History Of Rajputs Cast

The Rajputs (from the Sanskrit tatpurusha compound rājaputra, "son of a king"), are a ruling class of Indian subcontinent and south east Asia. In the Hindustani language, those belonging to the Kshatriya/Chattari Varna of Hindus are generally referred to as "Rajputs". They rule in Indian sub-continent from 6th century to 20th century and south east Asia from 9th to 15th centuries. Nepal was the last empire of Rajputs which ended in 1950. At the time of India's independence in 1947, Rajputs ruled in the "overwhelming majority" of the princely states of Rajasthan and Saurashtra, where the largest number of princely states were found. Many Rajputs claim descent from Rama and Krishna.

Chattis Rajkul

Today with the aid of inscriptions and copper plates discovered, it is possible to trace the history of the royal clans with considerable certainty. However they were not available in 17-18th century when a number of chronicles (khyats) were compiled, often based on oral tradition. By this time, the Agni-kunda myth had been expanded to explain the origin of four of the major clan. James Tod wrote his influential book The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan in 1829 and 1832 on the basis of these chronicles. Other authors have used some of his hypotheses, even though the texts discovered and read during the 20th century show that Todd's hypotheses are sometimes inaccurate.

The Chattis Rajkul are list of kings of the 36 different states of India. During the time of Alexander the Great's invasion in 3rd century BC, there were 16 great kingdoms in India called Mahajanpadas. Each Mahajanapada had several janapadas and their number was about 36. Chattis Rajkul or 36 royal clans include clans from Suryavansha, Chandravansha, Agnivansha, and Nagvansha. Suryavanshi's are descendants of Surya (sun god) and one of them was Rama, an incarnation of Hindu trinity Vishnu.Krishna was Chandravanshi Ahir. Even today Suryavanshi Rajputs pray to Rama and Chandravanshis pray to Krishna. The Agnivanshi's pray to various deities including Rama and Krishna.

36 royal clans of India

In the 1820s, Colonel Todd published a list of the 36 royal races of India.

Early dynasties

Rajputras were ruling families of various states from ancient times. Most of them belonged to either Surya or Chandra lineages, such as the Kosalia, Kuru, Panchal, Magadh, Kalinga, Anga, Bang, Madra etc. are mentioned in Mahabharata. These families continued to rule till they were annexed by others. In modern times, of which written history is available in terms of stone inscriptions and other sources, the first Rajput kingdoms are attested to in the 6th century and these Rajputs rose to prominence in the 5th and 6th centuries after the collapse of Gupta empire.

The Rajput empire spread in many countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Southeast Asia and some parts of Tibet. The clans that descended from the solar and lunar lineage rose to prominence first, followed by the four Agnivanshi clans, the Gurjar Pratiharas (Parihars), Chauhans (Chamahanas), Solankis (Chaulukyas),and the Paramaras.

Rajput resistance to Muslim invasions

Fall of Gupta Empire

Rajput kingdoms contended with the rising and expansionist empires of Central Asia, be they Arabs, Moghuls, Mongols, Afghans, or other Turkic peoples. They earned their reputation by fighting these battles with a code of chivalrous conduct rooted in their strong adherence to tradition and Hindu dharma. The Rajput Kingdoms held out against the Arab Caliphates and other Central Asian Empires for several centuries. A few Rajput Kings did convert to Islam, and eventually an alliance formed with the Mughals, which laid the foundations for the creation of the largest pre-colonial era empire in South Asia.

Gaznavid invasions

In the early 11th century, Mahmud of Ghazni conquered the Hindu-Shahi kingdom in the Punjab, and his raids into northern India weakened the Gurjar Pratihara kingdom, which was drastically reduced in size and came under the control of the Chandelas. Mahmud sacked some temples across northern India to stop idol worship, including the temple at Somnath in Gujarat, but his permanent conquests were limited to the Punjab. The early 11th century also saw the reign of the polymath king Raja Bhoj, the Paramara ruler of Malwa.

Spread of the Gahadvalas, Chandels, Tomars and Chauhans

The Rathores, as the Gahadvala dynasty, reestablished the kingdom of Kannauj, capturing it from Tomar rulers ruling the Ganges plain. The Rahevars, as the Rever dynasty, established the kingdom of Tarangadh in 11th through the 12th century, and conquering Marwar in the 13th. Chandela's established Jejakbhukti and ruled from Mahoba.

The Rajputs did unite once in a while against foreign invaders - once under Bappa Rawal, then under Shakti Kumar of Mewar/Maiwar. A few times under Jaypal Tomar but once the foreign invasions stopped, the Rajputs fought each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Major wars broke out between Tomars of Delhi and Gahadavalas of Kannauj. The Kalinadi being the witness of many such wars, as it was the line of control between those kingdoms.

Muhammad Ghori's Invasion

Prithiviraj II, ruler of Delhi, crushed Muhammad of Ghor in 1191 with the help of his Bargujar allies and relatives at the First Battle of Tarain and Ghori was captured. After Ghori sued for his life he was let go despite strong resistance by Prithviraj's generals. Ghori managed to defeat Prithviraj the following year at the Second Battle of Tarain, and the attacks of Muhammad's armies brought down the Gahadvala kingdom of Kannauj in 1194.

Slave Dynasty and Rajputs

The Delhi Sultanate was founded by Qutb ud din Aybak, Muhammad of Ghor's successor, in first decade of the 13th century. The Chauhans reestablished themselves at Ranthambore, led by Govinda Chauhan, grandson of Prithviraj III. Jalore was ruled by another branch of Chauhans, the Songaras. Another branch of the Chauhans, the Hadas, established a kingdom in Hadoti in the mid-13th century.

Fight against Khiljis

Sultan Ala ud din Khilji (1296–1316) conquered Gujarat (1297) and Malwa (1305),captured fort of mandu and handed over to the Songara Chouhans, and captured the fortresses of Ranthambore (1301), Mewar's capital Chittorgarh (1303) and Jalor (1311) after long sieges with fierce resistance from their Rajput defenders. Ala ud Khilji also fought with Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer and occupied the Golden Fort.

Fight against Tuglaqs

Mewar reestablished their supremacy within 50 years of the sack of Chittor under Maharana Hammir. Hammir defeated Muhammad Tughlaq with Bargujars as main allies and captured him. Tughlaq had to pay huge ransom and relinquish all of Mewar's lands. After this the Delhi Sultanate did not attack Chittor for a few hundred years. The Rajputs reestablished their independence, and Rajput states were established as far east as Bengal and north into the Punjab. The Tomaras established themselves at Gwalior, and the ruler Man Singh Tomar built the fortress which still stands there. Mewar emerged as the leading Rajput state, and Rana Kumbha expanded his kingdom at the expense of the sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat.

Lodis and Mughals

The Delhi Sultanate recovered somewhat under the Lodi dynasty, and Rana Sanga of Mewar convinced Babur to challenge Ibrahim Lodi for control of the Delhi Sultanate, hoping that the struggle between Muslim rivals would allow the Rajputs to reclaim Delhi. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat on April 21, 1526, and the Rana Sanga rallied a Rajput army to challenge Babur. Babur barely managed to defeat the Rajputs at the Battle of Khanua on March 16, 1527. The Rajput rulers agreed to pay tribute to Babur, but most retained control of their states, and struggles between Babur's successor Humayun and the Suri Dynasty for control of the Sultanate preoccupied the Muslims for several decades.

Rajputs at the rise of the Mughals

Soon after his defeat in 1527 at The Battle of Khanwa, Rana Sanga died in 1528. Bahadur Shah of Gujrat became a powerful Sultan. He captured Raiseen in 1532 and defeated Mewar/maiwar in 1533. He helped Tatar Khan to capture Bayana which was under Mughal occupation. Humayun sent Hindal and Askari to fight Tatar Khan. At the battle of Mandrail in 1534 Tatar Khan was defeated and killed. Raja of Amber Puranmal helped Mughals in this battle. He himself was killed in this battle. Now it became necessary for Humayun to crush the rising power of Bahadur Shah. When Bahadur Shah was engaged in besieging the fort of Chittor, Humayun started against him. Hearing the news Rani "Karmawati" widow of Rana Sanga sent Rakhi to Hymayun. Humayun is considered to have accepted the Rakhi but stopped at Sarang Pur in January 1535. Mewar/Maiwar was weakened due to constant struggles. After a long wait Rajputs had a last fight on March 8, 1535 and Rani Karmawati together with other women committed Jauhar the same day. Humayun now pursued Bahadur Shah. Later Bahadur Shah and Sher Shah Suri created many problems for Humayun and he lost the empire. Fortunately he regained the empire in July 1555. Soon after he died in January 1556. Akbar[which?] the son of Humayun tried to persuade Mewar to accept Mughal sovereignty like other Rajputs. But Rana Udai Singh did not accept it. Ultimately Akbar besieged the fort of Chittor in 1567. This time Rana Udai Singh acted tactfully and left the fort with his family. Jaimal Rathore of Merta and Fatah Singh of Kelwa were left to take care of the fort. On 23 February 1568, Akbar hit Jaimal Rathore, who was looking after the repair work, with his gun. In the same night Rajput women committed jauhar (ritual suicide) and Rajput men, led by the wounded Jaimal and Fatah Singh, fought their last battle. Akbar entered the fort and at least 30,000 people were killed. Later Akbar placed a statue of these two Rajput warriors on the gates of Agra Fort.

Akbar and Rajputs

Akbar won the fort of Chittor but Rana Udai Singh was ruling Mewar from other places.[where?] On March 3, 1572 Udai Singh died and his son Rana Pratap sat on throne at Gogunda. He vowed that he will liberate Mewar from Mughals and till then will not sleep on a bed, will not live in a palace, and will not have food in a plate (thali). Akbar tried that Rana Pratap should have a treaty with him, but he did not succeed. Finally he sent an army under Raja Man Singh in 1576. Rana Pratap was defeated at the Battle of Haldighati in June 1576. Rana Pratap escaped from the battle and started guerrilla warfare with Mughals ultimately he was successful in liberating most of the Mewar except the fort of Chittor. The Bargujars were main allies of Ranas of Mewar. Rana Pratap died on January 19, 1597 and Rana Amar Singh succeeded him. Akbar sent Salim in October 1603 to attack Mewar but he stopped at Fatehpur Sikri and sought permission from emperor to go to Allahabad and went there. In 1605 Salim sat on the throne and took the name of Jahangir.

Jehangir and Rajputs

Jahangir sent an army to attack Mewar in 1605 under his son Parvez. A battle was fought at Debari but was not decisive. Again in 1608 the Mughal emperor sent Mahabat Khan. In 1609 he was called back and Abdulla Khan was sent. Then Raja Basu was sent and then Mirza Ajij Koka was sent. But no conclusive victory could be achieved. Ultimately Jahangir himself arrived at Ajmer in 1613 and he appointed Shazada Khurram to fight against Mewar. Khurram devastated the areas of Mewar and cut the supplies to Rana. With the advice of the nobles and his crown prince Karna Rana sent a peace delegation to Khurram under Shubhkaran and Haridas. Khurram sought an approval of treaty from his father Jahangir at Ajmer. Jahangir issued a farman (Order) to authorize the Khurram to agree a treaty with Rana Amar Singh. The treaty was agreed between Rana Amar Singh and prince "Khurram" in 1615 CE.

* Rana of Mewar accepted Mughal sovereignty.

* Mewar and the fort of Chittor was returned to Rana.

* The fort of Chittor could not be repaired or renovated by Rana.

* Rana of Mewar would not attend personally the Mughal court. Crown prince of Mewar will attend the court and give himself and his army for the Mughals.

* It was not necessary for Rana to establish marriage alliance with Mughals.

This treaty was respectable for both parties and ended the 88-year long enmity between Mewar and the Mughals.

Aurangzeb and Rajput rebellion

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who was far less tolerant of Hinduism than his predecessors, placed a Muslim on the throne of Marwar when the childless Maharaja Jaswant Singh died. This enraged the Rathores, and when Ajit Singh, Jaswant Singh's son was born after his death Marwar nobles asked Aurangzeb to place Ajit on the throne. Aurangzeb refused and instead tried to have Ajit assassinated. Durgadas Rathore and the dhaa maa (wet nurse) of Ajit Singh of Marwar, Goora Dhaa (The Sainik Kshatriyas Gehlot Rajput of Mandore) and others smuggled Ajit out of Delhi to Jaipur, thus starting the thirty year Rajput rebellion against Aurangzeb. This rebellion united the Rajput clans, and a triple-pronged alliance was formed by the states of Marwar, Mewar, and Jaipur. One of the conditions of this alliance was that the rulers of Jodhpur and Jaipur should regain the privilege of marriage with the ruling Sesodia dynasty of Mewar, on the understanding that the offspring of Sesodia princesses should succeed to the throne over any other offspring. This stipulation would lend itself to many future conflicts.

Maratha Domination and British Rule

The quarrels among the Rajputs led to their inviting the Marathas for help in their power struggles; this resulted in the subjection of all the Rajput states to the Marathas. Jodhpur was conquered by Sindhia, who levied a tribute of 60,000 rupees, and took from it the fort and town of Ajmer. Internecine disputes and succession wars disturbed the peace of the early years of the century, and the Rajput princes asked for British protection from the Marathas during the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818. At the conclusion of this war in 1818, 18 states in the Rajputana region, of which 15 were ruled by Rajputs, became princely states of the British Raj, while the British took direct control of Ajmer, which became the province of Ajmer-Merwara. A number of other Rajput states in central India, including Rewa, Ajaigarh, Barwani, Chhatarpur, Datia, Orchha, Samthar and Ratlam, became princely states as well, and were placed under the authority of the Central India Agency.

Independent India

On India's independence in 1947, the princely states, including those of the Rajput, were given three choices: join one of the two states Indian or Pakistan, or remain independent. Rajput rulers acceded to newly independent India; Rajputana was renamed Rajasthan and became an Indian state in 1950. The Maharajas were given special recognitions and an annual amount termed privy-purse was endowed them. Many of the Rajput Maharajas entered politics and served India as elected representatives. In 1971, Indira Gandhi "de-recognized" the Maharajas and abolished the privy-purses. As a result, the Maharajas had to transform some of their palaces into hotels and tourist destinations. Today, the Maharajas still fulfill some of the ceremonial duties as recognized elders and private citizens in India.