Former Rawal of Salumber made a cut on his thumb and applied blood as ’tilak’ on Vishvaraj’s forehead.
Hours before clashes at the Udaipur Palace between the new Maharana of Mewar and his cousin Dr Lakshay Raj Singh Mewar, a five-hour-long coronation ceremony was held to officially declare BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar as the 77th Maharana after the death of Mahendra Singh Mewar. The ceremony took place on Monday morning at the Fateh Prakash Mahal in Chittorgarh – a tradition that goes back to when the Mewar dynasty owned and operated their kingdom from Chittorgarh.
The ceremony began with Vishvaraj Singh Mewar arriving at the Fateh Prakash Palace, dressed in ‘Rajput’ attire, along with a royal entourage. In a video, the new Maharana can be seen walking on a carpet of flowers. He performed a ‘havan’ or ritual pyre, performed on special occasions by burning grains and ghee.
The Rawal of Salumber, Devrat Singh – belonging to a noble family who were descendants of the Chunda family – held the Maharana’s hand and led him to the throne. After this, the former Rawal of Salumber used a knife to make a small cut on his own thumb and applied the blood as a ’tilak’ on Vishvaraj Singh’s forehead – symbolising loyalty and sacrifice. This is a centuries-old tradition followed by the royal family. During this time, priests chanted Vedic mantras and a 21-gun salute was given to the newly-throned Maharana.
How did the clashes start?
As a part of the tradition, Vishvaraj Singh decided to seek the blessings of his family deity and wanted to visit the Dhuni Mata temple in the palace complex, and the Ekling Shiv Temple about 50 km from Udaipur, both managed by the trust run by his uncle – Arvind Singh Mewar. However, when the new Maharana reached the palace, its gates were shut.
A notice refusing unauthorised entry to the palace was put up on Monday morning, and Vishvaraj Singh was turned away.
This incident angered his supporters, following which six vehicles of Vishvaraj Singh Mewar’s convoy reached the palace and tried to break down the barricades put up by the administration in an effort to get close to the city palace gates.
Visuals also showed the two parties – one representing the Vishvaraj Singh camp and another supporting his uncle Arvind Singh Mewar – coming facing to face and throwing stones at each other.
Several hours of clashes later, the new Maharana asked his supporters to return home early Tuesday.
“The situation that we see today is unfortunate…I am grateful for your support. On one side are properties, but there are also traditions where we seek blessings. This is wrong as far as traditions and society norms are concerned,” he said.
