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Rajasthan History
Rajasthan HistoryAccording to the Hindu Mythology, the Rajputs
of Rajasthan were the descendants of the Kshatriyas or warriors of Vedic
India. The emergence of the Rajput warrior clans was in the 6th and 7th centuries.
Rajputs ancestry can be divided into two: the "solar" or suryavanshi-those
descended from Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, and the "lunar"
or chandravanshi, who claimed descent from Krishana, the hero of
the epic Mahabharata. Later a third clan was added, the agnikula
or fire-born, said to have emerged from the flames of a sacrificial fire on Mt
Abu.
It has been accepted that the Rajputs were divided into thirty-six races
and twenty-one kingdoms. The Rajput clans gave rise to dynasties like Sisodias
of Mewar (Udaipur), the Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur), the Rathors of Marwar (Jodhpur
& Bikaner), the Hadas of Jhalwawar, Kota & Bundi, the Bhattis of Jaisalmer,
the Shekhawats of Shekhawati and the Chauhans of Ajmer.
Early History
Rajasthan is the north-western region of India, and has remain independent from
the great empires. Buddhism failed to make substantial inroad here; the Mauryan
empire (321-184 BC), whose most renowned emperor, Ashoka, Converted to Buddhism
in 261 BC, had minimal impact in Rajasthan, However, there are Buddhist caves
and stupas (Buddhist Shrines) at Jhalawar, in Southern Rajasthan.
Ancient
Hindu scriptural epics make reference to sites in present-day Rajasthan. The Holy
Pilgrimage site of Pushkar is mentioned in both the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Emergence of the Rajputs
The fall of the Gupta Empire, which held
dominance in northern India for nearly 300 years until the early 5th Century,
was followed by a period of instability as various local chieftains sought to
gain supremacy. Power rose and fell in northern India. Stability was only restored
with the emergence of the Gurjara Partiharas, the earliest of the Rajput (from
'Rajputra', or Sons of Princes) dynasties which were later to hold the balance
of power throughout Rajasthan.
Whatever their actual origins, the Rajputs
have evolved a complex mythological genealogy. This ancestry can be divided into
two main branches: the Suryavansa, or Race of the Sun (Solar Race), which claims
direct descent from Rama; and the Induvansa, or Race of the Moon (Lunar race),
which claims descent from Krishna, Later a third branch was added, the Agnikula,
or 'Fire Born'. These people claim they were manifested from the flames of a sacrificial
fire on Mt.Abu From these three Principal races emerged the 36 Rajput clans.
The Rajput clans gave rise to dynasties such as the Chauhans, Sisodias, Kachhwahas
and Rathores. Chauhans of the Agnikula Race emerged in the 12th century and were
renowned for their valour. Their territories included the Sapadalksha kingdom,
which encompassed a vast area including present- day Jaipur, Ranthambore, part
of Mewar, the western portion of Bundi district, Ajmer Kishangarh and even, at
one time, Delhi. Branches of the Chauhans also ruled territories know as Ananta
(in present-day Shekhawati) and Saptasatabhumi.
The Sisodias of the
Suryavansa Race, Originally from Gujarat, migrated to Rajasthan in the mid-7th
Century and reigned over Mewar, which encompassed Udaipur and Chittorgarh.
The Kachhwahas, originally from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, travelled west
in the 12th century. They built the massive fort at Amber, and later shifted the
capital to Jaipur. Like the Sisodias, they belonged to the Suryavansa Race.
Also belonging to the Suryavansa Race, the Rathore (earlier known as Rastrakutas)
traveled from Kanauj, in Uttar Pradesh. Initially they settled in Pali, south
of present-day Jodhpur, but later moved to Mandore in 1381 and ruled over Marwar
(Jodhpur). Later they started building the stunning Meherangarh (fort) at Jodhpur.
The Bhattis, who belong to the Induvansa Race, driven from their homeland
in the Punjab by the Turks, installed themselves at Jaisalmer in 1156. They remained
more of less entrenched in their desert Kingdom untill they were integrated into
the state of Rajasthan following Independence. |
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