This is the story of devotion and dedication of the Royal Family of Kotah.
The Royal Family of Kotah belongs to the Ballabh Kul Sampradaya since 1719 AD, where Maharao Bhim Singh I, on his way from Delhi, took diksha (initiation), from Goswami Gopinathji at Jatipura.
He brought back to Kotah the golden idol of Sri Brijnathji and installed it in the Garh. Ever since then, Sri Brijnathji is the Kul Devta of the Kotah family and the presiding deity of the pantheon of gods here.
Maharao Bhim Singh I became a prime devotee of Lord Sri Krishna.
He called Himself Krishnadas and ruled the State in the Lord’s name as his diwan. He renamed Kotah town Nandgaon and wished to gift away the entire State to the Lord.
Wiser ministerial counsels prevailed and eventually only the revenues from the town of Kotah were made over to the Lord. All firmans, pattas and parwanas issued by Maharao Bhim Singh I were under the seal of “Kishandas (i.e. Krishnadas), the first servant of Lord Krishna”.
Kotah State gave large cash grants and endowed the shrine of Nathdwara with 20,000 bighas (i.e. approximately 4,000 acres) of rich farmland.
