Reading the history of rAThora-s, I got some new data to speculate about a discussion initiated by Rajesh, regarding a strange pig inscription on the outside doors of the fortess-like nAthadwArA temple of shrInAtha jI.
The year of the inscription is 1805, and the name of the governor is yashavanta rava -- so we ought to not have missed it in the first place!
Those were the years when struggle for supremacy between rAjapUta-s and the maharaTTa-s was still going on, and the latter, especially sindhiyA and holkar, used to employ afghan-gujjar-mallAh-mahAr freebooters and mercenaries, the piNDArI-s, in once-a-year raids of rAjapUtAnA (and elsewhere). While there is much misinformation that goes in the mainstream about piNDArI-s, what is certain is that they used to loot what came in their way, and they used to be both moslems and hindus.
Therefore the inscription to exempt the shrine from the raids ordered by the maharaTTA general yashavanta rAva, who often operated around mewADa and mAravADa at this time, and whom the piNDArI-s would probably not disobey. But for the added measure, one more from the nawAb of bhopAl (or Tonk), another client of the piNDArI-s, the Tonk one a piNDArI himself!
Indeed, the temple is only fortified enough to face but small fire weaponry, which is what was used by piNDArI-s besides lances of which they were experts -- meaning the protection was probably required against none other but them!
The year of the inscription is 1805, and the name of the governor is yashavanta rava -- so we ought to not have missed it in the first place!
Those were the years when struggle for supremacy between rAjapUta-s and the maharaTTa-s was still going on, and the latter, especially sindhiyA and holkar, used to employ afghan-gujjar-mallAh-mahAr freebooters and mercenaries, the piNDArI-s, in once-a-year raids of rAjapUtAnA (and elsewhere). While there is much misinformation that goes in the mainstream about piNDArI-s, what is certain is that they used to loot what came in their way, and they used to be both moslems and hindus.
Therefore the inscription to exempt the shrine from the raids ordered by the maharaTTA general yashavanta rAva, who often operated around mewADa and mAravADa at this time, and whom the piNDArI-s would probably not disobey. But for the added measure, one more from the nawAb of bhopAl (or Tonk), another client of the piNDArI-s, the Tonk one a piNDArI himself!
Indeed, the temple is only fortified enough to face but small fire weaponry, which is what was used by piNDArI-s besides lances of which they were experts -- meaning the protection was probably required against none other but them!