Mewar tradition – UdaipurBlog

Discover the History & Meaning behind Very Popular Greeting ‘Khamma Ghani’

‘Khamma Ghani’, just two terms but with a historical connotation. Many people are either aware or unaware of the meaning tied with greeting Khamma Ghani.

Just about most of the time, we may run into someone who will ask about the meaning of these terms.

The widely held belief is that Ghani means many and Khamma implies ‘Kshama’ or forgiveness. So why do we use it as a greeting?

History embedded with Bravery of ‘Khumans’

According to geo-heritage consultant and author Pushpendra Singh Ranawat, the first Guhilot king of Chittorgarh, Mewar, Rawal Kaalbhojaditya (735-753 AD), successfully repelled Arab invaders to the west of Sindh.

Kaalbhojaditya received the honorific title “Bappa Rawal” for defending the ancient Indian culture against the invaders.

“Bappa Rawal’s successor Rawal Khuman I (753-773 AD) successfully repelled numerous Arab attacks on the western frontier of Greater India”, claims Ranawat.

Rawal Khuman II (828–853) bravely carried out this mission and defeated the Abbasid Caliph army led by Al-Ma’mun in 24 major engagements, as well as a combined force of 40 Hindu Kings.

Similarly, Rawal Khuman III (878–912) did a courageous job of safeguarding the local livelihood.

“Bappa Rawal and the three Rawal : Khumans, served the country for more than a century, after which Hindustan (India) witnessed a period of tranquility & prosperity for over three hundred years, up to 1000 AD”, Ranawat continues to claim with pride.

Evolution of the Greeting

In order to honor Rawal’s ‘Khumans’, the phrase “Ghani-Ghani Khamma”, which means “Many-Many Khumans” or “May we be blessed with many Khumans”, became popular.

It started with variations such as Ghani-Khamma, Khamma-Ghani, Khumana-ra-kunwar ne ghani khamma, etc.

However, that colloquial version of Khamma Ghani related to forgiveness, was solicited in advance, in case one’s words or actions caused another to feel offended.

Today, it has been modified to imply “many greetings” or “many blessings”, and it is frequently used as a greeting or a welcome.

In Rajasthani, the word for “hello” is “Khamma Ghani” and if you are an older person, you should reply with “Ghani Khamma” or just “Khamma.”

So if next time someone asks the meaning you’ll be all Shakespeare about it!

Cultural Centre at Saheliyon-ki-Bari still not open for visitors

Even after 9 months in the Kalangan centre prepared by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), the cultural evening and short films for tourists have not been started.

On the pattern of heritage in Bagore Haveli, the evening full of cultural events were supposed to happen daily. A short film on the history of Saheliyon-ki-Bari was prepared to show in a specially constructed room, but the indigenous and foreign tourists visiting here are not able to see it at this time. On July 28, 2018, the former Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria inaugurated the Kalangan Center. In it, there were 44 works of famous artists of contemporary art including Mewar’s famous traditional miniature painting style, Nathdwara, Kawad Photo category etc. Apart from this, the panels of the historic theme of Mewar, which are built in Herbal Gardens of Forest Medicinal Plants, Bird Vihar are located here.

More than two thousand domestic and foreign tourists visit Saheliyon-ki-Bari, according to which the proposed rooms for short films are facing a shortfall, which is going to shift above. Second, in the evening selection of a qualified institution for cultural events cannot be held. There will be a separate ticket for entry, but how much it will look, it can not be decided by the administration. Here, additional security professionals are required for deployment, but SCERT lacks a budget to keep security personnel on contract. Time for completion of this project is indefinite hence, the visitors have to wait for a new addition to Udaipur itinerary.