Discovering
Dhar
Last time you were here,
Dhar served as the base for your visits to the twin wonders of Maheshwar and
Mandu. Since then you have progressively explored Mandu several times but Dhar
remained in the shadows. You had seen the Dhar Fort with the Kharbuja Mahal and
you were convinced there was nothing more to the town. Just like the ancient
town of Kannauj, Dhar too seems to have faded in the mist of time from its
glorious period as capital of the mighty Parmars. You never saw any temples or evidence
of their rule as you went around Malwa (yes there is the mighty Bhojpur Temple
near Bhopal and lots of images in Bhopal Museum from Hinglajgarh in Mandsaur
District). The mist is about to lift.
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| The Beautiful Mihrab and Minbar of the Bhojshala |
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| The Beautiful Tree Shaded Complex of Bhojshala - That is an old Tamarind or Imli Tree |
A few years ago, you saw
this black & white photo with a pillar resting against the ruined wall of a
structure called Lat Masjid. That monument has been playing on your mind all
these years. You are in Dhar only for a day and you need to investigate if this
mosque still exists. Leaving early in the morning and asking for directions,
you arrive at the entrance of this complex with huge trees. Vendors sit outside
selling flowers and chadars. Just beyond is a police post where a constable
sits reading the newspaper. His presence does feel a little strange but you
push the thought out. The cop is nice to talk to and nothing like the nasty
guards you encountered at Rudra Mahalaya in Siddhpur.
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| Almost seems like a British era sign - Entry Ticket to Bhojshala is only Rs 1! You feel every monument should have entry ticket |
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| Bhojshala in Dhar - When was the last time you saw such instructions? |
A path leads to some
promising structures all around in a peaceful setting shaded by old beautiful
trees. Past the platform by the path where alm-seekers sit is a painted doorway
to a presumably dargah. Just beyond is a more archaeologically significant
looking structure. Outside are the two most bewildering ASI signs you have
seen. One sign announces an entry ticket of Rs. 1 – only one rupee! While ASI
has recently increased the entry tickets to Rs. 15 and Rs. 30, here one rupee
will get you in. The second sign makes you do a double take. The instructions written make your eyes pop.
For the first time, you realise the monument here could be a little
controversial. Now this explains the presence of a police post.
Now that you are here and
the wall almost looks like the wall in that photo, you want to know where that
pillar is. There are more surprises. The guard takes that one rupee coin that
you have dug out from your wallet and hands over you a printed ticket. The
guard informs that this place is called Bhojshala while there is another mosque
nearby called Lat Masjid named after the pillar that actually brought you here!
Before you get to Lat Masjid, you need to see what Bhojshala is all about.
Entering the eastern
gateway brings you into a colonnade. Inside, the architecture looks
so familiar. This is the basic template of Ghurid Mosques that you have seen in
places like Delhi, Ajmer, Kaman and Mandu. Just like Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Qutb
Complex in Delhi, Bhojshala is a square enclosed structure with arcades or colonnades
running on all four sides. In the centre is an open courtyard. This is a
typical hypostyle mosque where the pillars hold the roof.
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| The Beautiful North Arcade leading to the Prayer Hall - Bhojshala in Dhar MP |
You walk in the pillared
verandahs or cloisters. The sculpted sandstone pillars decorated with floral motifs
and geometric patterns again look so familiar. You could be actually standing
in the mosque at Qutb Minar. Like across the country, these pillars also came
from demolished temples; here the temples of the Parmars from 11th
or 12th century were felled.
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| The Ornate Corbelled Dome that would have been a part of the Vitana of the Mandap of the temple. Vitana represents the Star-Studded Sky |
Delhi it seems has always
been the trendsetter. Once the Quwwat-ul-Islam, Delhi’s first mosque, came up,
the template was adopted across Delhi Sultanate’s rule. The Standard Operating
Procedure would have been simple. Find a group of temples, bring them down,
harvest the pillars and celings, find another area nearby or sometimes on top
of the temple platform or jagati, set up the cloisters with an elaborate west
prayer hall and bingo you had mosques in the minimum time. No wonder Ajmer’s
mosque is called Adhai Din ka Jhopra – according to legend, the mosque was
erected in two and a half days. The main challenge would have been to dismantle
the corbelled dome of the mandap and then put it all back together. It would
have been heartbreaking for the masons.
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| The Mihrab, Minbar and Exquisite Corbelled Dome at Bhojshala |
It is quite possible, the
architecture firm that provided the design for Qutb mosque was hired for all
these places too with a nudge from the Sultan.
The only difference would have been the height of arcades. Here except
the prayer hall, the arcades are a pillar high, while in qutb, the arcades have
two or three pillars mounted on top of each other. Ajmer’s Adhai Din ka Jhopra,
is probably the highest with three and four pillars doing the balancing act.
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| The Prayer Hall with the Qibla Wall |
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| The Western Prayer Hall is the most elaborate and is Five Pillars Deep |
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| View from South Western Corner looking towards the Rauza of Chisti Saint Kamal Maula |
It is serene inside. You
love it when you have monuments all to yourself. The guard stays a comfortable
distance behind you. You are making your way to the domed western prayer hall. The
prayer hall several pillars deep is the most striking. The wall has the niche
called mihrab which the worshippers face when praying and which indicates the
direction of Mecca. The mihrab has pretty black and golden touches. On the
right of the mihrab is the minbar or the pulpit ascended by a flight of nine steps where the imam
stands to deliver sermons or khutbah. Next to the minbar is a pretty enclosure
with stone jalis. It is possible the enclosure was the Zenana and was used by
the royal ladies. Or is this enclosure called Maqsura that was used by the Sultan? Looking up you see the beautiful corbelled dome that would
have been part of the mandap of a temple.
Inscriptions
Now the things are getting
even more interesting. Several pillars have taped plastic see-through covers.
Inscriptions! This pillar has the most incredulous inscription which to you
looks like a very complex Janam Kundli! These serpentine designs probably
denote Sanskrit grammar rules. Each cell has a word written in it topped with a
few lines that appears to be Sanskrit or Prakrit.
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| The inscribed pillar in the prayer hall denoting Sanskrit grammar rules in Serpentine form |
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| The Eastern Arcade has the huge black stone slabs with Prakrit inscriptions - the slabs were found behind the Mihrab |
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| Never seen before this big inscribed slab - Bhojshala is full of surprises |
The largest inscriptions
are in the Eastern arcade, again, thankfully covered. These two black stone slabs
were discovered from behind the mihrab. One inscription contains two odes in
Prakrit, one ode being composed by Bhoj himself. The other contains the
Sanskrit play which praises Arjunvarma, a Parmar successor of Bhoj (1210-15). The
play also describes a Saraswati Temple. Some more inscriptions and tablets have
been found in and around this site. One slab was taken by John Malcolm
(Occupant of Malcolm Kothi in Nalcha) which formed the floor of the minbar. The
inscription is probably the Raula Vela of the 12th century poet
Roda. The inscription is safely housed in CSMVS, Mumbai.
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| View looking towards West |
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| Two of the Four Tombs here - The front seems to belong to Mahmud Khilji |
The central courtyard has an
ablution tank which is now empty. It seems a hawan kund has been constructed in
the middle where some ash can be seen. Steps lead up to the top of eastern
arcade but have been fenced off. Outside, in a cluster of some magnificent
trees is the Cemetery complex with a group of four tombs. The main tomb or
Rouza belongs to the Chisti saint Kamal-al-Din, a protégé of Farid Shakar and Nizamuddin
Auliya. The tomb right opposite to the dargah belongs to Mahmud Khilji
(1436-69) who wanted to be buried in front of the saint. There are more
assorted graves in the open. But more than the tombs here, the trees are making
you gasp.
Frangipanis are usually grown as ornamental trees in parks with
their fragrant white and pink flowers and which usually doesn’t grow too big. Rajghat
and Shakti Sthal have quite a few iconic and some soon to turn iconic trees.
Vittal Temple in Hampi has a beautifully gnarled frangipani that seems quite
old judging from the British time photos.
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| The Grandest Frangipani you have ever seen - Could possibly be The Frangipani of India |
Monuments usually have old peepal and
imli trees. Here among the graves and tombs rises a handsome, majestic and
monumental, beautifully knotted and gnarled Frangipani tree. You do several
takes. You never ever imagined Firangipani tree to be this HUGE. It’s a
wondrous sight. It is still early morning and under a hushed darkening sky with
few devotees you pause for few moments to look up. Then you realise that God probably
loves trees more than men and that is why He made them this tall so that they
are closer to Him.
The
Controversy
How did the architecturally apparent mosque come to
be known as Bhojshala?
Bhojshala is made of two words - Raja Bhoj (1010 – 1055) was
the greatest Parmar king with his capital in Dhar and Shala means School and
thus Bhojshala means Raja Bhoj’s School. In this timeline, Mahmud Ghazni had
already taken over Mathura, Kalanjar and Somnath by 1030. The capital of MP, Bhopal
is named after him. During Raja Bhoj’s reign Dhar was renowned throughout India
as a seat of learning and scholarship. Raja Bhoj, himself a scholar, was famous
as a patron of learned men. You know Bhoj from the monumental unfinished Shiv Temple in Bhojpur near Bhopal. In 1304-05, Alauddin Khilji took Dhar and for
the next five hundred years, Dhar became a Muhammadan town. From 1401 till 1530,
Dhar was one of the principal town of Malwa Sultans. The Bhojshala was
presumably built in 1400 when similar looking Dilawar Khan Mosque was built in
nearby Mandu.
Let's look at the recorded evidence over the years:
Sir John Malcolm in his
memoirs of 1824 (one of the most detailed and quoted for Central India) mentions removing an inscribed slab from the mosque but does
not mention the name Bhojshala.
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| The entrances to the Bhojshala and Dargah - the Imli tree can still be seen |
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| Not much has changed except maybe the bright colours on the gateway to the Dargah - Bhojshala in Dhar |
Major General William
Kincaid, one time Political Agent at Bhopawar, in the first edition of the book
History of Mandu published in 1875, says
of Dilawar Khan that he destroyed many beautiful temples at Dhar for the
construction of his own palace and masjids.
The back of the book carries
several detailed notes. Of these, the Note XXVI talks about a loquacious Muslim
man he met at Kamal Maula complex who narrated number of remarkable stories
including of the ‘Akl ka Kua’ in front of the Rauza of the saint. The storyteller does not say anything about the mosque being called Bhojshala otherwise Kincaid would have caught it and noted it in the book. Kincaid just refers to the mosque simply "as a small masjid". There is no mention of Bhojshala
at all.
Till 1875, there is nothing like Bhojshala that exists in Dhar.
Things are about to change.
Alois Fuhrer, a German
Indologist, coined the fanciful term ‘Bhoj’s School’ after seeing the
inscriptions in 1893. This was a ridiculous interpretation and for his efforts, ASI after investigating his reports dismissed him from
the department. It wasn’t just Fuhrer.
In 1902, during Lord
Curzon’s visit to Dhar, KK Lele, the Superintendent of Education in the state
of Dhar, showed the inscriptions to Curzon. Later in 1903, Lele published his
report entitled The Summary of the Dramatic Inscription found at the Bhoja
Shala (Kamal Maula Mosque), Dhar where the term 'Bhojshala' was first used.
Major Luard, Superintendent
of Gazetteer in Central India, uses the term Bhojshala in his chronicles of
1912, but says that Bhojshala is a misnomer.
It was the beginning of 20th century when the myth of Bhojshala took shape because of a spurious ASI person.
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Jain Goddess Ambika in British Museum
The
inscription records the making of the image of Ambā by Vararuci after he had made a
goddess of speech (Vāgdevī ) and three Jinas. This Vararuci may
be identified as Dhanapāla,
the author who enjoyed a prominent place in the court of king Bhoja - Photo and Comment Courtesy British Museum
|
The Myth now gets stronger.
At this stage Goddess Saraswati
makes an entrance.
Michael Willis of British Museum, in his 2012 remarkable essay "Dhar, Bhoja and Sarasvati: From Indology to Political Mythology and Back" says, the presence of Saraswati
in the inscription of Arjunvarman brings a new twist in the story. A statue of
Jain Goddess Ambika in the British Museum was made out to be the Saraswati of
inscription. The Ambika statue was found in Dhar’s palace ruins by William
Kincaid and had an inscription indicating Vagdevi or Saraswati.
The myth had just become a reality - there was Bhojshala, there was a Saraswati inscription and now the Saraswati idol has been found! After another study of the inscription on British Museum's Ambika idol, the fact emerged that the inscription on the Ambika idol says that the sculptor after making the
image of Vagdevi or Saraswati, was making this image of Ambika. The Saraswati idol, if there was one, has not been recovered so far.
Today
Today the Bhojshala becomes a flashpoint sporadically. The Hindus consider it as a Saraswati Temple of Raja Bhoj. To diffuse the situation, ASI has assigned days and hours and issued instructions as seen on the signboard – Tuesday for Hindus when they can come pray and Fridays for Muslims when they can offer Namaz – so
that peace prevails.
On Basant Panchami, Hindus pray to Goddess Saraswati and usually the worship lasts all
day. Matters come to head when Basant
Panchami falls on Fridays and Hindus refuse to leave for few hours for the Namaz. In the past, riots and consequent
curfews have taken place in the otherwise peaceful city.
Your
Take
Bhojshala was probably
built in early 14th century and much earlier than the assumed date
of 1400. The evidence is irrefutable that the mosque rose from the
architectural members of Hindu and Jain temples of 11th or 12th
century. According to an inscription found in the complex, the mosque was
repaired by Malwa Governor Dilawar Khan in 1392 which means the mosque would
have been at least 50-60 years old by then. Considering the architecture, the
mosque would have been built by someone deputed from Delhi.
Dhar had a huge number of
temples that were demolished and their remains repurposed to construct the
mosque. It is quite possible that in this group of temples, there was a temple
dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. However, the idol has not been found yet. Michael Willis believes the idol was taken away by Gujarat rulers in the dying days of Parmars and installed her in a temple in Saurashtra. It is
also possible that this Saraswati Temple was used as a school or learning
centre. But there are no temples in history that have been ascribed /
attributed to Kings. The inscribed slabs would have come from different temples
and therefore they do not form a single narrative.
Even a layman like yours
truly knows that this mosque is a composite structure built out of a number of
temples. These temples would be both Hindu and Jain dedicated to
different gods and goddesses and hence the monument can’t be straitjacketed
into a particular dedication.
In
Conclusion
As for you, you are just
relieved that the temples in Dhar have not completely disappeared like the
Parmar, Pratihar and Gahadvals temples in North India, Mathura and Kannauj. The
temples here live on, albeit in a different form.
Bhojshala
has been the ultimate surprise. You have loved every short minute you spent
here. You would like to come back and discover more inscriptions and speak to
the townsfolk worshippers. On
a beautiful overcast monsoon day, the monument is an oasis. The plain, hushed
and restrained beauty is almost overwhelming. You are in love with these stones
all over again. You will come back.
References:
A Memoir of Central India
including Malwa, 1824, by Major General Sir John Malcolm, 2nd
Edition, Volume I, Page 28 – no mention of Bhojshala even though he visits the
mosque and takes custody of an inscription slab
History of Mandu, The Ancient
Capital of Malwa (1844) by A Bombay Subaltern republished in 1879 by William
Kincaid, Page 71, 102
Western States (Malwa)
Gazetteer Volume V Part A, 1908, Captain CE Luard (Superintendent of Gazetteer
in Central India), Page 397 – for history of Bhoj and Dhar
Dhar & Mandu, A Sketch
for the Sightseer, 1912, by Major CE Luard, Page 1, 9 – calls Bhojshala a
misnomer
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