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Welcome to
Rajputana "Land of Rajputs". Learn about the history of
Rajasthan and Rajputs, languages (where dialects change at every
100 km of travel), different religions from Hinduism to Islam,
the architecture you will see in the forts & palaces, temples
and havelis..
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.
(source taken form
www.rajasthantravelguide.com)
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