Ranak Devi Mandir

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IN the town of Wadhwan there is a notable little shrine raised to the memory of Ranik Devi who, rather than prove false to her dead husband, immolated herself here upon the bank of the little stream, the Bhogava . The story is one of many that are told to the glory and honour of Rajput women, and will never be forgotten in this land of chivalry. Ra Khengar of Junagadh, taking advantage of the absence of his enemy, the great Siddharaja of Anhillavada-Pattan, on an expedition against Malwa, attacked his capital, and, on his way back, carried off the betrothed bride of that king, Ranik Devi, the daughter of Devra Rajput of Kalri, and married her. Siddharaja thereupon led an army into Kathiawad where he carried on a twelve years war, and finally slew Ra Khengar, carrying off Ranik Devi to Wadhwan. “ Ranik Devee, when she was seized by Sidh Raj, was not aware that her husband had been slain, but thought that he was a prisoner. On their arrival at Wadhwan Sidh Raj told her that he had killed her husband, and sought to induce her to marry him. She, however, refused to enter his female apartments, and threatened to curse him, ‘sut’ having come upon her, if he did not give up her husband. Sidh Raj was terrified, and caused the corpse to be given to her; he asked, also, what expiation he could make for his offence. Ranik Devee said, ‘Build me a temple in this place, and your throne shall stand firm, but as you have slain my children, I lay this curse upon you, you shall die without a son to succeed you.’ She then followed her husband through the flames.”

Such was the origin of this little shrine; and, as if in keeping with the pure life of this Rajputni, the walls, in their simple elegance, are devoid of any exuberance of detail or meretricious ornament, the few bands of delicate string courses, judiciously applied, with the fine lace—like fretwork of the spire, just serving to emphasise the restful plain surfaces. Alas! the shrine, alone, now stands, the porch or hall, if it had one, having disappeared, so we cannot say how far this feature may have matched the rest in its beautiful simplicity. The doorway of the shrine is of the usual decorated type, with the principal gods in a row above the lintel, namely, Ganapati, Brahma, Siva (in centre) and Vishnu. Within the shrine, leaning against the back wall, where the original image would never have been placed, are two misshapen and red-leaded objects--two fearful libels, supposed to represent the beautiful but unfortunate queen of Ra Khengar. Since the day that she gave herself, a willing sati, to the flames, this spot has continued to be a favourite burning ground, and scores and scores of sculptured paliyas stand in rows, with, here and there, the dreadful sati symbol attesting the fidelity of other wives who have followed their husbands through the flames The heroes-—and they were, of course, all such-are immortalised upon the slabs in all their war paraphernalia, mounted upon the true Kathi charger. Sometimes the wife is shown, in the case of a sati, seated in the two-wheeled bullock carriage which carried her, in state, upon the first stage on her long journey to meet her lord in the regions beyond recall. Upon the fiery wings of the pyre her soul quickly completed the rest of the journey. Let us hope she was not disappointed at the other end. The stories that are told, with pride, of the Rajput woman, show that she was held in as high esteem as her warrior husband, and was quite as able and willing to bear any sacrifice for her gods, her country, or her lord.

The beautiful decorated string-courses round the walls are worth attention. The little chains, with bells, are a very happy addition. The more usual place for these is upon the shafts of pillars, where, hanging down the flutes, thev give them a dignified and distinguished appearance. Compare the kirtimukha face on these string-courses with the same upon the temple of Somanatha, or under the eaves of the temple of Surya at Somanatha-Pattan, and it will be seen what a great difference there is in their treatment. In the last two examples they are monotonous to a degree, but here the repetition does not assert itself so unpleasantly. It is so interwoven with soft easy-flowing arabesque, and smaller repetitions of itself, that it has a richness all its own. The hanging leaf pattern on the lowest course, and at the top of the walls, is as rich as it is unusual. Ganapati presides over the shrine doorway, and the present object of worship, within, is a small linga; and, as a complete antithesis to gentle womanhood, an image of the blood-thirsty and emaciated Kalika Mata also finds shelter with that of Ranik Devi.

From SOMNATHA AND OTHER MEDIAEVAL TEMPLES IN KATHIAWAD By Henry Cousens (1931) - Source

Some of the paliyas (memorial stones) near the mandir.

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