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...
Sansar Chand With O'Brien (Source: Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery) Going through some Kangra paintings, I was a little surprised to see a man dressed like a British soldier serving the great monarch of Kangra Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch. This was quite surprising, given the period’s turbulence and the ongoing tussles of the Lahore Darbar, to which he was also a feudatory, and the British East India Company (EIC). The painting, on prominent display in the Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery, actually turned up in my searches as a result of their official handle’s tweet that mentioned briefly his contribution (on a side note, do follow for some wonderful material they tweet out time to time). 'Sansar Chand and O'Brien',Kangra,c.1810(240) O’Brien was described as “a European adventurer...who established a factory of small arms and raised a disciplined force of 1400 men” for the raja #kangra #portrait #painting #pahari #arthistory #indianart #history #royalty #...