Naraina
Naraina, 1908
Head-quarters of the taluk or subdivision of the same name in the Sambhar nizamat of the State of Jaipur, Rajputana, situated in 26° 48' N. and 75"" 13' E., on the Rajputana-Malwa Rail- way, 41 miles west of Jaipur city, and 43 miles north-east of Ajmer. Population (1901), 5,266. The town possesses 5 schools attended by 160 boys, and a post office.
The place is famous as the head-quarters of the sect of Dadu- panthis, from whom the foot-soldiers of the State, called Nagas, are recruited. The Dadupanthis of Rajputana numbered 8,871 in 1901, and 8,610 of them, or over 97 per cent., were enumerated in the State of Jaipur. Dadu, the founder of the sect, is said to have lived in the time of Akbar, and to have died in 1603 near the lake at Naraina. The cardinal points of his teaching were the equality of all men, strict vegetarianism, total abstinence from the use of liquor, and lifelong celibacy. His precepts, which numbered 5,000, are all in verse and are embodied in a book called the Bani, which is kept in a sanctuary known as the Dadudwara. After Dadu's death his followers were divided into two sects : namely, the Vir- aktas, who profess to have renounced the world and its pleasures, live on alms, spend their time in contemplation and in imparting the teachings of Dadu to others, and are usually distinguishable by the strip of red cloth which they wear ; and the Sadhus or Swiimis, including the section called Naga. The latter name, which means 'naked,' is said to have been applied to them in consequence of the scantiness of the dhoti or loin-cloth which they used to wear. Strict celibacy being enjoined, the Dadupanthis recruit their num- bers by adoption from all but the lowest classes of Hindus and Musalmans. In the cases of Nagas, the adopted boys are at once trained in the profession of arms, and thus develop into men of fine physique. During the Mutiny the Nagas were the only body of men really true to the Darbar, and it has been stated that, but for them, the so-called regular army of Jaipur would have re- belled.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
