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Mewar is the oldest kingdom of the world. Mewar or
Udaipur state was founded by Guhil 568 AD, and his
descendants have ruled over the area ever since.
Separated from the rest of India by mountains and
dense forests, Mewar developed the spirit of iron
discipline and stoic resolve, which was to become its
most salient feature and to arm its determined
resistance.
Sisodia, the major clan of Mewar since Maharana HAMIR
SINGH I (1326-1364). Prior to that, since Guhil
(569-586) founded the dynasty, the original Guhilot
family ruled Mewar. However, in the 12th century,
Chittor came under attack and the Mewar capital was
relocated at AHAR. It was during this period that
there was a FAMILY SPLIT. For reasons unknown, the
breakaway occurred possibly towards the end of the
reign of Rawal KARAN (RAN) SINGH I (1158-1168). Two of
his sons, Mahap and Rahap, quit Ahar, possibly in
anger that another son, KSHEM SINGH had been declared
Karan's heir. Mahap established a small, independent
kingdom at Dungarpur. Rahap defeated Mokal, the
Paramara (Parihara) Prince of Mandor at SISODA. He
established a junior branch of the Guhilot family at
Sisoda, naming his clan Sisodias after the town, and
taking the title of 'Rana'.
Sisoda, a town about 15 km. northwest of NATHDWARA,
which became the headquarters of the breakaway branch
of the ruling Guhilot family of Mewar, naming
themselves SISODIA after the town. See following
entry, and MEWAR FAMILY SPLIT.
Genealogy: The line of succession of the Sisodia Ranas
was Rahap, Narpat, Dinkaran, Jaskaran Nagpal, Puran
Pal, Prithi Pal, Bhuvan Singh, Bhim Singh, Jai Singh
and Laksha (or Lakshman) Singh.
Laksha was killed at the first sack of Chittor (1303),
as was the ruler of Mewar, Rawal RATAN SINGH I.
Laksha's grandson, Hamir succeeded him, and also the
king. Thus the Sisodias became the ruling family of
Mewar with HAMIR SINGH I (1326-1364), who replaced the
age-old, traditional title of 'Rawal' with that of the
Sisodias, 'Rana', extending it to 'Maharana'.
In his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, James TOD
recounts an amusing story of the origin of the name
Sisodia. He claims an old holy man near Bhainsrorgarh
told it to him.
In these wilds, an ancient Rana of Chittor (actually
Ahar, as his patronymic in this tale is Ahariya) sat
down to a got (feast) consisting of the game slain in
the chase: and being very hungry, he hastily swallowed
a piece of meat to which a gadfly adhered. The fly
grievously tormented the Rana's stomach, and he sent
for a physician. The wise man (bedi) secretly ordered
an attendant to cut off the tip of a cow's ear, as the
only means of saving the monarch's life. On obtaining
this forbidden morsel (the cow being sacred to a
Hindu, the consumption of beef is therefore anathema),
the bedi folded it in a piece of thin cloth, and
attaching a string to it, made the royal patient
swallow it. The gadfly fastened on to the bait, and
was dragged to light. The physician was rewarded; but
the curious Rana insisted on knowing by what means the
cure was effected. When he heard that a piece of
sacred kine had passed his lips, he determined to
expiate the enormity in a manner that its heinousness
required, and to swallow boiling lead (sisa)! A vessel
was put on the fire, and half a ser soon melted, when,
praying that his involuntary offence might be
forgiven, he boldly drank it off; but lo! It passed
through him like water. From that day, the name of the
tribe was changed from Aharya to Sisodia (possibly
after the miraculous dose of molten lead, 'sisa').
Told called it "an absurd tale"; as stated above, the
name Sisodia was derived from the village of Sesoda in
western Mewar. Author, Chandradioji Sisodia, writing
in the time of Maharana Fateh Singh, paid the clan
this eulogistic (and, of course, biased) tribute:
The noblest of the noble race of Rajputs, represent
the elder branch of the Suryanvanshi (Children of the
Sun) Raghuvansi, another patronymic derived from the
predecessor of Rama from whom (as genealogists state),
all the solar lines descended. The titles of many of
these families are disputed. But the entire Aryan or
Hindu race yield unanimous franchise to the Chief of
the Sisodias, as the legitimate heir to the throne of
Many, Ishwaku, Delipa, Raghu, Darasratha, and Rama,
and style him 'Hindua Suraj' (sun of the Hindu race)
and 'Yavadaryakulakamladhivarkara' (sun of the entire
Aryan race). He is universally allowed to be the first
of the 36 royal clans, therefore, as the crowning
ornament of the Aryan aristocracy is quite beyond all
question of rivalry. |
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