Vibhuti Narayan Singh
Encyclopedia
Pandit Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh डॉ विभूति नारायण सिंह् (1927–2000) was the popular King of Benares, a holy city located in the India
n state of Uttar Pradesh
. He was the last king of the Kingdom of Kashi
.
. Maharaja Aditya Narayan Singh died in 1938, and Vibhuti Narayan Singh was proclaimed King of Kashi. Since Vibhuti Narayan Singh was a minor at that time, a working committee was formed to look after the Kingdom.
, Ajmer
. He received his Master's degree in Sanskrit
from Banaras Hindu University
, Varanasi. He studied Sanskrit grammar with the famous grammarian Vagish Shastri
of Varanasi. He was a scholar of Sanskrit
, Veda and Purana.
fort was his residence. A popular king, Vibhuti Narayan Singh had a keen interest in cultural activities. His ancestors started plays based on epic stories. He explored many plays/dramas on the religious stories of the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata
. Under his prominent guidance these remained popular for decades in the streets of Benares. All people of Benares chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’ whenever he passed through the streets. His kingdom was dissolved and merged into India on 15 October 1948, but the people of Varanasi
gave him the same respect normally accorded to a king.
, he became Chancellor
of Banaras Hindu University
. He was awarded D.Litt. from Banaras Hindu University
. Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh establish Vishwa Sanskrit Pratisthanam for the upliftment of Sanskrit
research under the guidance of Vagish Shastri
. He established Akhil Bhartiya Kashiraj Nyas which published several books on oriental studies. He established Kashi Raj trust which also runs the museum comprising exhibits like palanquins, costumes, swords, sabres etc. On January 28, 1983 the Vishwanath Temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh as president.
Vibhuti Narayan Singh was the last Naresh to see kingship after Benares was ceded to the Union of India. He died in the year 2000.
. Ram Leela celebration forms an integral part of the cultural life of the Hindi-speaking belt of North India. Under outstanding guidance of Kashi Naresh, unique Ram Leela is enacted in the most traditional style. This special Ram Leela of Ramnagar, Varanasi
lasts for almost one month. Over a million pilgrims arrive annually for the vast processions and performances organized by Kashi Naresh.
Generally, the Ram Leela is enacted on a single stage but in Ramnagar almost the whole town is transformed into a vast Ram Leela ground. Permanent structures are built and spaces designated to represent the main locations of the story such as Ashok Vatika, Lanka etc. at different locations in the town. The whole audience moves along with the performers with every episode, to the next location.
. This festival was performed in the presence of Kashi Naresh Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh which held in the day following Dussehra
. The place is full of citizens who gather in the streets to see the procession of Lord Ram. Bharat Milap is one of the greatest attractions of Varanasi
city.
. The Nakkatayya Leela is held at Chetganj, Varanasi
and is attended by large number of people from all parts of Varanasi city and nearby towns in the presence of Kashi Naresh. Nakkatayya re-enacts a story from Ramayana in which Surpanakha
(sister of Ravana
), comes to entice Rama and then Lakshman. Lakshman, the younger brother of Ram, gets angry and slits Suparnakha's nose and she goes back crying.
jumps into River Ganges for Nag Nathan. The Nag Nathaiya festival is famous as Nag Nathaiya Leela. The Nag Nathaiya festival is held during the month of Nov-Dec and a large number of people gather to see the re-enactment. Nag Nathaiya festival is a part of the Krishna Leela ceremony, a mythological tradition involving depiction of a famous episode in the life of lord Krishna
. The Kashi Naresh views this episode from the royal Boat. The actors are awarded by him. This Barat was usually inaugurated by Kashi Naresh Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. He was the last king of the Kingdom of Kashi
Kingdom of Kashi
The Kingdom of Kashi was an independent Bhumihar Brahmin state until 1194, became a British territory in 1775, and became a state in 1911. It is the site of Ramnagar Fort and its museum, which are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares and since the 18th century has been the home of...
.
Childhood
Vibhuti Narayan Singh was born on November 5, 1927. He was eight years old when adopted by Maharaja Aditya Narain Singh, Kashi Naresh, King of KashiKingdom of Kashi
The Kingdom of Kashi was an independent Bhumihar Brahmin state until 1194, became a British territory in 1775, and became a state in 1911. It is the site of Ramnagar Fort and its museum, which are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares and since the 18th century has been the home of...
. Maharaja Aditya Narayan Singh died in 1938, and Vibhuti Narayan Singh was proclaimed King of Kashi. Since Vibhuti Narayan Singh was a minor at that time, a working committee was formed to look after the Kingdom.
Education
Vibhuti Narayan Singh studied at Mayo CollegeMayo College
Mayo College is a public school founded by the 6th Earl of Mayo, who was Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872.The school is located in Ajmer, in the state of Rajasthan, India....
, Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
. He received his Master's degree in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
from Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
, Varanasi. He studied Sanskrit grammar with the famous grammarian Vagish Shastri
Vagish Shastri
Vagish Shastri is an international Sanskrit grammarian, eminent linguist, Tantric and yogi. He was born in the city of Khurai, in Madhya Pradesh in 1934. His primary education was in Khurai, followed by his education in Vrindavan and Benaras...
of Varanasi. He was a scholar of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Veda and Purana.
Kingship
On becoming an adult, Vibhuti Narayan Singh took actual charge of the Kingship in 1947. RamnagarRamnagar
Ramnagar may refer to:Settlements in Bangladesh:* Ramnagar, BangladeshSettlements in India:* Ramanagar - a town near Bangalore in Karnataka state of India * Ramnagar, Agartala...
fort was his residence. A popular king, Vibhuti Narayan Singh had a keen interest in cultural activities. His ancestors started plays based on epic stories. He explored many plays/dramas on the religious stories of the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Under his prominent guidance these remained popular for decades in the streets of Benares. All people of Benares chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’ whenever he passed through the streets. His kingdom was dissolved and merged into India on 15 October 1948, but the people of Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
gave him the same respect normally accorded to a king.
Contribution
After independence of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he became Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
. He was awarded D.Litt. from Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
. Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh establish Vishwa Sanskrit Pratisthanam for the upliftment of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
research under the guidance of Vagish Shastri
Vagish Shastri
Vagish Shastri is an international Sanskrit grammarian, eminent linguist, Tantric and yogi. He was born in the city of Khurai, in Madhya Pradesh in 1934. His primary education was in Khurai, followed by his education in Vrindavan and Benaras...
. He established Akhil Bhartiya Kashiraj Nyas which published several books on oriental studies. He established Kashi Raj trust which also runs the museum comprising exhibits like palanquins, costumes, swords, sabres etc. On January 28, 1983 the Vishwanath Temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh as president.
Vibhuti Narayan Singh was the last Naresh to see kingship after Benares was ceded to the Union of India. He died in the year 2000.
Cultural devotion
Vibhuti Narayan Singh was a very keen connoisseur of epic plays. He devoted himself in these activities which were celebrated in different parts of Benares which includes Ramnagar, Chetganj, Nati Imli, Tulsi Ghat, Dara Nagar, Chet Singh Palace among other.Ram Leela
Ram Lila is a popular enactment of the mythological epic, RamayanaRamayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Ram Leela celebration forms an integral part of the cultural life of the Hindi-speaking belt of North India. Under outstanding guidance of Kashi Naresh, unique Ram Leela is enacted in the most traditional style. This special Ram Leela of Ramnagar, Varanasi
Ramnagar, Varanasi
Ramnagar is a city and a municipal board in Varanasi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ramnagar has a fort known as Ramnagar Fort which is still the residence of King of Varanasi . He was known as Kashi Naresh meaning king of Kashi and is still regarded by old residents of the city of...
lasts for almost one month. Over a million pilgrims arrive annually for the vast processions and performances organized by Kashi Naresh.
Generally, the Ram Leela is enacted on a single stage but in Ramnagar almost the whole town is transformed into a vast Ram Leela ground. Permanent structures are built and spaces designated to represent the main locations of the story such as Ashok Vatika, Lanka etc. at different locations in the town. The whole audience moves along with the performers with every episode, to the next location.
Bharat Milap
Bharat Milap is celebrated to commemorate Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and his reunion with his brother, BharatBharata (Ramayana)
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty...
. This festival was performed in the presence of Kashi Naresh Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh which held in the day following Dussehra
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...
. The place is full of citizens who gather in the streets to see the procession of Lord Ram. Bharat Milap is one of the greatest attractions of Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
city.
Nakkataiyya
Nakkatayya (slitting of nose) is an episode from the RamayanaRamayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. The Nakkatayya Leela is held at Chetganj, Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
and is attended by large number of people from all parts of Varanasi city and nearby towns in the presence of Kashi Naresh. Nakkatayya re-enacts a story from Ramayana in which Surpanakha
Surpanakha
Surpanakha or Shurpanakha is one of the most important characters in the Ramayana. Indeed, Valmiki comes close to claiming that if there had been no Kaikeyi and no Surpanakha, then there would have been no Ramayana and no war with Ravana...
(sister of Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
), comes to entice Rama and then Lakshman. Lakshman, the younger brother of Ram, gets angry and slits Suparnakha's nose and she goes back crying.
Nag Nathaiya
The Nag Nathaiya festival of Varanasi is held at the Tulsi Ghat. Lord KrishnaKrishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
jumps into River Ganges for Nag Nathan. The Nag Nathaiya festival is famous as Nag Nathaiya Leela. The Nag Nathaiya festival is held during the month of Nov-Dec and a large number of people gather to see the re-enactment. Nag Nathaiya festival is a part of the Krishna Leela ceremony, a mythological tradition involving depiction of a famous episode in the life of lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. The Kashi Naresh views this episode from the royal Boat. The actors are awarded by him. This Barat was usually inaugurated by Kashi Naresh Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh.