Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art (Brill's Indological Library)

In Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art , Melia Belli Bose provides the first analysis of Rajput chatr s ("umbrellas"; cenotaphs) built between the sixteenth to early-twentieth centuries. New kings constructed chatr s for their late fathers as statements of legitimacy. During periods of political upheaval patrons introduced new forms and decorations to respond to current events and evoke a particular past. Offering detailed analyses of individual cenotaphs and engaging with art historical and epigraphic evidence, as well as ethnography and ritual, this book locates the chatr s within their original social, political, and religious milieux. It also compares the chatr s to other Rajput arts to understand how arts of different media targeted specific audiences." Contents 8 Acknowledgments 12 A Note on Transliteration 15 Chronological Chart of Rajput and Other Dynasties 16 List of Illustrations 18 Introduction: Rajputs and Their Royal Umbrellas 24 Sources and Structure of the Book 52 Rituals: The Chatrī as Politically Charged Performative Space 46 The Commemorated: Public Ancestors and the Deified Deceased 42 Origins of the Chatrī 37 The King is Dead, Long Live the King! “Invented Tradition” and Memorialization in North Indian Kingship 32 An Indic Iconography of Extraordinariness: Umbrellas in South Asian Art 31 Chapter 1 56 Interrupted Continuities: The Chatrīs of the Kachhwaha Rajputs of Amber and Jaipur 56 Building a Kachhawaha Paradigm: Rājā Man Singh 59 Sibling Rivalry and Contested Authority: Mahārājā Sawai Jai Singh II’s Chatrī in Jaipur 72 The Temple-Chatrī of Ishwari Singh, the Suicide King 84 A Triumphal Homecoming: The Frieze Program on Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II’s Chatrī 93 Anonymous Memorialization: The Chatrīs of the Kachhwaha Queens 111 Conclusion 115 Chapter 2 116 Keeping Up with the Kachhwahas: The Chatrīs of the Narukas of Alwar, the Dadu Panthis, and the Shekhawati Merchants 116 The Chatrīs of the Narukas of Alwar 118 The Chatrī as a Legitimizer of Sacred Authority: Memorializing the Dadu Panthis 138 Shardul Singh and the Pāñch Pannā System in Jhunjhunu, Shekhawati 144 Memorializing the Nouveaux Riches: Baniya Chatrīs in Shekhawati 149 Conclusion 157 Chapter 3 160 A Deceptive Message of Resistance: Nostalgia and the Early Jodha Rathores’ Renaissant Devals 160 The Pratihara Paradigm 162 Rājā Udai Singh’s “Two Hats”: Politics and Memorialization at Mandore 166 The Mandore Devals and Marwari Public Pitrs 180 Parallels in Seventeenth-Century Marwari Painting 189 Conclusion 194 Chapter 4 196 Shifting Allegiances, Shifting Styles: Later Jodha Rathore Memorials 196 Mahārājā Ajit Singh, the Sisodia Past, and the Maru-Gurjara-Renaissant-Style Devals at Mandore 197 Same Message, Different Media: Ajit Singh’s Other Commissions 204 Mixed Messages: Art and Politics under Mahārājā Abhai Singh 210 Man Singh, the Naths, and the Mahārājā’s Thaṛa 218 Jaswant Thara: The “Taj of Jodhpur” and the Memorialized Jodha Rathores under the Raj 225 Conclusion 235 Chapter 5 236 Devi Kund Sagar: The Iconography of Satī and Its Absence in Bikaner’s Chatrīs 236 The Mughal Model 238 Gendered Paradigms in Bika Rathore Funerary Art 241 The Iconography of Eternal Union 251 Lakshminath’s Divine Darbār 258 Monuments, Memorials, and the Politics of Restoration under Mahārājā Ganga Singh 261 Conclusion 269 Chapter 6 271 Eklingji’s Divine Darbār: The Sisodia Chatrīs of Mewar 271 The Art of Propaganda: The Sisodias’ Invented Tradition of Resistance 271 Eklingji and Sisodia Political Legitimacy 281 Eklingji’s Eternal Dīvāns at Mahasatiya 285 Conclusion 302 Chapter 7 304 Conclusion: Beyond Rajasthan 304 Memorializing Marathas in Their New Capitals 305 Claiming Sikh Space in Lahore: Mahārājā Ranjit Singh’s Samādhi 310 The Living Chatrī Tradition 318 Glossary 322 Bibliography 330 Index 340 "In Royal Umbrellas of Stone : Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art, Melia Belli Bose provides the first analysis of Rajput chatrīs ('umbrellas'; cenotaphs) built between the sixteenth to early-twentieth centuries. New kings constructed chatrīs for their late fathers as statements legitimacy. During periods of political upheaval patrons introduced new forms and decorations to respond to current events and evoke a particular past. Offering detailed analyses of individual cenotaphs and engaging with art historical and epigraphic evidence, as well as ethnography and ritual, this book locates the chatrīs within their original social, political, and religious milieux. It also compares the chatrīs to other Rajput arts to understand how arts of different media targeted specific audiences"--Provided by publisher "In Royal Umbrellas of Stone : Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art, Melia Belli Bose provides the first analysis of Rajput chatris ('umbrellas'; cenotaphs) built between the sixteenth to early-twentieth centuries. New kings constructed chatris for their late fathers as statements legitimacy. During periods of political upheaval patrons introduced new forms and decorations to respond to current events and evoke a particular past. Offering detailed analyses of individual cenotaphs and engaging with art historical and epigraphic evidence, as well as ethnography and ritual, this book locates the chatris within their original social, political, and religious milieux. It also compares the chatris to other Rajput arts to understand how arts of different media targeted specific audiences"--Provided by publisher In Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art, Melia Belli Bose provides the first analysis of Rajput chatrīs ('umbrellas'; cenotaphs) built between the sixteenth to early-twentieth centuries. New kings constructed chatrīs for their late fathers as statements of legitimacy. During periods of political upheaval patrons introduced new forms and decorations to respond to current events and evoke a particular past. Offering detailed analyses of individual cenotaphs and engaging with art historical and epigraphic evidence, as well as ethnography and ritual, this book locates the chatrīs within their original social, political, and religious milieux. It also compares the chatrīs to other Rajput arts to understand how arts of different media targeted specific audiences. Chronological chart of Rajput and other dynasties -- Introduction: Rajputs and their royal umbrellas -- Interrupted continuities : the chatris of the Kachhwaha Rajputs of Amber and Jaipur -- Keeping up with the Kachhwahas : the chatris of the Narukas of Alwar, the Dadu Panthis, and the Shekhawati merchants -- A deceptive message of resistance : nostalgia and the early Jodha Rathores' renaissant devals -- Shifting allegiances, shifting styles : later Jodha Rathore memorials -- Devi Kund Sagar : the iconography of sati and its absence in Bikaner's chatris -- Eklingji's divine darbar : the Sisodia chatris of Mewar -- Conclusion: Beyond Rajasthan -- Glossary 299 In Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art , Melia Belli Bose provides a detailed analysis of Rajput cenotaphs known as chatrī s (Lit: ""umbrellas"")