Dhar

Dhār Fort

The historic parts of Dhar are dominated by an impressive sandstone fortress on a small hill. The fortress is thought to have been built by Muhammad bin Tughluq, the Sultan of Delhi, most likely on the site of the ancient Dharāgiri mentioned in early sources.[5] One of the gateways, added later, dates to 1684–85 in the time of 'Ālamgīr.[6] Inside the fort there is a deep rock-cut cistern of great age, and a later palace of the Mahārāja of Dhar that incorporates an elegant pillared porch from the Mughal period, possibly built in the mid-17th century. The palace area houses an outdoor museum with a small collection of temple fragments and images dating to medieval times.

Inside the fort, a large number of sculptures and antiquities from Dhar and its neighbourhood are kept in utilitarian buildings constructed in the late 19th century. Some pieces from the collection have been moved to Mandu where the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Archives has created a museum with a range of displays in the 'Barnes Koti', a Sultanate-period building used by Captain Ernest Barnes, the political agent of the Bhopawar agency.

On the overgrown ramparts of the medieval city, overlooking the old moat, is the tomb of Shaykh Abdullah Shāh Changāl, a warrior saint. The tomb has been rebuilt, with its original inscription now incorporated into the compound gate. The inscription is written in Persian and has been dated to 1455. As a record of historical interest, it recounts the Shaykh's arrival in Dhar and his conversion of Bhoja to Islām after locals committed an atrocity against the small Muslim community who had settled in the city.[7] The story does not so much refer to King Bhoja but to a rising interest in Bhoja's biography in the 15th century and the attempts made at that time to appropriate his legacy in Sanskrit and Persian literature.[8]

Lāṭ Masjid, interior, built in 1405.

The Lat Masjid, or 'Pillar Mosque', located to the south of the town, was built as the Jami' Mosque by Dilawar Khan in 1405.[9] It derives its name from the iron pillar of Dhar("lāṭ" in Hindi), which is believed to have been set up in the 11th century.[10][11] The pillar, which is nearly 13.2 m high according to the most recent assessment, has fallen and broken; the three surviving parts are displayed on a small platform outside the mosque. It carries an inscription recording a visit by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1598 while on a military campaign in the Deccan. The pillar's original stone footing is also displayed nearby.

The Kamāl Maulā is a spacious enclosure containing four tombs, the most notable of them the tomb of Shaykh Kamāl Maulavi or Kamāl al-Dīn (circa 1238-1330). Maulavi was a follower of Farīd al-Dīn Gaṅj-i Shakar (circa 1173–1266, see Fariduddin Ganjshakar) and the Chishti saint Nizamuddin Auliya (1238–1325). Some details about Kamāl al-Dīn are recorded in Muḥammad Ghauthi's Azkar-i Abrar, a hagiography of Sufi saints written in 1613.[12] The cloak presented to Kamāl al-Dīn by Nizam al-Dīn is still displayed inside the tomb. The custodians of Kamāl al-Dīn's tomb have served continuously for 700 years.[13]

Except for the Mihrab and Minbar, which were purpose-built for the monument, the hypostyle hall immediately next the tomb of Kamāl Maula is made of recycled temple columns and other architectural parts. It is similar to the Lāṭ Masjid, but was built earlier, as an inscription from 1392 described records of repairs by Dilāwar Khān.[14] In 1903, a Sanskrit and Prakrit inscription from the time of Arjunavarman (circa 1210-15) was found in the walls of the building by K. K. Lele, Superintendent of Education in the Princely State of Dhar. The engraved inscription is displayed inside the entrance. The text includes parts of a drama called Vijayaśrīnāṭikā composed by Madana, the king's preceptor, or 'Bālasarasvatī'.[15] Other inscribed tablets noted by Lele included a large tablet inscribed with the Kūrmaśataka — verses in praise of the Kūrma incarnation of Viṣhṇu — and a serpentine inscription containing the grammatical rules of the Sanskrit language. These finds, particularly the grammatical inscription, prompted Lele to name the building Bhoj Shala, or 'Hall of Bhoja', in reference to King Bhoja (circa 1000-55), the author of several works on poetics and grammar such as the famous Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa or 'Necklace of Sarasvatī'.[16] The term 'Bhoj Shala' was first published by C.E. Luard in 1908.[17]

City Palace, built in 1875

Statue of goddess Ambikā found on the site of the Old City Palace, the British Museum[18]

The old city palace of the Puar (Pawar) clan, a branch of the Marathas, is now used as a school. It is a plain, medium-sized building built around 1875. A marble statue of the Jain goddess Ambikā, discovered on the site of the palace in 1875, is now in the British Museum.[19] Of the same time period as the palace are a collection of domed cenotaphs of the Powar rulers on the edge of the large tank known as Muñj Talab. The name of the tank was probably derived from Vākpati Muñja (10th century), the first Paramāra king that entered Mālwa and made Ujjain his main administrative seat.[20]

Agency House in 2010

Another colonial era building at Dhar, located outside the old town on the road to Indore, is the Agency House. It was built by the Public Works Department during British rule and was the center of the administration of Dhar State and the Central India Agency.[21] The building has been abandoned and is now in ruins.

Jheera Bagh Palace, renovated 1940s

In the 1860s, the Powars built a palace at Hazīra Bāgh, adjacent to the road to Māṇḍū. Known as the Jheera Bāgh Palace, the complex was renovated by Mahārāja Anand Rao Pawar IV in the 1940s and is now run as a heritage hotel. Designed in an unpretentious art deco style, it is considered to be one of the most elegant and forward-looking examples of early modern architecture in North India.

After the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1818, Dhar fell under British rule. The Dhar State was designated as a princely state of British India, in the Bhopawar Agency of the Central India Agency. It included several Rajput and Bhil feudatories and had an area of 1,775 square miles (4,600 km²). The state was confiscated by the British after the Revolt of 1857. In 1860, it was restored to Raja Anand Rao III Pawar, then a minor, with the exception of the detached district of Bairusia which was granted to the Begum of Bhopal. Anand Rao, who received the personal title Maharaja and the KCSI in 1877, died in 1898; he was succeeded by Udaji Rao II Pawar.[2]

A separate department whose purpose was to superintend Thakurs and Bhumias, called "Department of Thakurans, Bhumians and Thikanejat", was established in 1921. At the time there were 22 such estates in the state of Dhar.

The jagir lands of the nobles of Dhar (feudatory estates), all of whom paid tribute to the Darbar, were divided between Thakurs and Bhumias.

The Thakurs, with a few exceptions, were Rajput landholders whose estates were located in the north of the state. Locally, the Thakurs were called Talukdars and their holdings called kothari. By caste, there were 8 Rathor, one Pawar and one Kayasth Rajputs.

The Bhumias, or "Allodial" Chiefs, were all Bhilalas, a clan claiming to be of mixed Bhil and Rajput (Chauhan) descent. Their grants were originally obtained from the Darbar on the understanding that they would keep the peace among the Bhils and other hill tribes. They paid yearly tribute to the Darbar, in turn receiving cash allowances (Bhet-Ghugri), an ancient feudal custom.

Bhartiya Janata Party politician Neena Vikram Verma serves as a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the Dhar-Vidhan-Sabha Constituency.[28]

In 2019, Chattar Singh Darbar of the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Dhar constituency.[29]

Maharaja Shrimant Hemendra Singh Rao Pawar is the present titular head of the Kshatriya Maratha-Rajput Pawar (Puar/Parmar) dynasty of the State of Dhar.[30][31][32][33][34]

HH Maharaja Shrimant Hemendra Singh Rao Pawar of the Dhar State seated on the 'Gadi' of the Kshatriya Maratha-Rajput Pawar (Puar/Parmar) Clan. The coronation of the 12th Maharaja of the Dhar State was solemnised on 15 January 2015 at the 'Rajwada' (Old Palace) of Dhar.

The majority of the population adheres to Hinduism, with significant groups following Islam and Jainism.[37]