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rulers and religiOus TradiTiOns : The jagan-naTha culT

At Puri, in Orissa, Anantavarman, one of the most important rulers of the Ganga dynasty,
decided to erect a temple for purushottama Jagannatha at
Puri. The literal meaning of Jagannatha is ‘lord of the world,’
a name for Vishnu. Soon the importance of Jagannatha
temple increased continuously as a centre of pilgrimage and
its authority in social and political matters also increased

simultaneously. The conquerors such as Mughals, Marathas and
the English East India company tried to control the temple of
Jagannatha Temple, Puri (Orissa) Jagannatha at Puri mainly because:

• It would make their rules acceptable to the local people since the temple was
important as a place of pilgrimage.

• It was a centre of authority in social and political matters.
• Moreover, by gaining control over the temple they could access the huge wealth of
the temple collected from the donations of the piligrims.

RajPuts tRaditions of heRoism
From about eighth century, most of the present day state of Rajasthan was ruled by different
Rajput families. Although, they ruled in the area of North-West, the Buddhist monasteries
at Nalanda in Bihar and at other places acquired international fame. It was because these

rulers regarded progress in the academic field, literature and culture very essential for
Human progress. The Rajputs belonged to material races and were very brave. The Rajputs
took pride in their own cultural identity easily entered into marital alliances with the
Mughals, not only this, Rajputs called themselves a warrior class but easily recognised the
supremacy of the Mughal emperors. Some beliefs and cultural practices of a variety of
cults and communites had given this resilience to Indian society.

The Rajputs also preserved the memories of their heroes to inspire others to follow their
example. During Islamic rules, The Rajput women had also married into families of ruling
classes of regional kingdom like Ahmedabad. While in Ahmedabad the Muslim rulers built
mosques, their Hindu queens such as Rani Sipri and Rani Rupmati built temples. They were also
Rajput women. These Rajput women wanted to preserve the memories of their heroes.

Many conclusions have been drawn by scholars respect of inter mixing of cultures. The women
were of course of conflict as men fought with one another to win their
favour of they wanted to protect them. To protect their honour, Rajputs
women are also depicted following their husbands on the pyre. This
practise came to be called as sati or self immolation of widows on the
pyre of their husbands who died during fighting a battle or natural death.
These women who sacrificed their lives are depicted as great heroines.
The Rajput culture has also been enriched by these heroic deeds of both
men and women. The stories of bravery also attracted ordinary people. It Maharana Pratap : A
has also contributed to the distinctive culture of Rajasthan. Brave Rajput ruler

92 Social Studies-7