Rajasthan, Rajputs and their history.
The history of human settlement in north Indian state of Rajasthan dates back to about 5000 years ago with parts of north Rajasthan at the heart of the Indus Valley Civilization. This region was long known as Gurjaratra that is country protected or ruled by the Gurjars before it came to be called Rajputana, early in the Muslim period.
Ancient history
Parts of Rajasthan may have been occupied by the Indus Valley Civilization (Harappans). Excavations at Kalibanga
in northern Rajasthan around 1998 revealed the existence of human
settlements of Harappan times on the banks of a river that dried up
later, which some people believe to be the Saraswati.
Rajasthan's geographic position in India has caused it to be affected by the expansionist efforts of various empires.[3] It was a part of the Mauryan Empire around 321-184 BCE. It had also been a part of Republics like Arjunyas, Hunas, Kushans, Malavas, Saka Satraps and the Yaudheyas. The Guptas reigned in the 4th century. Some Buddhist caves and Stupas have been found in Jhalawar, in the southern part of Rajasthan.
The decline of the 300 year old Gupta Empire in the 6th century led
to the political unrest in the Northern India and was followed by an
epoch of instability as numerous chieftains tried to gain power. The
situation was stabilized when the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the earliest of the Gurjar clan emerged around 700 CE.[4]
Gurjar pratihars were well known for their hostility towards Arab
invaders.The Arab chronicler Sulaiman describes the army of the Gurjar
Pratihars as it stood in 851 CE, The king of Gurjars maintains
numerous forces and no other Indian prince has so fine a cavalry. He is
unfriendly to the Arabs, still he acknowledges that the king of the
Arabs is the greatest of kings. Among the princes of India there is no
greater foe of the Islamic faith than he. He has got riches, and his
camels and horses are numerous.[5]
Medieval period
Prithviraj Chauhan defeated the foreign invader Muhammad Ghori
in the first battle of Tarain in 1191 and in fifteen further battled
before himself being defeated. After getting defeated for sixteen times,
Ghori begged for his life saying a sentence with a literal meaning "I
am your cow, Forgive". In the seventeenth battle, a traitor from
Chauhan's kingdom supported Ghori's army and landed up in the defeat.
What happens after this is clear from the local folk songs still
prominent in Rajasthan. It is said that Prithviraj was taken to
Afghanistan along with his raj-kavi cum friend, Chandbhar. In
Ghori's court, Prithviraj and Chandbhar were brought in shackles.
Prithviraj was asked to show the art of archery, wherein he could aim
and shoot just by hearing the sound. It is also known as Shabdbhedi-baan.
Ghori asked him to show him this art. To make game interesting for
himself, he got his eyes pierced with hot iron rods. Chandbhar says, "A
king, though as a prisoner, can receive command only from a king. So it
would be an honour if you command Him to shoot". Then he says few verses
or poetry, few of those lines were, "Char baans chobis guz, aangal asht
pravan, taa upar sultan hai, mat chooko Chauhan". Chaar baans meant
four bamboos stick, chaubis guz as approximately 24 yards, aangal asht
praval meant eight fingers width. All this combined gave the exact
location of Ghori sitting on his throne i.e. 4 bamboos stick high, 24
yards away and exactly eight fingers up was the Ghori sitting. "Go ahead
O Chauhan and don't miss the aim". This is how Prithvi Raj kills Ghori
in his court and obviously to meet his own death. Grave of Prithvi Raj
Chauhan is present till date next to Ghori's grave.[citation needed]
After the defeat of Chauhan around 1200, a part of Rajasthan came
under Muslim rulers. The principal centers of their powers were Nagaur and Ajmer. Ranthambhor
was also under their suzerainty. At the beginning of the 13th century,
the most prominent and powerful state of Rajasthan was Mewar. The
Rajputs resisted the Muslim incursions into India, although a number of
Rajput kingdoms eventually became subservient to the Delhi Sultanate. Mewar led others in resistance to Muslim rule: Rana Sanga fought the Battle of Khanua against Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire.
In between 1540 to 1556, Afghans were in control of most of North India. Rajasthan born Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya also called Hemu,the Yadav Rajput Rulers who started his career as a supplier of various merchandise to Sher Shah Suri
empire held various positions in capital Delhi as 'In charge of Food
Affairs', 'Minister of Internal Security' and 'Prime Minister-Cum-Chief
of Army' with Islam Shah and Adil Shah, who ruled from Punjab to Bengal. Hemu crushed the first rebellion in 1553 at Ajmer
where he killed the Afghan Governor Junaid Khan and appointed his own
man as governor. Hem Chandra won several battles (22) against Afghan
rebels and Mughal king Akbar
and won all of them without losing any. He defeated Akbar's army at
Agra and Delhi in 1556, and became a 'Vikramaditya' king after 350 years
of foreign rule at Purana Quila in Delhi. Hemu lost in the Second battle of Panipat on 7 November 1556, and was killed.
In order to gain the trust of the Rajput rulers, the Mughal Emperor
Akbar arranged matrimonial alliances. He also sought reconciliation with
the hostile Rajputs after performing the matrimonial alliances. He
himself married the Rajput princess- Jodha Bai who was the daughter of the Maharaja of Amer.
He granted high offices to a large number of Rajput princes and this
maintained very cordial relations with these Rajputs. Soon most of the
Rajputs were transformed into friends of Akbar from adversaries and many
of them surrendered their kingdoms to Akbar. Rulers like Raja Maan Singh
of Amer were trusted allies. However all Rajput rulers were not ready
to accept Akbar’s dominance and preferred to remain independent. One
such ruler was Raja Uday Singh of Mewar, who founded the city of Udaipur. He never accepted Akbar's supremacy and was at constant war with him. Akbar forcefully seized Chittor, his capital. After his death, this struggle was continued by his son – Rana Pratap. He fought a terrible battle with Akbar at the Haldighat
pass where he was defeated and wounded. Since then Rana Pratap remained
in recluse for 12 years and attacked the Mughal ruler from time to
time. He fought valiantly throughout his life never ceded his
independence to the Mughal ruler.
The traditional sacrifice and the self-respect of the Rajput women
are also worth mentioning while discussing the imperial rule of
Rajasthan during the medieval epoch. When the Rajput rulers were forced
to surrender their kingdoms to other invaders, the Rajput women in order
to protect their chastity and self-respect used to light up a pyre and
together they used to jump into the fire thus sacrificing and ending
their own lives. This custom of collective sacrifice was known as Jauhar.
Rajasthan's formerly independent kingdoms created a rich
architectural and cultural heritage, seen today in their numerous forts
and palaces (Mahals and Havelis) which are enriched by features of Muslim and Jain architecture.
Maratha Empire
Since the early 1700s, the Maratha Empire began expanding northwards, led by Peshwa Baji Rao I of Pune.
This expansion finally brought the newly founded Hindu Maratha Empire
in contact with the Rajputs. Rajasthan saw many invasions by the
Marathas, under military leadership of Holkars and Scindhias. Most of Rajputana passed under the control of the Maratha Empire and continued to pay tribute to Pune till the British East India Company replaced the Marathas as paramount rulers.[6]
British India
The arrival of the East India Company
in the region led to the administrative designation of some
geographically, culturally, economically and historically diverse areas,
which had never shared a common political identity, under the name of
the Rajputana Agency.
This was a significant identifier, being modified later to Rajputana
Province and lasting until the renaming to Rajasthan in 1949.[7][8]
The Company officially recognised various entities, although sources
disagree concerning the details, and also included Ajmer-Merwara, which
was the only area under direct British control.[7][8]
| Area | Controlled by[8] | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| Ajmer-Mewara | Direct British control | Chief Commissioner's Province |
| Alwar | Kachwaha Rajputs | State[7] |
| Banswara | Gahlot Rajputs | State[7] |
| Bharatpur | Jat | State[7] |
| Bikaner | Rathore Rajputs | State[7] |
| Bundi | Chauhan Rajputs | State[7] |
| Dholpur | Jat | State[7] |
| Dungarpur | Gahlot Rajputs | State[7] |
| Jaipur (Amber) | Kachwaha Rajputs | State[7] |
| Jaisalmer | Jadon Rajputs | State[7] |
| Jhalawar | Jhala Rajputs | State[7] |
| Jodhpur (Marwar) | Rathore Rajputs | State[7] |
| Karuali | Jadon Rajputs | State[7] |
| Kishangarh | Rathore Rajputs | State[7] |
| Kotah | Chauhan Rajputs | State[7] |
| Kushalgarh | Rathore Rajputs | Chiefdom[8] (Not referred to by Gupta & Bakshi) |
| Lawa | Kachwaha Rajputs | Chiefdom[7] or Estate[8] |
| Pratapgarh | Gahlot Rajputs | State[7] |
| Shahpura | Gahlot Rajputs | Chiefdom[7] or State[8] |
| Sirohi | Chauhan Rajputs | State[7] |
| Tonk | Pathan | State[7] |
| Udaipur (Mewar) | Gahlot Rajputs | State[7] |
Of these various areas, Marwar and Jaipur were the most significant
in the early 19th-century, although it was Mewar that gained particular
attention from James Tod,
a Company employee who was enamoured of Rajputana and wrote
extensively, if often uncritically, of the people, history and geography
of the Agency as a whole.[9][a]
Alliances were formed between the Company and these various princely
and chiefly entities in the early 19th century, accepting British
sovereignty in return for local autonomy and protection from the
Marathas. Following the Mughal tradition and more importantly due to its
strategic location Ajmer became a province of British India, while the
autonomous Rajput states, the Muslim state (Tonk), and the Jat states (Bharatpur and Dholpur) were organized into the Rajputana Agency.
In 1817-18, the British Government concluded treaties of alliance with
almost all the states of Rajputana. Thus began the British rule over
Rajasthan, then called Rajputana.
Post independence
The name of Rajasthan was probably popularised by Tod and during his lifetime some people believed that he had coined it.[11]
Although he claimed that it was the classical name for the region, the
term seems first to be documented in an inscription dating from 1708 and
to have become popular by his time.[12]
It took seven stages to form Rajasthan as defined today. In March 1948 the Matsya Union consisted of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dhaulpur and Karauli was formed. Also, in March 1948 Banswara, Bundi, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kishangarh, Kota, Pratapgarh, Shahpura
and Tonk joined the Indian union and formed a part of Rajasthan. In
April 1948 Udaipur joined the state and the Maharana of Udaipur was made
Rajpramukh.
Therefore in 1948 the merger of south and southeastern states was
almost complete. Still retaining their independence from India were
Jaipur and the desert kingdoms of Bikaner, Jodhpur
and Jaisalmer. From a security point of view, it was vital to the new
Indian Union to ensure that the desert kingdoms were integrated into the
new nation. The princes finally agreed to sign the Instrument of
Accession, and the kingdoms of Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Jaipur
were merged in March 1949. This time the Maharaja of Jaipur, Man Singh
II was made the Rajpramukh of the state and Jaipur became its capital.
Later in 1949, the United States of Matsya,
comprising the former kingdoms of Bharatpur, Alwar, Karauli and
Dholpur, was incorporated into Rajasthan. On January 26, 1950, 18 states
of united Rajasthan merged with Sirohi to join the state leaving Abu and Dilwara to remain a part of Greater Bombay and now Gujarat.
In November 1956 under the State Re-organisation Act, 1956 the
erstwhile part 'C' State of Ajmer, Abu Road Taluka, former part of
princely State Sirohi (which were merged in former Bombay), State and
Sunel Tappa region of the former Madhya Bharat merged with Rajasthan and
Sirohi sub district of Jhalawar was transferred to Madhya Pradesh. Thus
giving the existing boundary Rajasthan. Today with further
reorganisation of the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
Rajasthan has become the largest state of the Indian Republic.
The princes of the former kingdoms were constitutionally granted handsome remuneration in the form of privy purses and privileges to assist them in the discharge of their financial obligations. In 1970, Indira Gandhi,
who was then the Prime Minister of India, commenced under-takings to
discontinue the privy purses, which were abolished in 1971. Many of the
former princes still continue to use the title of Maharaja, but the
title has little power other than status symbol. Many of the Maharajas
still hold their palaces and have converted them into profitable hotels,
while some have made good in politics. The democratically elected
Government runs the state with a chief minister as its executive head
and the governor as the head of the state. Currently, including the new
district of Pratapgarh, there are 32 districts, 105 sub-divisions,
37,889 villages, 241 tehsils and 222 towns in Rajasthan.
Gurumukh Nihal Singh from Rajasthan was appointed as first governor
of Rajasthan. Hiralal Shastri was first nominated chief minister who
worked from 7 April 1949, after two more nominated chief ministers Tikaram Paliwal became first elected chief minister from 3 March 1951.
Rajputana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rājputāna (Hindi: राजपूताना) was the name adopted by British government for its dependencies in the region of present-day Indian state of Rājasthān.[1] Rajputana included 18 princely states, two chiefships and the British district of Ajmer-Merwara. This British official term remained official till its replacement by Rajasthan in the constitution of 1949.[1]
Name
George Thomas (Military Memories) was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana.[2] The historian John Keay in his book, India: A History stated that the Rajputana name was coined by the British,
but that the word even achieved a retrospective authenticity: in an
1829 translation of Ferishta's history of early Islamic India, John
Briggs discarded the phrase Indian princes, as rendered in Dow's earlier version, and substituted Rajpoot princes.[3] It was essentially the country of the Gurjars.[4][5] Historian R. C. Majumdar explained that the region was long known as Gurjaratra early form of Gujarat, before it came to be called Rajputana, early in the Muslim period.[6]
Geography
The area of Rajputana is estimated to be 343,328 square km (132,559 square miles) and breaks down into two geographic divisions:
- An area northwest of the Arāvalli Range including part of the Great Indian (Thar) Desert, with characteristics of being sandy and unproductive.
- A higher area southeast of the range, which is fertile by comparison.
The whole area forms the hill and plateau country between the north Indian plains and the main plateau of peninsular India.
*The above information is taken from Wikipedia so that readers may get information at one place!
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