The city is a great intduction
to princely Gujarat-a former Nawabi
capital, filled with palaces, minarets
and colonial period buildings. A
short distance from Girnar, Junagadh
was the historic capital of the
Mauryan and Gupta dynasties upto
the 5th century AD, the Chudasama
Rajputs in the 9th-15th century,
the governors of Sorath appointed
by the Mughal empire in the 17th
century, and finally the Babi Nawab
dynasty upto 1947.
The city is dominated by the Uparkot fort,
which rises from a hill, with old palaces,
Buddhist caves, stepwell, tanks, moats and
huge battlemented walls. The 2 maqbara complexes,
the old palace(part of it is now the Darbarhall
museum), the Junagadh museum, Narsinh Mehta
choro and Sakkarbagh zoological park are other
attractions of Junagadh.
For some inexplicable reason ignored by travel
operators and FIT tourists, Junagadh offers
a tremendous variety of monuments, museums
and wildlife, and a unique at mosphere of
the Nawabi period like a miniature Hyderabad.
The name itself evokes visions of old
forts and medieval walls, palaces and tombs.
And yet it seems almost paradoxical, that
Junagadh is best known neither for the majestic
Uparkot fortress which still dominates the
city nor for the newer walled city of the
Nawabi period, but for it's association
with emperor Ashoka, who relinquished warfare
after witnessing death and destruction during
the battle of Kalinga and carved inscriptions
preaching the Buddhist philosophy of ethical
conquest rather than military conquest.
ASHOKA'S
ROCK EDDICTS
One of the major sets of rock eddicts of
Ashoka is still legibly inscribed on a rock
on the outskirts of Junagadh, and protected
by an archaelogical survey of India building.
The inscriptions were reported in 1822 by
Todd, but really came to light only in 1837
when Rev. Dr John Wilson copied them and
in 1843 when the Royal Asiatic society published
them in the Bombay branch journal. The 16
principals preach virtues like matery of
the senses, purity of thought, gratitute,
devotion, self control, secular thinking
and kindness, while oposing animal sacrifice
and greed. They speak of his repentance
for death and destruction caused during
wars waged by him, his pilgrimages and his
attempts to send people around the realm
to preach the principles of non violence.Another
famous peace maker in the historic annals
of Junagadh is the religious poet Narsinh
Mehta who dwelt here from 1414-1480 AD.
His shrine can still be seen in the city,
and his portrait stands alongside one of
Mahatma Gandhi in the railway stati.
NAWABI
PALACES
But by the middle of the 19th century,
peace reigned under the British umbrella,and
the Nawabs moved down from Uparkot,
and started built the walled sections
of Junagadh, which is still a picturesque
city with monuments and gardens. The
Nawabs depended for their state's
development on assisitance from the
British colonial rulers, and in consequence
the preffered style of architecture
was Venetian Gothic, as can be seen
from the palaces and the public institutions-clock
towers, schools, bazaars, hospitals,
city gates, district court, prison
and most of all, the imposing Bahauddin
college. The buildings have thick
walls, carvings, cornices and elegant
columns outside, while the interiors
had wall paintings and stucco or canvas
false ceilings. The 160 sq foot hall
of the Bahuddin college is noted for
it's wood carvings seen on the timber
roof, the galleries and the carved
brackets, the Sardar bagh palace for
it's stucco carvings and the Rang
mahal palace for it's fancy canvas
ceiling.
One
of the best examples of the palace architecture
of this period is the City palace near the
Uparkot, which dates from 1870 Ad whose darbarhall
is now a museum which has attempted to recreate
with some success, the glory of 19th century
Nawabi Junagadh. I found the darbarhall to
be a showpiece of the period, when the Nawabi
rule was at it's zenith, with silver plated
thrones, fine carpets and huge chandeliers,
but the tube lights mar the atmosphere-a real
let down when there are so many chandeliers
which could be used to illuminate the room.
From here, I proceeded to the collection of
howdahs and palanquins, which enhance the
royal ambience, the prize exhibit being an
exquisitely carved silver plated howdah with
silver mer6maids at the corners and a silver
tiger gaurding the velvet cushioned seats.
In another room, the carpets and other textiles
make an impressive spectacle- there is a red
silk carpet set with diamonds like stars of
a crimson sky, and some carpets lavishly embroidered
with go thread. The royal armoury exhibits
Nepalese Kukris, armour, turtle shell shields,
swords, daggers, medieval weapons, rifles
and period hand guns. Throughout the palace
museum, you find royal portraits and paintings.
Outside the city palace is partially burnt
but offers a glimpse of it's old patrician
architecture. The Willingdon dam at
Uparkot fort came up during the Nawabi
period.
MAQBARA
The older complex of maqbaras (mausoleoms)
of the Nawabs of Junagadh, located
near Chitkana chowk offer some remarkable
18th century architecture with vertical
columns, delicate carved arches, cornices
and domes in a range of sizes, the
whole accentuated by a wealth of brilliant
stone carvings. The newer complex,
near the town gates, is even more
impressive and attractive, besides
being better maintained. The naya
Maqbara complex was started by Mahabat
Khanji in 1878, completed in 1892
by his successor, Bahadur Khanji,
and enshrined also Rasul Khanji in
1911 ADThe complex includes the mausoleom
of Baha-ud-din, minster of Nawab Rasul
Khanji, which has an almost funfairish
flamboyance-4 minarets with pirouetting
spiral staircases, a facade rich in
stone carvings, beautiful silver doors
and large sized domes mark the architecture
of this tomb of the great minister
in the Nawabi court, titled Vazir-e-azam.
Beside the maqbaras is the Jumma mosque,
dated to 1886-97 which has geometric
rows of coloured pillars leading to
a cool marble minbar, and an Islamic
religious school.
OTHER
NAWABI PERIOD MONUMENTS
Roaming around the streets of Junagadh look
for a number of old havelis, known for their
jarokhas (intricately bracketed balconies)
and wood carvings and the town gates including
the Majevdi gate, the Junagadh gate near the
new Maqbara cluster and the Reay gate, an
imposing 2 storeyed cresent archway with domes
and minarets. The New Bazaar and the Sardar
bagh garden are other reminders of the Nawabi
period
