DIG

GENERAL INFORMATION
DIG 1 (27O25'lat.; 77o15'long.) in District Bharatpur (Rajasthan), an eighteenth-century stronghold of the Jat rulers, although little known, is a very fine spot to serve as a tourist rendezvous for its picturesquely contrived garden-cum-water-palaces. Historically, too, this sleepy and medieval town has some importance as it silently relates the story of the gradual ascendancy and subsequent development of aesthetic outlook of the Jats, a warlike community of agriculturists.

Located at a distance of about 153 km from Delhi, 98 km from Agra and 34 km north of Bharatpur, it can be easily approached by road via Kosi, Mathura and Bharatpur respectively.

INTRODUCTION

A. Short History

BEFORE the eighteenth century Dig was one of the numerous tiny and unknown villages of eastern Rajasthan forming a part of the Agra province of the Mughal Empire. Traditionally, it falls within the territorial limits of the holy Braj-bhumi or the land of Braj, which connects its past with the mythological hero Krishna and his kinsmen, the Yadavas, who, according to a strong local belief were the ancestors of the modern Jats of this region. Some scholars are inclined to identify Dig with Dirghapura mentioned in the Skanda-Purana 1 along with Nandigrama (Nandgaon), Brishatsanu (Barsana) and Govardhana (Govardhan)-all in District Mathura (Uttar Pradesh). However, the antiquity of this place has yet to be proved archaeologically, although the Painted Grey Ware, a characteristic pottery of the first millennium B.C., has been spotted in the vicinity of Dig at Januthar and Kushana.

Historically, the past of Dig is intimately associated with the rise of the Jat peasants of neighbouring villages of Sinsini and Thun to power, as a result of the Mughal misrule under the leadership of Rajaram (1686-88), his father Bhajja singh (1688-95) and his younger brother Chudaman (1695-1721). After the death of Chudaman his nephew, Badansingh (1722-56) succeeded in assuming the headship of the tribe and consolidating his authority over several outlying districts, and thereby becoming the virtual founder of the Jat house of Bharatpur.

The credit of commencing the urbanization of Dig also goes to him, for, it was he who selected this spot as the headquarters of his newly-established Jat kingdom. Gigantic mud-fortifications were, therefore, raised around the locality of Dig including the adjoining villages of Kishanpur, Malpur, Achalpur and Shahpur. Immediately afterwards, Badansingh constructed the capacious place, now known as the Purana Mahal (old palace), standing to the south of Dig gardens. The strong citadel with towering walls and bastions, almost in the heart of the town, was erected slightly later, in 1730, by the prince regent Surajmal, the worthy son of Badansingh, subsequent to his recognition as a bona fide prince by Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh of Jaipur on the occasion of the latter's asvamedha sacrifice. About the same period, according to certain writers, the large charming tank called Rup-Sagar was built by Rupsingh, the brother of Badansingh. Amongst the Jats, the one who first revolted, though unsuccessfully, against imperial Mughal authority in 1669 was Gokala, a zemindar of Tilpat near Delhi. Jawala Sahai, Dig, its History and Palaces (Lahore, 1902).

Under the shelter of the increasing power of this growing Jat ruler, Dig was transformed into a flourishing town with fine buildings and riches and a centre of trade and commerce

Surajmal (1756-63), the son and successor of Badansingh, was the greatest of the Jat monarchs, and during his rule and power of the clan reached its zenith. Besides being an able diplomat and general, he was one of the noted builders of his time. Although as the seat of his government, even during the life time of his father, he favoured Bharatpur, he did not altogether neglect Dig, which, thenceforward functioned as a sort of second capital of his realm. As a town it became more prosperous and attractive and continued to grow in size. Many merchant princes and Mughal nobles enriched the city by their mansions for the safety of their wealth and family. The beautiful and grand garden-retreat adorning this city is the most outstanding of the artistic accomplishments of Surajmal and serves to this day a glorious memorial to that celebrated hero of the Jat tribe. The project was commenced towards the later part of his region; it is stated that he could complete till his death in 1763 at least of Gopal-Bhawan with the Gopal Sagar and the KishanBhawan. However, a scholar also

A poetic description of the palaces, gardens, tanks and markets of Dig is available in the verses of Sujan-Bilas, a Braj-Bhasha work by Somnath, a court poet of Surajmal. See Ravat Chaturbhujdas Chaturvedi, Bharatpur out atit ke Chinh (in Hindi) (Bharatpur, 1956), pp. 14-17. Kalika Ranjan Qanungo, History of Jats, I (Clacutta, 1925).

Attributes to him the construction of the Suraj-Bhawn, which is not beyond doubt. In addition, he seems to have rebuilt the Hardev-Bhawan and erected certain large tanks and other edifices at Dig. For building these fine structures, Surajmal is said to have received a huge sum of money from Ghaziu'd-Din' Imadu' I-mulk, a deposed wazir of delhi and ally of the Jat chief. The general superintendent of these constructions was his minister Jivaram Banchari for whose residence the building named Ram-Bhawan, which is now under use as a hospital, is believe to have been built.

Following the death of Surajmal, his son, Jawahirsingh (1764-68), was installed as the ruler of the Jat principality at Dig. In the short period of his rule he completed certain palaces, including the Suraj-Bhawan, planned by his father and probably gave a finishing touch to the gardens and the fountains. A love of grandeur and pomp, he looted several costly possessions of the Mughals and removed valuable material from some of their palaces at Agra and Delhi to embellish his own city. The marble work and pietra dura decoration in the Bhawans is a contribution of this prince, for his aesthetic outlook had a deep impress of the Mughal taste. Many edifices were still under construction from the time of Surajmal and there were others yet to be raised according to an already-approved plan, but owing to his premature death in 1768 at Agra, these could never be finished. In the city he added the locality called Jawaharganj and possibly the temple of Lachhmanji there was also founded simultaneously.

The subsequent history of Dig is of mutual dissension and consequent decline of the Jat power. Although during the brief rule of the next tow rules, it continued to be the royal abode, its position in general received a set-back after the first success of the imperial army under Mirza Nazaf Khan, the Mughal general, on its soil about 1776 However, in 1787 Dig was restored to the Jat prince, Ranjit singh who lost it again to the British in 1804. But it was given back to him in 1805. In the ensuing period no important event occurred here, though the Bhawan continued to be used for residential purposes by the rulers of Bharatpur State with minor additions or alterations.

B. ARCHITECTURE

Often designated as the Jat style, the architecture of Dig is mainly represented by the mansions called the Bhawans and Purana Mahal, for other buildings surviving there do not display any outstanding or new structural features. All the palaces excluding that of Badan singh are, in fact, the parts of a single garden-complex, and there is nothing spontaneous or original about them, yet the significant point of their architecture is the beauty of the treatment and presentation. The structural elements including the romantic landscape at Dig basically are the same as those forming the style of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan; this however, was natural, for Mughal court and its culture served as the sole standard for almost all the princely states of north
India at that time. But while the legitimate descendants of the builder of the Taj and others were turning his graceful style into a worthless rococo, the Jats in their little locality individualized it by developing it logically. In this way Maharaja Surajmal served as one of the able successors of the artistic legacy of the great Mughal builder. Therefore, formality, balance and symmetry are the essentials of this architecture, although in the short process of its evolution certain peculiar features also came into existence. Besides, the designers of the Dig edifices also had a little but unavoidable traditional an environmental influence of the soil of Rajasthan in their minds.

Of entirely secular order, the building-art at Dig does not resolve itself into very distinct constructional phases, as is generally the case elsewhere, though a closer examination of certain buildings of Badansingh and Surajmal brings some interesting facts to light indicating a temperamental change, particularly in regard to ornamentation. The characteristics of the Purana-Mahal are massiveness, less systemetic and less attractive internal arrangements and relatively simpler type of plastic decoration in brackets and pillars, whereas the Bhawans are marked by sophistication, regularity, based on an order and profuse and delicate carvings besides their double roof, emphasized on the exterior by lower and upper eaves. Hence a suggestion can tentatively be hazarded that the artistic propensities of the father were more like of a Rajput prince and of the son more inclined towards those of a Mughal amir.

The material of construction is stone, brick and mortar and the edifices are either faced with sandstone slabs of pinkish colour or finely plastered. The marble and red sandstone encasement, respectively in Suraj-Bhawan and place inside the fort, however, may be regarded as exceptions to the normal practice. The rubble, which has largely been utilized in the buildings, was imported from a place nearby called Pahar-Tal and the pinkish sandstone from the quarries of Bansi and Paharpur in District Bharatpur. In comparison to red sandstone employed in the Mughal building at Fatehpur-Sikri, Agra or Delhi the variety largely used at dig is somewhat harder and better suited for sculptural work, though not very inviting to look at.

This architecture is primarily of trabeate order, but the use arcuate system has also been made in certain instances. Mostly the arcades are of a decorative quality as each arch is formed by joining two spandrel-shaped slab cantivelers projecting from the pillars.

The general features of this style are engrailed arches resting on ornate pillars, hypostylar halls, flat roof-terraces, balconies and pavilions with Bengal roofs, double eaves, moderate structural heights and spacious internal arrangements. Other attractions of the structures are projecting dripstones, pillars with floral bases and tapering shafts normally surmounted by capitals bearing carved flower-petals. The ceilings are generally flat, though the domed and curved ones are also met with in certain cases. Amongst other varieties of arches the use, though limited, of semi-circular, trefoil and pointed apses too is worthy of note. It is surprising that the pointed type of arch of the Jats is not a copy of the so called Tudor arch of the Mughals like other elements but resembles its certain earlier prototypes with a sharply pointed apex and rounder curves.

The Bhawan complex at Dig, like any example of good architecture, carries behind it a thought befitting a retreat based on the luxurious Mughal ideal of earthly paradise on the one hand and the romantic tradition associated with the Indian rainy season (varsha ritu) on the other.

The designers here appear to have successfully combined the system of the earlier jai mahal (water palace) with the scheme of a formal Mughal garden. The latter also serves as the keynote with regard to the location of the buildings around. It appears that the planners of this retreat derived some inspiration from the layout of the Taj, because the disposition of the buildings within the quadrangle faintly resembles the structural scheme of the great imperial mausoleum. The position of the Taj proper is occupied here by the Gopal-Bhawan and the absence of a river has been substituted by the construction of a tank immediately behind it. But unlike the Taj-Mahal this mansion does not stand very prominent and none of the other principal palaces appear to be subordinate to it. In this respect the Jat architects have perhaps symbolized the relatively democratic set-up of their own village-community.

Although not bearing a very imposing character, each Bhawan possesses a dignity and delicacy, and this aspect of the structure never obstructs the unity of the conception, yet
On the other hand it strengthens the harmony between architecture and gardens. The flat roof of the edifices necessitated the use of a number of pillars arranged sidewise and centrally in groups which has not always proved architectonically sound. The striking characteristics of these palaces are balanced outlines, fine proportions, commodious halls, attractive and logically-disposed arcades, alluring greenery, charming tanks and canals with fountains all forming a confluence of comforts, beauty and grace.

C. ORANAMENTATION

At Dig, the ornamentation consists mainly of sculpture done in low relief in which the floral patterns of a conventional type predominate. In this field the Jat decorator attempted neither to explore anything new nor to make decoration an attraction by itself. It seems that for his own craft he depended more on the dictates of the architect than on his own inspiration. He has concentrated in imitating the popular Mughal patterns, particularly those of Shah Jahan, and has shown outstanding skill in carving out the details. The only exception to this are certain obliterated paintings of the Puran Mahal wherein can be noticed, besides certain Persianized Mughal decorations of usual type, a few panels showing Hindu mythological episodes, horses and elephants. Their striking features are bold outlines, rhythmic delineation and bright colour-scheme. The style is somewhat traditional, reminiscent of the older schools of western India, though, There is slight touch of the Mughal brush too. The limited occurrence of the inlay-work on the marble in the palaces here con not be regarded as part of Dig Ornamentation, for it originally belonged to the royal edifices of Agra and Delhi. In the manipulation of sculpture a certain amount of restraint has been observed and there is a co-ordination between embellishment and building. A large number of devices are based on the patterns of leaves and flowers which are more marked on the pillars, lower vertical edge of the brackets, fringe of the arches, fountains and towering ridge of Bengal roofs. It is true that these representations do not depict their natural prototypes with the accuracy of a realistic carver, yet the tenderness of plant-life preserved in them through light chisel-marks and curves bespeaks the sculptor's study of his subject. Ornamentation of this order may not be a remarkable contribution in itself, but it is certainly worthy of garden-palaces. The less common motifs of ornamentation comprise decorative roofs, flower-plants of the vase, wine-flasks, fruits on-scent-pots, stylized cypresses and birds of various species. The more popular ones are false niches and decorative squares and oblongs with full or partial foliations. Often the latter design embellishes the borders and railings. The spandrels have either full-blown flower-shaped bosses or the intricately-scrolled arabesques of the Mughals, but mostly the former seems to have been preferred.

D. GARDENS AND OTHER ATTRACTIONS

The layout of the Dig gardens is based on the strict formality of the Mughal horticultural plan known as char-bagh or the four-fold garden-pattern, and therefore, each plot is composed of four equal-sized parterres produced by means of four canals radiating from a formal tank in the centre like the arms of a cross. A notable characteristic of the Bhawan gardens is their conspicuous sunken appearance caused by deeper parterres and canals, and another is the absence of ornate stone flower-beds, which plausibly was an outcome of the intention of the designers to develop a thicker from of floriculture, unlike thinly and more regularly planted flowers of the earlier gardens, yet while planting the trees they seem to have maintained the principle of discipline of the Mughal horticulture.

In the task of producing artificial charms of water the Jat architects had a better success than in anything else. The major mediums of water-display, besides the canals and tanks, are fountains, chutes, cascades and the system of imitating beauties of the monsoon. Although a little fantastic the last-named item is original and decidedly Indian in character. The idea itself was poetic and most probably derived from the amorous literally tradition of the Braj-Bhasha. The fountains, about five hundred in number, are both of large and small sizes, closely set to each other. Most of them have a sculptured floricomous body almost copying the pattern of the pillars existing here. In some

Cases there are arrangements for breaking the current of water into several smaller ones (budbudas) by means of a basin with perforated bottom attached to a pipe-line, thus producing quite a fanciful fountain inside a building. In at least two places can be noticed a new type of cascade much more ornate than its previous examples. These are in the form of flower-shaped semi-circular projections (kamal-burjis), with a truncated top, on the front face of the terrace of the Gopal-Bhawan, wherefrom the water was made to fall in the form of a thin and compressed sheet below, creating thereby a unique fascination.

3. MONUMENTS
A. THE BHAWANS

(1) Layout

T he Bhawans of Dig are planned with a central ornamental garden along the edges of a vast oblong (pl. IX) guarded by two grand reservoirs, Rup-Sagar and Gopal-Sagar on the east and west . However, the corner-stone of this whole structural scheme is the fourfold design of the central garden (above, p.12), for the principal edifices are situated just above the outer end of each of the four garden-canals; thus, amidst the eastern, southern, western and northern sides of the quadrangle respectively stand the Kesav- Bhawan,Gopal-Bhawan with flanking Savan and Bhadon pavilions, --Kishan-Bhawan and Nand-Bhawan. To the north of the central garden is an oblong patch of land forming a secondary garden which is separated from the former by a wide causeway, but according to original plan this perhaps was intended to serve as a part of the second half of the stately building-complex with the Nand-Bhawan in the centre, which could never be completed.

The Vishnuite impact discernible in the names of the Gopal, Hardev (Hari-deva) Kishan, Kesav and Nand-Bhawans shows the sense of respect and devotion of the jat rulers for Krishna, the mythological hero of Braj.

The other edifices of note within the quadrangle, besides the water-reservoir, are the Hardev and Suraj-Bhawans occupying almost the south-western angle of the garden adjoining the Kishan-Bhawan. The principal entrance to the enclosure is now through the Singh-Pol situated opposite the Suraj-Bhawan on the north; the two remaining gates, though modern, are the Nanga and Suraj gates built almost on the south-western and north-eastern corners of the Bhawan-compound, respectively.

II The Gopal-Bhawan

The largest and most admirable of all the buildings, the Gopal-Bhawan. for its imaginative setting and commendable architecture, competes well with other palaces of contemporary Rajput princes. Its structural beauties reflecting themselves into surrounding sheets of water create unique charm in the environs (pl. I). Apart from its external grace, one has to appreciate its relatively modern internal set-up with well-lighted airy rooms unlike the royal residences of the middle ages. Conceived basically as an oblong (62.18 by 18.90 m.), the plan of this edifice has been transformed into an irregular cruciform on account of central projections on the longer sides. The Bhawan, with a height of about 9.75 m. and a flat roof, resolves itself into three principal portions, viz., a median and tow side ones. Though built mainly in tow storeys, this palace in certain parts has three and even four storeys, particularly towards its water-front,

were two oblong basement-storeys were constructed for cool shelter during summer and fishing-purposes.

The outstanding feature of its eastern façade is the central projection covered by majestic arches and well-sculptured imposing pillars. This forms the eastern half of the royal reception-hall (23.16 by 16.76 m.) which has another pleasing range of similar arches in the middle, facing those of the front. It is a single-storeyed apartment like the Diwan-i-'Am of shah Jahan and in the similar way has a railed alcove amidst the thickness of the back wall. Near the alcove on the floor is a small newly-paved marble water-pool, rectangular on plan, graced with modern reproductions of old fountains. Another delightsome feature of the hall is the arcaded balcony in the upper storey along each shorter sides within its inner half. Exactly opposite the grand hall a smaller oblong chamber, enclosed on three sides by the arcades of the usual kind, forms the western projection, which contains two beautifully-carved though restored stone basins with fountains and commands a pleasing view of the tank and gardens beyond. Between the two halls are several alleys and apartments of which those of the first floor deserve special mention for the sculptural work on decorative Bangal roofs adorning the principal doors and passages of light.

The side-wings of the palace seem to have been planned According to Devenish the alcoves within the walls of the rooms were used exclusively by the ladies of the zanana are purely residential suites. Of these each comprises a front and back hall of moderate dimensions (7.62 m. square) with a central corridor and rooms of different sizes on either side in both the storeys. The frontage of each hall is pierced by three arched openings, and in the ground floor the existence of four pillars, forming a central group and housing inside a fountain-basin, arrests attention. A room of the northern wing contains a throne or a throne or throne-platform of black marble and another of the southern of white marble, and both these are believed to spoils of war removed by Jawahirsingh from the imperial palaces of Delhi.

Attached to the main façade of the Gopal-Bhawan is a tank, (10.97 by 7.62 m.), having as many as fifteen fountains and flanked by two canals with jets planned along the angles of the façade. But of the whole exterior the most splendid component is the western face (pl. II) of the building rising above the waters of the Gopal-Sagar and decked with rows of overhanging kiosks and balconies on the sides. Once the roof-terrace of the building was surmounted by a chhatri with hipped roof flattened at the ridge, its absence today somewhat diminishes the grace of this noble composition.

(III) The marble swing

In front of the Gopal-Bhawan a raided terrace, resting on narrow and small arches, carries an arch of lustrous marble called hindola or swing installed on a pedestal of the same material. It is stated that this swing was removed from the Phulhari palace at Weir near Bayana and set up in the present position some time during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. But this might gave been brought as a trophy of war originally from Delhi by Surajmal or Jawahirsingh.

The hindola is in fact the arcuate frame of the actual swing, which was to be suspended through two central rings from the top. Of this arch the crowing components are tiny and solid domes on the sides and fine spike at the apex. Its marble pedestal, adorned with pietra dura, Bears an inscribed slab in Persian dated A.H. 1041(A.D.1630-31) which refers to a certain regnal year 4 without giving the name of the king. But as the earlier date itself corresponds with the 4th year of Shaj Jahan's rule, the authorship of this swing can be safely assigned to him.

(III) The pavilions

The Gopal-Bhawan is flanked by two detached pavilions known as Savan (month of July-August) and Bhadon (month of Aughst-September), respectively, on the north and south sides. Hanging from the western face of the terrace of the Bhawan on the Gopal-Sagar, they are in conformity with the alignment of the western projection of the palace and accentuate the general architectural effect of the whole group. Each of them (pl. II) is in two storeys, only the upper one of which is visible from the front, and has a fascinating hut-shaped roof crowned by a row of elegant

Spikes. The upper storey is in the form of a hall (10.97 by 7 m.) enclosed by well-relived arcades on all faces. The real attraction of the rainy months (Savan or Bhadon) is however, to be found in the lower floor, which consists of hall with a gallery at the back and verandahs separated by means of piers carrying the arches on three sides. In the middle of back wall of the gallery is a wide carved chute, for the charming flow of water, which is connected by a hidden drain with a shallow oblong cistern in the hall and a flattish water-sprinkling basin in its centre. On the outer side of the hall, above the spandrels of the arches, copper pipes are fitted, so that the water falling through them, in the form of a semi-circle on the verandah, may stage the beautiful scene of the rainy-season. The facades of the verandah are embellished with embowed openings haven finely-carved latticed rails. At the base of the structure, the brackets, supporting the verandah and particularly the long struts of the corners, impart to it the shape of a keel which lends the whole composition the look of a large floating boat with a cabin at the top. The ground before the upper storey is worked into a garden of usual type having intersecting canals with jets for communicating the idea of the greenery caused by rains.

(V) The Suraj-Bhawan

Named after Surajmal, the builder of the Bhawans, it is a handsome building of marble, the structural beauty of which is somewhat marred by its improper location. This consists of a single storey and is devised as a square of 26.80 m. with a flat roof (above 6.70). The rich material and general architectural treatment of the Suraj-Bhawan reminds one of Shah Jahan's structural products, and its design too bears affinities with certain earlier Mughal edifices.

The marble employed herein belongs, entirely or partially, to more than one of the royal buildings of the Mughals, for the slabs used in its walls do not always match in size and texture. Popularly this building is supposed to contain the marble slabs of the royal school for the princesses in the Delhi Fort, which probably was one of the many victims of Jawahir's fury. In addition to this the Jats appear to have also used some fresh marble which did not belong to any previous edifice; this is evident from the definite stamp of Dig architecture on some of the constituents of Suraj-Bhawan. It is possibly due to Jahahir's death that the encasement of the structure remained incomplete. The idea to cover it with white marble more probably was an after thought, for certain pavements, its plinth, major portion of the west