The Gond monuments of Ramnagar, Mandla

Context: The Gond Monuments of Ramnagar, Mandla, in Madhya Pradesh, has been recently added to the UNESCO’s Tentative list of World Heritage Sites. 

Introduction: 

• Mandla region was formerly known as the Central Provinces of India, covering parts of the present-day states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
• It was historically called Gondwana, ‘the Land of the Gonds’, the largest heterogenous tribe of India.
• Four major kingdoms ruled over the region, the most important being the Garha-Mandla kingdom. 
• In 1651, when the Bundelas finally captured Chauragarh, during Hriday Shah’s reign,
• He shifted the capital from Chauragarh to Ramnagar (1657 A.D).
  • On the southern bank of the Narmada River in Ramnagar and the Chaugan Rayotwari, the architectural complexes built by Hridya Shah still stand today.
  • The royal palace, Moti Mahal, indicates the new seat of government in the late 17^th century. 
  • Mughal and Rajput influences are evident in the architectural elements of these buildings.
    • Stone lattice screens show the influence of Mughal architecture.
    • Decorative stone parapets, chattris, bangaldar roofs, multi-foil arches in the exterior facade are characteristic Rajput features.
  • The geographical features of the site further indicate the planning principles adopted with respect to defence mechanisms with the surrounding landscape of the dense forests on the banks of the Narmada River.
  • None of the monuments have excessive ornamentation since they were not intended as castles displaying artistic capacity or opulence.

Cluster of monuments include: 

1. Moti Mahal, Ramnagar
2. Raibhagat ki Kothi, Ramnagar
3. Vishnu Mandir (Suraj mandir), Ramnagar
4. Begum Mahal, Chaugan Rayotwari, Mandla
5. Dal Badal Mahal, Chaugan Ryotwari, Mandla

About Moti Mahal

• Situated near the Narmada River bank. 
• Declared as a state protected monument since 1984.
• Moti Mahal, is built in a quadrangle shape and has a central courtyard. 
• Arched colonnades (an evenly spaced row of columns usually supporting the base of roof structures) separate the halls, durbar hall, and dancing hall.
• The monument also has a basement with a network of tunnels and passages.
• It also has an elaborate drainage system, which is connected to the Narmada.
• A stone inscription, believed to be inscribed in 1667 A.D., is also found (which was previously in the Vishnu temple).
  • It is considered one of the most important historical sources recording the genealogy of the Gond rulers of Garha Mandla.
  • It places the origin of the family in the beginning of the 7th century and describes the chronological reign of 54 Gond rulers. 

Raibhagat ki Kothi

• It is also known as Mantri Mahal.
• Also, it has been declared a state protected monument since 1984.
• The residence was built by Hriday Shah for his Dewan, Rai Baghat.
• Monument appears more symmetric with the central courtyard and the four domes on each corner.
• Entrance of the monument has an ornate painted ceiling.

Vishnu Mandir (also known as Suraj mandir)

• The temple resembles a Mughal tomb or a Bengali Pancha Ratna style temple.
• The temple was built by Rani Sundari. She was the wife of Hriday Shah. 
• The inscription stone housed in the Moti Mahal was originally in the Vishnu temple.
• The structure is built in a square plan.
• A square room in the middle is covered by a dome. 
• As per the sources, there were idols of Shiva, Ganesha, Surya and Durga, but none of them have remained.
• Declared a state protected monument since 1984.

Begum Mahal

• It is a centrally protected Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument.
• The structure was built by King Hriday Shah for Chimni Rani, a Mughal princess. 
• It is a three-storey tall structure with visible Mughal features in its architecture.
• Upper level of the structure has domed rooms and a central room with a vaulted roof.
• Exterior of the palace features a water body and on either side of it are stairs that descend down towards the water body. 

Dalbadal (Sporting Palace)

• It is a centrally protected Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument. 
• It is a rectangular structure built by King Hriday Shah for his generals and soldiers.

Garha/Mandla/Katanga Kingdom (1300 AD to 1789 AD) 

Introduction: 

• First large kingdom to be founded by the Gond tribe.
• Dominated much of Central India at its peak. 

About the kingdom:

• First Gond king: Jadurai, who became the ruler after deposing the Kalachuri Rajputs of Garha-Mandla, where earlier he worked in court.
• The kingdom was initially a small territory focussing more on consolidation.
• Sukhandas (1480–1500): Included Rajputs in his army and administration.
• Akbarnama (history of Akbar's reign), written by Abul Fazl, mentions the Gond kingdom of Garha katanga that had 70,000 villages: 
  • Abul Fazl mentioned that “the east part of the country adjoins Ratanpur which belongs to Jharkhand, and the west is contiguous to Raisen which belongs to the province of Malwa”.
  • The kingdom acquired its medieval name from the city of Gadha and the village of Katanga. 

Sangram Shah (the 48^th king):

• Capital: Singhorgarh. 
• Rapidly expanded the kingdom.
• Successfully captured territories like Narmada Valley, Bhopal, Sagar, Damoh and most of the Satpura hills.
• Conquered 52 forts called Garhs to strengthen and consolidate his hold on territory. 
• The Chouragrh Fort in Narsinghpur was built in the honour of conquering 52 forts.
• He was a great patron of arts and literature and he had great knowledge of Sanskrit. He wrote Rasratnamala. 
• Dalpat Shah, succeeded Sangram Shah and was married to Rani Durgavati (a Chandela Rajput Princess). 

Rani Durgavati (reigned from 1550-1564): 

• Capital was moved to Chouragarh because it was safer than Singorgarh fort.
• After her husband’s death, two ministers, Man Thakur and Adhar Kayastha, helped her assume the throne and leadership of the Gond dynasty.
• She defeated Baz Bahadur, the last sultan of Malwa, who tried to invade Garha kingdom. 
• She constructed reservoirs to help farmers. Example: Ranital reservoir built close to Jabalpur; Cherital; and Adhartal, which was built by Adhar Kayastha. 
• Battle against the Mughals: 
  • Emperor Akbar sent his forces led by Asaf Khan I to capture Garha in 1564. 
  • Rani Durgavati fiercely resisted in the Battle of Narrai (1564), however, after facing defeat, she killed herself. 
• The kingdom was ruled for some years by the Mughals and later was restored to Chandra Shah (son of Sangram Shah). 
• Chandra Shah was recognised as a successor to Rani Durgavati by Akbar on accepting Mughal suzerainty.
• Chandra Shah was succeeded by Madhukar Shah and Prem Narain.
• Hriday Shah (last great king of the Kingdom), who ruled for 42 years, maintained friendly relations with the Mughals. He moved the capital from Chouragarh to Ramnagar of Mandla district. 
• Administration: 
  • It became centralized.
  • Kingdom was divided into Garh and each Garh was controlled by a particular Gond clan. 
  • The Gond clan was further divided into units of 84 villages called Chourasi.
  • Chourasi was further subdivided into Barhots, which were made up of 12 villages each. 

Decline of the Kingdom: 

• After Hriday Shah’s death, no great ruler appeared and court intrigue became common which weakened the state.
• Gond rajas of Deogadh, took advantage of the kingdom's weakness and annexed a large part of its territories.
• By the time of Maharaj Shah (1732–1742), the kingdom held only 29 out of the initial 52 forts. 
• In 1742, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao along with the rule of Sagar Marathas attacked Garha-Mandla and killed the ruler, Maharaj Shah. 
• Shivraj Singh (son of Maharaja Shah) paid an annual tribute of 4 lakhs to the Marathas. 
• Garha-Mandla became a dependent state of the Sagar Marathas.
• In 1799 Mandla fell to the Bhonsles of Nagpur and remained under them till in 1818, when the British took over and assumed the rule also over Mandla. (after the Third Anglo Maratha war).