RAJASTHAN THE LAND OF GLORY
Rajasthan is a land where the vagaries of nature co-exist with the cheer and joy of its people; here life in all its aspects comes emblazoned in the brightest of its colors. The architectural grandeur of royalty and tales of valor and chivalry are the essence of its very spirit.even in times of misery this spitit is evident during the celebration of festivals round the year. Geographically, comprises of two distinct regions divided by the Aravalli range running southwest to northeast, its last low ridge spilling into Delhi. Marwar, Jaislmer and Bikaner are situated in the western and northern parts, which are marked by the aridity of shifting sandhills, the major portion of Thar Desert. The other side of the divide on the other hand is full of dense forests and fertile irrigated valleys, which support the historic sites of Udaipur and Jaipur. Rajasthan, which literally means “Land of Kings”, lies on the northwestern limits of India. Civilization came to Rajasthan before the rest of India. If Harappan culture (2500 BC- 1700 BC) is the general starting point of the evolution of Indian civilization, Rajasthsn takes precedence, as some of its pre-Harappan locations, such as kalibangan, bear testimony of fully-developed and organized society based on agriculture. The excavations at Kalibangan established a link with the Harappan era which flourished between 2500 and 1700 B.C and was part of the Indus valley civilization, which had been traced back to 6000 BC. Harappa represented the zenith of the Bronze Age and was high water mark of the Indus civilization. Its emphasis on town planning was a mark of a well-established society. The earlier part of Rajasthan history is mainly a history of tribal republics, often at war with one another and with neighboring kingdoms. This state of tribal organizations gave way to internal stratification and external aggressions. The region could also not remain immune to the influence of the rise and fall of the vast empires of north India. Thus, even if Rajasthan was not integrated with the Gupta Empire of the fourth and fifth century AD, it bore a subordinate status to the empire.
The most spectacular development in Rajasthan’s history was to take place from about 6th and 7th centuries, when some new warrior clans were formed. These, the Rajputs as they came to be called, were to dominate the history of the region as that of many other parts of the country for centuries to come. Rajput, which literally means the son of the king, claims their origin from the vedic era. According to orthodox Hindu views, the Rajputs of Rajasthan were direct descendents of the Kshatriyas or warriors of vedic India. They were first mentioned in the oldest Hindu stories, the Puranas, between the 3rd and 7th centuries BC, as “solar” or suryavanshi – those who descended from Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana – and the “lunar” or chandravanshi who claimed descent from Krishna, the hero from the epic Mahabharata. A third clan was the agnikula or fire – born, said to have emerged from the ritual fire or yajna on the top of the sacred mountain, Mount Abu, in Rajasthan. The Rajputs as they claimed their descent from the Kshatriyas of the vedic period were great warriors and fighters. From the earliest times the Rajput kings were called upon to play a difficult role: to defend their faith, to preserve their traditions and to protect Hindustan from marauding attacks of the Muslim invaders. When the adventurer Babur invaded India and established the Mughal dynasty, he had to quell two distinct resisting powers. By first killing Sultan Ibrahim Lodi at the battle of Panipat in April 1526, he established his claim to the thron of Delhi; but he subsequently had to defend that claim against a confederation of Rajput rulers under Rana Sanga of Mewar. In both fights Babur’s forces were heavily out numbered, but the latter one was by far the more difficult and it was only after he had won it, at the battle of Khanua in March 1527, that Babur’s position was secure. More than three centuries before, in 1192, Muhmmad ghuri of ghor had become the first Muslim conqueror of Delhi and he to had had to contend with the Rajputs in order to secure his position: he defeated the last Hindu king of Delhi, the Rajput Prithviraj iii, at tarain. Indeed throughout the whole period of the Muslim political domination of northern and central India, the Rajputs formed the major Hindu powers, which offered resistance. The Rajputs had to pay a heavy price, for their lands were frequently ravaged, and their strongholds captured by the superior Muslim forces. But such was their remarkable valor and tenacity that they refused to be beaten despite the odds. The history of Rajasthan is the stuff of legends. The Rajas fought for their honor, while the ranis who sent the men off to the field urged them to return victorious, or to die fighting on the battle field. The valor and bravery of the Rajputs is epitomized in the famous lines by Suryamal, the royal bard of Bundi state as” poot jhulave palana halariye hulraya, illa na deny aapni maran badai mai” meaning, the mother, while rocking the cradle, sings of bravery and sacrifice, preparing her son for death on the battlefield, rather than the dishonor of retreat.
For the historical records of Rajputs we are dependent on the accounts of foreigners as Alberuni, an Arab scholar. Information can also be had from old inscriptions and coins. But perhaps the best record of events a descriptions of kingdoms and battles fought between them is contained in the khyats or historical prose and verses written by the royal bards, the charans and the bhatts who were patronized by the rulers. The best known of these are Nainsi, from the court of Jodhpur, and Chand Bardai, who immortalized the last Hindu ruler of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan. Another important source of Rajput history is the famous work by colonel Jams Tod, who wrote Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan.
It has been accepted that the Rajputs were divided into thirty-six races and twenty-one kingdoms. The leaders were Sisodias of Mewar (Udaipur), the Kachwas of Amber (Jaipur), the Rathors of Marwar (Jodhpur and Bikaner), the haras of Kota and Bundi, the chauhans of Ajmer, and the Bhattis of Jaisalmer. A series of Muslim invasions from 10th century AD ultimately culminated in the conquest of India by Babur, who founded the Mughal empire in 1526 AD. The Rajputs continued to put great resistance to the might of the Mughals. But when in 1556AD Akaber the greatest of the Mughal rulers ascended the throne of Agra the scenario started to change.
Akber extended his hand of friendship to convert the animosity of the Rajputs into friendly relationships. His liberal policies and far-sightedness attracted many of the Rajput states. Because of these friendly gestures of Akber and the difficulties of wars the Rajput princes also realized the futility of fighting against a superior force, so they cemented their bonds through matrimonial alliances. Bharmal of Amber was first to enter this alliance by marrying his daughter with Akaber. His son, Bhagwan Das, gave his daughter Manbai in marriage to prince Salim, latter to become Emperor Jahangir; Salim also took Jodhabai, the princess of Jodhpur as his wife. Man Singh the son of Bhagwan Das became one of Akaber’s most trusted generals. This process of matrimonial alliances gave the region the much-required peace. This period of peace proved to be the golden period of Rajput culture. It can be said that the golden age of Rajput civilization was closely linked with the destiny of the Mughal Empire. During this period Rajasthan’s political and cultural contacts with the rest of India were considerably widened. This in turn encouraged an assimilation of several cultures into the arts and traditions of Rajput kingdoms, which were already renowned as centers of arts and learning. Karkhanas, or craft workshops were started, based on the Mughal model; Mughal miniature paintings aroused interest and Muslim artists came under royal patronage. Mughal style also influenced the Rajput architecture. Behram Khan, the musician from the Mughal court, was invited to Jaipur, who established the tradition of Dhrupad music in the Jaipur Gharana style. Rajasthan is still the leader in the field of arts and crafts, music and in the dance forms, in India.
But even in this period of peace and matrimonial alliances the proud Ranas of Mewar court had singularly refused to bow before the Mughal might. In 1572, by the time Maharana Pratap came to the throne the princes of Amber, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Sirohi, and Bundi had come into the Mughal orbit. But Maharana Pratap chose to take on Akaber’s forces at the battle of Haldi-Ghati in 1576. Though he was defeated, he continued guerilla warfare tactics for several years, eventually recovering a large part of his territory. Latter on Maharana Pratap’s son Amar Singh was forced to sign a treaty with the Mughals and for the first time a Mewar Rana paid obeisance to the Mughal court. Again this peace was got disturbed in the time of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb because of his anti Hindu policies. He too had to face the resistance of several Rajput princes, which he overcame with great difficulty. After Aurangzeb Mughal Empire disintegrated and like others most of the Rajput states entered into treaties with the East India company and latter ultimately accepted the British rule, which continued till India got its freedom from the British rule in 1947AD.
