Jaipur:
This dussehra, the focus of everybody's attention in Jaipur was a young 14 -year-old boy, Sawai Padmanabh Singh, who for the first time fulfilled the duties of the royal family of Jaipur. Two years ago after his grandfather Maharaja Brigadier Bhawani Singh passed away, his grandson Padmanabh, whom he had adopted, was recognised by the former Jaipur royals as the next Maharaja of Jaipur.
Though princely titles are not recognised in democratic India, most royal families continue the tradition which is now mainly used for ceremonial occasions.
Padmanabh, who studies in Rajasthan's Mayo College, was given time off from school to fulfil his traditional duties and the young maharaja carried out the centuries old Dussehra rituals as per tradition.
"It's not a holiday in my school but I have been given time off as I have to fulfil the duties of my ancestors, I have a lot of responsibilities now,"Padmanabh said.
His grandmother Rajmata Padmini Devi, emphasised the need for keeping a balance between the traditional and modern while bringing up her grandchildren.
"These rituals don't belong to today, they have been around for centuries and we need to follow them, like most families follow their own traditions," she said.
First on the agenda in the Dussehra celebrations was worshipping the royal arms, swords, lancers and shields, used by the Kachwaha Rajput Kings for battle. Each year on Dusshera, worshipping arms and ammunition is part of a ritual that most martial races in Rajasthan follow. This year, this worship was carried out by young Padmanabh and the royal pundits.
After that it was the turn of the horses and elephants to be lined up for worship. In medieval Rajasthan before artillery and canon fire, it was the horse mounted cavalry and the elephant formations that often proved decisive and critical in battle, especially when it meant mounting attacks on garrisoned forts that were strategically located on steep hills, accessible only on horse or elephant back and even today the importance of these animals are recognised in the ritual Dussehra celebrations
For Padmanabh it had been a long day, ending only with the sighting of the first star on dussehra evening, but for the many tourists who lined up the square in city palace to get a glimpse of the young maharaja, it was a peep down the pages of history.