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Maharaja of Khetri Ajit Singh Bahadur, the eighth king of the state of Khetri, succeeded Raja Fateh Singh in 1870.
It is about the unique friendship that developed between Maharaja Ajit Singh Bahadur, the ruler of the Shekhawat dynasty of the princely state of Khetri in Rajputana and Narendra Dutta, a monk who was called Swami Bibidishanand. Narendra, a bhakt of Sri Ramakrishna, had set out from Belur as a wandering monk in 1888. His journeys were like other monks, “homeless, unattached, independent and like strangers wherever they go.” His only possessions were a “kamandalu” (a pot of water), a stick and his two favorite books, the Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. Ajit Singh Bahadur became his disciple and it was at his suggestion that Narendra agreed to change his name to Swami Vivekananda and don the saffron robe and turban, which became his attire.
Maharaja Ajit Singh Bahadur
But where is Khetri you will ask? The former princely state of Khetri lies about 170 km southwest of Delhi and 150 km northeast of Jaipur and is part of the Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan known for its copper mines. Few would have heard of it and although picturesque with a fort, whose walls wind through the hills, it is different from other states of Rajasthan which are full of legends of Rajput valor. His story is both fable and folklore – made all the more exciting to the world with the discovery of a bunch of letters written in English by none other than Swami Vivekananda.
Maharaja of Khetri Ajit Singh Bahadur, the eighth king of the state of Khetri, succeeded Raja Fateh Singh in 1870. Born on October 16, 1861, his father was Chattu Singh, a Thakur from Alsisar. As a child, he was adopted by Fateh Singh, who had no son. By the time Ajit Singh met Narendra, he had been on the throne for 21 years.
Strangely, it is said that Narendra only met Ajit Singh three times in his life – in 1891, 1893 and 1897 – and yet developed a very close bond with him. During his time as a wandering monk, it was at Mount Abu that he first met Ajit Singh during his summer getaway, Khetri House. Narendra and Ajit had what would have been his longest stay with Ajit Singh, who persuaded him to stay during the hot season. Narendra’s stay lasted almost months, from June 4 to October 27, 1891, resulting in a lifetime of friendship. It was during this visit that Ajit Singh suggested him to wear a turban to protect himself from the hot Rajasthani winds and showed him how to tie the turban in the Rajasthani style. Narendra was a quick learner and adopted the turban as her permanent head covering.
Swami Vivekananda
Becoming a close friend and devoted follower, Ajit Singh was also the person Narendra turned to for help whenever the need arose. Letters written by Swami Vivekanand mention his plans and difficulties, clearly showing his dependence and faith in his friend. In a letter to Ajit Singh dated November 22, 1898, Vivekananda wrote, “I have not the slightest shame in opening my mind to you and considering you my only friend in this life.”
Ajit Singh persuaded and provided financial assistance for his friend Narendra to attend and participate in the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893. Narendra left Bombay for Chicago on May 31, 1893, with a new name suggested by his friend. From now on, he will be known as “Vivekananda”! It was indeed a perfect name for Narendra – Vivekananda meant “the bliss of discerning wisdom” – in Sanskrit it is a combination of viveka (wisdom) and ananda (bliss).
Knowing of his friend’s financial situation, from 1891 Ajit Singh started sending a monthly allowance of `100 to Vivekananda’s family in Kolkata. On December 1, 1898, Vivekananda wrote a letter to Ajit Singh of Belur in which he asked him to make this donation permanent so that even after Vivekananda’s death, his mother (Bhuvaneswari Devi, 1841-1911) would receive financial assistance on a regular. . Khetri’s letter records reveal that he communicated frequently with family members in Vivekananda’s absence. The state of Khetri and its friendly ruler were highly respected in Rajputana. Despite its small area, it had a magnificent fort, interesting architectural structures and was considered at the time as one of the most advanced and progressive states in Rajasthan. In 1897, Ajit Singh traveled to England after receiving an invitation to attend Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
In 1999, the Jhunjhunu district administration discovered a pile of 106-year-old letters written by Swami Vivekananda to the ruler of Khetri. These rare letters were found by pure chance in the archive room of his sub-prefect. The village patwari, whose job it is to keep the land records, took these old letters to Ram Niwas Mehta, the subdivision officer who went through them meticulously and was surprised and delighted to know that they had been written by none other than Swami Vivekananda. These were letters written between the months of February and December of the year 1893. All the letters written by Swami Vivekananda were handwritten in English. Some of them can be seen in the Khetri Museum, while others have become the treasured possessions of the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur in West Bengal.
As the nation honored Swami Vivekananda on the 125th year of his historic address to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the residents of Khetri in the Jhunjhunu District had their own reasons to celebrate – as Vivekananda had also founded a Ramakrishna Mission in Khetri. The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda continues to follow his words which over the years have spread across the world. Pilgrims from all over the world make it a point to visit Belur Math, the backdrop to this Indian philosopher, who remains a key figure in bringing Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.
The writer is an author, professional communicator and intrepid traveler
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