Udaipur: The Gaddi Utsav (enthronement ceremony) commenced with a ritual at Rai Angan, the oldest courtyard in City Palace—seen as the seat of power of the erstwhile royal family of Mewar. Adorned with white blossoms, the palace grounds hosted hundreds of royal dignitaries gathered to witness the symbolic passing of the torch.
Dressed in white, Lakshyaraj Singh entered the courtyard with his son Haritraj amid a cacophony of mantras and conches. Lakshyaraj, aged 40, then performed a special ritual, paying homage to deities revered in the household, and honoring past Maharanas.
The Gaddi Utsav marked another turn in the feud cooking in the erstwhile royal family of Mewar. During the ceremony, Lakshyaraj was anointed the 77th titular head of the Mewar dynasty—less than five months after cousin Vishvaraj Singh assumed the same role.
The Gaddi Utsav for Lakshyaraj, held on 2 April, followed the death of his father Arvind Singh on 16 March. But underneath the pomp lay an unusual circumstance.
Some within the hierarchy rejected the ceremony outright, arguing that, following the death of Mewar’s Diwan Maharana Mahendra Singh last November, his son Vishvaraj, who is also the BJP MLA from Nathdwara, had already been anointed as his successor.
Kshatriya Mahasabha too boycotted Lakshyaraj’s Gaddi Utsav, and instead issued a statement which read: “Labeling a private event as a Raj Tilak or Gaddi Dastoor is a distortion of culture and tradition, which is entirely incorrect.”
But opposition to the ceremony did not deter Lakshyaraj, who after morning rituals sought blessings at the sacred Dhuni temple—where, it is said, the foundation of Udaipur was laid. Visiting this temple has been a part of every royal coronation Mewar has witnessed.
In the afternoon, Lakshyaraj performed the Ashwa Pujan (horse worship) before visiting Ekling Nathji temple—named after the entity considered the true ruler of Mewar, with the Maharana serving as his diwan (prime minister). He then paid his respects at the Jagdish temple and headed to Saheliyon Ki Bari before making his way back to City Palace.
In the evening, all royal dignitaries were presented with pink safas (turbans) as part of the Rang Paltai Dastoor ritual, which symbolized the end of the mourning period and the beginning of celebrations. After the Rang Paltai Dastoor ritual, Lakshyaraj visited the Jagannath temple, where thousands of local residents who had gathered there to catch a glimpse of him showered him with flower petals. This was followed by a royal banquet.
The day-long affair was attended by poet Shailesh Lodha, considered a close friend of Lakshyaraj, besides Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Vijay Sharma and Odisha Deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, among others. Deo, the BJP leader who is also Lakshyaraj’s father-in-law, is a member of the erstwhile royal family of Patna, Bolangir.
Those notably missing were Lakshyaraj’s paternal aunts, sisters, and other family members who appear to have sided with Vishvaraj.
Randhir Singh Bhindar, who applied the blood tilak on Vishvaraj’s forehead last November, told ThePrint that the coronation is always presided over by the Rawat of Salumber, right from the time of Maharana Pratap. “Only Vishvaraj Singh ji is our Maharana,” he declared.
Bhinder, referring to the coronation of Vishvaraj held at the historic Chittorgarh fort on 25 November last year, argued, “On that day, all Umraos and Raos were present. Calling this recent event a coronation or a Gaddi Dastoor is incorrect.”
The event and rituals that followed Vishvaraj’s coronation were marred by violent exchanges between Vishvaraj and Lakshyaraj’s supporters.
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16 Umraos, Rawat of Salumber & a blood tilak
The coronation ceremony of the Maharana of Mewar is traditionally presided over by 16 Umraos including the Rawat of Salumber. Also present are other nobles, raj purohits and pandits.
First, the Rawat of Salumber applies a blood tilak on the forehead of the Maharana, and subsequently, all Umraos present offer their nazrana (tribute), which the Maharana is obliged to accept. The coronation is deemed complete only after this exchange.
Ajay Raj Singh Begu, a descendant of the Begu family which is among the 16 Umraos of Mewar, explained to ThePrint that it is they who collectively “select the Maharana and the Rawat of Salumber finally anoints the Maharana by applying tilak drawn from his blood obtained through a sword incision on his thumb, in adherence to ancient customs”.
The presence of almost all of the 16 Umraos at Vishvaraj’s Raj Tilak was a clear validation of this tradition, argued Begu. He added that in the erstwhile princely state of Mewar, the Umraos were “regarded as nearly equal to the Maharana; however, the Maharana held precedence and was recognised as the foremost among the 16 Umraos”.
Begu cites one instance from history that underlines the role of Umraos. Prince Jagmal of Mewar, who, despite being the younger son, was designated by Maharana Udai Singh II as successor to the throne instead of the elder and more renowned, crown prince Maharana Pratap. Prince Jagmal was to ascend to the seat of Mewar, but the 16 Umraos instead proclaimed Maharana Pratap as the the rightful heir to Maharana Udai Singh II.
And what of the Rawat of Salumber? Chandra Shekhar Sharma, a professor of history at Udaipur’s Meera Government Girls College, told ThePrint, “In 1430, crown prince Chunda, the eldest son of Mewar’s ruler Maharana Lakha, renounced his claim to the throne to honour a promise and bestowed the crown upon his younger brother, Mokal Singh.
“As a reward for this sacrifice, he was granted special privileges, including the authority to validate all crucial decisions of the royal court and to be at the vanguard of the Mewar army. His descendants came to be known as the Chundawats and were entrusted with the right to determine the Maharana of Mewar.”
The Rawat of Salumber who applies the blood tilak on the forehead of the Maharana to mark the conclusion of the coronation ceremony is the head of the Chundawat clan.
Other distinguished families among the Chundawats include the houses of Begu, Amet, and Deogarh.
Lakshyaraj vs Vishvaraj
Forty years ago, Vishvaraj’s father Mahendra Singh faced a similar fate when he was poised to become Maharana. A year earlier, he had filed a title suit against his father, Bhagwat Singh, accusing him of mismanaging the family estate.
This led to Mahendra’s banishment from the palace where he grew up.
As the legal battle over the mantle continues, both Lakshyaraj and Vishvaraj command their own following, reflecting a larger debate about lineage, legitimacy, and the legacy of one of India’s most storied dynasties. Dr Manish Shrimali, assistant professor in the department of history at Udaipur’s Mohanlal Sukhadia University, told ThePrint, “It is believed that until independence, Mewar was not very involved in Indian politics.”
Mewar is the region in the south-central part of Rajasthan that includes Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, and Udaipur districts.
Shrimali added that Mewar played a vital role during the integration of Rajasthan with the Union of India, but after Independence the Mewar royals chose to stay away from mainstream politics, while the royal families of Jaipur and Jodhpur did the opposite. But the erstwhile royal family of Mewar is now gaining currency in Rajasthan’s politics, he added.
Vishvaraj’s father Mahendra Singh, the previous Maharana of Mewar, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Chittogarh on a BJP ticket in 1989. He later joined the Congress. His son Vishvaraj was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on a BJP ticket from Nathdwara in 2023. Vishvaraj’s wife Mahima Kumari is the BJP MP from Rajsamand.
On the day of Lakshyaraj’s coronation ceremony, ThePrint visited the areas around the City Palace in Udaipur. While some saw Vishvaraj as their rightful Maharana, others eagerly awaited a glimpse of their new ruler, Lakshyaraj.
Rashid, a date seller near Hathipol mosque, showed a photo of Lakshyaraj with his son on his phone and said, “He has always stood by us. How can anyone speak negatively about him?”
Anil Sharma, a local businessman from Chandpol market, added, “He (Lakshyaraj) frequently visits the market and interacts with shopkeepers. We feel connected to him. A real king is one who stays with his people, and Lakshyaraj does exactly that.”
“He has supported many social causes, especially for the youth. I believe he has a vision for Mewar’s future,” said Mahendra Singh, a college student.
There were also those who saw Vishvaraj as the rightful Maharana.
“The title of Maharana has always been passed down through Umraos and nobles. Vishvaraj was crowned in their presence, and that makes him our rightful ruler,” said Raghunath Rawat, a retired government employee.
Suresh Joshi, a taxi driver, said, “Vishvaraj is our true Maharana because his Raj Tilak was done in Chittorgarh. History and customs matter, and we should not ignore them. He is our rightful Maharana. His coronation was done as per the traditions.”
Kamla Devi, a vendor at the local bazaar added, “Vishvaraj Singh is a political leader too. He understands governance and administration better. That’s why he should be in this position.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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