Hinglajgarh
Encyclopedia
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: हिंगलाज क़िला Hinglaj Qila) is an ancient fort situated near village Navali
Navali Mandsaur
Navali is a village in Bhanpura tahsil in Mandsaur district, Madhya Pradesh. Navali derives name from Latin word Navalis meaning "pertaining to ship".-History :...
in Bhanpura
Bhanpura
Bhanpura is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.Bhanpura is 127 km from Mandsaur in north-east direction. The Bhanpura town is south of other historically important places Hinglajgarh and Navali in Mandsaur district. It has a museum...
tehsil of Mandsaur
Mandsaur
Mandsaur or Mandsour is a city in the Malwa region and district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District.-Origin of name:...
district in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. Its coordinates are Latitude 25°30' N and Longitude 65°31' E. It is situated at a distance of 165 km from Mandsaur
Mandsaur
Mandsaur or Mandsour is a city in the Malwa region and district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District.-Origin of name:...
town and 26 km from Bhanpura
Bhanpura
Bhanpura is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.Bhanpura is 127 km from Mandsaur in north-east direction. The Bhanpura town is south of other historically important places Hinglajgarh and Navali in Mandsaur district. It has a museum...
town in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. This fort has been at its peak of grandeur during Parmara rule. There are many artistic sculptures of various periods in this fort. The Nandi and Uma-Maheshwar sculptures were sent from here to France and Washington for display in India festivals and left a mark at International levels. The Hinglajgarh had been centre of excellence in craftmanship of sculptures for about 800 years. The statues recovered from this fort are from Guptas period to Parmara period. The most ancient statues are from 4-5th century AD.
Origin of name
Hinglajgarh gets name after the goddess Hinglaj DeviHinglaj mata
Hinglaj Mata is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, on the Makran coast in the Lyari district of Balochistan in Pakistan. It is one of the Shakti Peethas of Goddess Sati....
, the kuldevi of Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s. Hinglaj Mata temple is situated in the Hinglajgarh. Originally temple located at Hinglaj
Hinglaj
Hinglaj is an important Hindu pilgrimage place in Balochistan, Pakistan and Kuldevi of many Kshatriya and other Hindu Communities of India. It is situated in Balochistan province about 250 km north of Karachi.-Mythological Origin:...
is an important 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...
pilgrimage place in Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is situated in Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
province about 250 km north-west of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. The Kshatriyas in ancient times had movements between baluchistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
and India. The Mauri
Mauri
Mauri may refer to:*Mauri meaning the life force which all objects contain, in the Māori language of New Zealand and the Rotuman language of Rotuma*Mauri, or Maurya Empire, an ancient caste in India which built its greatest empire...
rulers founded the temple of Hinglaj Mata as she was their kuladevi. Initially this area was known as 'Hinglaj Tekri' but later the Mauri
Mauri
Mauri may refer to:*Mauri meaning the life force which all objects contain, in the Māori language of New Zealand and the Rotuman language of Rotuma*Mauri, or Maurya Empire, an ancient caste in India which built its greatest empire...
rulers built a fort here and this came to be known as Hinglajgarh or Hinglaj Fort.
Hinglaj Mata ka Mandir Bahut hi Purana aur Public ki Astha ka Kendra Hai Bhushan Raj Singh - Jaipur
History
The ancient inscriptions in the Pali Buddhist character have been discovered in various parts of RajasthanRajasthan
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...
of the race of Taxak or Tak
Tak
Tak or TAK may refer to:Places*Places in Thailand:* Tak Province* Tak * Tak district, a.k.a Amphoe Mueang Tak*Other places:* Tak, Azerbaijan, a.k.a. Dağdöşü* Tak, a former kingdom in India, a.k.a...
, relating to the tribe Mori
Mori
Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname. In Japanese, Mori may also be a given name. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one in India.-Italian persons named Mori:*Cesare Mori, Italian "Iron Prefect"...
and Parmara are their descendants. Taxak Mori
Mori
Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname. In Japanese, Mori may also be a given name. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one in India.-Italian persons named Mori:*Cesare Mori, Italian "Iron Prefect"...
was the lord of Chittor from very early period.
The Huna Kingdom of Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
(of Mihir Kula 515-540 AD), destroyed by Yashodharman, was subsequently seized by a new dynasty of kshatriyas called Tak
Tak
Tak or TAK may refer to:Places*Places in Thailand:* Tak Province* Tak * Tak district, a.k.a Amphoe Mueang Tak*Other places:* Tak, Azerbaijan, a.k.a. Dağdöşü* Tak, a former kingdom in India, a.k.a...
or Taxaka. The Taxak Mori
Mori
Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname. In Japanese, Mori may also be a given name. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one in India.-Italian persons named Mori:*Cesare Mori, Italian "Iron Prefect"...
as being lords of Chittor from very early period and few generations after the Guhilots supplanted the Mori
Mori
Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname. In Japanese, Mori may also be a given name. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one in India.-Italian persons named Mori:*Cesare Mori, Italian "Iron Prefect"...
s, this palladium of Hindu liberty was assailed by the arms of Islam. (725-35) we find amongst the numerous defenders who appear to have considered the cause of Chittor their own the Tak
Tak
Tak or TAK may refer to:Places*Places in Thailand:* Tak Province* Tak * Tak district, a.k.a Amphoe Mueang Tak*Other places:* Tak, Azerbaijan, a.k.a. Dağdöşü* Tak, a former kingdom in India, a.k.a...
from Asirgarh
Asirgarh
Asirgarh Qila is an Indian fortress situated in the Satpura Range, about 20 km north of the town of Burhanpur, in Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. The fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important...
. This race appears to have retained possession of Asirgarh
Asirgarh
Asirgarh Qila is an Indian fortress situated in the Satpura Range, about 20 km north of the town of Burhanpur, in Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. The fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important...
for at least two centuries after this event as its chieftain was one of the most conspicuous leaders in the array of Prithvi Raj. In the poems of Chandar he is called the "Standard, bearer, Tak of Asir."
Hinglaj Fort became very strategic during the Parmara rule and they strengthen it. In 1281 the Hada
Hada
Hada may refer to:* Khata, or Hada, traditional ceremonial scarf used in Tibet and Mongolia* Michiko Hada , Japanese actress* Hada , Mongol activist advocating for the separation of Inner Mongolia from the People's Republic of China...
ruler halu occupied it, and later it came under Chandrawat rulers. Mention of Haveli of Gopal Singh, a Chandrawat ruler, is found in the patnama of Chandrawats. In 1773 the Holkar Queen Ahilya Bai defeated Laxman Singh Chandrawat and occupied it. The fort was renovated during Holkar rule along with Hinglaj Mata Temple, Rama Temple, and Shiva Temple. Though various dynasties occupied the fort but it was never used as a permanent capital. It was mainly used as a shelter by various rulers. This is the reason why there are not many palaces here.
The Hinglaj Fort has four gates namely Patanpol, Surajpol, Katrapol and Mandaleshwaripol. The first three gates (pol) are east facing where as last , Mandaleshwaripol, is west facing. There is storage of water in a grand tank known as Surajkund. Local tradition goes that Gotri Bhil
Bhil
Bhils are primarily an Adivasi people of Central India. Bhils are also settled in the Tharparkar District of Sindh, Pakistan. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages....
was killed here, therefor the smarak built here is worshiped by Bhils.
In the southern part of the Hinglaj Fort is situated Hinglaj Mata temple, Rama-Hanuman Temple, Darbar Kaksha (Kachhari), Rani Mahal and Shiva Temple. There is a big Burj here known as Fateh Burj. There are also two towers called Tirtham, which used to be used as means of communication with distant places through light.