Devnarayan

Devnarayan was a ruler and Hindu deity from Rajasthan, India. He is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu and is worshipped primary in Rajasthan and northwestern Madhya Pradesh. He was born to Rawat Rao Sri Savai Bhoj Gurjar and Sadu mata in Chauhan gotra of the Gurjar community. The epic of Devnarayan is one of the longest and most popular religious oral narratives of Rajasthan. The epic of Devnarayan has been classified under the category of martial epics.

Devnarayan was a ruler and Hindu deity from Rajasthan, India. He is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu and is worshipped primary in Rajasthan and northwestern Madhya Pradesh. He was born to Rawat Rao Sri Savai Bhoj Gurjar and Sadu mata in Chauhan gotra of the Gurjar community. The epic of Devnarayan is one of the longest and most popular religious oral narratives of Rajasthan. The epic of Devnarayan has been classified under the category of martial epics. ==Early life== According to tradition he was in Malaseri Dungari, Asind city of Bhilwara district, Rajasthan to Sri Savai Bhoj and Sadu mata on the seventh day of the bright half (shukla saptami) of the month of Maagh in the Hindu Calendar in Vikram Samvat 968 (911 AD) in a Gurjar community. There are different views on his historical period. One view place him in the 10th century of the Vikram Samvat era, while another places him, between 1200 and 1400 (Vikram Samvat). The earlier date appears closer to the historical evidence. ==The narrative of Devnarayan== The oral epic of Devnarayan consists of a number of episodes related to the narrative of Devnarayan. This epic is sung by the Bhopas, the traditional priest-singers of Devnarayan during the nights of the months, November to July in the villages of Rajasthan and Malwa. The narrative begins with an invocation of a number of deities, whose images are depicted in the . The deities invoked are Sharada, Ganesha, Sarasvati, Maccha, Kacchap, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaman, Parashuram, Ram and Krishna Avatars of Vishnu, Bhairunath, Ramdev, Shani, Surya and Chandrama. The first part called the Bagaravat Bharat is about the heroic deeds of 24 Bagaravat Gurjar brothers, who are born as the sons of the man-lion, Baghji Gurjar. The 24 brothers die after a preordained period of 12 years in a battle against a chieftain of Ran city. The second part is about Bhagavan's incarnation as Devnarayan, the miracles he performs and the revenge he and his cousins ultimately take on the Ran city chieftain. Devnarayan's mother is Sadu Mata and his father Savai Bhoj, the most courageous of the 24 Bagaravats. Whereas the first part is generally said to be marked by suffering (dukh), pain, and death, the second is marked by the reunion, miracles and divine testimony (parcyo). The second part, thus entails a reversal of the first part: death and defeat are followed by birth and creation, finally resulting in the establishment of Devnarayan's image amongst his followers. ==Devnarayan shrines and phad== The principal shrine of Devnaryan is located at Sawai Bhoj near Asind town, the battlefield of Bagravat Bharat. Other significant shrines are at Demali, which is believed as the earliest shrine founded by Devnarayan himself and Malasari, where Devnarayan was born. Devnarayan is worshiped in these shrines in the form of an upright row of large sized bricks. The bricks are often kept bare, but sometimes the multi-colored tinsel is pasted over them. Another significant shrine of Devnarayan is located at Jodhpuriya near Mashi dam in Tonk district. Two fairs are organized each year near this shrine. Rana Sanga of Mewar was great devotee of Shri Devnarayan Gurjar and he is said to have built a temple in memory of Deoji. ===Devnarayan phad=== Devnarayan is also worshiped by the Gurjar Bhopas, the priest-singers by means of a scroll known as phad, depicting various episodes of the narrative of the life of Devnaryan. This scroll, Devnarayan phad, is used as a mobile temple and the Bhopas carry it with them. The Joshi families of Bhilwara and Shahpura are the traditional artists of the . A phad consists of an image of Devnarayan in the attire of a king seated on his "python" throne in his court faced by the serpent king Basak and his four cousins at the centre. The whole phad is painted with various scenes related to the narrative of Devnarayan according to a traditional scheme. No place is left vacant. These are normally about 30 feet in length. One of the earliest surviving Devnarayan phad is in the collection of Rupayan Sansthan, the Rajasthan Institute of Folklore in Jodhpur. This phad is signed by Surajmal and Bagtavarchand and dated Vikram Samvat 1924 (1867). A Bhopa, usually erects the phad shortly after nightfall in the villages where he is invited to sing different episodes from the epical narrative of Devnarayan in front of the phad during the (night-wakes). Before the performance begins, the ground beneath is swept clean, incense is burnt and the offerings of grains and money are made in front of the phad. During the performance, a jantar (a type of fretted veena with two resonators of gourd or wood) is played to accompany the songs. Usually, there are two Bhopas who recite the epic, one is the main Bhopa, the Patavi, and the other is his assistant, the Diyala. When the Patavi Bhopa sings a particular episode of the epic, his junior partner, the Diyala Bhopa holds an oil lamp to illuminate the particular part of the phad, where the particular episode which is being sung is depicted. He also sings along with his senior partner some parts of the episodes. The phad of devnarayan ji issue a post ticket on 2 September 1992. ==Priests and temples== The Bhopas or priests of Devnaraya temples belong to the Gurjar ethnic community. Devnarayan is mainly worshiped by Gurjars in villages across East Gujarat, North Gujarat, Rajasthan, and western Madhya Pradesh. Devnarayana's temples are mostly found across Rajasthan, East Gujarat, North Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. These all temples were built by the Gurjars in these states. In January 2023, during the 1111th birth anniversary of Lord Shri Devnarayan, Prime minister of India (Narendra Modi) announce the Devnarayan Corridor. Anniversary was held at Malaseri Dungri, situated in Bhilwara district, home to a famous Devnarayan temple. At this event nearly 3 lakh Gujjars from different Indian states took part, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh. ==Recognition== A commemorative stamp was issued by India post on 2 Sep 1992 of denomination 5 Indian rupee. A commemorative stamp was issued by India post on 3 Sep 2011 of denomination INR 5. ==See also== Gurjara Gurjar Gurjara-Pratihara Gujari Gurjari (raga) Devmali History of Rajasthan ==References== ==Bibliography== Anandaram Phagana (1971, in Hindi Month Falgun Vikram samvat, 2027). Bagrawat Bharat -Veer Gurjar Utpatti, Archana Prakashan, Ajmer. Borana, Ramesh (2004). Bagrawat Mahabharat, Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy, Jodhpur. Chundawat, Laxmikumari (1977). Bagrawat Devnarayan Mahagatha, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi. Malik, Aditya (1993). Rajasthani Oral Epic of Devnarayan, New Delhi. Malik, Aditya (2005). Nector Gaze and Poison Breath: An Analysis and Translation of Rajasthani Oral Narrative of Devnarayan, New York: Oxford University Press, . Miller, Joseph Charles, Jr. (1994). The Twenty-four Brothers and Lord Devnarayan: The Story and Performance of a Folk Epic of Rajasthan, India, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. ==External links== Sri Devnarayan Katha by Aditya Malik (2007) a website on Devnaryan Phad Phad Paintings by Prakash Joshi Painted folklore and Folklore painters of India

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