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Historically, Pushti Marg has developed its artistic and
aesthetic sensibilities through imperial / royal contacts. During the time
of Shri Vallabh, it was in touch with the VijayaNagar empire of South India. During Shri
Gausaiji’s time, it came into contact with the Mughal court at
Gausaiji and Akbar met on several occasions, resulting in
several grants of land, villages (Gokul and jatipura) and imperial edicts favoring the sect.
Emperor Akbar was given the rare privilege of having darshan of Navnitpriyaji
and Shrinathji on various occasions. One of the Gausaiji’s son was a regular attendee at
the imperial court, further developing and cultivation imperial contacts.
As a result, the sect acquired an imperial taste for fine foods, foreign
clothes, exquissite & expensive jewelry, especially pearls and gems set in kundan
settings. Imperial gift of an unusally large diamond still graces ShriNathji’s chin
from Akber's time.
Court protocol was introduced, establishing strict set of discipline
temple servants must maintain whilst in the presence of the
"Lord".
Everyone still has to bow and show respect as they move in and out of divine
presence. Chadidars (mace bearers / announcers) were employed to announce the arrival of
gosawmis, important visitors and the all important “cows”. Soft
furnishings, silk curtains, khas curtains, fountains etc were introduced to make
the inner sanctum resemble a miniature palace. During Akbar’s time,
Vrajbhasha was the popular medium of poetry at court. Very early on,
Pushti Marg adopted Drupad and Vrajbhasha as its main medium for devotional
hymns.
At this time, several Hindu Royal families were in the employ
of the Mughals as generals and courtiers. They came into contact with the
sect and became its devotees. While the sect was centered at Gokul, they
were within easy commute (only 40 km from
For example - For a while, Birbal was the governor (Raja) of
Jahangir was a very different ruler from his father.
Though one of his wives, Princess Jodh, also known as Jagat Gusai, was an ardent
devotee of Pushti Marg, he wasn’t so inclined. Influenced by his Persian
wife Nur-Jahan and
his Persian courtiers, Jahangir distanced himself from all things Hindu.
Shah-Jahan and later Aurangzeb went further and reversed the
earlier pro-Hindu policies of the state, forcing most of the goswamis and their families to
seek refuge else-where. The only Goswami to remain in Gokul was Shri
GokulNathji. He is the only one to have weathered the storm and stayed put
when all others left.
ShriNathji and his treasures were moved from Jatipura to
various cities and towns around north
Along with the royals, the rich and wealthy of western
Nathdwara was a safe place till the early 1800s when the
Maratha army from
As Gujarati merchants spread out across the sub-continent and
beyond, they invited the goswami balaks to settle amongst them in far flung
corners of the nation. Ahemdabad,
Even as the royals of
From late 1850s, new style of paintings, new fabrics and new
setting for jewels entered ShriNathji’s wardrobe. Satins, chiffons,
georgettes were used and new “claw setting” for stones became popular.
ShriNathji was now painted in the more "realistic" style and was painted black
rather than blue, with his feet
pointing forwards. Goswamis were also painted with realistic features
and faces that were as accurate as photographs.
During the early independence movement in the 1850s, the Tilkayat had
supported their leaders. But, as the British prevailed, office of the
Tilkayat had to accommodate and modernize. In the early 20th century, the
entire sect was rocked by a number of embarrassing revelations about the private
lives of the goswamis. Personal fetishes of men who purported to live as
gods amongst their followers became headline news and the sect suffered as a
result. Number of followers dwindled and fortunes of even the bigger
havelis suffered severe losses.
After independence, the sect had to face the ire of the new
socialist secular government that seemed to be shy about its Hindu roots.
Tilakayat and other goswamis have been fighting to keep the havelis in their
own hands and not let them slip to the “Trust” status where by they can be
looted by the government. Some have succeeded, most have not. Many
havelis have become “Trusts” to safeguard what little fortune they can.
However, in the process, the central ethos of the sect has been compromised in
parts and often these havelis on “Trust” do not feel like the
havelis of old.
Since mid 1900s, some of the Goswamis have visited their followers in
Africa, Middle East, Europe,
Since the 1990s, fortunes of Pushti Marg have soared with the
fortunes of India as a whole. A huge new group of followers use modern
conveniences of train and air travel to visit ShriNathji on a weekly /
fortnightly and monthly basis. Vast sums of money are expended in staying
at the new hotels and "luxury resorts" between Udaipur and Nathdwara.
Modern vaishnavs are a cosmopolitan lot. Spread
across the globe, they are involved in every sphere of trade, business
and services industry. They represent the modern world and its international
citizens and are no longer isolated or insular. Their tastes in
art and architecture have changed too. They are no longer interested in
some of the original styles or understand the complex symbolisms involved.
New Havelis being built across the world are eclectic in their architectural
style. These new Havelis borrow elements of Indian design, but no longer represent the mansions and palaces of
Recently, major changes are under way to change the very
layout of the haveli and the town of
Over the last five centuries, Pushti Marg has
adopted to the its environment whilst retaining its core character.
Above
all, it has evolved to become one of the most aesthetically pleasing sects of
Hinduism.
Let us work to make sure it preserves its core values and gracefulness into the
new century.
Historical time line of ShriNathji
© Bhagwat
Bhagwat_s@Yahoo.com
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