| Rajasthan History |
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| Rajasthan was inhabited long before 2500 BC. The Indus Valley Civilisation had its foundation here in north Rajasthan itself. 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. Rajasthan has remained 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. 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. According to the Hindu Mythology, the Rajputs of Rajasthan were the descendants of the Kshatriyas or warriors of Vedic India. 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, which claims direct descent from Rama, and the Induvansa, or Race of the Moon, 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 Mountt Abu. From these three Principal races emerged the 36 Rajput clans. From the times of Harsha (7 AD) to the founding of the Delhi Sultanate, Rajasthan was fragmented in competing kingdoms. Perhaps it was during this era, by their influence through wealth and power, the Rajputs persuaded the Brahmins to link them with the sun, the moon and the fire god. Rajasthan finally settled for a long and lasting reign under the colourful and vibrant Rajputs. It may however be a surprise that they lasted as long as they did. The Rajputs were at a constant state of aggression, if not with a foe then with each other. After the 14th century their influence declined in the area. |
In came the Mughals who gained control of the region through the clever strategy of Akbar, the Mughal Emperor. He performed matrimonial alliances with the Rajputs where they faced military failure and thus turned them from fearsome foes to faithful friends. This proud but very divided race was thus brought to some order under the imperial Mughals, by the some deft mixing of marital and martial relations. Akbar gave high offices to many Rajput princes after seeking reconciliation through marriage to a Rajput princess. However, the spirit of the Rajput soul was never really captured until the spread of the British colonial power. When the Mughals weakened they were quick to reassert their dominance. The Rajputs as a community thus has outlived the somewhat tribal Delhi Sultanate, the grand Mughals and the war-like Marathas. In fact to this day their descendants, though stripped of their titles and kingdoms, are revered as rulers by the common man. |