Sisodias of Mewar

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Sisodias of Mewar
Sisodia

House of Mewar
Coat of arms of Udaipur State.png
Parent houseGuhila dynasty
CountryUdaipur State
Founded1326
FounderHammir Singh
Current headMahendra Singh Mewar/Arvind Singh Mewar(head is disputed)
Final rulerBhagwant Singh of Mewar(titular)
Style(s)Maharana, Rana
Cadet branches

The Sisodia clan of Mewar, also called the "House of Mewar", is one of the many Rajput clans that ruled the Kingdom of Mewar, later called the Udaipur State under the British Raj.[1] The dynasty traces its ancestry back to , a son of the Guhila king Ranasimha. Hammir Singh, a scion of this branch family of the Guhilas, re-established the Kingdom of Mewar after defeating the Tughluq sultans of Delhi.[2][3]

Map of the Mewar Region

Origin[]

Following an invasion by the Delhi sultanate at the turn of the 13th century, the ruling Guhila dynasty had been displaced from Mewar.[4]Hammir Singh, who was a scion of the cadet branch of the Guhila dynasty, regained control of the region, re-established the dynasty after defeating the Tughluq forces, and captured present-day Rajasthan from Muslim forces of Delhi and became the first of his dynasty to use the royal title 'Rana' instead of 'Rawal'. Thus he founded the Sisodia clan.[5][3][6]

History[]

Hammir Singh was followed by a line of illustrious and brave rulers such as Rana Khumba and Rana Raimal,[4] except for the patricide Udai Singh I.[7] However, as a result of Rana Sanga's defeat at the Battle of Khanwa by Babur, the prestige of Mewar and many other Rajput kingdoms greatly decreased. His weak successors ruled for a short time, namely Ratan Singh II, Vikramaditya Singh & Vanvir Singh.[8][9]

Conflicts with the Mughals[]

A succession of Mewar rulers- Udai Singh II, Maharana Pratap & Amar Singh I resisted the Mughals for a long time.[10][11][12][13] Eventually Amar Singh had to surrender and become a vassal of the Mughals after his resources were too depleted.[14] Several building projects took place under his successor, Karan Singh II.[15] During the reign of Jagat Singh I, there was some tension between him and emperor Shah Jahan, but they came to an understanding, and prevented war between the two sides.[16]

Raj Singh I was a highly successful ruler who fought against emperor Aurangzeb on many occasions.[17][18][19] This was continued by his successor Jai Singh.[4]

The next two rulers after Raj Singh I, Amar Singh II & Sangram Singh II kept peace and prosperity in their realm, but then were followed by a long line of weak & insignificant successors.[20][21][22] During this period Rajputana was dominated by Jaipur then the Marathas.[23] Bhim Singh of Mewar had to sign a treaty with the British, accepting their protection.[24][25][26]

Under British Raj[]

By 1818, the armies of Holkar, Scindia, and Tonk had plundered Mewar, pauperising its ruler and people. [27]As early as 1805, Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar approached the British for assistance but the Treaty of 1803 with Scindia prevented the British from entertaining the request. [27] But by 1817, the British too were anxious to have alliances with Rajput rulers and the Treaty of Friendship, Alliances and Unity was concluded between Mewar and East India Company (on behalf of Britain) on 13 January 1818.[27][28]

Under the treaty, the British Government agreed to protect the territory of Mewar, in return for which Mewar acknowledged British supremacy and agreed to abstain from political associations with other states and to pay one-fourth of its revenues as tribute for 5 years, and three-eight in perpetuity.[28]

Shambhu Singh set up various new rules and offices for improving administrative resources, organised administration and income of temples and sacred places and introduced new legal code for Mewar. Under him the military was reorganised, various jail reforms were introduced and new construction of roads and railway tracks started. In spite of being formally uneducated, he gave education supreme importance and expanded various existing schools and introduced numerous new ones. Most importantly, he was the first to set up a school for girls and thus promoted opportunities of education for everyone. He enforced special measures to curb the Sati pratha and imposed heavy monetary fines on offenders.

Thus with various reforms in public facilities and infrastructure, Shambhu Singh was considered a liberal and well-managed king of his times. But with his untimely death at a young age of 27 years, his dreams of the revival of his homeland to the ancient golden times were stalled. He left behind no heir and his cousin Sajjan Singh, who himself was a minor at the time of his death; succeeded him and went ahead in continuation with the reforms paved by his predecessor.[29]

Post-Independence[]

Bhupal Singh was the last ruler of the Udaipur State.[30] After the independence and partition of British India in 1947, Singh was one of the first of the Indian princes to sign an Instrument of Accession to the new Dominion of India on 7 April 1949.[31] His son, Bhagwat Singh was titular ruler of Udaipur until the Indian government abolished all royal titles in 1971.[32]

The current head of the House of Mewar is disputed, with both sons of Bhagwat Singh- Mahendra Singh Mewar & Arvind Singh Mewar claiming the title. The relationship between the two branches of the family have remained tense.[33][34] While in the international press, Arvind Singh Mewar is mentioned as the current head of the family, the local old noble families of Udaipur recognise Mahendra Singh Mewar as the rightful head.[35][36]

List of Maharanas[]

Titular Maharanas[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Manoshi, Bhattacharya. The Royal Rajputs. pp. 42–46. ISBN 9788129114013.
  2. ^ Rima Hooja (2006). A history of Rajasthan. Rupa. pp. 328–329. ISBN 9788129108906. OCLC 80362053.
  3. ^ a b The Rajputs of Rajputana: a glimpse of medieval Rajasthan by M. S. Naravane ISBN 81-7648-118-1
  4. ^ a b c Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  5. ^ Rima Hooja (2006). A history of Rajasthan. Rupa. pp. 328–329. ISBN 9788129108906. OCLC 80362053.
  6. ^ Manoshi, Bhattacharya. The Royal Rajputs. pp. 42–46. ISBN 9788129114013.
  7. ^ Ring, Trudy; Watson, Noelle; Schellinger, Paul, eds. (2012). Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-13663-979-1.
  8. ^ Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates
  9. ^ KARNAVATI, QUEEN OF CHITTOR
  10. ^ Richards, John F. (1995) [1993]. The Mughal empire. New Cambridge history of India. 5. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521566032. pg. 26
  11. ^ Chandra, Satish (2001). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part I. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 81-241-0522-7. p. 107.
  12. ^ Sarkar 1960, p. 75.
  13. ^ Chandra 2005, pp. 119–120.
  14. ^ Abraham Eraly (2007). Emperors Of The Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Moghuls. Penguin UK. p. 323. ISBN 978-9351180937. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ Sharma, Gopinath. Rajasthan Ka Itihas. Agra. p. 278. ISBN 978-81-930093-9-0.
  18. ^ Hooja, Rima (2006-11-01). A history of Rajasthan. Rupa & Co. p. 617. ISBN 9788129108906.
  19. ^ Somani, Ram Vallabh (1976). History of Mewar. pp. 281–82.
  20. ^ The Cambridge History of India, Volume 3 pg 322
  21. ^ "Maharana Amar Singh II". 29 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Rulers of Mewar".
  23. ^ Mathur, Tej Kumar (1987). Feudal polity in Mewar. Jaipur and Indore: Publication Scheme.
  24. ^ The Essential Guide, Art Institute of Chicago (2009), p. 14.
  25. ^ Treaties, Engagements and Sanads of Indian States: A Contribution in Indian Jurisprudence, p. 59.
  26. ^ The Law of the Indian Constitution: Being a Legal Interpretation of the Government of India Act, 1935 (26 Geo. V. C. 2) and a Study of the Structure of the Indian Constitution, Before and After the Federation, p. 66.
  27. ^ a b c Gupta, R.K.; Bakshi, S.R., eds. (2008). Studies in Indian History: Rajasthan Through the Ages Vol. 5. New Delhi: Sarup and Sons. pp. 64. ISBN 978-81-7625-841-8.
  28. ^ a b Aitchison, C.U. (1909). A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries Vol. III. Calcutta: Superintendent Government Printing, India. pp. 10–32.
  29. ^ "Bagore (Thikana)".
  30. ^ Darda, D.S. From Feudalism to Democracy. New Delhi: S. Chand & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd.
  31. ^ Princely States of India
  32. ^ "H. H. Maharajadhiraja Madhav Rao vs Union of India on 15 December 1970". Indian Kanoon. p. See para 44. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  33. ^ Akhtar Khan, महेंद्रसिंह और लक्ष्यराज के समर्थक भिड़े, http://www.udaipurpost.com/mewar-royal-family-once-again-the-controversy-became-public.html, Udaipur Post, 11 June 2013
  34. ^ भूपालसिंह की प्रतिमा का अनावरण आज, http://www.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-UDA-bust-of-bhupalasinh-today-3455738.html, Dainik Bhaskar News Network, 28 June 2012
  35. ^ महेन्द्रसिंह मेवाड का स्वागत, http://www.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-OTH-23012-3322957.html Matrix News | 26 May 2012
  36. ^ बार एसोसिएशन प्रतिनिधिमण्डल ने महाराणा महेन्द्र सिंह से की मुलाकात http://www.khabarindia.tv/udaipur-news-_801.html#.Uk9NU9LktlA, 11 August 2013
  37. ^ "Maharana Sanga; the Hindupat, the last great leader of the Rajput race: Sarda, Har Bilas, Diwan Bahadur, 1867–1955 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 2020-08-16.

Further readings[]

External links[]

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