Jauhar

Jauhar (also spelled jowhar) is the self-immolation of queens and female royals of the Rajput kingdoms of India, when facing defeat at the hands of an enemy. The roots of this practice lie in the internecine warfare among different Rajput clans. The most famous Jauhars in recorded history have occurred at the end of Rajput battles with Muslim empires. It was followed by females and children of the Rajput clans in order to avoid capture, enslavement and rape at the hands of invaders. The term also describes the practice of mass suicide carried out in medieval times by Rajput women to save their honor from invaders. The term is derived from two Sanskrit words, Jau or Jiv meaning "life" and Har meaning "to take" added together means to take one's own life. Jivhar was later conflated with the Arabic word Jawhar meaning "mettle", "jewel" or "property".In the palaces of the maharanas there was a special room of Jauhar that is called as "Jauhar Kund" before the johar they speak the slogan" jai bhavani" bhavani is a name another name durga maa and they give their handprints in the wall surrounded by the jawhar kund.

Jauhar (Forgotten Realms)

Jauhar is a fictional god in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. She is part of the Al-Qadim campaign setting that is set within the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Publication history

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

Jauhar was introduced in the Al-Qadim: Land of Fate set (1992).

Description

Jauhar is the goddess of wealth of Zakhara and preaches the importance of hard work to acquire riches. She is technically only a local goddess, but probably the most influential of those, as she is worshiped in a number of cities. In the Cities of the Pantheon she is seen as a Great Goddess and takes the place of Jisan there. As such Jauhar is above such concerns as alignment, as wealth may be acquired to feed the hungry or to oppress the poor. Jauhar's symbol is a gold dinar.

Old images show the goddess as a beautiful dancer adorned with coins, but efforts have been made by her pantheist worshipers to destroy all such pictures as blasphemous and describe her garbed in chador, a garment covering a woman from head to foot, but with a gold dinar on her forehead.