खंगार क्षत्रियों के गौरवमयी इतिहास की जानकारी हेतु

Khangars (खंगार) or Khangaars (खांगर) are an ancient Kshatriya clan of Indian origin.They ruled large areas of Bundelkhand after the fall Chandels in 1182 AD. Their seat of power was at Garh Kundar, a splendid fort built by Maharaja Khet Singh Khangar.

During Khangar rule, Bundelkhand was called as ‘Jujhauti’ implying the land of warriors. Khangars ruled Jujhauti from their capital at Garh Kundar till the middle of 14th century AD. The story of decline of Khangar empire is a saga of sacrifices, heroism and betrayal. It is said that the daughter of last Khangar king Maan Singh, whose name was Rajkumari Kesar Dei, was very beautiful. When Mohammad bin Tughlaq, the contemporary ruler of Delhi Sultanate, came to know about the beauty of Kesar Dei, he sent a marriage proposal to Maharaja Maan Singh Khangar, with a warning of bad consequences in case of refusal. It was a totally unacceptable thing for the proud Khangars, who vowed to fight the ill-intentions of Delhi sultan till the end. Mohammad Tughlaq got very annoyed at the adamancy of Khangars and sent a large army to attack and capture Garh Kundar.

A fierce battle ensued between sultan’s powerful army and brave warriors of Jujhauti. Many Khangar brave-hearts laid down their lives to save their honour, including the crown prince Bardai Singh and king Maan Singh himself. When it was known that Khangars would lose the war, Rajkumari Kesar Dei decided to jump into the holy fire and commit ‘jauhar’ along with other princesses. It was a fateful day of Chaitra month in 1347 AD. A large pool of fire was built by the chief priest of Khangar king, and into it jumped the brave Rajkumari Kesar Dei from a high platform. After her, other princesses also committed ‘Jauhar’ (a ritual of killing oneself by jumping into the fire, committed in medieval times by kshatriya and Rajput ladies to protect their honour). A few rock inscriptions have been found in the ruins of Garh Kundar that tell the story of Kesar Dei. The folk songs of Bundelkhand mention about the courage and sacrifice of ‘Jujhauti’ women.

Origin

Khangars are a sub-clan of Arkawanshi kshatriyas of Awadh (also called Arakhs). 'Arkawanshi' is the synonym of 'Suryawanshi'. After their evolution from Arkawanshi kshatriyas (Arakhs), Khangars developed as exogamous clan of Arakhs. ‘Khangar’ is derived from the word ‘Khangdhaar’, which can be broken as ‘Khang’ (meaning ‘sword’) + ‘Dhaar’ (meaning ‘to wield’). Thus, ‘Khangar’ implies ‘one who wields the sword'. Originating from Awadh the Khangars slowly moved to Bundelkhand and Bihar and from Bundelkhand, they spread across Rajasthan, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat. Some Khangars claim their descent from Yaduwanshi (Lunar line of kshatriyas) clan, but actually they originally belong to Suryavanshi clan of kshatriyas. The confusion of being Yaduwanshi arose probably because of intermixing with Lunar clans of kshatriyas at some point of time in history.

Orchha-Garh Kundar 

Orchha-Garh Kundar tour helps the tourists to explore the rustic charm of Madhya Pradesh. Garh Kundar is situated in Madhya Pradesh in the district of Tikamgarh. It is a small village, which is named after the Kundar fort. The name ‘Kundar’ is derived from ‘Kundarka’ (Kund + Arka, कुंड+अर्क). ‘Kund’ (कुंड) means ‘pond’ and Arka’ (अर्क) means ‘sun’. There was a pond in the village, built by ancient Arkawanshi rulers of the area. It is said that the people used to get rid of their skin diseases after bathing in the pond or the ‘Arka-kund’. The remnants of the pond can still be seen near the temple of ‘Gajanan Maa’

Kundar came into prominence after Maharaja Khet Singh decided to build his capital here, in 1180s AD. He captured the fortress of Jinagarh (जिनागढ़) from Chandelas, which was located here, and established his own state. After his death his grandson Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar built a splendid fort in place of Jinagarh fortress and named it ‘Garh Kundar’. Garh Kundar remained as the capital of Khangar kings till its capture by Mohammad Tughlaq’s army in 1347 A.D. Later it was handed over to Bundelas, who were feudatories of Mughals.

Garh Kundar is one of the picturesque sites in Madhya Pradesh and forms an important part of Orchha-Garh Kundar tour. Apart from the fort, it also possesses a number of sites that attracts many tourists from across the world. One can also come across the temple of Gajanan Maa, built by Maharaja Khub Singh and the temple of Giddha Vahini Devi in Garh Kundar. The forts, temples and ancient structures of Garh Kundar highlight the rich past of the territory.

Kundar came into prominence in 1180s with the decision of Khet Singh to build his capital at this site. Khet Singh annexed the Jinagarh fortress of the Chandelas and established his own capital. Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar, the grandson of Khet Singh, built a fort in place of the fortress after the death of his grandfather. This fort built by Maharaja Khub Singh was named 'Garh Kundar'. It remained the capital of the Khangar kings, until it was captured by Mohammad Tughlaq. Garh Kundar passed on to Bundelas, who were the vassals of the Mughals.

The fort is one of the principal attractions in Garh Kundar. It is a magnificent complex with a large, spacious courtyard. The fort also possesses few inscriptions on its pillars. One can also come across beautiful flooring.

Maharaja Khet Singh

The main hero of Khangar clan was Maharaja Khet Singh, who was a friend and an associate of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Khet Singh was with Prithavi Raj in all his ventures, including Chandel-Chauhan war and twin battles of Tarain (in 1191 and 1192 AD) with Muhammad Ghori. After the defeat of Chauhans in the second battle of Tarain at the hands of Turks, Khet Singh established an independent Khangar state in Bundelkhand (named as ‘Jejak Bhukti’ by the Chandels). His grandson Khub Singh built the grand fort of Kundar and named it ‘Garh Kundar’. The ruins of Garh Kundar are still standing in the Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, quietly telling the story of Khangars. On December 27 and 28, every year, a festival is held at Garh Kundar to commemorate the heroic deeds of Maharaja Khet Singh.
 

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Others facts

Khangars are also known by different names as Khungar, Khengar, Khagar, Khangdhar and Rai Khangar. They also use the title ‘Mirdha’ meaning ‘the warrior’. The other titles used by Khangars are 'Rai', 'Khadagwanshi', 'Thakur', 'Parihar', 'Bachhgoti', 'Mandal' (used by Khangars living in Bihar), etc.

Sahodara Bai Rai (also referred to as Subhadra Bai), a brave lady of Khangar clan, actively took part in Goa revolution of 1950s against Portuguese rulers, under the banner of Congress. While leading a procession of women revolutionaries, with Indian tricolor in her hand, she was fired upon by the Portuguese soldiers. She bravely bore the bullets but did not let the tricolor fall down. Her bravery impressed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru so much that he made her an important leader of the Indian National Congress. A women’s polytechnic in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh has been named after her, by the government, as a mark of respect to her.