Water Stories From Rajasthan: Building Rajsamand Lake In Mewar Region 360 Years Ago – Analysis
Unfolding chapters of environmental history of south-east Asia, challenging Europe-centred worldviews
Rajasthan, in the western region of India, often takes visitors and history-lovers by surprise. Few would be aware that in the vast geography of the land, dominated by the Thar desert, Maharana Raj Singh, the Custodian of Mewar from 1652 to 1680 CE, planned and built Rajsamand, one of the biggest man-made freshwater lakes of its time. Rajsamand (its original name was Raj Samudra or the Sea of Raj) is two hours’ drive from the city of Udaipur, hailed today as the ‘city of lakes’ for tourists today.
In ‘Maharana Raj Singh and His Times’ (published in 1971) historian SR Sharma provides a fascinating account of the construction of the dam across Gomti river where it flowed through two big hills. Two other streams Tala and Kalaiva were also adding their waters to the reservoir that would thus be created. Sixteen villages, the historian notes, were likely to be submerged: “The length of the lake is said to be 7000 yards…such a big project could not have been easily carried out without detailed planning and supervision.” The list of supervisors, chief masons, master masons and artisans have been provided; it is also recorded that over 60,000 workmen were employed on the project for which the total wage bill exceeded Rs 3.2 million. SR Sharma terms it as the “greatest work of public utility constructed by any ruler in medieval India.”
The toughest job was to drain off the river to get to the dry bed on which the foundations for the dam could be laid. Many devices were used for the purpose; it was on 1 January 1662 at an auspicious hour that the work first began; and only by 17 April 1665 foundations of the dam were laid. “When the rains set in, the newly-created artificial lake started filling in: by 26 June 1670, the main dam was ready after a labour of eight years, five months and six days, according to the records maintained.” On 6 March 1673, the Maharana performed the ‘mahurata of the Samgikarya’ of the dam; over the next two years, the dam was filling up fast and the lake was full of water. It was now decided that 15 January 1676 would be the day of consecrations, religious rituals and prayers, donations to the priests and festivities for the extended family and community.
Since water is the biggest buzzword of our century, Rajsamand Lake or Raj Samudra is an amazing engineering feat accomplished in 17th century CE in the Mewar region of Rajasthan. It spans some twelve sq. miles, ringed by low hills and valleys, and took years to be constructed, tested, and then inaugurated. What is often ignored is the depth of knowledge regarding hydrology, civil engineering, digging and earthmoving, and of course mathematics and project management, which ensured the completion of this massive project in times which are termed ‘pre-modern’.
In a similar vein, Dr Paul T Craddock of British Museum, an archaeo-metallurgist was working in the seemingly remote areas of Aravalli Hills in the Mewar region, when he wrote: “our objective was to establish the technology and dates of the extractive metallurgy employed in the ancient remains at the three principle mines of Zawar, Dariba and Agucha in Rajasthan. Through three millennia, these sites produced four metals (silver, copper, lead and zinc) by very different processes on a massive scale. We wanted to expand the study of industrial technical innovation. The development of the zinc distillation process at Zawar near Udaipur was evidence of large-scale production during the first millennium CE.”
Adding to the discussion on 17th century CE knowledge of science and technology, which made possible the building of lakes like Rajsamand, is Dr Narpat Singh Rathore, retired Professor from Department of Geography, M.L.Sukhadia University of Udaipur. In a paper, he stated: “Ranas of Mewar may be credited with the first attempt for river diversion anywhere in the world. Rana Raj Singh diverted water of Ubeshwar river to Janna Sagar through Morwani River, prior to this the Ubeshwar river falls into Chota Madar. Maharana Raj Singh can be considered as the father of river diversion in the world.”
Generations of historians in the 19th and 20th centuries CE – be it Col James Tod, Kaviraj Shyamaldas, GS Ojha, GN Sharma, SR Sharma, RV Somani – detailed the religious rituals carried out at Rajsamand, the Royal Family-Heads who were invitees from far and near, and participation of extended families of Mewar along their Brahman priests. Rajsamand would have witnessed a unique historical occasion bringing together the Royal Families and bonding over the social and religious festivities. In more ways than one, the Rajsamand Lake underscores the integration of spiritual-religious dimensions within a unique social and environmental ambit.
Spiritual significance
Metaphorically, there are meanings hidden in the construction of Rajsamand Lake, moreover, what was its significance for the Maharana himself. Oceans, seas, and large water-bodies reflect the skies. The infinity of space that lies above; which is constantly changing colours, temperatures, its fury of storms and rains, and its calmness and serenity. As he moved away from the lake-system – well-established and prevalent in Udaipur, the capital-city of Mewar – the Maharana created a new world where water and infinity were the core, a source of spiritual realization, inspiration, strength, and security for those who reached its shores.
Rg Vedic hymns, later Upanishads (the oldest and most sacred books of the Hindus) have innumerable references to auspicious nature of water, not just as the source of life but as the primeval element from which earth and its living beings originated. By spending huge resources from the Mewar treasury, providing food and employment for over 60,000 people, and abundantly rewarding legions of priests-engineers-architects-workers-soldiers, the Maharana was making history to be recorded. Moreover, like his illustrious predecessors Maharana Lakha, Maharana Mokal and Maharana Udai Singh II, Maharana Raj Singh built bridges with Mewar’s glorious heritage of creating lakes and sustainable cities. He was merging himself with his past.
In pre-modern Mewar, royal achievements are often seen literally but not metaphorically: It is not only the scale of operations that is awe-inspiring and withstanding rigorous tests of time, it is challenging the human mind to discern the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ was being historically recorded and ‘where’.
Maharana Raj Singh, on auspicious days, made public donations (Tula Daans) where he was once weighed against precious gems not just gold or silver; this scale of donation was completely unheard of, an assertion of Mewar’s might at a time when the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb was flexing its muscles, ordering destruction of temples and imposing harsh taxes. (The reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb continues to haunt contemporary Indian politics, with political parties denigrating or protecting the three centuries-old legacies.)
According to GS Ojha’s ‘Udaipur Rajya ka Itihas’ Volume 2 (The History of Udaipur State), Maharana Raj Singh’s Tula Daans were numerous and Brahman families that benefitted most remained loyal to Mewar through generations. Ojha finds it intriguing that the Maharana, imbued with values of Kshatriya (the warrior caste) dharma, was upholding the Brahmanical order.
Largest set of inscriptions
The biggest lake of its time also houses the largest set of inscriptions or Raj Prashasti Mahakavya, carved on marble and embellishing its well-wooded lake-front. The Maharana ordered his best poets, historians, oral historians called Bhatts and Charans, heads of Royal Families to contribute genealogical details for the inscriptions engraved on 25 large slabs of black marble. Each slab is 3 feet by 20 feet; there are 24 cantos composed under the leadership of Ranchod Bhatt and fixed along the embankment area called Nauchauki.
Through the Raj Prashasti it is the history of the world of Mewar which is inscribed; chiselled, hammered by raj-mistris and sthapatis or royal sculptors / architects for posterity. Modern-day historians and chroniclers often find it difficult to grasp different strands of narration: inscribed are not only hymns to Gods but also to different deities, Maharanas of the past and to reigning Gods and Goddesses. It seems hagiographic, full of praises for heroic Kings of Mewar, and achievements of Maharana Raj Singh, the mighty patron.
At Nauchauki, the Raj Prashasti transports the Sanskrit-knowing reader along a complex axis of historical time and space, going from current political tussles with Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, to battles fought and cities built in the Kingdom of Mewar, to origins of the Mewar dynasty and homage to its founding-father Bappa Rawal in 734 CE. “It is where fact and fiction merge, becoming indistinguishable,” wrote Ojha. It is a confrontation of opposites in the real world and the inscribed word, at one place and singular time.
In the realm of imperial politics and diplomacy, Maharana Raj Singh was able to confidently maintain status quo, taking every opportunity to quietly assert the independence of Mewar. Whether it was fortifying the former fort-city of Chittorgarh, ensuring Mewar’s presence at the Mughal Court, meeting with senior Mughal officials like Munshi Chandrabhan, the Maharana developed his own skillful style with panache. His political and military negotiations, directly and indirectly with the Mughal Court, are a proven record of his leadership abilities.
Through 1679-81, the Maharana’s relations with Emperor Aurangzeb remained cordial on surface but there was turmoil which Mewar utilised to its advantage, giving up large territories and then gaining control over them. It was a ‘give and take’ strategy by which Maharana Raj Singh preserved his capital-city of Udaipur and did not let the Mughals overwhelm them with large armies and resources. Historians focusing on political history highlight material gains and losses; the Maharana was equally adept in saving, preserving his legacies, value systems which gave Mewar its unique identity in pre-modern times assiduously nurtured by iconic rulers like Maharana Kumbha, Maharana Sangha, and Maharana Pratap from the 15th century CE onwards.
Europe-centred history
In politics, diplomacy, and military strategies of Mewar of the 17th century CE there is the sharpest confrontation of opposites which would delight readers who search for metaphors that exist across time and space: independence, self-reliance, patronage to the arts in times of war and peace, giving religion and religious practices due respect. In Maharana Raj Singh’s era, painting and illustration of manuscripts reached heights of excellence. The ‘Nathdwara’ style of painting also owes its development to these times.
When Francesca Bray of University of Edinburgh was writing the chapter titled ‘Technological Transitions’, in The Cambridge World History Volume 6.1 ‘The Construction of a Global World 1400-1800 CE’, she noted: “The history of the early modern era is often told as a story about how technology drove the rise of the West. This is a Europe-centred history of key inventions and great inventors; of the emergency of distinctively Western attitudes to ‘useful knowledge’; of the professionalisation of technical expertise; of steady improvement in investigating, understanding and applying the scientific principles that govern the material world; of accelerating innovation and of increasingly efficient and profitable manufacturing culminating in the Industrial Revolution and the birth of a modern, machine-made world.”
She acknowledged that although inherently Europe-centred, the narrative of progress no longer excludes other regions of the world. These words ring with sincerity as the life, times and achievements of Maharana Raj Singh unfold, making new generations in the 21st century CE aware of these historical landmarks.
Said Shriji Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur, chairman and managing-trustee of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation and a descendant of the great Maharana, “There is no doubt that our forefathers had the vision and insight to not just build cities and develop trade, commerce, they were alive to issues of environment, sustainability and growth as can be seen in the building of Rajsamand lake by Maharana Raj Singh. We continue to be inspired by their visionary deeds till date.”
