UNIT 26 SACRED CITY SPACES: AJMER- BANARAS-PANDHARPUR* Structure 26.1 Introduction 26.2 Ajmer 26.3 Banaras 26.4 Pandharpur 26.5 Summary 26.6 Exercises 26.7 References 26.1 INTRODUCTION In the present Unit we intend to bring to light the trajectories of the sacred cities in the medieval period. Among Ajmer, Banaras and Pandharpur, the antiquity and vibrancy of Banaras never seems to have died at any point of time. Ajmer, though an important capital centre of the Chauhans, reached its height as a significant ‘sufi’ centre during the medieval period. Similarly, Pandharpur, prominent centre of Vithoba bhakti tradition, exclusively owes its emergence being the centre of activities of the Vithoba cult in the medieval period. The scope of the present Unit is to trace the development of sacred centres during the medieval period, the developments in the later centuries are largely kept out of the discussions. These cities are articulated to buttress their role as premier pilgrimage destinations. The institution of pilgrimage, though a pan-human phenomenon, is an integral part of Indian tradition. Millions of Indians periodically pay visits to their respective tirthas with a desire to purify soul and attain solution to their mundane problems. Let us see in the medieval period what role did religion play in the growth of cities and how cities, faith and growth were interlinked. 26.2 AJMER Ajmer as a city has a long antiquity. Prithviraja Vijaya, composed in 1190, is full of praises of the enchanting beauty of the region: Ajaimeru (Ajmer) is full of temples of gods, and is thus like Meru, the abode of gods…Baoris, wells, talaos, Pyavoos (water stalls) are full of water here. People sitting in the jharokas enjoy the cool breeze of the Ganges of Paradise. The Varuna…(god of water) has come and taken shelter in the wells on the hill-fort of Ajmer…The increasing prosperity of the city has laid low the pride of Amaravati (the mythical city of god Indra). Other cities where there are thieves, tyrannical rulers, and poor and famine-stricken people, cannot come up to this city, which knows these things not…The city of Rama won after crossing the sea (the golden Lanka) and that founded by Krishna in the sea (Dwarka), are not fit to be slave girls to this city (cited in Sarda, 2011: 30-31). Clearly, in spite of Prithviraja Vijaya’s hyperbolic representation, it does indicate that the city was bustling with life, with people. Today we identify the city synonym with sufi * Prof. Abha Singh, School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. 7 5 Urbanisation in activities. However, by eighth century it was a vibrant town and chief centre of Jain Medieval India - 2 activities which is attested to by the presence of Digambar Jain Thadas and Chhatrees of Jain Acharyas and Bhattaraks (Sarda, 2011: 30). By the time of Ajairaj/Annaji (1130- 1150), who built the Ana Sagar Lake, Ajmer seems to have emerged a prominent centre of Hindu faith. Prithviraja Vijaya records a number of temples built by Visaldeva (1151-1163). He also constructed Visalsar (Visla) lake and a college at Ajmer. Ajmer tasted the first onslaught of Muslim invasion as early as 1191-1192 when Shihabuddin Muhammad Ghori wrested Ajmer from Prithviraj Chauhan and converted Visalsar college into a mosque – Arai Din Ka Jhonpra (According to a Jain tradition it was a Jain temple built by Seth Vikramadeva Kala). Hasan Nizami, who accompanied Shihabuddin’s forces, got mesmerised by the enchanting beauty of the city: The courtyard of the garden had been draped in the seven-coloured velvet and the surface of mountains and deserts had become objects of envy for the picture gallery of China…and that the choicest of the lucky heavenly bodies had assembled at one place,… The morning breeze had diffused fragrance in the courtyard of the garden, and the zephyr had burnt aloe-wood in the green surroundings. The soul nourishing northern wind was carrying in its skirt and sleeves fresh ambergris brought from a heap of jasmine…There were streams of limpid water as palatable as the water of Kausar [the spring water of paradise], and so clean that pebbles lying in its bottom could be clearly seen even in a dark night. Astonishingly the water was as sweet as the water of Salsabeel [a spring in paradise] and so agreeable that it seemed to be possessing the property of the water of life. Although the city and the surrounding areas presented an attractive appearance on account of the pretty blossoms and flowers growing all around, it was due to its pleasant climate and abundance of water and trees that it had become an extremely delightful place (Nizami, 1998: 62-64). The city is the abode of famous Chishti sufi saint Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti who accompanied Shihabuddin Ghori. Situated in the spurs of Taragarh hill it has its principal entrance gate towards north. Besides, it has five smaller gates two towards east opening in the Khadim mohalla and three towards west (one towards burial ground, other towards Akbari mosque, street leading to Tripolia Gate and the third through the mahfilkhana). However, in spite of being the chief centre of sufi activities, it appears that throughout the Sultanate period the city largely remained in abeyance. It is recorded that as late as mid-fifteenth century ‘tigers used to roam where the tomb of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti stands’ (Sarda, 2011: 32); though we do get the reference that Iltutmish (in 1227) and Muhammad bin Tughluq (1332) did visit Ajmer to pay their homage to the Khwaja’s tomb. In 1464 Mallu Khan, then governor of Ajmer, built a mausoleum over the tomb of the Khwaja as well as constructed two Malusar tanks, and a garden to the south of Ajmer at the spurs of the Taragarh Hills. Sultan Bahlul Lodi (r. 1451-1488) and Sher Shah Sur’s (1544) visits to the shrine is also recorded by Ahmad Yadgar and Abdullah respectively. In 1535 Rao Maldeo of Malwa took possession of Ajmer. He got the fortress strengthened. The city emerges prominently during Akbar’s reign. It was in 1556 that Ajmer passed into the hands of Akbar. History is filled with the romantic association Akbar shared with the city – his thanksgiving pilgrimage on foot from Agra to Ajmer after the birth of Prince Salim in 1569. Since then almost every year Akbar paid regular visits to the city and the revered tomb till 1580. Strangely after 1580 there was not a single visit paid by the emperor in rest of his long another twenty five years’ reign. 7 6 Thus the city had more to offer than simply being the adorned sufi centre. It was its Sacred City Spaces: ‘strategic position combined with commercial importance…No ruler of Delhi could Ajmer-Banaras- control the commercial emporium of Gujarat without controlling the trade-route which Pandharpur passed through Ajmer…Ajmer, the point d’appui of Rajputana, served as a watch- tower over the neighbouring states of Mewar and Marwar’ (Tirmizi, 1968: 9,11). This explains, apart from Akbar’s religious inclinations for the place, why did Akbar pay regular visits to Ajmer so regularly in the early years of his reign and why did his regular visits stop after 1580. By 1580 almost entire Rajputana sans Mewar came under Akbar’s sway. Akbar consolidated his position which is clearly reflected in his reorganisation of administration leading to formation of subas. Thus in 1580 Akbar created a separate suba Ajmer to be governed by a subadar. This explains why he discontinued his regular visits to Ajmer. There existed an uneasy calm between the Mewar rulers and the Mughals leading to Jahangir moving to Ajmer once again. Jahangir made Ajmer his headquarter during his campaign against Rana Amar Singh of Mewar and stayed there for long three years (1613-16) to settle the state of affairs resulting in the golden handshake of the Rana and the Mughal emperor with the signing of the treaty in 1615. Thence onwards peace continued in the region throughout Shahjahan’s reign. Shahjahan, along with his daughter Jahan Ara Begum, was a regular visitor to the city and the shrine which appears to be purely guided by her veneration of faith in the Khwaja and his shrine. However, once again Aurangzeb’s visits coincided with the existing political turmoil in the region. Aurangzeb faced three encounters in the vicinity of Ajmer – first he fought against Dara Shikoh at Deorai, four miles south of Ajmer in 1659; second in 1679 he made Ajmer his headquarter to annex Marwar following Raja Jaswant Singh’s death; and the third in 1580-81 when Prince Akbar raised the banner of revolt against his father, Aurangzeb. During his stays Aurangzeb paid visits to the shrine. However, after 1681 Aurangzeb moved towards Deccan not to return ever. In the first half of the eighteenth century there were constant clashes between the Kachhwaha rulers and the Mughals over the supremacy of Ajmer. Finally, in 1756 Marathas wrested it from Abhay Singh and finally it was ceded to Sir David Ochterlony in 1818 by Bapu Sindhia. These political developments altered the cityscape substantially. The major constructions were undertaken during Akbar’s reign. Akbar provided the city its city wall with strong ramparts and a deep moat. The city wall had five ornamental lofty gates – Delhi, Madar, Usri, Agra and Tripolia. Abul Fazl mentions the fort on a hill as ‘one of the most important in India’ (Abul Fazl, 1978: II, 278). He repaired and extended the existing old fort and built a palace called Daulatkhana.