Jam Ranji :-Why he preferred to stay unmarried to honour his Love ??

Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties,’ runs the old maxim. And no one can denial that cricketers are hero in cricket paying country. if we look back, so many girls mad after famous cricketers. Oki and if that cricketer is real prince then? And I add, not only real prince but in real sense prince charming then ??

hmmm today I am going to write on jam ranji………before I start to write  this I want to say that jam ranji, the king of nawanagar state never marry, he pass his all life as a single status WHY?? This “why” click in our mind,,  may he love someone?? And may he pass his life as a real lover?? Many many questions hitting in mind

Yes, I am saying jam ranji the king of nawanagar [Jamnagar] was in love….. This love was like Romeo or Kaish  or farhan ?? whatever it was that but fact was that  he never marry. !!!!!!

sometimes the lives of cricketers can turn out to be more gloriously uncertain than an exciting ame of cricket. How else can you explain the fact that Ranji, arguably India’s greatest cricketer ever, rented a whole train to take his love, Mary Holmes (also called Madge and Poly), to London for a holiday in the 1890s even as he was deeply in debt, owing money to his tailor, bartender, grocer, newsagent and restaurateur in Cambridge? How can you explain that he was showering Mary with costly gifts—a diamond bracelet, an ivory necklace, a model of the Taj Mahal, a brooch—even as he was planning to live on friends, eating in their homes after inviting himself forcibly, to avoid destitution?
What we all know is that Ranjitsinjhi played for CambridgeUniversity and decided to make his cricketing career in England rather than in India, for Sussex and England.

Holmes was where his heart was. In his letters, the young royal avowed he loved sisters Madge and Minnie more than any other girl. Ranji also showed his appreciation through verse—borrowed, original or translated.

He played 15 Tests between 1896 and 1902 (in a period well before India had achieved Test status), all his matches being against Australia. Ranji had a first-class average of 56.37 and a Test average of 44.95, which is outstanding for the period. What is not, however, known is Ranji’s colourful love life. This is evident from 37 letters he wrote to Mary, rescued from oblivion in March 2002, 112 years after they were written. The letters are now housed safely in the Wren Library, TrinityCollege, Cambridge. There are more than half-a-dozen published treatises on Ranji. (Cross Standing, 1903; Kincaid, 1931; Roland Wild, 1934; Ross, 1983; Raiji,1987; Simon Wilde, 1991.) Yet, there is no mention of Mary Holmes, also referred to as Madge or Poly by Ranji, in these books. The recent discovery of these letters is a prize, one that opens up interesting aspects of Ranji’s life and character.

Miss Mariecke Clarke, grand-daughter of Mary Holmes. She wrote: ” I have just donated a substantial number of letters written by Prince Ranjitsinhji to my grandmother to his old College, Trinity, Cambridge.” It is true that Ranji had been close to the Holmes family since 1890.

It all started when Ranji was cycling past Bond and Holmes (established 1874), their huge grocery store on Cambridge’s 57 Sidney Street, when the two sisters, Mary and Minnie, saw the Indian prince for the first time. Finding him extremely attractive, they dropped their handkerchief for Ranji to pick up. Once he picked it up, the journey had begun. The next stop was the Holmes house, above their store. The 18-year-old Ranji soon became a regular. Only after a few months he started calling Mr and Mrs Holmes “”mother and father””. With Ranji living on 22, Sidney Street, it wasn’t difficult for him to visit the Holmes house regularly, more so with indulgence from both the sisters.

Ranji’s first letter to Mary, written in 1891 as a 19-year-old, was formal. However, it was reflective of his growing attachment to the Holmes family

. “My dear M.H.,

I was delighted to have your sweet note. I am sorry I was the unfortunate means of a quarrel between your darling self and your beautiful sister. The opera glasses, I hope, you will accept as a present from me to you. But if your sister is desirous of having a pair, I shall be most willing to provide her with a pair. I wish I could have your charming company sometimes here at teatime. I shall be delighted to be of any service to you if you want anything.”

At the end of the letter, he expressed keenness to know her full name.

By the course of the third letter, the tenor of the writing had changed.

“Dear Madge,

I am glad to say that I am not going away during the vac but am allowed to stay here. So I hope I shall have your company till the next term without a break. If you let me know when you can come today I will manage (ensure) so that no one can come and see me. I hope your mother will let you and Minnie come.”

In the next letter, Ranji was profusely apologetic for not being home when the two sisters had come. He also insisted he liked them more than he liked any other girl.

“Please do not think I like all girls because I seem to give them presents. I like you and Minnie best. I can do anything I can to please you and Minnie.”

Within six months, their affair had grown stronger, if the tone of Ranji’s letters is anything to go by.

“I think of going to London from Friday to Monday. I shall miss you immensely but shall rejoice doubly to see you back again.”

It’s from this time that we know of another Ranji, the poet.

In many of his letters, he wrote verses for Madge, urging her to write some for him. He claimed that all of them were either original, composed by him, or translated from the vernacular. He had copied Shelley’s Lines to an Indian Air, claiming it had been written by an Indian poet and translated by him! On April 1, 1891, he wrote to her, saying,

 “In the last verse I have asked you to guess (who I am referring to). I think these are better than the last ones as they are made after thinking a lot and the rhythm is all right.”

Dearest Madge,
Would my Poly know if I love let her take
My last thought at night and the first when I awake?
Let her think what odd whimsies I have in my brain
When I read one page over and over again
And discover at last that I read them in vain.
And lastly when summoned to drink to my flame
Let her guess why I never mention her name
Though herself and the lassie I love are the same.

In the next verse he did not leave anything to guesswork:

I loved thee once, I love thee still
And fell this world asunder
My loves eternal flame would rise
Midst chaos crash and thunder.
Two rubies on those lips of thine
Unrivalled in fresh glory
Happy is the man to whom
They whisper their love story.

A few days later, he wrote:

Good night my love! The night is ill
Which shows those we should unite
Let us remain together still
Then it will be good night.

On one occasion, Ranji had tried to ignite Mary’s passions by telling her how intimate he had become with a London girl. This was part of a plan his friends had made to tease her. Upon seeing the plan fail, and finding her determined not to speak to him any more, he wrote:

 “I am so sorry to have offended you by letting you (know) about the beastly London girl. It was Hussain’s (a friend who visited Ranji often) suggestion, when I told him that you had asked me whether I like any girl beside you and Minnie, to say what I did. I shall never forgive him for the trick. I am so awfully ashamed of acting accordingly but you must forgive me for doing so unless you wish to make me unhappy and sad. I love you only and I did not think I could be fond of anyone as I am of you and of Minnie. I hope you will forgive me.”

It’s evident from the account of Christopher Neve, grandnephew of Mary Holmes, that Ranji often gave the girls extravagant gifts, bicycles and jewellery. He used to take them on picnics and expeditions. Once he had taken them to visit Wimpole Hall, where the Holmes had their farm, to see their grandfather William Clarke, referred to as W.C. in the letters. The most interesting thing about this expedition was that they used a dogcart as transport.

In the letters, there is little mention of cricket, except to say,

“I am tired this evening. I have been playing cricket.”

However, in the last surviving letter from him to Madge, dated October 24, 1905, Ranji briefly mentions his financial crisis and his plans of writing a cricket book, which he intended to sell as a last resort to alleviate his problems. He mentions that he had already secured 3,000 orders for ‘Cricket Guide and How to Play Cricket’ and he planned to sell 5,000 copies in all. Clearly, Ranji, living like a prince, continued to live beyond his means on an annual allowance of Rs 5,714 and was perpetually in debt. He gave away expensive gifts to the Holmes sisters on credit. His financial problems were only partly taken care of in 1898 when his friend, Pratapsinhji of Jodhpur, gave him Rs 30,000.

What was most interesting, as suggested by Neve, was that while Mary had married in 1898 seeing that her affair with Ranji was going nowhere because of their colour difference, Minnie was deeply attached to him and preferred to stay unmarried all her life. This seems possible, for Ranji was in constant touch with Minnie even when he had not written to Madge from India. However, Mary had never forgotten her first love and had a large photo portrait of Ranji with his bat with her in her old age.

What we don’t know is whether Mary, whose husband had abandoned her and six surviving children, and who was on the verge of destitution, received any support from Ranji after he became the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar in 1907. We will also not know whether Ranji would have preferred to stay unmarried to honour his relationships with Mary or Minnie Holmes. This suspicion is strengthened when we hear about the statue of a British woman Ranji had erected in his native state in the 1920s. His biographers have wondered whether it was of Edith Borissow, daughter of the Chaplain of Trinity, the Rev Louis Borissow, who had looked after Ranji when he arrived in Cambridge. The discovery of his letters to Mary suggests otherwise. In which case, Ranji, Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1897, never forgot the love(s) of his life.

courtesy :  Boria Majumdar and out look india

Manimandir the love symbol:- Built by morbi thakor to immortalize his love for a girl named Mani

Morbi [also called Morvi ]This beautiful city is located on the Bank Of Machchhu.It is  67 Kms away from the Rajkot and 245 Kms away from the Ahmedabad. Morbi was founded in the year of 1698. Morbi was the Capital of Rajput Jadeja‘s State. Untill 1947 Morbi was a princely state. .The prosperous city Morbi has much of the built heritage and town planning is attributed to the efficient administration of Sir Waghji, who came to the throne in 1879 and ruled till 1948. Sir Waghji acted as the Ruler, Manager, Patron and Policemen of the state with great authority, always keeping the citizens’ interests in mind.

Mani Mandir Built by Thakor Saheb Sir Waghji to immortalize his love for a girl named Mani, [ manibai] the building is a symbol of love that stands testimony to excellent workmanship.In Gujarati and Hindi a Hindu temple is called a ‘Mandir’. Mani Mandir is a temple of Radha-Krishna, Shri Laxmi Narayana and God Shiva. Mani Mandir is one of the great examples of the Temple Architecture in India.  Mani Mandir was also one of the hidden places for the King. To this date no one has been able to count the total number of cellars in this building! The Mani Mandir of Morbi is an excellent example of Art. Mani mandir is a stunning piece of temple architecture, situated in the courtyard of Wellingdon Secretariat, in Morbi, Gujarat. Built in 1935, this magnificent structure took shape in Jaipur stone, adorned with exquisitely carved elements-arches, brackets, jalis, chhatris and shikhara. The temple enshrines the images of Lakshmi Narayan, Goddess Kali, Lord Ram, Radha- Krishna and Lord Shiva.

Manimanidr : photo by: Harish Gohel

The Manimandir of Morbi reflects the wonderful mental capacity of Shah Jahan as he built his Taj Mahal. This manimandir was also built with such sharp and unusual emotions at work. The history says. It is a symbol of Love in the history of Saurashtra. The King of Morbi, Vaghji Thakor had built this manimandir in the memory of his beloved first wife Manibai, and is no less than a royal palace in its beauty of design and sculptures.

Mani Mandir stands as a testimony to the excellent dexterity of its master craftsmen and architects, who had conceived and materialized the structure at the turn of 20th century. it is an excellent piece of temple architecture and a palace belonging to the erstwhile princely state of Morbi  is going to be renovated and converted into a first of its kind museum showcasing the socio-cultural heritage of the Saurashtra region.

Mani Mandir is a structure adorned with exquisitely carved arches, brackets, jalis, chhatris and shikhara.it is famous for its beautiful architecture, which is a harmonious blend of Gothic, Saracenic, Mughal and Rajput styles. At the centre of the temple complex, overlooking the river Machhu is the temple of Radha Krishna. A rectangular double-storied complex with over 130 rooms surrounds the temple. Waghji had completed the structure at a cost of Rs 30 lakh in 1922 and died the same year.

After the 2001 earthquake, unfortunately most of the mandir fell down but is back to its noble stature again

Mahabat Maqbara :- Amazing Gothic structure in Islamic domes

Amazing Gothic structure in Islamic domes, the somewhat European large windows…all together!

in last year 2013 i passed Junagadh three time, and one makbara seen on left side on the way to somnath, it is eye catching,   every time was thinking once i will click it and will write on it.

Entering the town, I got a feeling this is a place that somehow seems to dwell in its past. The name ‘Junagadh’ comes from the words ‘juna’ and ‘gadh’ (meaning old fort) and all that is old about Junagadh greets you, somehow undermining all efforts of modernization.

A visitor is tempted to live off the history that every turn in every street offers in this town in south western Gujarat.

just watch the columns.. its wow

The history of Junagadh can be traced back to 250 BC, and when you drive into this sleepy town, it belies the turbulence of being through sieges over 800 years. Before acceding to Indian rule, the last rulers of Junagadh were the Nawabs of Babi Dynasty (1749 – 1949 AD). Ruled by the Nawabs, Junagadh was a princely state during the time the British Raj
I knew nothing much about the Nawabs of Junagadh before i came in Gujrat – yes, I agree, I was a lousy student of history.!!!!!  For me, that trip was only shown me lions and Gir forest, but this photo-shoot is become good SALAD before great lunch !!!

Muslim rulers have been in Junagadh since the fourteenth century, and from the mid-eighteenth until Independence, Junagadh was under the rule of the Babi nawabs, and heard lots of

the last nawab, the ninth one, Mahabat Khanji III, famous in India and buried in Pakistan. he loves dogs and worked loves to save lions of gir

 (he had some 300 of them I believe, and used to throw birthday parties for them!!!!!).

and his name is same to nawab  Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II, 

the sixth nawab whose tomb is eye catching anyway Mahabat Makbara is  Post Medieval Construction Located in city of Junagadh, Gujarat State, India

.

Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II’, the Nawab of Junagarh, with young, Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III

An excellent specimen of Islamic architecture in Indian environment
Construction was started in AD.1878, by the sixth Nawab “Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II” and completed in AD. 1892 by the sevent Nawab “Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III” it is said that The expenditure to totaled 3,97,694,11.00 Annas

In that mukbara  it buried among others nawab are 1882 – 1892 Mohammad Bahadur Khanji III (Seventh Nawab) 1892 – 1911 : Mohammad Rasul Khanji (Eighth Nawab) and yes 1851 – 1882 : Mohammad Mahabat Khanji II (Sixth Nawab) too

This building is in the middle of the old city; one of the highly congested areas, today. The building however, is so imposing that it is quite impossible to miss it. The tomb is an architectural masterpiece that has come out of a mixture of Hindu,

Moorish (Medieval Morroco) and European influences and is very remarkable. It is also probably the best preserved monument from the Babi Nawab’s period. The structure is quite traditional with a central domed hall, flanked by four minarets along four corners. The minarets have external stairways that spiral in opposite directions to maintain symmetry and creates a stunning effect. On its side, stand the Jama Masjid and Vazir’s Maqbara, which itself is also a remarkable piece of architecture.

The building has some very unusual features very uncommon in India. anyone  can see on the sides of the doors and windows many Gothic columns and the windows themselves are styled like french windows, from floor to lintels. Some of the carvings are also noteworthy. Mahabat Maqbara is one of the neglected tourist sights, but definitely worth a visit.

 

Miracle happens ? yes it is !! 450 shells dropped within temple but due to divine power shells went blind

Tanot is a place located at a distance of 120 Km from  Jaisalmer and name Tanot is named on goddess Tanot.  Praisee is said to be incarnation of Goddess Hinglaz now  located in Lasvela Distt of Bluchistan.  Bhati Rajput King Tanu Rao made Tanot as their capital.  In AC 847 foundation of Goddess Tanot was kept and idol was  installed. Temple is revered by generations of Bhati Rajput and  people of Jaisalmer and surrounding areas. Later on with the  advent of time, Bhati Rajput brought their capital to Jaisalmer  but temple remained located at Tanot.

Bhagwati Shree Aawd Devi ( Mata Tanot Rai ) was born on Tuesday 808 Vikram Samvat ( year 752 ) as first daughter of Mamdiya ji resident of Chelak. She showed many miracles and was also known as Nagnechi, Kale Dungar Rai, Bhojasari, Degrai. 847 Vikram Samvat Tanot last ruler King Bhati Tanurao laid the foundation of Tanot and 888 Vikram Samvat Tanot Fort and Tanot temple foundation was laid.

India – Pakistan 1965 war Pakistan dropped about three thousand shells within this area near temple and about 450 shells dropped within temple area but due to divine power all shells went blind and no damage was done. Goddess blessings again in the year 1971 soldiers fought bravely against Pakistan army sudden attack in Longewala and destroy Pakistan tanks, vehicles and won the battle. Mata Shree Tanot Rai is having special importance for army, villagers and devotees.

The temple is the crown of Jaisalmer situated at Tanot village – old capital of Bhati Rajputs. A small museum displaying unexploded shells dropped by Pakistan army during war mentioning miracles of Goddess Shree Tanot and photographs from the war field.

Since then this temple came into prominence and its  popularity spread over other region also . Again in 1971 when  Pak Army launched sudden attack in Longewala in the night  of 4th Dec, due to inspiration and spritual strength drawn from  this temple, only one coy of Punjab regiment alongwith one coy  of BSF (14 Bn BSF) repulsed their attack which is a unique  operation in the world history of battles. Longewala is called as  a graveyard of Pak Tanks where their entire Tank regt was  made to bite the dust due to exemplary coverage shown by our  troops. In the memory of victory in this historic battle of  Longewala a Vijay Memorial has been constructed at the  entrance of temple where on 16th Dec every year a celebration  is organized with fervour and gaiety to remember the heroic
deeds of our soldiers.
Twice in a year i.e. in April and Sept Navrtara is  celebrated at Tanot where free lunger is run by BSF as well as  free Medical camp. Thousands of devotees from every nook  and corner of the country throng the temple to offer their  prayer to goddess.