The year was 1808. The place, Jammu. Raja Jaid Singh was placed on the throne of Jammu to be its king, supported by the presence of Mian Mota Singh, the all-powerful kingmaker of Jammu. In this period of madness in the province of Jammu, one hoped that Jammu would witness a semblance of balance and stability being created. Jammu had been in a free fall following the death of Raja Brijraj Dev. Sampuran Singh, the successor, succumbed to smallpox, leading to the situation that a new successor had to be found desperately. In the scramble, the name of Jaid Singh came forward, and with Mian Mota Singh’s support, Jaid Singh ascended the throne. Raja Brijraj Dev of Jammu ( painting with San Diego Museum of Art) Contributing to the constant madness in Jammu were the Khalsa forces who would raid Jammu and pillage it constantly, devoiding it of its wealth. The 1783 pillage of Jammu remained afresh in the minds of the people and the aristocrats alike - for two months, one witnessed not a single
It has been years since I had written the original piece on the practice of Skanda worship being rather prevalent in and around North-west India. Since then, I also found a few updates that I felt were rather interesting and unique, and added to the depth of the piece. (special thanks to Aditya Sharma for somevital information shared here today). Vayu Purana and its Linkage to Balak Nath? Vigraha of Baba Balak Nath at Deotsidh The Vayu Purana gives us some hints about the origins and links of the worship of Baba Balak Nath. A shloka in the Vayu Purana (chapter 54) clearly goes as follows पप्रच्छ कार्तिकेयं वै मयूरवर्वाहनम् । महिशसुरनारीणां नयनाञ्जनतस्करम् महासेन महात्मानं मेघस्त्नित्निस्वनम् । उमामनःप्रहर्शेण बालकं छद्मरुपिणम् .... The section is essentially a discussion between the Sage Vashishtha and Kartikeya, where Vayu Deva calls Kartikeya one who has the form of a child which delights Uma, who incidentally is also known as Skanda Mata. Balak Nath is known as Bala Jogi, and