Makardhwaja
Encyclopedia
Makardhwaja as per Hindu mythology
, is son of Hanuman
, who makes his appearance in epic Ramayana
.
with the fire burning on his tail, a drop of his perspiration fell in to mouth of a mighty fish. Out of this the Makardhwaja was born.
According to another, slightly different version, when Hanunam took a dip in sea, for cooling himself after burning Lanka; a drop of his seed got discharged, due to extreme heat generated in his body and labor by him, which fell in to mouth of a giant fish-cum-reptile like creature, whose name was Makardhwaja, thus making it pregnant.
The fish was caught by people of Ahiravana, who ruled Patala
, the nether-world. The Markardhwaja, was discovered, when stomach of fish was cut open and named after it. Ahiravana, seeing his strength & virility gave him job of guarding, the gates of his Kingdom.
and Lakshmana
to Patala
, Hanuman followed them to their rescue. He was challenged at the gate of Patala by a creature, who was part Vanara
and part reptile - a Makara
. He introduced himself Makaradhwaja ( sometimes also spelled as Magar
-dhwaja ) and son of Hanuman, the mighty warrior.Makardhwaja name is derived from Hindu mythological creature Makara
.
Hanuman was amused and said that, I am myself the Hanumana but he could not be his son, as he was born celibate. However, Hanumana then closed his eyes in dhyan
to see the events described above of Makardhwaja's birth.
Makardhwaja asked him for his blessings, however, he said to Hanuman, that he will have to fight him to enter Patala, as he cannot betray Ahiravana, his mentor. Hanuman defeats Makaradhwaja in a duel and binds him to proceed further to ultimately kill Ahiravana and rescue Rama & Lakshamana.
Later on, upon Rama's advice he installed Makardhwaja, as King of Patala before returning back to Lanka, to continue war with Ravana
.
clan of Kshatriya
s claim their descant from Makardhwaja.
As per folk tales of their clan, Makardhwaja had a son named Mod-dhwaja and he had a son named Jethi-dhwaja. Jethwas claim descant from Jethi-dhwaja and worship Hanuman
as their Iṣṭa-devatā. Jethwa dyansty of Porbandar
, therefore, had image of Hanuman on their Royal flag.
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
, is son of Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
, who makes his appearance in epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
.
Birth
When Hanuman took a dip in the waters of sea, after burning whole of LankaLanka
Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
with the fire burning on his tail, a drop of his perspiration fell in to mouth of a mighty fish. Out of this the Makardhwaja was born.
According to another, slightly different version, when Hanunam took a dip in sea, for cooling himself after burning Lanka; a drop of his seed got discharged, due to extreme heat generated in his body and labor by him, which fell in to mouth of a giant fish-cum-reptile like creature, whose name was Makardhwaja, thus making it pregnant.
The fish was caught by people of Ahiravana, who ruled Patala
Patala
Patala is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Demographics: India census, Patala had a population of 9730. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Patala has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of...
, the nether-world. The Markardhwaja, was discovered, when stomach of fish was cut open and named after it. Ahiravana, seeing his strength & virility gave him job of guarding, the gates of his Kingdom.
Story in Ramayana
When Ahiravana took Lord RamaRama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
to Patala
Patala
Patala is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Demographics: India census, Patala had a population of 9730. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Patala has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of...
, Hanuman followed them to their rescue. He was challenged at the gate of Patala by a creature, who was part Vanara
Vanara
Vānara popularly refers to a group of ape-like humanoids in the Hindu epic Ramayana who were brave and inquisitive by nature. They possessed supernatural powers and could change their shapes...
and part reptile - a Makara
Makara (Hindu mythology)
Makara is a sea-creature in Hindu mythology. It is generally depicted as half terrestrial animal and in hind part as aquatic animal, in the tail part, as a fish tail or also as seal...
. He introduced himself Makaradhwaja ( sometimes also spelled as Magar
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
-dhwaja ) and son of Hanuman, the mighty warrior.Makardhwaja name is derived from Hindu mythological creature Makara
Makara (Hindu mythology)
Makara is a sea-creature in Hindu mythology. It is generally depicted as half terrestrial animal and in hind part as aquatic animal, in the tail part, as a fish tail or also as seal...
.
Hanuman was amused and said that, I am myself the Hanumana but he could not be his son, as he was born celibate. However, Hanumana then closed his eyes in dhyan
Dhyana in Hinduism
According to the Hindu Yoga Sutra, written by Patanjali, dhyana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga, ....
to see the events described above of Makardhwaja's birth.
Makardhwaja asked him for his blessings, however, he said to Hanuman, that he will have to fight him to enter Patala, as he cannot betray Ahiravana, his mentor. Hanuman defeats Makaradhwaja in a duel and binds him to proceed further to ultimately kill Ahiravana and rescue Rama & Lakshamana.
Later on, upon Rama's advice he installed Makardhwaja, as King of Patala before returning back to Lanka, to continue war with Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
.
Kshatriya clan Jethwa
JethwaJethwa
Jethwa is a name of a Kshatriya, Rajput clan that claim descent from Makardhwaja son of Lord Hanuman who appears in the Hindu epic Ramayana...
clan 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 claim their descant from Makardhwaja.
As per folk tales of their clan, Makardhwaja had a son named Mod-dhwaja and he had a son named Jethi-dhwaja. Jethwas claim descant from Jethi-dhwaja and worship Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
as their Iṣṭa-devatā. Jethwa dyansty of Porbandar
Porbandar
Porbandar is a coastal city in the Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama...
, therefore, had image of Hanuman on their Royal flag.