DELWARA
devkul paton nagri: the town of gods
Introduction
The Concept:
The citizens of Delwara, supported by Seva Mandir, the National Foundation for India and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust have initiated an effort to transform their township and restore it to its former glory. At the heart of this initiative is the struggle to empower citizens to transform their own lives. Rather than see themselves as beneficiaries of development aid and handouts, they become responsible agents of their own development and stewards of their township. The project has created opportunities for people to transcend caste and communal boundaries; residents have been inspired to feel accountable for their own community. They have taken individual and collective responsibility for transforming their township; demanding pro-active and responsible leadership from local leaders, creating clean and comfortable public spaces and beginning to invest in their own society. Through participatory and empowering models of development, the residents of Delwara are able to solve local problems and therefore, enhance their own standard of living. The success of the approach lies in the fact that, over and over again, the people of Delwara have come together to meet new challenges.
Some of the major objectives of this initiative have been to enhance people’s participation in:
• Improving access to water and sanitation
• Promoting cleanliness
• Promoting youth participation in developing citizenship
• Cultivating pride and ownership for existing heritage
• Enhancing livelihood security
To enable this process, a citizens’ forum – the Nagrik Vikas Manch – has been formed. The Nagrik Vikas Manch provides a series of platforms at both the neighbourhood and township levels for citizens to meet, discuss, deliberate, learn together and address developmental challenges through independent initiatives and in partnership with the local Panchayat.
Seva Mandir
Seva Mandir is a non-profit organisation working in over 600 villages across Udaipur and Rajsamand districts of southern Rajasthan. It follows an integrated approach to community development and aims to empower communities to take collective responsibility for their own development through democratic processes. It works to achieve this though empowering village village institutions, strengthening sustainable livelihoods and building human capabilities through a variety of participatory development interventions.
National Foundation for India
The National Foundation for India (NFI) is an autonomous, professionally managed trust that works for the disadvantaged communities to help them improve their own lives. NFI raises funds to make grants to NGOs in seven thematic areas, including community health, elementary education, local governance, livelihood security, peace and justice, citizens and society and development journalism. It also provides fellowships and internships to individuals on key social development issues.
Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust extends its support to individuals, institutions and organizations striving to make a difference. It demonstrates the power of purposeful philanthropy in the development of a progressive nation while promoting excellence and relevance in all areas of human endeavour.
Women of the patch work groups
Some 20 years back, Seva Mandir initiated a patchwork programme in Delwara as an income generation activity to promote women’s empowerment. Today this initiative has transformed into a self-owned enterprise with involving more than 600 women from various villages. Of these, around 250 are from Delwara. These women, organized into various production groups, have come a long way over the years.
Today they are not only economically independent but also more empowered and confident both at home and in society at large. They are also more aware about personal hygiene, childcare, family saving, health, and other related matters. This powerful group of dynamic women has a very significant role to play in the local governance process. As they are highly respected in their communities and are living stories of positive change, they are able to motivate others in the community to become active agents in improving both their own lives and the township as a whole.
The major benefit to these women will be that this project will lead to a synergistic effect when coupled with the initiative of opening an attractive showroom for Sadhna to showcase their handiwork and sell their product directly to the customers. By converting the village into a tourist stop over, the probability of more tourists stopping at the village will increase rather than just having a showroom, as it will not be enough incentive for many tourists to make the stop over.
History:
Delwara was originally known as devkul paton nagri which means the town of gods. And true to its name the town boasted of about 1000 temples (mandir) at one time, out of which there were about
400 Jain mandir. Raja Sampriti (the King of Mewar) built about 1-lakh mandir during his reign. In fact even today every street in Delwara has at least one
mandir.
The kingdom of Mewar was originally divided into
16 rajwadas or districts. Delwara was one of the
16 rajwadas. Along with Badi Sadri and Gogunda. Delwara was ruled by the Jhala Rajputs.The Jhala family was known for its bravery and valor.As many as 7 generations of the Jhala family had been sacrificing their lives for the Maharanas. The rulers at the time of the construction of the famous Jain mandir were Maharana Mokal then Maharana Lakha and then Maharana Kumbha. Delwara, Nagdha and Aayad were the centers of learning and culture during the fifteen-century. Delwara was a large town and spread from Gandharva sagar talab to Nagda. Today only 25% of the original town remains.
