Controversy over breaking of 600 year old chhatri of Bundi king, Rajput community used to worship him as a ‘god’

There has been a controversy over the demolition of the 600-year-old chhatri of the Bundi dynasty located on the border of Kota-Bundi district of Rajasthan. Villagers claimed that it was a revered place for the Rajput community. The Union Minister has demanded an investigation into the matter.

Subodh Kumar Mishra PTI, BundiSun, 22 Sep 2024 04:11 AM Share

There has been a controversy over the demolition of the 600-year-old chhatri of the Bundi dynasty located on the border of Kota-Bundi district of Rajasthan. Villagers claimed that it was a revered place for the Rajput community. The Union Minister has demanded an investigation into the matter.

The demolition of the 600-year-old chhatri of Rao Surajmal Hada of the former Bundi dynasty by the Kota Development Authority has created a controversy. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has demanded an inquiry into the matter. Villagers claimed that it is a revered place for the Rajput community. They were not informed in advance about the demolition carried out on Friday for the expansion of Kota airport.

Union Tourism Minister Shekhawat condemned the demolition of the historical structure located in Tulsi village on the border of Kota-Bundi district. He posted on Twitter, “The demolition of Bundi Naresh Rao Surajmal Hada ji’s chhatri is a sad and distressing incident. Did the KDA do this despite knowing the historical importance of the chhatri? Investigation and appropriate action is necessary in this regard.” Shekhawat said that it is the moral responsibility of the administration to keep public sentiment supreme.

According to Bharat Singh, a local member of the Rajput community, the Kota Development Authority team demolished the chhatri, which was a “sacred” place for the locals and a fair was held at the place every Sunday.

He said, “The princely era chhatri, which was worshipped as a temple, was demolished. It was on private land. The villagers had been worshipping the statue of Rao Surajmal Hada located under the chhatri as their deity for 600 years.” He said that the Rajput community believes that the historic chhatri should have been shifted instead of being demolished. People of the Rajput community will take out a rally against this.

Kota Collector Ravindra Goswami could not be contacted for comment in this regard. Meanwhile, in view of the growing controversy in the matter, the Kota Development Authority has suspended three of its employees.