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According 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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