Battle royale! Here is why the erstwhile royal family of Mewar is fighting on the streets of Udaipur
Two factions of the erstwhile royal family have been involved in a bitter legal dispute over the control of the portion between Badi Pol and the dhuni in the City Palace in Udaipur, which has now spilled over to the streets.
The City Palace in Udaipur, one of the most famous landmarks in the city of lakes, which has seen many armies marching through its gates to fight battles over centuries, witnessed an unprecedented clash on Monday after two groups belonging to the erstwhile royal family fought on the streets over the control of the famed palace. The two sides resorted to stone pelting on Monday night, resulting in three policemen being injured.
CREDIT: CITY PALACE MUSEUM
Why erstwhile Mewar royals are fighting
Two factions of the erstwhile royal family have been involved in a bitter legal dispute over the control of the portion between Badi Pol and the dhuni in the City Palace in Udaipur, which has now spilled over to the streets.
Udaipur: A dispute within the former royal family turned violent as supporters of MLA Vishvaraj Singh clashed with City Palace representatives, leading to stone-pelting.
¡ª IANS (@ians_india) November 25, 2024
The conflict arose over access to the Dhuni Mata site for rituals. Vishvaraj Singh has been at the site with¡ pic.twitter.com/xQQUy29qFo
What happened on Monday
Monday's clashes followed the 'coronation' of BJP Nathdwara MLA Vishvaraj Singh as the new titular ruler of the Mewar dynasty. Vishvaraj Singh, the son of Mahendra Singh Mewar, was anointed the new ceremonial head of the erstwhile royal family earlier this month.
CREDIT: CITY PALACE MUSEUM
Vishvaraj Singh, who was anointed the new head of the erstwhile Mewar royal family at a ceremony in Chittorgarh Fort on Monday, was, as per tradition, scheduled to visit the City Palace to have darshan of the "dhuni" and then visit the Eklingnathji temple.
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However, his uncle, Arvind Singh Mewar, who controls the City Palace, refused him entry there, resulting in a stand-off and later clashes between the two sides.
Erstwhile royal family of Mewar
The Mewars are descendants of Maharana Pratap and have ruled the region for centuries. Though they are no longer the kings, the Mewar family still has significant political clout in Udaipur. While Vishvaraj Singh is the MLA from Nathdwara, his wife, Mahima Kumari, is the BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Rajsamand.
CREDIT: CITY PALACE MUSEUM
Receiver takes control of City Palace
Following the unprecedented clashes on Monday, the district administration has appointed Ghanta Ghar SHO Yogendra Kumar Vyas as the receiver to oversee the controversial portion of Udaipur's City Palace.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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