Rawal Mallinath is a 14th-century folk hero of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

. He was the eldest son of Rao Salkhaji, the ruler of Mehwanagar in

Barmer District Barmer District is a district in Rajasthan state of India. It is located in the western part of Rajasthan state forming a part of the Thar Desert. Barmer is the third largest district by area in Rajasthan and fifth largest district in India. Oc ...

. He and his wife, Rani Rupade, are revered as folk saints in Western Rajasthan.

Military career

He ruled from Sindh in the west and

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

in the north. In 1394, he sent a contingent under his nephew Rao Chunda to annex Mandore and defeated Muslim force and annexed Mandore. His military career is admired for defeating the thirteen division of the Mohamaddan Army of Nijjamudin of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

and Firoz Shah Tughlaq. He conquered the whole of the area which later became known as Malani. He was the first chief of the area to take the title of Rawal. Legend it has that he possessed divine powers and goddess herself appeared before him.

Family

His descendants were the oldest among all houses of

Rathore The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India. Subclans Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage This article discusses the "Kanauji ...

clan, Mahecha

s. He was the eldest son of Rawal Salkhaji. He had two brothers, Viramdeo and Jaitmal. His father died when was of twelve years. The houses of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ratlam, Sitamau, Sailana, Idar, and Alirajpur trace their lineage to Viramdeo, while the houses of Gudamalani and Kelwa trace their lineage from Jaitmal.Dhananajaya Singh, The house of Marwar He died in 1399 in Dodiali with his wife, Rapade being

Sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

on him. Rawal Mallinath is viewed as a warrior-saint, and songs of his heroic valour and saintly attitude are still sung by folk singers of western Rajasthan. His wife Rani Rupade was also a saint – bhajans composed by her are still popular in Western Rajasthan.

Events

The Mallinath cattle fair is held every year at

Tilwara Tilwara, historically known as Khedgarh is a village in Pachpadra tehsil of Barmer district of Rajasthan state in India. Tilwara is situated on the Luni River and is a railway station on Jodhpur-Balotra route. The village is famous for Mallinat ...

in Barmer district. It is the biggest cattle fair in Rajasthan. The Mallinath Fair often features highly popular breeds of animals including cows, camels, sheep, goats, and horses. People from as far away as

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

attend the fair seeking good prices on livestock. It is said that the fair originated when admirers of Rawal Mallinath, a popular local hero, gathered in Tilwara, riding on well-bred animals to meet him. There is a shrine of Mallinath, where people pray with the belief that their wishes will be granted. If their wishes are fulfilled, it is customary to offer miniature horse statues as a token of thanks to the shrine. One can see wood, brass, and bronze horses being sold by the traders who come from Mathura, Agra, and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. There are other shops selling general merchandise, fodder, and agricultural tools. The fair opens with the hoisting of the flag of Rawal Mallinathji and songs praising his valor and greatness. The fair features bullock, camel, and horse races on the dry riverbed. The animals that win are crowned with white badges and are sold for higher prices at the fair.

Military career

Family

Events

References

See also