BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA | 19 MAY 2025
Speaking at a thought seminar held today at the Rajasthan Information Center auditorium in the City of Joy, Kolkata, Mr. Hinglaj Dan Ratnoo, the officer in-charge (OC) of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) , passionately expressed his views on Amer Naresh Maharaja Man Singh ji. He elaborated on the life and contributions of Jaipur King Maharaja Shri Man Singh Ji and said that Maharaja Man Singh Ji was truly a radiant sun of Sanatan Dharma and culture.
“The work he undertook to protect religion will forever be inscribed in golden letters in Indian history. Upholding the flag of Dharma, his legacy will continue to inspire future generations,”he added.
Mr. Ratnoo, while giving a comprehensive account of the life and character of Amer Naresh Maharaja Man Singh Ji, mentioned that in the near future, a few scholars from the Jaipur royal family will soon visit Kolkata to study records related to Maharaja Ji at the Asiatic Society and Jalan Library.
More than a hundred scholars and intellectuals from Metropolitan city of Kolkata attended today’s seminar. The welcome speech was delivered by Mr. Sanjay Binani, in which he quoted, “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah” (Religion protects those who protect it).
Other speakers included eminent editor and journalist, Mr. Bishambhar Newar, Dr. A.N. Trivedi, Dr. Durga Vyas, Sarveshwar Singh, industrialist Mr.Prahlad Rai Goenka, author Mr. Ratan Shah, Neha Chatterjee, Rajendra Kedia, Bulaki Das Mimani, Anil Jain, Kisan Killa, and Madan Agrawal.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Vishwanath Chandak.
Maharaja Man Singh Ji has brought Shila Devi from Jessore (Bangladesh) and established the idol in the Amer Palace.He built many temples and ghats in Kashi (Varanasi).The Man Ghat on the banks of the Ganga is very famous.
After defeating five tribal clans of Afghanistan, he created the five-colored (Panchrang) flag of the Amer kingdom using the colors of their five banners. Earlier, the flag was white with an image of a tree on it.
Even today in Afghanistan, women put their children to sleep by saying:
“Sleep quickly or Man Singh will come!”
He brought cannon-making experts from Afghanistan to Amer and had cannons made by them.Even today, the world’s largest cannon made under his command is preserved in the Jaigarh Fort.He established many places named Man Singhpura.
The ruler of Puri was Kutlu Khan, who had banned the entry of Hindus into Puri.
His intention was to destroy the Jagannath Temple.To free Puri from the Afghans, Maharaja Man Singh first sent a Prince,later, he himself went and defeated and drove out Kutlu Khan.He handed over the kingdom of Puri to the local king and saved one of our sacred pilgrimage sites.
A unique quality of Maharaja Man Singh Ji was that whenever he freed a kingdom from non-believers (invaders or religious oppressors), he would not keep it for himself but would return it to the rightful local rulers.
The temple built by him at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar still exists today.
He renovated temples that were destroyed by the Mughals.
Due to his strong influence, the Mughals did not dare to destroy even a single temple in the Dhundhar region, while across the rest of India, many temples were razed to the ground.
It was also because of his dominance that the Mughals could not carry out religious conversions in this region.
During the Battle of Haldighati, when Rana Pratap was fighting against the Mughal army, his brother Shakti Singh, who was on the Mughal side, was persuaded by Maharaja Man Singh to give his horse to Rana Pratap so he could escape safely.
When Akbar came to know of this, he did not speak to Man Singh for six months and even banned him from entering the royal court.
Advertisement:
Add Comment