| Devnarayan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Associate | Gurjar Community |
| Weapon | Sword, Spear |
| Adherents | shiva Kedarnath |
| Region | Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Festivals | Devnarayan Jayanti, Makar Sakranti, Dev Ekadashi |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Pipalde |
| Children | Bila (son) and Bili (daughter) |
Devnarayan is a folk deity from Rajasthan, India. He was an incarnation of Vishnu and he is worshipped mostly in Rajasthan and north-western Madhya Pradesh.[1][2] According to tradition, he was born to Sri Savai Bhoj and Sadu mata[3] on the seventh day of the bright half (shukla saptami) of the month of Maagh in the Hindu Calendar in Vikram Samvat 968 (911 AD).According to one view historical Devnarayan belonged to 10th century of Vikram Samvat, according another view, he lived in between 1200-1400 (Vikram Samvat era). The first view appears nearer to truth.[4]
The epic of Devnarayan is one of the longest and most popular religious oral narratives of Rajasthan.[5] The epic of Devnarayan has been classified under the category of martial epics.[6]
Gurjari.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Saadu Maata Gurjari With her son Shri Devnarayan Bhagwan when he incarnated in lotus leaf at Maalasheri.]] The oral epic of Devnarayan consists of a number of episodes related to the narrative of Devnarayan. This epic is sung by the Bhopas, the traditional priest-singers of Devnarayan during the nights of the months, November to July in the villages of Rajasthan and Malwa.
The narrative begins with an invocation of a number of deities, whose images are depicted in the phads. The deities invoked are Sharada, Ganesha, Sarasvati, Maccha, Kacchap, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaman, Parashuram, Ram and Krishna Avatars of Vishnu, Bhairunath, Ramdev, Shani, Surya and Chandrama. The first part called the Bagaravat Bharat is about the heroic deeds of 24 Gurjar brothers,[7][8] who are born as the sons of the man-lion, Baghji Gurjar. The 24 brothers die after a preordained period of 12 years in a battle against a chieftain of Ran city. The second part is about Bhagavan's incarnation as Devnarayan, the miracles he performs and the revenge he and his cousins ultimately take on the Ran city chieftain. Devnarayan's mother is Sadu Mata and his father Savai Bhoj, the most courageous of the 24 Bagaravats. Whereas the first part is generally said to be marked by suffering (dukh), pain, and death, the second is marked by the reunion, miracles and divine testimony (parcyo). The second part, thus entails a reversal of the first part: death and defeat are followed by birth and creation, finally resulting in the establishment of Devnarayan's image amongst his followers.[2]
- ^ Nectar gaze and poison breath: an analysis and translation of the Rajasthani By Aditya Malik, Interpretations (Page 102 to 104). oxford university press. 24 February 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-803420-9.
- ^ a b "The Rajasthani oral narrative of Devnarayan-Presentation mode, Synopsis of the epic, thematic content". Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
- ^ "The Rajasthani oral narrative of Devnarayan-Presentation mode, introduction". Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
- ^ Amaresh Datta (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 322. ISBN 81-260-1803-8. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
- ^ Of clowns and gods, Brahmans, and babus: humour in South Asian literature, Christina Oesterheld, Claus Peter Zoller pp. 157
- ^ Ways of dying: death and its meanings in South Asia, Elisabeth Schömbucher, Claus Peter Zoller, pp.234
- ^ Amaresh Datta (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 322. ISBN 81-260-1803-8. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
Being the son of Baghji Bagrao, they were collectively known as bagaravat. They were Gurjar by caste.
- ^ Elisabeth Schömbucher; Claus Peter Zoller (1999). ways of dying: death and its meanings in South Asia. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 235. ISBN 81-7304-243-8. ISBN 978-81-7304-243-0.