The ill Omened Parakeet of Tehri Garhwal

Tehri garhwal during British times was an important hill state in the region now known as Uttarakhand. Maharaja Narinder Shah of Tehri garhwal built the capital of Narinder Nagar for the kingdom at great cost and named it after himself. One of the reasons for building of the new capital is said to be that several generations of rulers before the Maharaja, had died before attaining the age of 30 and this scared the Maharaja.

He felt that the same fate awaited him.  He consulted priests, saints, sages, advisors and astrologers, who concluded that he should change the capital and leave his historical capital.  Since in a marked difference with expected life spans in the area, only the rulers of Tehri Garhwal happened to die early, this was a great cause of anxiety. When no readily explainable reasons are discernible, superstition takes hold fast and therefore the new capital was built at a fast clip and galloping cost.

The new capital settled and was a beautiful town. There were guests and gaiety, splendor and charm. The guests liked to spend their weekends in gorgeous surroundings amidst the charms of the area in weather, culture, cuisine and comfort. The principle raison d’etre (reason for existence) of the new capital however was not to be achieved. So, much is to said about the mystery of India.

Narinder Nagar

Kings of Tehri Garhwal had a long tradition of celebrating ‘Dussehra’ the day of victory of king ‘Rama’ over ‘Ravana’. Dussehra was celebrated at the old capital of Tehri by setting fire to the effigy of Ravana. These were great ceremonial occasions with pomp and show and army in tow as a throwback to the era of historical battle between ‘Ram’ and ‘Ravana’, the good and the bad and hence an assertion of the divinity and the authority of the kings to rule and command respect from the populace. The presence of the king and symbolic slaying of the demon king of Ceylon hence was very important ritual of the era.

Tehri Garhwal

As the king was preparing to leave for Tehri, the commotion in the palace informed him that a favorite talking parakeet of his younger maharani and the beloved consort had flown away and was not returning to the cage. The maharani was distressed and the maharaja concerned and distraught. As a tribute to love perhaps, or the influence of bad omen, setting aside his hurry to reach Tehri the king began to search for the parakeet himself in the nearby forests. After many hours, and numerous tries inspired and driven in his desire to find the parrot to comfort his maharani, the maharaja only could set about for Tehri terribly late and hence in great hurry.

1400 years old Temple in Tehri

The hurry or the stars, we will never know. However, just a little distance later, the Maharaja misjudged the road and lost his life as the car fell into a precipice. The day of celebrating the valour (Dussehra), thus became a tragic day and a tribute to the great love of Maharaja for his Maharani whose tears could keep him busy long hours scouting up and down the mountain for her favorite parakeet, on a day like this. The tributes to this love story can still be heard in Tehri and Narender Nagar. The place is slowly emerging as a great tourist attraction with its riches of forests, wildlife, religion, tradition, modern temples such as Tehri Hydro Electrical project, new sports such as white water rafting, rappling, rock climbing and hang gliding.The Other Home brings you a number of options in the area.

Ananda Resort in Himalayas

Homestays and vacation rentals are perhaps a better way to discover the area because of its rich cultural heritage and charm. The people of the area are warm, hospitable, charming and upholders of the great traditions of the area. Erstwhile residence of Maharaja of Tehri in Garhwal, Ananda in Himalayas is a best rejuvenating spot for today’s traveler, who come here to seek peace for mind, body and soul. With towns like Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Devprayag in the area with river ‘Ganga’ as unifying lifeline this is surely a vacation, one must undertake for completing the Indian experience.

If you want to be notified next time, subscribe to the RSS feed or say hello via Twitter @theotherhome. You can plan your dream holiday with us, visit The Other Home.