Nai Garhi

Naigarhi Naigarhi
Rewa
Naigarhi Location in Madhya Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 24°47′15″N 81°46′54″E / 24.78750°N 81.78167°E / 24.78750; 81.78167Coordinates: 24°47′15″N 81°46′54″E / 24.78750°N 81.78167°E / 24.78750; 81.78167
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District	Rewa
Population (2001)
• Total	9,767
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	486340

Naigarhi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Rewa district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is notable for some monuments built by the Sengar zamindars, who ruled in the area before sovereignty. According to a survey, Naigarhi is one of the oldest inhabited villages in Madhya Pradesh..

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Nai Garhi had a population of 8,767. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Nai Garhi has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 63%, and female literacy is 36%. In Nai Garhi, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Early history

In the late 15th century Naigarhi was a highly forested and non-colonised area. A young prince, called Chattradhari Singh, of the Sengar clan arrived from Ujjain with a small troop of soldiers and his wife. Myths say that before entering Naigarhi, Singh began to construct a fort near to the Asthabhuja temple. The walls had been completed when he had a vision of the goddess Ashtabhuja ordering him to build his fort somewhere else. He became confused and prayed to the goddess, asking her to tell him of a proper place where he could build a dignified and invincible fort. That following night he again witnessed the goddess in his dreams explaining him the process of finding the perfect place. She stated that in the dawn he would see a wild hare chased by a wolf, the place where the wolf clasps the hare will be a preferential location and if the wolf fails to catch the hare then he will have to retreat to his home. With the arrival of dawn, the prince dashed outside his tent and saw a hare chased down by a wolf; he followed them on his horse until the wolf grabbed the hare. The prince returned to the spot with his men and over the next 17 months a fort was constructed, mostly of wooden barricades. He was succeeded by his son Hathiraj Singh who carried on his work of reconnoitring his family and fort. He built the ‘Hathi Darwaza’ named after him. After Hathiraj's death Pratap Singh took charge of his small earldom. According to history, Pratap was the one who populated and civilized the area. He is mostly regarded for his social reforms like banning sati in his family and estate, promoting combat classes to strengthen his dominion and converting the profession into a cast. Even today the village has the same reform of profession by caste. Pratap also re-constructed the fort changing the wooden barricades into stone made bastions and walls. He was a reputed guest of the Maharaja of Rewa. The Baghel zamindars had a long held grudge against Pratap who was still an independent king under the Rewa kingdom. Even the Maharaja of Rewa was worried of Naigarhi’s influence but never battled Pratap.

After the death of Pratap Singh, his successors had a tussle for the kinship. The next influential king of Naigarhi was Jagat Bahadur Singhm In the reign of Jagat Bahadur, Naigarhi faced a tumultuous tussle with the Maharaja of Rewa who made it firm to conquer Naigarhi to end the long term tension of a revolt. Historical facts suggest that Rewa attacked Naigarhi five times but failed to conquer the fort which was believed to be supernaturally protected by the divine powers of goddess Kaali. A village folk song transcends the valour of the Naigarhian warriors and the divinity of a cannon named ‘Lakshmaniya’ – which means straight to the ‘Lakshya’ or target. The Cannon was rumoured to turn to its own desired direction and shoot without the help of any soldier. These reasons were enough to herald Naigarhi as an invincible dominion.

Gradually, the Maharaja of Rewa found another way to capture Naigarhi. Jagat Bahadur Singh had five sons, the Baghels kidnapped the eldest son Gopal Sharan and coerced Jagat Bahadur to accept his suzerainty. Helpless Bahadur accepted the suzerainty but refused to give away his fort. The Maharaja of Rewa awarded Bahadur control over eighty four villages known as chaurasi. Finally, Naigarhi came under the zamindari of the Baghels of Rewa. In the year 1935, Thakur Jagat Bahadur Singh died. Thakur Gopal Sharan Singh rook control of the zamindari. In 1947 after the independence the ruling powers of landlords was transmitted to the newly formed Republic of India. Gopal Sharan Singh died in the year 1948 living his seven sons and two daughters behind and his eldest son, Someshvara Singh, became the last Thakur of Naigarhi marking the end of Naigarhi Zamindari while the second son, Madhav Singh, became a fellow adviser to his elder brother.

Politics

Naigarhi is under Deotalab vidhansabha. The first MLA of Deotalab was Thakur Someshvara Singh of Naigarhi which influenced the name and importance of Naigarhi in the regional politics. Naigarhi also started holding the Municipality elections. The current chairman of Naigarhi municipality is Harshavardhan Singh. Condition of Old fort During the past 50 years the condition of the fort grew from bad to worse with the family banishing the fort and shifting elsewhere. Only the eldest of sons Someshvara Singh’s family consisting of two sons Saroj Singh and Makarand Singh and a daughter were the legitimized owners of the family and hence resided in the fort. After a couple of years another member of Naigarhi family named Suman Singh son of Madhav Singh arrived with his family to live in Naigarhi. His sons are the current residents of the fort, their names are Harshavardhan Singh and Yashavardhan Singh while his only daughter named Sarika Devi was married to the Suryavansh-chalukyan dynasty of Jeypore Samastham, Orissa. She holds the credits of the current revival of the Naigarhi fort and rebuilding of the damaged temple Panchmandir and is a respectable figure in Naigarhi. While Harshvardhan Singh and Yashvardhan Singh are notable politicians.

Education

Naigarhi has a two government schools, boys and girls separate. The other private schools are regional board affiliated, Hindi mediums are Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Saraswati Gyan Mandir, Jeevan Jyoti, and an only English medium school is Lok Manya Tilak High School in Mahavirpur. The only college is named after Thakur Someshvara Singh comprising the studies of Arts and Commerce.

Tourism

The tourism frequency of Naigarhi is very low due to its distance from highways. A couple of waterfalls, the most famous one in the small village of Bahuti which is some 5 km away from Naigarhi, the famous Maa Asthabhuja temple, the Naigarhi fort, the Panchmandir temple and the iconic view of a typical Indian village can be seen in Naigarhi.

Festivities and culture

Apart from Durga Pooja in Dussherra, Diwali and Holi there is no festival which is celebrated here. But the Naigarhi fort has a reputation for decorating and celebrating Janamasthami with grandeur and holiness. Naigarhi fort also organises a bhandara in respect to Lord Ram, Sita and Laxman on 9 May every year. It is so because the Panchmandir was re-established on 9 May 2010.

References