Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh is one of the most impressive fortified palaces in Rajasthan. Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur city in Rajasthan state is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is situated on a lofty height, 400 feet (122 m) above the city in 1459 on a towering outcrop, and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces, which are known for their intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards. A meandering road leads to and from the city below. Battle scars of cannon ball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort. There are seven gates, which include Jayapol meaning victory built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his

1

victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol also meaning victory gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of Mughals. The palm imprints still attract devotional attention and are covered by vermilion paste and paper-thin silver foil. Mehrangarh Fort stands a hundred feet in splendour on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the sky line of Jodhpur. Burnished red sand stone, imposing, invincible and yet with a strange haunting beauty that beckons. Much has been written about the Citadel of the Sun, for truly, it is one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan. So colossal are its proportions that Rudyard Kipling called it the work of giants. Today, it is acknowledged as the finest living example of a Hindu fortress. There are seven gates including Jaya Poll built in 1806 by Maharaja Man Singh after his victory over Jaipur and Bikaner. Fateh Pol was constructed to commemorate the defeat of the Mughals when Maharaja Ajit Singh was the ruler. The second gate still contains scars from cannon attacks. Inside the fort is a network of courtyards and palaces including a museum that houses a splendid collection of items from the Maharajas?

2

Jodhas fortress was 'Chao Burja' a fort with four Bastions. The extremities of the original fortress fall within the limit of the second gate today. Of Jodhas time itself, very little remains, the fort expanded beyond his outer gates within fifty years of his death but the spot where this gate stood is known as Rao Jodhaji Ka Falsa ( Jodhas outer limit of the boundary). In its Janampatri the fort is named Chintamani, after the Mythological gem worn by lord Ram which supposedly frees the owner of all worldly worry. Chintamani gave way to Mordhwaj, the flag of the peocock, presumably because the forts outer parameter suggests the fan like tail of a dancing peacock, It is at some point after this that the name Mehrangarh began to appear in chronicles and poems. Mehr is a Rajasthani word for the sun and it is not at all unlikely that the Suryavanshi Rathores would name their first citadel in their mythological ancestors honour.

3

Mehrangarh MuseumElephant's howdahs:The howdahs were a kind of two-compartment wooden seat (mostly covered with gold and silver embossed sheets), which were fastened on to the elephant's back. The front compartment, with more leg space and a raised protective metal sheet, was meant for kings or royalty, and the rear smaller one for a reliable bodyguard disguised as a fly-whisk attendant.

Palanquins:Palanquins were a popular means of travel and circumambulation for the ladies of the nobility up to the second quarter of the 20th century. They were also used by male nobility and royals on special occasions.

Daulat Khana - Treasures of Mehrangarh Museum:This gallery displays one of the most important and best preserved collections of fine and applied arts of the Mughal period of Indian history, during which the Rathore rulers of Jodhpur maintained close links with the Mughal emperors.

Armoury:This gallery displays a rare collection of armour from every period in Jodhpur. On display are sword hilts in jade, silver, rhino horn, ivory, shields studded with rubies, emeralds and pearls and guns with gold and silver work on the barrels. The gallery also has on display the personal swords of many emperors, among them outstanding historical piece like the Khanda of Rao Jodha, weighing over 7 pounds, the sword of Akbar the Great and the sword of Timur the Lame.

4

Paintings:This Gallery displays colours of Marwar-Jodhpur, the finest example of Marwar paintings.

The Turban Gallery:The Turban Gallery in the Mehrangarh Museum seeks to preserve, document and display the many different types of turbans once prevalent in Rajasthan; every community, region and, indeed, festival having had its own head-gear. The Folk Music Instruments Gallery: There are a number of different types and kinds of folk musical instruments, some particular to a group or community, and some to a region.

5

Chamunda Devi Mandir

The Chamunda Mataji Temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan is situated in the southern end of the Mehrangarh Fort. Chamunda Mataji was the favorite goddess of Rao Jodha. In 1460, he brought her idol from the old capital of Mandore in 1460. Then, it was installed in the Mehrangarh Fort. Till date, the goddess remains the Isht Devi (the adopted goddess) of Maharajas and the Royal Family.

Chamunda Mata is worshipped by most of Jodhpur's citizens also. During Dussehra celebrations, Mehrangarh Fort is thronged by devotees to get a glimpse of Chamunda Devi.

6

Casualty at TempleA human stampede occurred on September 30, 2008, at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, in which 249 people were killed and more than 400 injured were critically injured in a stampede triggered by severe overcrowding in a narrow, slippery passage at the Chamunda temple in Jodhpur's Mehrangarh is Fort early Tuesday to the morning. The Fort. 2008 Jodhpur stampede Date Time 30 September 2008 05:30 15th-century temple dedicated

goddess Chamunda Devi and is located within the premises of Mehrangarh

Location Jodhpur, Rajasthan India Casualties 249 dead 400+ injured

About 25,000 Hindu pilgrims were visiting the temple to mark the first day of the nine day long Navaratri, a major festival in Hinduism dedicated to Goddess worship and celebrated across the world.7

Stampede at Mehrangarh FortIn one of the worst tragedies of its kind in India, 249 people were killed and 400+ injured, mostly men injured in a stampede that took place when thousands of devotees gathered at a 15th century temple in Jodhpur on the occasion of Navaratri festival on Tuesday.

The worshippers had gathered at the Chamunda Devi Temple situated on a hill top in the precincts of Mehrangarh Fort when the tragedy struck at around 5.30 am after some devotees slipped on a slope causing the stampede. There was a huge rush in the queue for men and some people slipped on a slope which led to the stampede.

About 15 to 20 people were killed at the spot and the others succumbed to their injuries in Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Mathura Das Hospital and Sun City Hospital, among others, in Jodhpur. Most of the dead were men as the stampede took place in the separate queue for males for going to the temple.

The dead include a large number of young people. The devotees in large numbers, including women, had gathered at the temple from early this morning on the occasion of Navaratri festival. The administration had arranged a separate passage for the women and children and, as such, the casualties were considerably restricted. There has been no casualty in the queue for women in which a large number of children were also present.8

The stampede occurred as the devotees along the 2-km-long route to the temple tried to rush towards its door as soon as it opened. The situation went out of control as devotees, carrying offerings, jostled with each other and tried to rush towards the temple door breaking the barricades. A few eyewitness to the incident told police that a side wall of the temple had also collapsed due to pressure from the large number of devotees.

As the government counts the bodies, the tourist city of Jodhpur continues to be in shock. The temple reopened Wednesday, but the crowds were thin.

9

CausesThe reason for the stampede is still unclear. Different persons and news channels gives different reason. Even Justice Jasraj Chopra Commission also working on consistently extended deadlines. Different person blamed different reasons for this casualty: Eyewitnesses blamed it on the heavy rush of devotees and a tussle to reach the temple doors first. However, police say the stampede was triggered by a barricade collapsing. K.S. Bains, director general of the Rajasthan state police, added that a power failure in the early hours of the fateful morning could have caused some of devotes to slip.

According to The Times of India, local reports suggest that a bomb blast in nearby Mehrangarh created panic among the pilgrims resulting in the stampede.

the BBC News reported that a collapsing wall may have also caused the stampede.

Some eyewitnesses told CNN-IBN that a rumour about a bomb being planted in the temple caused panic among pilgrims.

An eyewitness also said that the path leading to the temple was very narrow with no emergency exit routes. Police said initial reports indicated that coconut water spilled on the narrow incline to the temple lead people to slip and trample upon one another. Reasons are come out with the jasraj committee.10

AftermathThe incident sent a shock wave throughout the city and hospitals remained crowded through the day with the families and relatives of the dead and the injured.

For almost an hour after the incident the road from the Fort to the government hospital was filled with ambulances and other vehicles transporting bodies and the wounded. The Army was called for assistance.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh each for the kin of the dead and Rs50,000 for the injured.

Television footage showed frantic people trying to revive unconscious devotees by compressing their chests. Param Jyoti, IPS, who was during the time of the incident Assistant Superintendent of Police Jodhpur city said that of those dead, 30 bodies were brought to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital and 10 were taken to Mathura Das Hospital. Later on, more than 400 injured devotees were admitted in seven hospitals across Jodhpur. According to reports, there was a shortage of oxygen in local hospitals where the victims were treated.

Indian Army doctors were called to assist the local authorities in the relief operation. Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajnath Singh assured speedy relief to the victims of the tragedy.11

As A Shoke Day:Tuesday marked an inauspicious start to the festive season when 130 devotees were killed in a stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, a popular religious and tourist destination in Rajasthan. Rajasthan on Wednesday observed state mourning as a mark of respect to the devotees who lost their lives during the stamped. The national flag atop Government buildings and installations flew at half mast throughout the state and no entertainment programme at official level was held anywhere.

Jodhpur Muslims not celebrates Eid after temple stampede:Expressing their grief on the incident, Jodhpur Muslim youth have also decided that they was not celebrate Eid on October 2 and will prefer to mourn the death of those killed in the stampede. They feel that the tragedy that struck at the Chamunda Devi temple on Tuesday doesn't warrant any celebration. Locals rushed to the spot to help with rescue operation and take the injured to the hospital and a day later the city is mourning. And this section of locals have put up posters appealing to others in their community not to celebrate on Thursday.

12

"We will only be offering Namaz. We have decided not to celebrate Id," says one of the Jodhpur Muslim youths, who believe that Eid shouldn't be celebrated after the stampede, Shakir Ali.

Different political saying in Media:

Uttarakhand Chief

Minister B

C

Khanduri and Governor B

L

Joshi both expressed grief over the death of the pilgrims at the Chamunda Devi temple.

A Raj Bhavan statement issued a condolence message saying Joshi conveyed his deepest sorrow to the bereaved families of the dead and said he would pray for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident.

Rajasthan's Principal Secretary S N Thanvi said. "As some devotees slipped on the slope on the temple path, others gathered there started falling on each other causing the stampede. A majority of those killed died due to suffocation as a result of the stampede," he said in Jaipur.

Director General of Police, Rajasthan, K S Bains, however, said that nearly 100 people were injured in the incident.

Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said sufficient police deployment had been ensured and there were separate queues for men and women.

13

The civil authorities have sought the help of the Army to deal with the situation, Inspector General of Police Kanhaiya Lal said.

Inspector General of Police in Jodhpur Rajiv Dasod said some of the devotees slipped on the 75-metre-long slope on the temple path causing the stampede in the 100-metre zone around it.

Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said, "There was a huge rush in the queue for men and some people slipped causing panic and stampede." Eyewitnesses told reporters that as some devotees slipped on the 75-metre slope, others fell on them causing the stampede.

14

JasRaj Chopras Committee{Judicial inquiry}The Rajasthan Government announced the name of Justice Jas Raj Chopra, a retired Judge of the High Court on 3rd October, for the judicial inquiry it had ordered into the incident. Justice Chopra had previously headed the committee appointed by the Raje Government to study the claim of the Gujjar community for Scheduled Tribe status.

The Chopra Commission, formed on October 3rd last year to investigate the tragedy, recently took its 3rd extension and set March 30th as its deadline for submission of its report. The commission was to complete its report within three months of its appointment, but sources stated that the going has been tough. A senior member of the commission stated that around 100 witness statements have been recorded, with several more to go.The witnesses from the district administration have been completed and we have moved on to those injured. There are hundreds of witnesses and the commission is bound to take more time to complete its report. According to senior members of the commission, the witness accounts thus far could broadly be categorised into two versions. A senior member said, The witnesses who have deposed so far have either said that the police personnel deployed at the spot remained inactive or could not hold the crowd back or they blame the Mehrangarh Trust for not taking enough precautions. He added that witnesses had told the commission that on the day of the stampede, several barricades broke under pressure and the temporary lighting fixtures blacked out leading to panic.Now Jasraj Chopra Commission has assurance that they give their report before meeting the 3rd extended time limit.

15

ConclusionA year after the tragedy at Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, on the first day of Navaratri on September 30, 2008, when 244 people suffocated to death in a stampede, memories of the horrific episode linger on. Even as the Jodhpur district administration asserted that security arrangements were greatly increased following the tragedy, there have been few takers so far this year.

At last we can say that Jas Raj Chopras Committee working slowly but this year govt. aware and done proper arrangements this year for safety of human life and to protect the life from stampede, and govt. his level best and achieve success in it. This year Navaratri festival celebrates happily without any wrong incident.

16