet Singh. When Maharaja Ranajit Singh conquered Lahore in 1798 the entire Dogara family started working in the royal court there in one capacity or another. Maharaja Ranajit Singh conquered Jammu in 1815 and brought the 3 brother here. After Ranajit Singh's death in June 1839, Suchet Singh fell out with the Sikhs. Then a time came when the situation turned so bad that Raamnagar saw one king in the morning and another one at night. Then Ranajit Singh's son Kharak Singh died. Dhyan Singh (who was the Chief Minister then) was assassinated. His son inherited his designation but he too died. Suchet Singh died in the battle with the Sikhs in 1844. He didn't have any children so the son of his elder brother, Ranabir Singh inherited the throne. After him it was the turn of his younger son Ramsingh. After Suchet Singh, it is Ram Singh who is considered as the most important king here. Ram Singh constructed Naya Mahal behind Puraana Mahal. The walls of Naya Mahal also have similar Pahari paintings but they have better endured the ravages of time.

The best paintings can be seen in Sheesh Maal. This building also was constucted by Ramsingh. There are 3 parts of this building - Darabar or Diwan-e-khaas, Rangmahal and Sheesh Mahal. It is said that the paintings here are so beautiful that they will give any art gallery in the world a run for its money. Unfortunately, to preserve them as they are the ASI does not allow any tourists to take photos or do video shooting here. That is the reason these paintings were not shown during this program. But it was mentioned that not even an inch of the walls is bereft of paintings. A lot of them contain golden color. The credit for the paintings goes to kings Suchet Singh and Ram Singh. If it were not for the patronage of these kings, the paintings wouldn't be here.

Suchet Singh also constructed a fort at a distance of about 800 meters from here. This small fort is called Ramnagar Fort. Maybe the reason behind constructing this fort was to make sure that the army guarding Ramnagar would get some sort of protection in case of any attack. During those days, it was customary for every ruler to have one such fort. This region has about 100 forts like this. In fact the Dogara dynasty got its name from the word 'Durg' which means Fort. Suchet Singh used to be mostly at Lahore or Peshwar. Maybe he built this fort for the safety of his family.

Though the fort is being looked after well these days, after Ram Singh's death in 1899, there wasn't anyone to look after it in those days. In 1947, Jammu-Kashmir became part of India. Even after that no one paid any special attention to Ramnagar and it had fallen into neglect. By the time Suchet Singh died the custom of Sati had been banished from India. But his wife did follow the custom. Her resting place is nearby.

Jaageshwar (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 27 August 2015)

Jaageshwar is situated at a distance of 36 Km from Almora in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, in a dense forest of Deodar trees. Everyone knows the 4 holy places (चारधाम) - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. But people in th Kumaon region believe that at one time there was a 5th holy place - Jaageshwar.

A river flows near Jaageshwar - Jatagangaa. This is a complex of about 124 temples of all sizes - some of them shaped like stone sculptures. Though every temple has a Shivalinga, religious ceremonies and Pooja are conducted in only 4-5 of them. Some of the temples are facing West, some North and there are some facing East. The reason being that around 108 temples are of Lord Shiva and the rest are of other Hindu deities. The temples face the direction belonging to the deity each contains.Out of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India, the 8th one is situated in one of the temples here - Jaagnath temple. That's why it is considered as the most important temple of this complex and even today the pooja here is conducted as per the religious norms.

It is said that the custom of worshiping the Shivalingam started at this place. The legend behind this custom is very interesting. After his wife Sati died in Satya Yuga, Lord Shiva came to this place to do his penance. Some holy men were here at that time to perform a Yagnya. Their wives used to roam about in the area collecting the ingredients to be used for the Yagnya.When they saw Lord Shiva they were spellbound by his looks and fell unconscious. Enraged at this, the holy men cursed the Lord that his Lingam would fall off. When that happened Lord Vishnu used his Chakra to break it into 12 pieces. The regions where these pieces fell became the Jyotirlingas. And that's how the practice of worshiping the Shivalingam started.

Maanas Khanda of Skand Purana describes this place in detail e.g. as 'नागेशं दारुकावने' i.e. Jaageshwar in a dense forest of Deodar trees.Of course, some people do say that the description fits the temple of Naageshwar that is situated at a distance of 13 Km from Dwaraka. Adiguru Shankaracharya has written a Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra.

The temple of Dandeshwar is located a short distance away from Jaageshwar. This is supposedly the place where the holy men cursed Lord Shiva. The legend behind this goes thus - when Lord Shiva was doing a penance here, the village belles became infatuated with him and tried their best to win him over. When the village men were embarrassed about this, Lord Shiva promised them that he would do his penance in the form of a child. Hence this place is also called BaalJaageshwar.

Some people believe that these temples were constructed by Pandavas at the time of their ascension to heavens in Dwaapaar Yugaa. At that time the one ascending to heavens along with his body (सदेह स्वर्गारोहण) had to perform his last rites himself. It is said that the Pandavas performed their own last rites in the Jataaganga river and then ascending to heavens along with their bodies.

But history tells us that these temples were constructed by the Katyuri dynasty in 8th to 10th century. Before that time, wood used to be employed in temple construction.But during Katyuri reign, stone began to be used. They kept on erecting temples as long as they ruled this region.The oldest temple here is that of Mahamrutyunjaya. It is said that the construction began with this temple and that it is about 1200 years old.

Legend has it that the route to go to Kailas Mansarovar used to pass through Jaageshwar. The pilgrims would visit Jaageshwar first and then proceed to Mansarovar. It is also said that the wishes expressed in this place would be granted. When Adiguru Shankaracharya came here he thought that this could be dangerous in future and so put an end to this power using spells.

There is no indication that there were any attempts to destroy these temples. Then why were they abandoned? Katyuri dynasty ruled this region till 11th century. After that there was internal strife in their kingdom. The Chand dynasty came to power later. They also constructed temples, donated land and made arrangements for religious ceremonies to be conducted in the temples. Around 1745, the Rohilas attacked this area and tried to destroy the Jaageshwar temples. But not much information can be found about this in history. The Chand dynasty was defeated and their power weakened. Their patronage to the temples wasn't as much as it used to be. Around 1790, the Gorakhas started ruling here and continued ruling for next 25 years. There was a lot of chaos and people had to go undergo a lot of hardship at the hand of their Gorakha rulers. The people were so sick of them that they allowed the British to rule here instead. Though the Gorakhas had to leave, these developments led to the decline in number of pilgrims visiting Jaageshwar.

In 20th century, when the ASI was given responsibility to look after these temples, they noticed that a lot of idols had been stolen from the temples. To make sure that the rest survived, they shifted them to a museum located a short distance away. It is ironical that the God who people go to in the time of distress has to be kept locked up behind glass enclosures to keep Him safe.

One of the priests here believes that whatever the historical reasons behind the temples being abandoned, only those people come here whom the deity Himself calls because of their good deeds in their past lives. :-)

Kangra Fort, Himachal Pradesh (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 19 August)

This fort, which is situated at a distance of 230 Km from Shimla on a hill overlooking the confluence of rivers Manzi and Banganga, could well be the most ancient fort in India. It is said that it was constructed during Mahabharata period. There used to be a city inside and around this fort. Hence it was also called as Nagarkot - the word 'Kot' means a fort. The people living inside the fort were called 'Kot-ich' which later got changed to 'Katoch' and became the name of the dynasty that ruled the fort and surrounding area. Legend has it that it was constructed by son of one Susharman Chand (who fought on Kaurava's side at Kurukshetra). As per another legend, King Porus who put up quite a fight against Alexander was from the Katoch dynasty and that 'Porus' was actually a sobriquet given to him by Alexander after the war. Of course, there is no historical evidence for the same.

This fort occupies an area of about 4 Kms. Aryabhatta, on the basis of some mathematical calculations, had proved that the battle of Kurukshetra was fought about 3000 years ago. If that is to be believed then this fort is older than that. There used to be a seven-storied palace in its upper part. Alas! Only few walls are all that remains now.

As per one legend, Lord Shiva killed the demon Jalandhar in this area. The fort is where the demon's ear fell. The fort which is surrounded by rivers on two sides and land on the third geographically does look like a ear. During those times it was of such a strategic importance that it was said that whoever ruled Kangda would rule the western Himalayan kingdoms.

In the 11th century, Mehmood of Gazani invaded the fort. For the first time in its history foreign troops reached practically its doorstep. The Katoch king who was ruling at that time was busy fighting somewhere near Kulu. So Mehmood's army was able to enter the fort without much bloodshed. They took away so much loot that it was impossible to load it on the backs of their camels and elephants. The oldest part of the fort is called 'Darshani Dwar'. Maybe Mehmood's army got in through that. After Mehmood came Delhi's Firoj Shah Tughalak. Delhi and Kangada used to be always engaged in one skirmish or another at that time. So Tughlak invaded to put a fullstop to all this. Tughalak's army sat surrounding the fort for many days but could not go in. It is said that one day Tughlak was planning his attack standing on top of a hill overlooking the fort when the Katoch King came out to take stock of his defences. Both leaders saw each other and raised their hands. That was a mutual signal to cease all the hostility. Tughlak wanted to see what the inside of the fort looked like. He was allowed to do that and then put an end to the invasion.

Akbar could not conquer the fort despite invading it 52 times. But his son Jehangir was determined to succeed where his father had failed. His mighty army invaded the fort with full force and laid siege for several days. When the food and ammunition ran low the Rajputs guarding the fort threw the doors open and a furious battle was fought which claimed several lives. When the women in the royal family realized that they were losing, they committed 'Johar' by tying stones
to their legs and jumping into a lake inside the fort.

Jehangir constructed a new gate as a mark of his victory - it is known as Jehangiri Darwaza. One can still see the remnants of the mosque constructed by him. A few years later, realizing that the Mughals are no longer as powerful as they once were, a descendent of the Katoch dynasty conquered the fort. But he was so ambitious that he started annexing neighboring kingdoms.
As a result his neighbors joined forces and attacked his kingdom, laying siege for 4 years. When food and ammunition got over the king had to leave the fort in a disguise. He asked King Ranjit Sinh for his help and that's how the Kangra fort passed into the hands of this ruler from Punjab.

If you think only grim tales of battle and bloodshed are associated with this ancient fort, you are mistaken. A love story worthy of Hindi Movie script also took place here. It so happened that a king called Anirudhha was on his way to Khandwa with his family when a band of dacoits attacked their convoy while they were crossing a river. In the confusion one of the princesses fell into water and was captured by the dacoits. An English officer called Lawrence rescued her and fell in love with her. It was impossible for the princess to return to her family so she married  Lawrence and left for England.

In 1857, Pratap Singh Katoch, along with his people, led the revolt against the British. Following this, the British moved their headquarters from Dharamshala to Kangra fort. So it can be safely said that the fort was in good condition till then. A powerful earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) rocked the region on 4th April 1905. It toppled more than a 100000 buildings and killed around 20000 people. This earthquake levelled large sections of this fort. Though some of its walls and gates were later repaired it lost its former glory and lies abandoned ever since.

Bijapur (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 6 August, 2015)

Bijapur, located at a distance of about 400 Km from Hyderabad was called Deccan's Florence. Its history starts somewhere in 11th-12th century. It was called 'Vijayapuram' then. The Bahamani dynasty ruled it from 1347 onwards. 'V' is pronounced as 'B' in Farsi and hence 'Vijayapuram' changed to 'Bijapur'.

The first Adilshah of Bijapur, Yusuf Adilshah (1489-1514) was related to the Ottoman dynasty which had the custom of killing the younger son at the time the elder one is crowned as the King. But Yusuf's mother could not bear to watch her younger son die and hence shipped him from Iran to India. He was raised under the care of an officer in the Bahamani dynasty in Bijapur and later ascended the throne.

At the time of his death, his son Ismail was still underage. The prime minister of the kingdom tried to usurp power but Yusuf Adilshah's wife Punji Khaatun (who was a Maharashtrian by birth) didn't let his plans come to fruition. When the prime minister's son tried to do the same Punji Khaatun defeated him and made sure that her son Ismail was crowned the king.

Ismail's son Mallu Adilshah turned out to be a weak ruler. Moreover, he was a tyrant. Finally, his relatives forced him to abdicate throne. Mallu Adilshah's brother Ibrahim and after him his son Ali Adilshah were the successive rulers. Ali Adilshah built Gagan Mahal but sadly only its remains exist now.

The Hampi kingdom was destroyed in 1565 and Bijapur had a big role to play in that. Of course, Bijapur's boundaries extended considerably as a result of this event. Ali Adilshah passed away in 1580 but had no children. So there was a mutiny which was successfully quelled by Chaand Bibi (originally a princess from Ahmednagar). Her son Ibrahim Adilshah became the 6th Adilshah. His rule is considered as the Golden Period of Bijapur's history. He was a secular ruler. The songs from his book 'Kitaab-e-Nauras' were based on Hindu instruments. During his reign, Bijapur established good relations with the Mughal empire. Akbar's son Daaniyaal was married to Ibrahim Adilshah's daughter. A lot of arisans migrated to Bijapur during this time and it started being called the Agra of Deccan. The Rauza (which means a Makavbara or a Mausoleum) that Ibrahim Adilshah built was this Agra's Taj Mahal.

His son Mohammad Adilshah was the 7th Adilshah. The Mughals had given him the sobriquet of 'Shah'. He built the famous Gol-Gumbaz. The construction techniques that were used in its construction cannot be seen in any other building in India. The structure is balanced on 8 arches and contains his grave at the center.

An eerie story, or legend, is associated with Bijapur or specifically with a place called Saath Kabar and Afzal Khan, a general in the army of the 8th Adilshah, Ali Adilshah. It is said that he was in the habit of consulting his astrologers before undertaking any assignment. When he consulted them before going to meet the Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj, they categorically told him that he will not be able to survive the meeting. Afzal Khan brought all the womenfolk in his Zananaa to this place. The well that can still be seen in his area used to have water at that time. He simply threw all of them down the well. Two of the ladies were able to see through his plan and tried to make a run for it. One was able to escape while the other one was captured again. He had 63 wives in total. As per my calculation, 63 - 2 = 61 so I wonder why the place is called Saath Kabar (60 graves).

Despite sending his army over many times, Aurangzeb was unable to conquer Bijapur. Finally, he attacked the kingdom himself in 1625. The 9th Adilshah Sikandar, who had ascended the throne at the tender age of 4 years, was still very young at that time. Though he fought back valiantly he ultimately lost to the Mughals. It is said that silver handcuffs were put onto him as he was brought before Aurangzeb. He bowed thrice before the King and then was thrown into the prison. That was the end of the Bijapur kingdom.

The mausoleum that the 8th Adilshah, Ali Adilshah, tried to build for himself but could never complete, locally known as Baaraa Kamaan or Ali Ka Rauza, still stands as a mute witness to the tale of this kingdom.

Asirgarh (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 23 July, 2015)

Do you know which fort is famous as The 'Unconquered' One despite having been lost in the battle no less than 3 times? That would be Asirgarh - 320 Km from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The legend has it that it is named after a person called 'Asa Ahir' who built it at the turn of the 14th century. It is also possible that the name has its origin in the word 'Asir' which in Farsi means 'Fort'.

Its first ruler was Malik Farooqui. His son, Nasir Khan, a very ambitious guy, wanted to take this fort at any cost. He sent a message to 'Asa Ahir' that his family is under attack and he wants to find a safe place for his womenfolk. 'Asa Ahir' allowed him to use the fort for the purpose. But it were not the women but Nasir Khan's soldiers who came to the fort in the Palkhis. As soon as they got inside they killed 'Asa Ahir' along with his soldiers and conquered the fort. Yes, this story sounds eerily similar to that of Troy, isn't it?

Nasir Khan built houses inside the fort for the soldiers and common men alike. This fort has a unique architectural feature - there is an underground floor. So the ditches that can be seen on the floor of the fort are actually openings that are meant to provide light for this underground facility. Of course, no one is allowed to go there now. Actually this fort is built over about 60 acres and consists of 3 forts on 3 different levels. But I couldn't quite catch their names. This meant that anyone attacking the fort would have had to fight the army stationed at 3 different locations. There is a mosque in the fort and 3 reservoirs with facility to harvest rain water.

A part of the fort was used for punishing criminals and contained deep ditches with rods inside them into which these criminals would be hurled. The lucky ones would die immediately but the unlucky ones would get their bodies torn and be condemned to a slow and painful death.

The fort also contains a Shiva temple. People say that Ashwathhama who was condemned to roam the Earth forever for killing Draupadi's sons and her brother comes to this temple early every morning to offer white flowers to make amends for his sins.

The Farooqui clan ruled the fort for 200 years. Mughal King Akbar had to come himself to conquer it. He wanted to make this fort a base for his attacks on Deccan. But the then ruler Bahadur Khan refused to help him. Enraged, Akbar decided to teach him a lesson but knew that the fort cannot be conquered in a straightforward battle. He came to know of a tunnel inside the fort and used it to conquer the fort.

Another version of the same incident goes like this - Akbar invited Bahadur Khan for talks and had him arrested. When his commander Yakub Khan came to know of it he sent his son Mukarrab to get him released. But Akbar killed Mukarrab. Grief-stricken, Yakub commented that this fort will not be conquered easily by anyone. God Himself will have to descend to earth to capture it or it will happen because of a betrayal. Truer words were never spoken. The Asirgarh never saw any battle after this. The Nizams ruled the fort later but that happened because he agreed to pay 2 years' worth salary to his soldiers and bribed other officers. After the Maratha-British battle, the British came into the possession of this fort in 1818. The fort still contains the graves of the British who died here. The British turned this fort into their governance center and built structures like court house and jail. This jail was later used to house Indian freedom fighters. Though the British described the fort as one of the strongest Indian forts, they didn't hesitate to demolish many of its security features.

In 1947, the last of the British left after India became independent and the fort was deserted.

Kumbhalgarh (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 16th July 2015)

Did you know that there is a wall that is 36 Km long and 24 Feet wide in India? That at first glance it looks eerily similar to the Great Wall Of China? That in fact, as far as long and wide walls go, this one ranks second after the Great Wall worldwide and first in India? Well, I didn't - until Ekaant's 16th July episode told me about it.

This wall happens to be around the fort of Kumbhalgarh, that is located at around 80 Km from the Rajasthani city of Udaypur. This fort was built by the ruler Rana Kumbha(1443-1468). The construction started in 1433 and got over by 1448. Like many places in India, this fort too has a legend associated with it. It is said that when the wall began to be constructed, it kept on crumbling to pieces. A holy man told the King that the Gods are not happy and only if a human being sacrifices his or her life would the construction go as planned. The catch was, of course, that the sacrifice must be made willingly. Obviously no one came forward so finally the holy man offered himself. He instructed that when his head is cut off, they should start builing the wall from the spot where his head landed. Guess they must have followed his instructions otherwise the wall wouldn't be here. The spot has a memorial dedicated to that holy man.

History tells us that Mewad saw happy days during the reign of Rana Kumbha. He built 32 forts and did a lot to decrease the influence of Alauddin Khilji on Rajasthan. Unfortunately, he was murdered by his own elder son. The son took to the throne but as the people of his kingdom were against him he had to leave. He did reach Malawaa but legend has it that he could not stay alive for long - a bolt of lightening killed him. The Gods certainly didn't waste time in meting out the punishment it seems.

The next story associated with this fort is known to almost every Indian. It is about an infant prince who was about to be murdered because another person, Banbir, wanted the throne. Banbir walked into the prince's chamber and asked the servant lady taking care of him where the infant was. She pointed to an infant sleeping soundly nearby and Banbir lost no time in killing the prince. The twist in the tale was that the servant lady had dressed her own son in the prince's clothes and sacrificed him so that the prince could live. Her name was Pannadai and the young prince who returned to Mewad at the age of 15 to claim his right to the throne was Udaysingh. He was crowned the King in 1540. His son Rana Pratap was born in this very fort.

Rana Pratap made sure that Akbar would never realize his dream of conquering Mewad and make it a part of the Mughal empire. Akbar sent a mighty army led by Mansingh to conquer Mewad in 1576 which led to the famous battle of Haldighat. If you were awake during your history classes you would remember that Rana Pratap's horse Chetak has been immortalized in the pages of the history along with his brave master. :-)

Kumbhalgarh was conquered by the Mughal army that was led by Shahabaz Khan in 1578. And history tells us that there were two reasons for this - one, the Mughal army polluted the water sources that Rana Pratap's forces were using and two, there was a sudden (!) explosion in the ammunition stored by the Rajasthani army.

Rana Pratap passed away in 1597. His son Amarsingh was crowned as the King. After Akbar's death in 1605, his son Jehangir came to Mewad to conquer it. A treaty was signed in 1615 and Mewad was more or less war-free after that. India became independent in 1947 and the fort was probably abandoned soon after that.

It has been years since I visited Udaypur and Jaipur. I didn't know about Kumbhalgarh then. But since I have started watching Ekaant, I know it in my heart that one day I will go around the country visiting these forts which have largely been forgotten by everyone else - except for the pages of the history.

Kittur Fort (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 27 January, 2015)

This episode was about the fort of Kittur (Karnataka) and the Queen whose name is forever linked to this fort – Raani Chennamma.

This fort was constructed somewhere in the 16th century by the Desai dynasty and converted into their kingdom’s capital. The story of Chennamma’s marriage with the Kittur King Malasaraja can be an inspiration for a Hindi movie. She was very proficient in horse-riding and archery. One day she had been to a forest and the King was there as well. Their arrows happened to hit the same lion but Chennamma insisted that the lion died from her arrow. The King was impressed with this feisty lass and she became his second wife. This kingdom was so rich that by the turn of the 17th century they had about 15 Lacs Rupees cash along with other precious stones and ornaments in the state coffers.

Needless to say, other kingdoms were looking for a chance to lay their hands on this fabulous wealth - the Peshwas being one of them. They imprisoned the Kittur King but his health deteriorated in captivity. Fearing a backlash from the general populace of Kittur if anything happened to the King, the Peshwas released him. But he died on his way back to Kittur. His first wife Rudramma dedicated herself to religious activities after this. And Chennamma declared the firstborn of the King and Rudramma as the new King. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a weak ruler and died young. Now the reins of the Kingdom were in Chennamma’s hands and she ruled well.

But the British had their eyes on this tiny kingdom. In 1824 the Dharwad collector of British East India Company attacked Kittur. Queen Chennamma didn’t allow him to set foot in the fort and the British were mightily defeated.

Unfortunately, they did not take this defeat well. Chennamma must have realized that another battle was inevitable. Hence she had started the settlement process with the Governor of Mumbai – on the condition that her adopted son’s rights would be recognized and protected. She had also offered to release the British war-prisoners of the 1st war. The governor got his men released and then with the help of battalions that were brought from Mumbai and Mysore attacked Kittur in 1829. They did this under the pretext that the kingdom didn’t have a legal heir because their true motive of attack – to get their hands on the royal wealth – would have alarmed other Indian kingdoms. Chennamma had been preparing for war. And she would have won as well had it not been for the age-old curse of treachery that plagues this land. The traitors mixed cow dung in the ammunition and Kuttur was defeated. The Queen and her adopted son were imprisoned in a nearby fort.

Despite the defeat the people of Kittur were far from accepting the British rule. A common man by the name of Sangoli Rayanna made life hell for the British with his constant surprise attacks. However, he too was caught with the help of traitors. The British hanged him in the village of Nandgad.

Kittur’s struggle for freedom ended with Sangoli Rayanna’s death. The British left in 1947. But the fort that had defeated the British suffered abandonment and neglect at the hands of its own countrymen. Though much of it is still standing, the ASI has put up boards to indicate what purpose certain places served during the years gone by because their present condition is a far cry from their yesteryear’s glory.

I wish we common people could do more to preserve our heritage. :(

Unakoti (Ekaant, Epic Channel)

The promo for this one was compelling enough to make me check at least one episode out. It was about a place called Unakoti in one of India's Northeastern states - Tripura. It's a mountainous area surrounded by thick forest and scattered in this forest are innumerable carved and stone idols of Hindu Gods as well as Goddesses. It is evident that such a massive project must have involved a lot of artisans, executed over a considerable period of time and thus undertaken by some kingdom but there is no trace of it anywhere in history. Consequently, it is a mystery as to who were the creators of Unakoti, when did they create it and why. A lot of legends are told. Most of them based on its name - Unakoti, which in Bengali means one less to 1 Crore.

The first legend is about the trip that 1 Crore Gods were taking to Varanasi with Lord Shiva. By sundown they ended up in the vicinity of Raghunandan mountain (as Unakoti was called in the early days). They were tired so it was decided to spend the night on the mountain and start at the daybreak. Yet, the rising sun saw only Lord Shiva get up. The rest of the party was fast asleep. Lord Shiva left for Varanasi and cursed that the rest of the Gods be turned into stone idols right where they were sleeping.

Another legend involves a devotee of Goddess Parvati called Kallukumar. He wanted to travel with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati to mount Kailas. Lord Shiva wasn't very keen on that so he told Kallukumar that he will take him with them if he could make 1 Crore idols in one night. Kallukumar toiled through the night but till morning one idol was short of the 1 Crore target. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati left for Kailash leaving poor Kallukumar behind with his idols.

A different version depicts Kallukumar as the master sculptor who was commissioned to carve out 1 Crore idols of Gods by a king. Kallukumar made one God idol less and instead made one idol of himself.

The last legend that the anchor mentioned was about the Gods leaving earth to go to the heavens at the beginning of Kaliyug - because earth would not be a good place to reside at. But they left their idols behind for anyone wanting to pray to them or seek their blessings. I am not sure why anyone would want to pray to a God who goes to the cozy comforts of the heavens and leaves behind the devotees to suffer.

The anchor summed up the mystery and allure of the place well when he said that "We cannot know much about any historical place unless the place itself wants to reveal its secrets. Unakoti isn't yet ready to do so. When it is, we will come back." Amen to that!