The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Raksha Bandhan
caused the spectacular collapse of this
community in 1985. Rajneesh returned
to India, where he eventually took up
residence in Pune again. In his last years
he changed his name several times—
once claiming that the spirit of
Gautama Buddha had entered him—
and at the time of his death had taken
the name Osho.
Rajput
(“king’s son”) Traditional Indian society
was modeled as a collection of endogamous,
or intermarried, subgroups
known as jatis (“birth”). These jatis were
organized (and their social status determined)
by the group’s hereditary occupation,
over which each jati had a
monopoly. The Rajputs were a martial
Hindu jati that at times ruled large parts
of western India, and have always
claimed to be kshatriyas—buttressing
this claim by creating genealogies linking
their families to the mythical Solar or
Lunar Lines of kings. Their origin is
uncertain, for they first appear around
the end of the first millennium, and
many scholars speculate that they were
descended from the Hunas and later
assimilated into the small kingdoms.
The four main Rajput clans were known
as the Agnikula (“fire lineage”), because
they claimed descent from a single
mythical king who had arisen from a
sacrificial fire pit in Mount Abu,
Rajasthan. These four ruling clans were
the Pariharas in southern Rajasthan, the
Chauhans in the region around Delhi,
the Solankis in Gujarat, and the Pawars
in western Madhya Pradesh.
Whatever their origin, the Rajputs
were warrior princes whose martial
code stressed death before dishonor
and swift reprisals against any insult.
During the Moghul Empire era
(1525–1707) Rajput kings were often
feudal vassals, given kingdoms in
exchange for their loyalty and service.
After the breakup of the Moghul Empire
many of them continued to reign as the
rulers of small princely states. They
remain an important ruling class even in
modern times, through the medium of
parliamentary politics.
Rajrajeshvar Temple
Massive temple in the city of Tanjore in
state of Tamil Nadu, dedicated to the
god Shiva in his form as “Lord of Kings.”
Tanjore was the capital of the Chola
dynasty, and this temple, built approximately
1000 C.E. by the Chola king Raja
Raja, conveys the confidence of a kingdom
on the rise. Architecturally speaking,
the temple is an enlargement of the
simplest sort of Hindu temple, with a
garbhagrha covered by a spire, but it is
breathtaking in its scale. The tower over
the central shrine is 190 feet high and
looks even higher, since the construction
minimizes any distracting elements
that would arrest the eye’s upward
journey. It is capped by a single piece
of stone weighing an estimated
eighty tons, which required a four-milelong
ramp to put in place. See also
Moghul dynasty.
Raksha Bandhan
Festival day celebrated on the full moon
in the lunar month of Shravan
(July–August); this festival’s theme is the
bond of protection (raksha) between
brother and sister. On this day sisters tie
(bandhan) a string around the brother’s
right wrist, which is sometimes just a
simple thread and sometimes an elaborately
constructed ornamental bracelet.
Sisters then mark a tilak (tika) on the
brother’s forehead as a sign of respect
and feed their brothers sweets. For their
part, brothers give their sisters money,
clothing, jewelry, or other gifts.
As with the festival of Bhaiya Duj,
Raksha Bandhan symbolizes the protective
bond between brothers and sisters.
In the long term, brothers are seen as
the family members who will protect
their sisters’ interests—since in many
cases daughters long outlive their
fathers and their brothers are the natal
relatives on whom they must depend.
Sisters perform these rites to protect
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