IMAGE INDIA

Jaali, Laat Masjid, Dhar

Dhar's history dates to the time of the Paramara Rajas who ruled from 949-1088. The most famous of the Paramara Rajas was Raja Bhoja (1018-60) who was credited with considerable engineering prowess and was the architect of Bhojsagar - one of the largest artificial irrigation lakes of medieval India. Reputed to be a fine scholar, he was well educated in the sciences and the arts and was responsible for the commissioning of a university (Bhoj Shala) at Dhar and several monumental temples in the Malwa region, including one at Bhojpur which has a cast iron Shiva-Linga of very impressive proportions. Viewing town planning as an important aspect of government, he provided a detailed network of roads connecting villages and towns in his magnum opus, Somarangana Sutradhara.

In addition to a chapter on town planning, the Somarangana Sutradhara also included chapters on mechanical engineering, soil testing, orientation of buildings, the selection of building material, architectural styles, and the vertical and horizontal components of buildings.

After Dhar fell into the hands of Mandu's Afghan rulers, a grand mosque was built on the site of Raja Bhoj's university. In 1832, when the Peshwas defeated the Mughals in Central India, Dhar passed on to Anand Rao Pawar. Dhar was an important centre of national resistance during the First War of Independence in 1857. Nationalist forces which included Malwa's Bhils captured the fort of Dhar which remained in their possession from July to October, 1857. However, in the end, the British prevailed and after retaking the fort unleashed a vicious campaign of revenge against the people of Dhar. Civilians were dragged from their homes and killed, property was looted, and women were dishonoured. After the 1857 rebellion, Dhar was annexed by the British but restored to Anand Rao Pawar in 1860 untill the princely state merged with independant India in 1948.

Of the monuments that were built in this period, the Chhatris commemorating members of the Pawar royal family are notable. Some of the woodwork in the Chhatris is especially pleasing and the rendition of flowing creepers and stylized trees is particularly delicate.

For more about Dhar's history, and other heritage sites in the Dhar district, visit Gyandoot - a rural intranet provider for the Dhar district.

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^{Photographs:  Shishir Thadani}