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Bhadrajun village is situated in the Jalore district of Rajasthan, it
dates back to the times of the Mahabharata epic. However, in recent
centuries, it was the sight of war between the Mughal Empire and of
the rulers of the Marwar dynasty.
Bhadrajun
Fort was constructed at Bhadrajun in the 16th century by the Rathore
kings of Marwar. Presently the fort is owned by Rathan Singh Rathore,
son of Maharaja Maldeo, the 16th successor of Marwar Ranas
who ruled from Jodhpur. Now this fort is converted into a heritage
hotel. The fort has a large collection of goods from its long past.
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The word ‘Bhadrajun’ is closely connected with the Mahabharata epic.
Bhadrajun is made up of 2 words, the name of 'Subhadra', sister of
Lord Krishna and 'Arjuna', the third among the five Pandava brothers
of Mahabharata. In the beginning, it was called “Subhdr-arjun” but
over the years it got altered to the informal usage of the single word
“Bhadrajun”. The myth which is associated with this name is a tale of
romance.
According
to the myth of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to marry his
sister from Dwarka (where she live with her parents). The cause for
Krishna's advice was because Arjuna together with his four brothers
was under a vanvas (incognito living), as per the demand of the
Kauravas, for having lost their empire in a dice game. However,
Arjuna, who was disguised as a saint, fell in love with the daughter
of Vasudeva (maternal uncle of Arjuna), Subhadra. Arjuna spent the
last year of his 13-year exile period in Dwarka.
Krishna,
who was aware of this fact, advised Arjuna to run away with his sister
so that his true identity would not be disclosed during the marriage.
Identification would have resulted in another 13 years exile according
to Pandava's deal with the Kauravas. Balarama, brother of Krishna, was
very angry with this act. Balarama wanted the Kaurava king Duryodhana
to marry to Subhadra. Lord Krishna was not in favour of such an
alliance as he is very close to Arjuna, and want nothing but the best
for his sister Subhadra.
Arjuna, in
costume of a saint, fled from Dwarka with Subhadra in a chariot, in
full view of Krishna and Vasudeva and the family members. After a
difficult journey of three days and two nights, through mostly
isolated forest area, they reached the valley near Bhadrajun where
they take decision to marry each other, before going on to
Indraprastha, their capital. The marriage was organised by a local
Brahmin priest. The Brahmin priest was given an earring (vali in local
language) by Subhadra and a conch-shell by Arjuna as fee for their
marriage.
Afterwards
the village of the Brahmin was named as ‘sankhavali’ (in the word "sankavali",
‘sankh’ means ‘conch-shell’ and ‘vali’ means “ear ring”). Balarama,
though angry with Arjuna did not chase him to stop the marriage. He
was convinced by Krishna Vasudeva to pardon Arjuna and Subhadra, by
saying that they love each other. Persuaded of this fact, Balarama
later sent gifts to his sister - a dowry of chariots, jewellery,
elephants, horses, servants and maidservants. After this marriage,
Bhadarjun grew in population. A small shrine in the name of Subhadra,
commonly known as the “Dhumda Mata”, exists even today in an adjacent
village.
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While the legendary history of Bhadrajun is traced to Arjuna who lived
in the treta yuga, one of the four Hindu eras) of Mahabharata), the
history of Bhadrajun and the Marwar rulers of Jodhpur dates back to
16th century. Several historic wars took place in Bhadrajun, initially
against the Suri dynasty and afterwards against the Mughal dynasty
rulers. Bhadrajun was occupied by Thakur Rattan Singh, fifth son of
Rao Maldeo, the Maharaja of Jodhpur in the year 1549.
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There are a number of tourist attractions in and around the village of
Bhadrajun. Most prominent tourist spot in Bhadrajun is Bhadrajun fort
due to its history and status as a heritage hotel.
Bhadrajun
fort
Bhadrajun fort is built on the top of hill and although small, it was
built as a strong hill fort. It is also strategically located in the
village of Bhadrajun, which is also strongly protected since it is
surrounded in a horse shoe shape valley with one entry from the east.
The walls of the fort are 20–30 feet high, built at strategical
locations around the village with a constant width of 10 feet.
Bastions, known as burjis, were constructed to erect canons and to
eject arrows against invaders. The fort
is constructed on rocky hills with forest vegetation which contains
trees, rocks, cacti and bushes. The forest around the fort is occupied
by wildlife such as wild cats, foxes, jackals, hedge hogs and blue
bulls. The fort has been modernized and changed into a luxury hotel,
with 14 lavish rooms with attached bathrooms.
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