Narnaul

The main town of the district of Mahendragarh, Narnaul dates back to the Mahabharata as Nar Rashtra according to legend. Another one puts it to be about 900 years old, where lions roamed free in jungles and thus the name Naharnaul (lion’s fear).

There’s one more – one Raja Launkaran named it Narlaun after his wife. Whichever one you choose to believe, today its called Narnaul so we’ll call it that too.

Sher Shah Sur, the Afghan king who came in from Bihar and shook the foundations of the Mughal dynasty, was born here. His father, Hasan Khan, was engaged in the services of emperor Jahangir and was the jagirdar of Narnaul. While Akbar ruled, he established a mint here, churning out coins for the masses. The religious Satnamis revolted against Aurangzeb’s envoy in Narnaul so severaly that the emperor himself came down to quash the revolt.

When the Mughal dynasty disintegrated, the town was taken over by the Rajputs and became a part of Jaipur. However, after the failed Uprising of 1857 against the British, Narnaul passed into the hands of the ruler of Patiala, Maharaja Narinder Singh, for helping the Britishers.

Excursion
Jal Mahal
A building surrounded on all sides by water, was built by Shah Quli Khan, an officer of Akbar and the ruler of Narnaul, in1591. It represents a synthesis of Persian and Indian architecture and stands at the centre of a large water tank (now dry). The approach through the water was via a causeway from the north which opens through an arched entrance. The main building is surrounded by four minarets which have stairways leading right to the top. However, the lower chambers have by now disintegrated and no trace of them can be found.

Tomb of Pir Turkman
A tomb-cum-mosque complex, it belongs to a muslim saint caslled Hazarat Turkman who setteled in these parts in the 12th century much to the dislike of local Rathore chiefs. The original tomb is capped by a dome, but the pillared verandah was built by the British much later. Additions to the tomb were common even during the Mughal period.

Tomb of Ibrahim Khan Sur
This tomb is a tribute by Sher Shah Sur, the ruler of Bengal and later Hindustan, for his grandfather Ibrahim. The Sur who lies here served as the administrative officer Narnaul, and the monument was created by Sher Shah’s personal architect Sheikh Ahmad Niyazi. The tomb is a perfect example of the Pathan style of those times.

Chor gumbad
The Chor gumbad is affectionately called the `signboard’ of the town. Standing majestically and isolated upon a rock in the north of the town, this gumbad is a well pplaned square building with a large chamber within and four minarets outside at each corner. Constructed by the Afghan Jamal Khan (as his tomb) during the reign of Feroze Shah Tughlaq, it became a hideout for robber and thieves, thus earning its name (chor means thief).

Tripolia gateway
Constructed by Shah Quili Khan in 1589 as the main entrance to a garden, the gate has three sides. The Khan’s octagonal tomb (built in red and grey sandstone) and Islam Quili Khan’s lie within the garden complex, named Aram-i-Kausa by Quili Khan. The gate itself is built from broken down masonry.

Chatta Rai Bal Mukund Das
A large palace built by Rai Bal Mukund Das, the diwan of Narnaul during Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. This five-storey building has a number of halls, rooms and pavillions, and the Diwan-e-Khas (inner chambers) flaunts marble floors and pillars. Fountains and springs (they don’t work anymore) were made to keep the building as well as the surrounding area cool in summer, the water being sucked in from a well in the southwest. The Persian wheel was used to lift water into reservoirs at various levels from this well so that water could flow down at great speed. The underground chambers (now eaten away) are believed to have had three layers wher light streamed in throughout the day and had tunnels which lead directly to Delhi, Jaipur and Mahendrgarh. Only a basement remains today.

Mirza Ali Jan’s Baoli
This water well or baoli was built by Mirza Ali Jan and can be found towards the northwest of Narnaul. The Mirza was the nawab of Narnaul while Akbar ruled. The baoli is surrounded by a mass of water called Chotta Barwa talaab, and the main structure of the building is shaped like a huge arched gateway carrying a takhat (bed) with a chattri (umbrella) on top. The decorated chattri is supported by eight pillars from where steps lead right down to a well.

Mandir Chamunda Devi
It is believed that Raja Naun Karan the ruler of the area was a devotee of Chamunda Devi. He constructed a temple of the Devi at the bottom of a hill. This temple is in the heart of the city. After the fall of the regime of Raja Naun Karan, this area came under the control of the Mughals. They built a mosque named as Jama Masjid, the biggest masjid at Narnaul on the temple of Chamunda Devi. After Independence, the people of this town started digging and found the temple in torn condition. This temple is now one of the most important and is visited by the people of the town and a big fair is held on the occasion of Ram Naumi.

Modawala Mandir
The temple of Lord Shiva is situated at Narnaul-Rewari road near New Bus Stand. This is the only temple of this area where every member of the Hindu family comes for the worship of Lord Shiva and other Hindu deities. A big fair is held here on the occasion of Raksha Bandan.

A brief history of this temple is that tb ere was a khet (agricultural land) and a man who was ploughing the land saw the Shiv ling during ploughing. He heard a voice during sleep that he is the Lord Shiva and a temple be constructed here for the benefit of the people. Thus, this temple was built and is now a place of worship. It is the firm belief of the people of the area that every desire is fulfilled by Lord Shiva provided if he is worshipped or named by heart.

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