Royal House of Mewar: Legend has it that the Sisodias of Mewar are descended from Lord Rama whose life story is told in India's great epic, the Ramayana. They came from the borders of Kashmir and by the second Century B.C. they had moved south to what is now Gujarat, founding, as they went, several cities along the coast, one of which was called Vallabhai.
The chronicles of the bards tell us that in the sixth century Vallabhai was sacked by strangers from the west. The Queen of Vallabhai, Pushpavati, who was on a pilgrimage offering prayers for her unborn child, heard of the destruction of Vallabhai and the death of her husband while traveling through the Aravalli hills in the north. Despairing, she took refuge in a cave, and there gave birth to a son whom she called Guhil, or "cave born." Then, entrust her child to a maidservant, the queen ordered a funeral pyre lit, and walked into it to join her dead husband's soul. Guhil, or Guhadatta, was befriended by the Bhils, tribal aborigines who had lived in the Aravalli hills since well before 2000 B.C. Amongst the Bhils, Guhadatta grew in power, and became a chieftain. His progeny came to be known as Guhilols.
In the seventh century the Guhil moved north, and down to the plains of Mewar, changing their name to Sisodia, after a village they encountered on the way. The descendants of Guhadatia were the great Ranas, Rawals and Maharanas of Mewar, builders of forts and palaces, whose exploits in peace and war are unmatched in valor and chivalry.By the time of India's independence, the royal line of Mewar had ruled for 75 generations, 1,400 years; the oldest of Rajasthan's ancient dynasties.
The Founding of Udaipur: In 1 567, the capital of Mewar, Chittor, was sacked for the third time by the armies of the Mughal Emperor Akbar; Rana Udai Singh 11 withdrew into the hills and ravines of the Aravalli. One morning, the rana was out by Lake Pichola hunting. While mounted and on the move he performed the difficult feat of spearing a fast-moving rabbit. Then, a short distance away, he saw a sage meditating. The Rana dutifully paid full respects to the holy man. "Where, 0 Revered One," the rana asked the sage, having recounted the fall of Chittor, "should 1 build my next capital city?"And the sage answered, as sages will, "Why, right here of course, where your destiny has brought you to ask such a question."And that's what Udai Singh did.Surrounded by forests , lakes and the protective Aravalli range, the new capital of Mewar was certainly less vulnerable location then Chittor.Maharaja Udai Singh died in 1572 and was succeeded by his son, Pratap, who bravely defended Udaipur from subsequent Mughal Attacks.
Rana Pratap (ruled 1572-97) was palace one of the great warrior kings of right, Mewar. He lived in troubled times.Emperor Akbar, the Great Mughal ,emblem was expanding his domains, irresistibly in and, across the subcontinent. He had already sacked the Mewar stronghold,richly Chittor, driving Pratap's father, Rana Udai Singh II, out towards a new life in the new capital, Udaipur. Rana Pratap gallery was imbued with stories of the lost em greatness of Mewar and obsessed with pieces a desire to recover its territories, and the the the fort of Chittor, the soul of Mewar. The indomitable Pratap threw him- is the self against the might of the Mughal armies again and again, losing the battle of Haldighati, losing every fort, including Kumbalgarh, retreating to the hills and ravines of the Aravallis where sometimes his family hadn't enough to cat. In these years of adversity, they were sustained by loyal Bhil tribesmen, whose ancestors had, centuries earlier, supported the rana's ancestor, Guhadatta.
Rana Pratap was one of the two Rajput kings who refused to accept Mughal suzerainty or compromise with Akbar: no daughter of Mewar was ever given to a Mughal emperor or prince in marriage. The other Rajput ruler similarly to hold out against the Mughals was the king of Bundi. Akbar allowed both states to survive and the next generation of rulers had to accept reality and sign treaties with the Mughals.eventually, Pratap freed Udaipur and much of Mewar from the Mughals Niwas, grip but he failed to win his heart's part of the desire: Chittor.
After struggling against the Mughals, Udaipur was later attacked by the Marathas.
An end to the bloody battles and instability came with British Intervention in the early 1900 century, when a treaty was signed which pledged to protect Udaipur from invaders. Along with all other Princely states, Udaipur surrendered its Sovereignty and became a part of a United India. |
