Songs play a constant part in the daily lives of Indians, from background tunes in a neighboring home to a playlist that completes a taxi ride. The most popular and beloved songs are the ones that describe love: verses that recount a fairy tale, or movie songs where the love of the main characters is compared to legendary tales of kings and queens. The poetry shines with the message that unwavering faith in love can conquer everything! Many ancient stories deal with different themes of royalty, battles of power and ego, the choice between ambition or ethics, and wars waged for land, kingdom, or an incomparable queen. One such special tale resides in a town, a story about a king, a queen, and a fort. This tale is not collected or archived in books of history. The locals have kept it alive through their versions of the anecdote, remnants of a fort and temple adding some validation to the fascinating story.
It is a tale as old as time: “A beautiful, pious queen who had a tragic fate, a king who could not accept her independence.” This story resembles the incidents one finds in newspapers or social media daily. Men tend to control women. They find it hard to accept that women can follow their choices. Although history (or “his-story”) tends to be biased towards kings rather than documenting the lives of queens, it always carries the opportunity to learn and improve the present.
Akola is a dry, arid town in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. For some, it may not fit the vision of an ideal tourist place. The populace, however, is faithful to the local temple. The Raj Rajeshwar Temple is so popular that some people call the city Rajeshwar Nagari. Today, this Shiva temple is part of the Akola fort or the Asadgadh fort. As the city stands today in a drought-prone region, it is hard to believe that it was once a part of the famous Dandakaranya with lush tree cover, probably a passing path for the Ramayana trio during their vanvas. The temple was originally built as a shivling in dense forests. As per the District Census Handbook of Akola, “no mention of Akola is available in historical records till 1658 when Aurangzeb ascended the throne of Delhi . . . as no exploration or archaeological excavation has yet been undertaken in this district, there is no definite information about its prehistoric and protohistoric periods.” Such is the history of this city, relying on anecdotes that locals remember with fondness while the remaining ruins at the fort continue to enchant visitors.
The tale of Raj Rajeshwar Temple is the one that has survived the longest. Akol Singh, or Akoli Raja, was the king who made the town, lending the place his name. His queen was a dedicated visitor of the shivling and often went to the temple in the late hours to offer prayer. The king became suspicious, and one day, he followed the queen with a sword in his hand. Believing that the queen was immoral, the king was prepared to kill her the moment he caught her red-handed. The queen was a regular visitor to the temple and knew the path. She noticed that someone was following her. Seeing the king with his sword, she felt her fate was sealed. She rushed to the shivling and prayed to Lord Shiva to help her. She asked him for refuge as she had nothing except for true devotion to him. She was also anguished that her husband could believe her to be disloyal. The shivling split open, like earth opening her womb, and the queen jumped in. By the time the king reached, he could only see a piece of cloth and a crack on the shivling. Another version of the story revolves around locals from the village near the forest. In a different narrative, the queen steps out of the fort for illicit reasons and prays to the shivling to save her. In one version, the king repents his decision and lives a sore life after the disappearance of the queen. Stories that capture the individuality of women are always timeless.
If you visit the temple today, you shall either notice a photo of a piece of cloth protruding from the shivling. A local may even show you the crack on the shivling. Plus, you shall come across a different version of the story. The fort, which lies in a ruinous state in the present-day temple, has inscriptions pointing to many details about its establishment. The Dahihanda gate and the bastion will tell you that it was constructed in 1114 AH or 1697 AD by Asad Khan. Akola, then a small town compared to the neighboring richer Balapur, was known as Akola Balapur. Asad Khan received the town as jagir from Aurangzeb and built the fort, which would be called Asadgadh. Few archaeological records and a district handbook mention that it was a notable fort in the second Anglo-Maratha war, serving as a camping ground for General Arthur Wellesley in 1803. It is believed that the British destroyed the fort in 1870. However, a source dating to 1910 reveals that the central portion of the fort was supposedly used as a school.
Most locals may not have visited the fort at all, but they are familiar with the tragic story of the queen. It is another testament to the power of stories and how they bring vivacity to built heritage.
Pictures:
1.Raj Rajeshwar Temple
2. Akola Fort
References:
- Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1924-45 https://archive.org/stream/annualreportofth030750mbp/annualreportofth030750mbp_djvu.txt
- District Census Handbook, Akola
About the Author:
Aishwarya Lahariya
Aishwarya is a circular textile entrepreneur. She is a chemist/scientist by profession. She calls herself a part-time creative who loves to write. When not involved with her start-up, she is either writing her blog, leading her zero-waste project at home or playing catch up on unread books
