Veer Teja

Veer Teja or Tejaji is a Rajasthani folk deity. He is considered one of the major eleven incarnations of Shiva and worshipped as a deity in rural Rajasthan.[1][2]

Veer Teja
Hindu
Tejaji riding a horse
Affiliation	Deva, Avatar of Shiva
Personal information
Born	1074 Kharnal, Nagaur (Rajasthan, India)
Died	1103
Parents	Tahar Dev (father) Ramkunwari (mother)

Veer Teja was born around 1074 in Khadnal, Rajasthan, India. His parents, Ramkunwari and Tahar, were Dhaulya Jats.[3]

Legend has it that Teja died in 1103 from wounds received in battle while trying to rescue a herd of cows that had been dispersed during a raid by Mer people. The story says that while dying he allowed a snake to bite his tongue, that being the only unwounded area of his body. In return, the snake promised that no person or animal would die from a snakebite if they sought the blessings of Teja.[3]

Rural people in Rajasthan particularly call upon this promise on Shukla tenth of the month of Bhadrapada, a day that is set aside for marking his death.[3]

Anthropologists say the Tejaji cult is a protagonist that includes an element of protest against the caste system.[4]

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  Teja temple at Kharnal in Nagaur, Rajasthan
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  Painting depicting Tejaji's marriage at Pushkar
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  Sursura Ajmer Teja Dham, where Tejaji died