History of Rajasthan

Ancient Rajasthan

It has been historically proved that parts of Rajasthan had human settlement as far back as 2500 BC, that is during the days of the Indus Valley Civilization. Excavations in Kalibanga in northern Rajasthan testify to that. The first inhabitants of Rajasthan were the Jats, Minas and the Bhils. The first Aryan settlement in Rajasthan came in around 1400 BC. The first Aryans to settle in Rajasthan was in the Dundhmer region. The famous Mauryan emperors ruled over Rajasthan during 321 to 184 BC. The region of Rajasthan was also governed by other dynasties like the Hunas, Saka Satraps, Arjunyas, Kushans, etc. They also played their roles in shaping the history of Rajasthan.

The Gurjara Partiharas was the earliest Rajput dynasty that came to power in 700 AD, to bring some stability to the climate of political unrest prevailing in Rajasthan, and in fact in the entire north India, following the decline of the Gupta empie. From during this time, Rajasthan has been known as 'Rajputana', or the land of the Rajputs. During 8th to 12th century AD, the Rajput clan became dominant and they were divided into 21 dynasties and 36 royal clans. During 1000-1200 AD, the Rajputs were busy in the armed conflicts. There was a struggle for supremacy between the Chalukyas, Chauhans and Parmars. It made Rajasthan's sand red with blood.

Medieval Rajasthan

The internal conflict within the Rajputs for imperial supremacy resulted into weakening of their unity, which foreign powers took advantage of. In the medieval era, during 1200 AD, portions of Rajasthan were already under the hegemony of the Delhi Sultanate. Though Rajputs valiantly resisted the imperial ambitions of the Delhi Sultanate rulers, but their war skills and discipline were no match for their bravery, and thus eventually, many Rajput kingdoms accepted the imperial dominance of Delhi. During medieval age, Mewar was the most powerful Rajput kingdom, which led the Rajput battle against the Delhi Sultans, and later against the mighty Moghuls.

Akbar with his shrewd diplomacy and matrimonial alliances won the trust of the Rajputs, and converted their hostility into friendship. Eventually, during Akbar's reign, many Rajput states became subservient allies of the Moghul empire. Many Rajput kings also ceded their states' independence to Akbar. However, there were exceptions. Uday Singh, the King of Mewar, and his son Maharana Pratap never gave compromised on their sovereignty, and continually fought with Akbar. However, despite his imperialistic designs, Akbar was also instrumental in political unification of Rajasthan. The most popular Rajput warriors were Bhappa Rawal, Rana Uday Singh, Rana Pratap, Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga, Prithviraj Chauhan, etc.

Modern Period

After the decline of the Mughal empire in 1707, political disintegration of Rajasthan began to set in. The Marathas became the dominant force in the northern India, including Rajasthan. In 1775, they took possession of Ajmer. The Maratha government was over by the early nineteenth century, when the British power established its dominance in Rajasthan. During 1817-1818, the British Raj entered upon political treaties of alliance with almost all the states of Rajasthan, then known as Rajputana. When India became independent, the former Rajputana state had 18 princely states. Later, it was combined together to form a single state by a prolonged process that started on 17th March, 1948 and concluded on 1st November, 1956. Today's Rajasthan was constituted in 1956. The princes of the former kingdoms were awarded enough money and privileges called privy purses for discharging of their financial responsibilities. But even this economic laxity was discontinued by Indira Gandhi, in the year 1971.

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