Entry

History Of Rajasthan.

Apr 3rd, 2008 02:02
kumar gaurav, http://www.rajasthantravelsguide.com/

The north-western region of India, which incorporates Rajasthan,
remained in early history for the most part independent from the great
empires consolidating their hold onthe subcontinent. Buddhism failed to
make substantial inroads here; the Mauryan Empire (321-184 BC), whose
most renowned emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism in262 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
Ramayma.

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.
Various powers rose and fell in northern India. Stability was only
restored with the emergence of the Gurjara Pratihar as, the earliest of
the Rajput (from 'Rajputra', or Sons of Princes) dynasties which were
later to hold the balance of power throughout Rajasthan. The emergence
of the Rajput warrior clans in the 6th and 7th centuries played the
greatest role in the subsequent history of Rajasthan. From these clans
emerged the name Rajputana, by which the collection of princely states
came to be known during the Muslim invasion of India. The Sisodias of
the Suryavansa Race, originally from Gujarat, migrated to Rajas-than in
the mid-7th century and reigned over Mewar, which encompassed Udaipur
and Chittorgarh.The Kachhwa has, originally from Gwalior in Madhya
Pradesh, travelled west in the12th century. They built the massive
fortress at Amber, the capital later being shifted to Jaipur. Like the
Sisodias, they belonged to the Suryavansa Race. Also belonging to the
Suryavansa Race, the Rathores (earlier known as Rastrakutas) travelled
from Kanauj, in Uttar Pradesh. Initially they settled in Pali, south of
present-day Jodhpur, but later moved to Mandore in1381 and ruled over
Marwar (Jodhpur). Later they commenced construction on 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 or less entrenched
in their desert kingdom until they were integrated into the state of
Rajasthan following Independence.

The first external threat to the dominance of the Rajputs was that posed
by the Arabs who took over Sind in 713. The Gurjara Pratiharas' response
to the Arab threat was largely defensive. The Arabs were repulsed by the
Gurjara Pratiharas led by their king, Nagabhata I, founder of the
Pratihara Empire. The Arabs also tested their strength against the
Rastrakut as. Unfortunately, when not pitting their wits against the
Arabs, the Pratiharas and Rastrakut as were busy fighting each other. By
the third decade of the 8th century, anew threat was emerging in the
form of the Turks, who had occupied Ghazni in Afghanistan. Around 1001
AD, Mahmud of Ghazni's army descended upon India, destroying infidel
temples and carrying off everything of value that could be moved. The
Rajputs were not immune from these incursions; a confederation of Rajput
rulers assembled a vast army and marched northwards to meet the
advancing Turks. Unfortunately, how-ever, it was a case of too little,
too late, and they were decisively and crushingly vanquished. The
Pratiharas, then centred at Kanauj, fled the city before the Turks
arrived, and in their absence the temples of Kanauj, as with so many
others in northern India, were sacked and desecrated, Towards the end of
the 12th century, Mohammed of Ghori invaded India to take up where
Mahmud of Ghazni had left off. Hemet with a collection of princely
states which failed to mount a united front. Although initially
repulsed, Ghori later triumphed, and Delhi and Ajmer were lost to the
Muslims. Ajmer remained a Muslim stronghold over the centuries, apart
from a brief period when it was retaken by the Rathores. Today it is an
important Muslim place of pilgrimage.

Mohammed of Ghori was killed in 1206, and his successor, Qutb-ud-din,
became the first of the Sultans of Delhi. Within 20 years, the Muslims
had brought the whole of the Ganges basin under their control. In 1297,
Ala-ud-din Khilji pushed the Muslim borders south into Gujarat.
Ala-ud-din mounted a protracted siege of the massive fort at
Ranthambhore, which was at the time ruled by the Rajput chief Hammir
Deva. Hammir was reported as dead (although it's unknown if he did
actually die in the siege) and upon hearing of their chief's demise, the
womenfolk of the fortress collectively threw themselves on a pyre, thus
performing the first instance of jauhar, or collective sacrifice, in the
history of the Rajputs. Alu-ud-din later went on to sack the fortress at
Chittorgarh in 1303, held by the Sisodia clan. According to tradition,
Alu-ud-din had heard repute of the great beauty of Padmini, the consort
of the Sisodian chief, and resolved to carry her off with him. Like
Ranthambhore before it, Chittorgarh also fell to the Muslim leader.

The Delhi sultanate weakened at the beginning of the 16th century, and
the Rajputs took advantage of this to restore and expand their
territories. At this time the kingdom of Mewar, ruled by the Sisodias
under the leadership of Rana Sangram Singh, gained preeminence among the
Rajput states. Under this leader, Mewar pushed its boundaries far beyond
its original territory, posing a formidable threat to the new Mughal
Empire which was emerging under the leadership of Babur (reigned
1527-30). Babur, a descendent of both Timur and Genghis Khan, marched
into Punjab from his capital at Kabul in Afghanistan in 1525and defeated
the Sultan of Delhi at Panipat. He then focused his attention on the
Rajput princely states, many of whom, anticipating his designs, had
banded together to form a united front under Rana Sangram Singh.
Unfortunately, when the inevitable confrontation took place, the Rajputs
were defeated by Babur. They sustained great losses, with many Rajput
chiefs falling in the fray, including Rana Sangram Singh himself, who
reputedly had no less than 80 wound son his body suffered during both
this and previous campaigns. The defeat shook the very foundations of
the princely states. Mewar's confidence was shattered by the death of
its illustrious leader, and its territories contracted following
sub-sequent attacks by the Sultan of Gujarat, At this time Marwar, under
its ruler Maldeo, emerged as the strongest of the Rajput states, and it
recorded a victory against the claimant to the Mughal throne, Sher Shah.
However, none of the Rajputs was able to withstand the formidable threat
posed by the most renowned of the Mughal emperors, Akbar (reigned
1556-1605).Recognising that the Rajputs could not be conquered by mere
force alone, Akbar contracted a marriage alliance with a princess of the
important Kachhwaha clan who held Amber (and later founded Jaipur). The
Kachhwahas, unlike their other Rajputbrethren at the time, aligned
themselves with the powerful Mughals, and even sent troops to aid them
in times of battle. Akbar also used more conventional methods to assert,
his dominance over the Rajputs, wresting Ajmer from the Rathores of
Marwar which had been briefly restored to the Rajputs under Maldeo. All
the import-ant Rajput states eventually acknowledged Mughal sovereignty
and became vassal states of the Mughal Empire, except Mewar, which
fiercely clung to its independence, refusing to pay homage to the
infidels. An uneasy truce was thus maintained between the Rajputs and
the Mughal emperors, until the reign of Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal
emperor, when relations were characterized by mutual hostility.
Aurangzeb devoted his resources to extending the empire's boundaries.
The punitive taxes which he levied on his subjects to pay for his
military exploits and his religious zealotry eventually secured his
downfall. The Rajputs were united in their opposition to Aurangzeb, and
the Rathores and Sisodias raised arms against him. It didn't take long
for revolts by the enemies of Aurangzeb to break out on all sides and,
with his death in 1707, the Mughal Empire's for-tunes rapidly declined.

Following the death of Aurangzeb and the dissolution of the Mughal
Empire came the Marathas. They first rose to prominence with Shivaji
who, between 1646 and 1680, per-formed feats of arms and heroism across
central India. The Maratha Empire continued under the Peshwas,
hereditary government ministers who became the real rulers. They
gradually took over more and more of the weakening Mughal Empire's
powers, first by supplying troops and then by actually taking control of
Mughal land. The Marathas conducted numerous raids on the Rajputs, and
the latter, too busy fighting among themselves, laid themselves wide
open to these aggressions, resulting in numerous defeats in battle, the
loss of territories and the invitable decline of the rajput states.

In the early 19th century, the East India Company, a London trading
company which had a monopoly on trade in India, was taken over by the
British Government, and India was effectively under British control.
Meanwhile, the Marathas continued to mount raids on the Rajputs.
Initially the British adopted a policy of neutrality towards the feuding
parties. However, the British eventually stepped into the fray,
negotiating treaties with the leaders of the main Rajput states. British
protection was offered in return for Rajput support. Weakened by
habitual fighting between themselves and in their skirmishes with the
Marathas, one by one the princely states forfeited their independence in
exchange for this protection. British residents were gradually installed
in the princely states. The British ultimately eliminated the Maratha
threat, but by this stage the Rajputs were effectively reduced to puppet
leaders and lackeys of the British. While the Rajput leaders enjoyed the
status and prestige of their positions, discontent was manifesting
itself among numbers of their subjects, which broke out in rebellion in
1857. This rebellion proved to be a precursor to widespread opposition
to British rule throughout India. It was Mohandas Gandhi, later to be
known as Mahatma Gandhi, who galvanised the peasants and villagers into
then on-violent resistance which was to spear-head the nationalist
movement. By the time WWII was concluded, Indian independence was
inevitable. The war dealt a deathblow to colonialism and the myth of
European superiority, and Britain no longer had the power nor the desire
to maintain a vast empire. Within India, however, a major problem had
developed: the large Muslim minority had realized that an independent
India would also be a Hindu-dominated India. The country was divided
along purely religious lines, with the Muslim League, led by Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, speaking for the Muslims, and the Congress Party led by
Jawaharlal Nehru, representing the Hindu population. Gandhi was
absolutely opposed to the severing of the Muslim dominated regions from
the prospective new nation. However, Jinnah was intransigent: I` will
have India divided, or India destroyed,` was his uncompromising demand.
The new viceroy, Louis Mountbatten, made a last-ditch attempt to
convince the rival factions that a united India was a more sensible
proposition, but the reluctant decision was made to divide the country.
Independence was finally instituted on 15 August 1947, with the
concomitant partitioning of the nascent country. The result was a
Hindu-dominated India and a Muslim-dominated West and East Pakistan.

Emergence of the State of Rajasthan "It took some time for the
boundaries of the proposed new state of Rajasthan to be defined. In
1948, Rajasthan comprised the south and south-eastern states of
Rajputana. With the merger of Mewar, Udaipur became the capital of the
United State of Rajasthan. The Maharana of Udaipur was invested with the
title of rajpramukh (head of state). Manikya Lal Varma was appointed as
prime minister of the new state, which was inaugurated on 18 April
1948.Almost from the outset the prime minister came into opposition with
the rajpramukh over the constitution of the state government ministry.
Varma wanted to form a ministry of all Congress members. The rajpramukh
was keen to have his own candidates installed from among the jagirdars,
or feudal lords. Jagirdars traditionally acted as intermediaries between
the tillers of the soil (the peasants) and the state, taking rent or
produce from the tenants and paying tribute to the princely ruler. They
were symbols of the old feudal order, for whom millions of inhabitants
of Rajputana were held in serfdom. Varma was keen to abolish the age-old
system of jagirdari and, with Nehru's support, was able to install his
own Congress ministry and do away with this feudal relic. 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, which were contiguous with Pakistan, 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 1949. The Maharaja of Jaipur, Man SinghII, was invested
with the title of rajpramukh. Jaipur became the capital of the new state
of Rajasthan. Heera Lal Shastri was installed as the first premier of
Rajasthan. Later in 1949, the United State of Matsya,comprising the
former kingdoms of Bharatpur, Alwar, Karauli and Dholpur, was
incorporated into Rajasthan. As a consequence, Rajasthan became the
second largest state m India, exceeded in geographical area only by the
central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan attained its current
dimensions in November 1956 with the additions of Ajmer-Merwara, Abu Rd
and a part of Dilwara, originally part of the princely kingdom of Sirohi
which had been divided between Gujarat and Rajasthan. The princes of the
former kingdoms were constitutionally granted handsome remuneration in
the form of privy purses to assist them in the discharge of their
financial obligations (and to keep them in the style to which they had
become accustomed). In1970, Indira Gandhi (daughter of India's first
prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru), who had come to power in 1966,
commenced under-takings to discontinue the privy purses, which were
abolished in 1971.

Many of the former rulers of Rajasthan continue to use the title of
maharaja for social purposes. The only power this title holds today is
as a status symbol. Since the privy purse abolition, the princes have
had to financially support themselves. Some hastily sold valuable
heirlooms and properties for literally nothing, in a desperate attempt
to pay bills. While a handful of princes squandered their family
fortunes, others refused to surrender their heritage, and turned their
hands to business, politics or other vocations. Many decided to convert
their palaces into hotels as a means of earning income. Some of these
palace-hotels have become prime tourist destinations in India, such as
the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur and the
Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. The revenue earned from such hotels has
enabled the maharajas to maintain their properties, sustain time-honored
family traditions and continue to lead a comfortable lifestyle. However,
not all palaces are on the tourist circuit and cannot rely purely on
tourism as a source of steady income. Many palaces and forts are tucked
away in remote parts of Rajasthan, and have been reluctantly handed over
to the government, because the owners were simply unable to maintain
them. Unfortunately, many of these rich vestiges of India's royal past
are poorly maintained.



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