Painting picture courtesy Christie's Auction House Sometimes, a painting begins to ask more questions than it answers. A late eighteenth-century painting, attributed to the Mandi school and catalogued as showing Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra with a courtier, has intrigued me for some time. At first glance, the identification appears straightforward enough. Two men sit opposite each other, smoking hookahs, while attendants stand behind them holding fly-whisks. One figure is dressed in red, the other in white. The scene is informal, almost intimate, and yet unmistakably courtly. But the more I looked at the painting, the less convinced I became that the red-clad figure was Sansar Chand. The reason came from looking at other portraits. Among the surviving paintings associated with the Mandi court are several portraits of Raja Surma Sen, who ruled Mandi from 1781 until his death in 1788. One such portrait shows him seated smoking a hookah, attended by a fly-whisk bearer. Another depicts ...
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| 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 principalities in and around Jammu brought under a single umbrella, including even areas like Bhimber and Pathankot.
Timur had essentially decided to return from Haridwar via Jammu, causing mayhem all the way as was typical of barbarians like him. At Mansar, he had already crushed the local population's resistance. Knowing his presence, Mal Dev in fact prepared for battle with Timur's forces. Having hidden the women and children, he prepared atop a hill in Jammu, and when Timur! and his forces were passing through, attacked from atop in 1399. However, smart manoeuvering on part of Timur meant that Mal Dev and his forces ended up coming downhill, and got caught between two flanks of his forces. In the battle subsequently, several top officials died, and even Mal Dev was captured. He was later released by Timur. This was at the fag end of his life, and subsequent to his release and Timur's exit, he restored order in Jammu before passing away around 1399 itself.
Mal Dev's period was also a cultural high point for Jammu, when the city was reestablished as the capital in 1361. Purani Mandi buildings are mostly attributed to his patronage, including the famous Panchvaktar temple. As the Master Plan of Jammu 2032 states,
Panchvaktar (five faces) Mahadev Mandir (temple) occupies a unique place, in Jammu. Locally known as Paise Wala Mandir, the floor of the main temple is embedded with silver coins. It is one of the oldest Shivalya in the city. Old tales and oral histories state that Adi Shankryacharya visited this site and stayed there; while some believe that it was discovered much later, during the reign of Raja Mal Dev, in early 14th century. The Lingam in this temple is self-manifested (Aap Shambu).
It's a pity that the wider audience of history know so less about him. Perhaps one of the few Rajas who actually challenged the barbarian in North India.
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