Veer Teja

Veer Teja or Tejaji is a Rajasthani folk deity. He is considered one of the major eleven incarnations of Shiva and worshipped as a deity in rural Rajasthan.[1][2]

Veer Teja
Hindu
Tejaji riding a horse
Affiliation	Deva, Avatar of Shiva
Personal information
Born	1074 Kharnal, Nagaur (Rajasthan, India)
Died	1103
Parents	Tahar Dev (father) Ramkunwari (mother)

Veer Teja was born around 1074 in Khadnal, Rajasthan, India. His parents, Ramkunwari and Tahar, were Dhaulya Jats.[3]

Legend has it that Teja died in 1103 from wounds received in battle while trying to rescue a herd of cows that had been dispersed during a raid by Mer people. The story says that while dying he allowed a snake to bite his tongue, that being the only unwounded area of his body. In return, the snake promised that no person or animal would die from a snakebite if they sought the blessings of Teja.[3]

Rural people in Rajasthan particularly call upon this promise on Shukla tenth of the month of Bhadrapada, a day that is set aside for marking his death.[3]

Anthropologists say the Tejaji cult is a protagonist that includes an element of protest against the caste system.[4]

• 
  Teja temple at Kharnal in Nagaur, Rajasthan
• 
  Painting depicting Tejaji's marriage at Pushkar
• 
  Sursura Ajmer Teja Dham, where Tejaji died

See Also

• Tejaji Temple at Kharnal - place where Tejaji was born
• Tejaji temple at Paner - place where Tejaji was married
• Shree Veer Tejaji samadhi sthala Temple, Sursura - place where Tejaji attained Nirvana

Commemoration

In September 2011, India Post released a commemorative stamp depicting Tejaji.[5]

A Rajasthani language movie titled Veer Tejaji, based on the life of Tejaji was made in the 1980s.

References

1. Editorial, Reuters. "In India, getting bitten by a snake seen as good luck". U.S. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
2. ANI (16 September 2016). "Rajasthan celebrates unique snake festival to bring good fortune". India.com. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
3. Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa Publications. p. 428. ISBN 978-8129108906. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
4. Dhali, Rajshree Popular Religion in Rajasthan: A Study of Four Deities and Their Worship in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century, 2014, p. 229
5. Rajasthan Voice: Thursday, September 8, 2011, Special postage stamp released on Folk deity Veer Teja

Further reading

• Madan Meena: Tejaji Gatha (Hadoti & Hindi), Kota Heritage Society, Kota, 2012 ISBN 978-81-8465-686-2 (Published under the World Oral Literature Project, University of Cambridge, UK)