Chapter outline and page reference:
Poems 319
Songs about Girnar 321
Songs about Junagadh 322
Music Albums about Girnar 323
Plays 324
Novels 324
Films 327
A Collection of Photographs by James Burgess 329
Chapter preview (first three pages only):
A poem, titled ‘Junagad’, by DP Barodia, Assistant Master, Bahadur Khanji High School, Junagadh, 11th April 1893 (from xxxxx):
Junagad
Heroic remant of the mighty throne
Of Akbar or Aurungzeb reigns alone
In province fertile of majestic fame,
With nature’s bounty, Nawab’s noted name.
The princely station backed with view supreme,
And pond’rous portals flanked with fulgent scheme
Of edifices vying with cherubs’ realms
Surprise the tourist with gigantic gems
Of pomp palatial, architecture fair,
Erected by illustrious Sherkhan’s heir.
The Reay Gate passed, the huge jail comes in ken,
Horrific to the hearts of hellish men,
With lofty ramparts filled with sons of crime
And turrets echo all-well’s awful chime.
Mausoleums massive, facing nymph of fount,
Of Sires revered of yore, preserve account,
In sacred mem’ry, lights of Babi race,
Immortalised by deeds of godly grace.
Tall Sále Hindi towers attract the gaze
Of passers-by engulfed in arch amaze.
Dispens’ries, Offices, Courts, Schools, by score,
Symbols of accidental lustrous lore;
Grain mart and Moonlight-square1 of this great town
Possess no small share of its chief renown.
Ra Khengar’s bulwark,2 Ranik’s arbour dear,
Whose matchless charm allured King Sidhraj here.
James Fergusson bridge, which spans the Kalwa rill,
Prince Victor’s Leper Lodge, Saint Datar’s Hill.
The Sardar, Sakkar gardens, redolent green,
Transparent tank of Fairies3 wondrous scene.
All point to peerless feats of fibre fine,
Achieved by glorious Junagad divine.
Fresh fields of fragrant Flora, soothing shades,
Conspicuous quarries clean, and gladd’ning glades.
Primeval vistas, dens, bewild’ring dales,
Supernal springs and wells, cliffs, rocks and rails;
Magnificent mosques, set strings of splendid shops,
Big balconied buildings, tiled and terraced tops.
Thus stands the topmost seat of Sorath’s crown
Bedecked with stately mansions, gorgeous gown.
Here comes Lord Harris, Bombay’s brilliant star
For public weal, in Kathiawad afar.
Ye lepers! Taste sweet fruits of mercy deep,
Now in your darling home with rapture leap.
Long live Victoria Empress Gracious Most,
Long live Rasulkhan righteous royal host;
From Rasul Allah, choicest blessings flow,
And man on man benignant boons bestow.
1 Chandani Chowk, 2 Uparkot, 3 Parinu Talav
Poems
1 Gurjari Marathi Gita
Akkole (1988, page 1779) described the ‘Gurjari Marathi gita’, a poem of Jinadas (1493 AD) from Devagiri, as a minor noteworthy work, as it: ‘presents the quarrel between a Gujarati and a Maharashtrian lady-pilgrims as to who shall first climb the holy Girnar hill.’ Jinadas also ‘…composed a very important epic Harivamsha purana, narrating the story of Shri Krishna, his cousin Neminatha and Kaurava-Pandavas. Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara and a yadava prince, at his marriage with rajemati saw the innocent animals brought by Shri Krishna for the marriage feast. He was against killing the animals either for religion or for food. Hence he turned his back to all worldly things and became a saint. He attained salvation at Girnar.’
2 Girnar Ni Gazal, a Poem about Junagadh and Girnar
Girnar Ni Gazal is a poem written in 1824 AD, by Pundit Gyan Kushal, in praise of Junagadh and Girnar. It opens with an invocation to Goddess Mata Vageshwari, the goddess of learning and human speech, for her blessings so that the author may describe in powerful language the now dilapidated fort of Girnar. The fort, at the time of writing, was under the rule of Nawab Mahabat Khan of Junagadh. The author speaks very highly of the prestige and grandeur of the court of the Nawab. The subjects are stated to come in large numbers and pay respects standing before the throne of Bibi Kedar Bai. The author then describes the fort and also mentions the existence of numerous shrines, temples and sacred spots, and very ingeniously expresses his inability to depict them. The prosperity of the town is shown by the existence of shops of confectioners and sweet vendors in evidence on every side. Then the author proceeds to extol the ability and intelligence of the Diwan (Chief Minister of the State). The safety of the town has been well provided for. Next the author takes great pains to describe the beauty of its women, which, he says, is so ravishing that any one who sees them is bound to be lost in admiration and amazement (Saran 1965).
3 Girnarne Charane, a Poem about Girnar
Girnarne Charane (At the Feet of Girnar) is a poem by Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi (1877–1946 AD) of Ahmedabad, a great Gujarati poet endowed with genius. He was an ardent lover of ancient as well as modern Gujarati poetry and culture, and is famous for his ‘Apadyagadya’ style in Gujarati. He had deep insight into the inner significance of natural phenomena. In Girnarne Charane for example, standing face to face with the famous mountain of Saurashtra, he shows how his response to the call of a free and limitless life, coming from the lofty peaks of a mountain like Girnar, can produce a still broader perspective which can cover within its range the vast movements of the Aryan race over the length and breadth of the Indian peninsula. Thus, wherever the cultural vision of Nanalal takes its start from, it is finally satisfied only when it has scaled the loftier heights of cosmopolitan Indian culture and integrated the specific contribution of Gujarat into the larger, comprehensive pattern of its over-all synthetic development (Parikh 1953).
The poet looks upon the mountain as an eloquent embodiment of Time and each stone in it instinct with history. A substantial portion of past history is lying at the foot of Mount Girnar — namely, a rock bearing an inscription of the edict of Emperor Ashoka. This sends the poet’s historical imagination flying back to the glorious era of Emperor Ashoka and his nonviolent campaign of spreading the message of Buddha across the sea to Sri Lanka and across the Himalayas to China, Japan and distant countries. The poem, after the first few stanzas of lovely morning description, comes to be focused on the Dharmachakra of Ashoka and reveals the poet’s deep veneration for Buddha as also admiration for Emperor Ashoka who after his conversion to Buddhism spread the message of Buddha far and wide (Maniar 1977).