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History of Rajasthan
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.
History of Rajasthan, Introduction of Rajasthan Reservation Form
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