Gold Tazia of Jaipur Hindu King Sawai Ram Singh

Gold Tazia of Sawai Ram Singh in Jaipur

Dr. Mazhar Naqvi

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan province and ‘Pink City’ of India is known for its regal Muharram and participation of the Hindus in Taziadari. It is perhaps the only city in India where well-ornamented Tazias made of Gold and silver are taken out in maximum number.

The first gold Tazia was prepared on the orders of Sawai Raja Ram Singh almost two century ago. It is said that Jaipur ruler fell ill and could not be cured for a long time despite best possible treatment. Someone suggested him to take vow before a Tazia that he will install a gold Tazia if he gets rid of the disease. The vow evoked a positive response and Sawai Raja Ram Singh got the better of his ailment. A delighted ruler ordered preparation of gold Tazia weighing approx 100 Kgs and kept it for public viewing as a part of Muharram ceremonies in Jaipur.

Since then, every Muharram gold Tazia of Ram Singh is kept for five days and a large number of devotees assemble for its glimpse. They also take vow for fulfillment of their wishes. Inspired by the ruler, residents of Mahawatan and Julahaan areas also got prepared Tazias of gold and silver and began taking out them in Muharram processions. These Tazia are also heavy but their total weight is less than the one prepared by Sawai Ram Singh. All these Tazias go to Karbala but are not buried. The organizers bring them back after symbolic burial and keep them in tight security throughout the year.  

Tazia of Mustard(Sarson)

According to historians, Taziadari had started in Jaipur about 250 years ago and has remained uninterrupted.   Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh ascended the throne in 1835. A minor at the time, the administration of the State was conducted by the Minority Council however in lieu of his intelligence, arduous application of State affairs and great grasp of details of State administration he was invested with full powers even before attaining majority.The modernization of Jaipur, under the British influence, was first brought about by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. 

Sawai Raja Ram Singh

After Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, he is considered as the most enlightened of the Jaipur rulers. Besides being an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva,Ram singh was liberal in approach and respected rituals of all religions. He also pursued modern activities such as ballroom dancing, billiards, polo, badminton, kite flying etc. Ram Singh was the first Photographer Prince of India and the only one to start a formal course in Photography in an institution other than a photography studio. His personal studio or ‘photukhana’ (House of Photos)was filled the latest and best equipment of the time. A member of the Bengal photographic society and hired a Calcutta based English photographer, together, they recorded the building activities in Jaipur, the people, their costumes and culture.

Near Jaipur, every Muharram, a Hindu family builds an eco-friendly Tazia out of fresh mustard seeds for Shia Muslims in Sambhar, a town of 25,000 people about 80 km from the capital. The Agarwal Kayals family have been doing it for a century and a half, the tradition surviving the vagaries of the Hindu-Muslim relationship to stand as a tribute to communal harmony.

It was started as a gesture of thanksgiving by the family after the blessings of a peer (Muslim saint) answered its prayers for a child in the mid-19^th  century. The Agarwal Kayals own several businesses including salt-making, for which Sambhar and its salt lake are famous. “Although nobody can say why the green Tazia was considered the most apt for thanksgiving, most people in Sambhar, including the Hindus, consider it sacred. They make their children pass under the Tazia in the same way as Muslims,” says Satyanarain Mishra, a veteran lawyer of the town Sambhar. Among the colorful and artistic Tazias taken out by Shia Muslims in this small town, the green Tazia, made with freshly grown mustard seeds, speaks volumes of cordial relations between the two communities. Long before flower shops load their racks.The tradition started by Kayals have spread to other cities also.Tazia made of Mustard can be seen in Bikaner and other places of Rajasthan.

Read more at: News 18/Deccan Herald/The Telegraph/Photo Courtesy :Google Images