कांगड़े दा टीला ओ माता, गर्वे सिंघे घेरिया। अकबर कांगड़े चढ़ आया ओ मेरी माँ। सुत्ती ऐ की जाग दी तू, जाग अम्बे रानिये। गर्वे ने पाई लिया घेरा ओ मेरी माँ। A very famous bhajan from Kangra of Mata Bajreshwari Devi, remembered often across north-west India today, talks of the Kangre da Tilla or the Mound of Kangra, referring to the place where Bajreswari Devi is present. She is popularly also know as Kangra Mata, and the legend is that the place was set up by burying the kaan or ear of an asura who was killed by the Pandavas on the orders of the Devi. There are such bhajans for other major temples in the region as well, but as a history enthusiast, this one often draws my attention. The story of Kangra is as much the story of the civilizational wounds that the plains experienced; or perhaps it was worse, given how many times temple desecrations were made a conscious strategy. This song, at some level, seems to pass on the memory of one such gory experience that was witnessed by the peopl...
Panchvaktar Temple of Jammu (Courtesy Amar Ujala) Raja Mal Dev of Jammu of the Dev Dynasty was perhaps one of the greatest rulers of Jammu. At the time of his ascension to the throne, there was a dramatic shift in the geopolitics of North-west India. The Tughlaq control on the throne of Delhi had weakened considerably, and in any case times were difficult for the native Hindus of the region in general. In such a scenario, Timur , the slaughterer, has turned up in India, attracted by the riches and his desire to be called the greatest general. Having created a mountain of "kafir" Hindu skulls in Delhi, he had gone towards Haridwar, causing further chaos and bloodshed there as well of the pilgrims who had come to take a dip in the Ganga. Ascending the throne in 1347 AD, Mal Dev had succeeded Jodh Dev, and was noted for good physical prowess, especially his ability to carry huge boulders upwards from the Tawi River basin. His rule actually saw the twenty two principalit...