The Fall of the Maratha Empire
Table of Contents
At the height of its glory the Maratha Empire extended from Hariyana to Dharwara.
However, divisions occurred and the Maratha Empire was split into 5 parts:
- The Peshwas of Pune who were Brahmans
- The Bhonsles of Nagpur
- The Sindhias of Gwalior
- The Holkars of Indore
- Gackwads of Baroda
Temples were constructed after the death of Aurangzeb, as he never permitted the construction or renovation of temples in his lifetime.
About 175 years ago, Balaji Baji Rao renovated the temple buildings.
The bricks and style of architecture indicate that the temples there are not older than 250 years.
The influence of the Ramayana was great in this area, exemplified by the temple of Sita, Lava and Kush and the construction of Valmiki Ashram.
Valmiki lived near the Vindhya ranges and he did not have an ashram in Vrsnipura.
Vesnipura became Bithura through a process of philological metamorphosis.
From the Sanskrit, ‘Vrsnipura’ came Bishura in Shauraseni Prakrta, the ‘Bitthura’ in demi-Shauraseni 2,500 years ago, ‘Bitthura’ in old Avadhi 1,000 years ago, and ‘Bithura’ in present day Avadhii.
- It is a philological transformation covering about 4,000 years.
Normally, temples have 4 architectural styles:
- Rajawara
- Gauriiya
- Utkal
- Dravida
Here, there is a blending of Rajawara and Muslim styles with the latter having a tomb style of construction at the top.
In India, people started learning how to make bricks in the Pathan period.
But during the time of the Moghuls, people used a popular style of brick.
- It is an example of Persian influence on Indian architecture.
Gambuja or tomb style of construction became prevalent in the building of mosques, Mazaras and mausoleums between 500 and 750 years ago.
Gothic style of architecture became popular during the British period.
No visible construction here at Bithura is more than 750 years old, although the deities in the temple are older than that. if excavations are carried out here, the old historical city of Vranipura will be found.
Kanpur, Feb. 14, 1984
[Kanpur is the foremost industrial city of Uttar Pradesh. It In the foremost of cities of Avadhi civilisation, pessessing charac- teristics of medieval northern India. ]
Today, Baba visited Jajmau and the bird sanctuary of Nawabganj, situated 40 km. from Kanpur.
At Jajmau, on both sides of the road, there are mounds beside the Ganga river on which a mosque and a temple can be seen.
Baba said:
Maqdoom Shah, a famous Muslim yogi and aulia (saint) lived here little before Akbar.
On one side of the Ganga, a Muslim king ruled. On the other side, a Hindu king held the throne.
Kausal and Shravasti were situated on either sides of the Ganga in ancient times.
The name of the land on both sides of the Ganga was Kanyakubja and Kanyakubja Brahmans lived in the area.
The Muslims ruled over the whole territory during the time of Aurangzeb.
After examining a thin rough brick found here, Baba said:
Jajmau was not older than 500 years.
Here, on this side of Doab King Yayati Verman ruled.
His son, Amar Verman, was a notorious king and was despised by his subjects, who became supporters of the Nawab.
The kingdom was then destroyed. During that time the Pathans had not yet established themselves on the eastern side of the Ganga, but they were gradually advancing towards it.
The kingdom of Avadh covered both sides of the river.
At the Nawabganj bird-sanctuary, Baba said:
Flocks of birds came here from cold countries like Siberia, West Tibet, outer Mongolia, east Russia and northern China in the second half of October, and returned by the first half of March, as they cannot tolerate the heat of the summer season.
The birds lay their eggs here and when their young ones are able to fly, they return to their rspective habitats. Other flocks of birds fly to another sanctuary at Sundarban from cold places like eastern Tibet and inner Mongolia during the same season.
A third sanctuary exists in the district of Bharatpur of Rajas- than. However, the lake at Bharatpur is rapidly drying up and threatening the lives of the birds in the sactuary. Five factors are essential for a bird-sanctuary a lake, plants, a cold climate, aquatic weeds, and fishes and animals for food.
The lake may or may not be deep, but the site must possess these five factors. A lake attracts fish like ‘Rewa’ which, together with insects are readily available sources of food for birds and their progeny.
By some instinct the same birds come to the same sanctuary every year. This has been verified by putting a small band or ring around the birds’ legs and watching their migratory habits.
After the young hatch from their eggs, they are fed with insects and regurgitated food, and when they are strong enough they fly back to their original habitats with the rest of the flock.
Baba named the Nawabganj bird sanctuary “Nirbhaya Kanana.