Our affair with Rajasthan began in December 2006.
It was also our first experience with homestay in India.
Most of the present day descendants of erstwhile royalty in India trace their links or ancestry to the royal houses of Rajputana. It is therefore important, that I share a bit of the Rajput martial history. Interesting to note that the Rajputs have had their share of defeats but have never been fully conquered.
Rajput martial history
Rajput families rose to prominence in the 6th century CE. The Rajputs put up resistance to the Islamic invasions with their warfare and chivalry for centuries. During the 12th century, the Turks and Afghans were able to get a firm grip on Punjab, Delhi and Bengal. The Rana’s of Mewar led other kingdoms in its resistance to outside rule. Rana Hammir Singh, defeated the Tughlaq Dynasty and recovered a large portion of Rajasthan. The indomitable Rana Khumbha defeated the Sultans of Malwa and Gujarat and made Mewar the most powerful Rajput Kingdom in India. The ambitious Rana Sangha united the various Rajput clans and fought against the foreign powers in India. Rana Sangha defeated the Afghan Lodi Empire of Delhi and crushed the Turkic Sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat. Rana Sanga then tried to create an Indian empire but was defeated by the first Mughal Emperor Babur at Khanua. The defeat was due to betrayal by the Tomar king Silhadi of Raisen. After Rana Sanga’s death there was no one who could check the rapid expansion of the Mughal Empire.
During Akbar’s reign most of the Rajput kings accepted Mughal Suzerainty, but the rulers of Mewar (Rana Uday Singh II) and Marwar (Rao Chandrasen Rathore) refused to have any form of alliance with the Mughals. To teach the Rajputs a lesson Akbar attacked Udai Singh and killed Rajput commander Jaimal of Chitor and the citizens of Mewar in large numbers. Akbar killed 20 – 25,000 unarmed citizens in Chittor on the grounds that they had actively helped in the resistance.
Maharana Pratap took an oath to avenge the citizens of Chittor, he fought the Mughal empire till his death and liberated most of Mewar apart from Chittor itself. Maharana Pratap soon became the most celebrated warrior of Rajasthan and became famous all over India for his sporadic warfare and noble actions. According to Satish Chandra (an Indian Historian – whose speciality was medieval Indian History), “Rana Pratap’s defiance of the mighty Mughal empire, almost alone and unaided by the other Rajput states, constitutes a glorious saga of Rajput valour and the spirit of self sacrifice for cherished principles. Rana Pratap’s methods of sporadic warfare was later elaborated further by Malik Ambar, the Deccani general, and by another great leader and general Shivaji”.
Rana Amar Singh I continued his ancestors war against the Mughal’s under Jehangir, he repelled the Mughal armies at Dewar. Later an expedition was again sent under leadership of Prince Kurram (later Shah Jehan), which caused much damage to life and property of Mewar. Many temples were destroyed, several villages were put on fire and ladies and children were captured and tortured to make Amar Singh accept surrender.
During Aurangzeb’s rule Rana Raj Singh I and Veer Durgadas Rathore were chief among those who defied the intolerant emperor of Delhi. They took advantage of the Aravalli hills and caused heavy damage on the Mughal armies that were trying to occupy Rajasthan.
After Aurangzeb’s death Bahadur Shah I tried to subjugate Rajasthan like his ancestors but his plan backfired when the three Rajput Raja’s of Amber, Udaipur and Jodhpur made a joint resistance to the Mughals. The Rajputs first expelled the commandants of Jodhpur and Bayana and recovered Amer by a night attack. They next killed Sayyid Hussain Khan Barha, the commandant of Mewar and many other Mughal officers. Bahadur Shah I, then in the Deccan was forced to patch up a truce with the Rajput Rajas.
Over the years, the Mughals began to have internal disputes which greatly distracted them at times. The Mughal Empire continued to weaken, and with the decline of the Mughal Empire in the late 18th century, Rajputana came under the influence of the Marathas. The Maratha Empire, which had replaced the Mughal Empire as the overlord of the subcontinent, was finally replaced by the British Empire in 1818.
In the 19th century the Rajput kingdoms were exhausted, they had been drained financially and in manpower after continuous wars and due to heavy tributes exacted by the Maratha Empire. In order to save their kingdoms from instability, rebellions and banditry the Rajput kings concluded treaties with the British in the early 19th century, accepting British suzerainty and control over their external affairs in return for internal autonomy.
Rajasthan today:
Modern Rajasthan includes most of Rajputana, that comprises of the erstwhile nineteen princely states, two chiefships and the British district of Ajmera-Merwara.
Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is also one of the most popular tourist spots in the country.
Rajasthan, is a tourists delight, from desert safari’s to fairy tale palaces, stories of valiant swashbuckling warriors and beautiful proud damsels, national parks home to the majestic tiger, and a bird-watchers paradise, with both local as well as migratory species.
Our introduction to Rajasthan, was through Udaipur, we had just returned after overseas stay at Hong Kong, and were open to experimental holidays.
We took a chance and booked our stay through Christmas, at Mountain Ridge on the outskirts of Udaipur, run by an Englishman, Piers Helsen.
Though the Mountain Ridge was still under construction, we felt right at home with Piers as a host. The view was panoramic, the location was quiet and peaceful, with a handful of guests who were all overseas visitors. It was perfect for a chilled out holiday, away from the hectic Mumbai.
What hits you as soon as you see the Mountain Ridge, is it’s unusual style, a “khichdi” of contemporary English Country, Indian-rustic and non-contemporary architecture. Though it was still a “work in progress”, Piers was making every effort to ensure that everything blended in to create a pleasant environment.
Our stay at Udaipur was most pleasant, though we did visit the sights – this trip to Udaipur stands out because of Piers, our continued interaction with him, till a few weeks before his tragic passing in Nepal, where he was building another resort.
Piers was a reverse colonial, he was so interested in the people and community that he was living in and did contribute a lot to them, he had even adopted a few local children and was providing them a home and education. During our visit, Akshay prefered playing with them rather than being taken from palace to fort, sight-seeing trips.
During our stay here, we met with a young english couple, Ben and Gemma, on trip to see the world before settling down. This delightful couple, did settle down, got married and have a lovely young son, Caiden.
Ben and Gemma, stayed with us for a few days in Mumbai before moving on to Goa.
We met them more than a decade later in London, where we had dinner together and Ben introduced me to English Cuisine and my first ever “Fish n Chips”.
Udaipur:
Udaipur is also known as the city of the lakes, is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar. It was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II, of the Sisodia Clan. The capital of Rajputana was shifted from Chittorgarh to Udaipur when Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar.
Udaipur is located in the southernmost part of Rajasthan state, just near the Gujarat border. It is surrounded by Aravali range, which separates it from Thar desert. It is around 655 km from Delhi and approximately 800 km from Mumbai placed almost in the middle of two major Indian metro cities.
History of Udaipur:
The Ahar river bank was inhabited by men in about 2000 B.C. There are footprints of two different civilizations, which provides claims about earliest inhabitants of the Ahar culture: the first ones are the Bhil/Bheels, the indigenous tribes originated at this place, and are still residing in the area in large numbers. The second footprints were unknown foreigners, who once entered the enclosed valley, and then continued to live in this place for centuries.
The Bhils are primarily an ethnic group of people (also called as adivasis) in western India. Bhils are listed as indigenous people of the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan – all in the western Deccan regions and central India – as well as in Tripura in far-eastern India. They originally spoke the Bhil language, but over the years they now have adopted the language of the region they reside in, such as Marathi, Gujarati or Hindi dialect. According to Census, 2011, Bhils were the largest tribal group in India.
Udaipur was founded in 1559, by Maharana Udai Singh II. The city was established in the fertile Girwa valley, as the new capital of the Mewar Kingdom. This area already had a thriving trading town, Ayad, which had served as capital of Mewar in the 10th through 12th centuries. The Girwa region was thus already well-known to Chittaud (Chittor) rulers who moved to it whenever the vulnerable tableland Chittaurgarh was threatened with enemy attacks. Maharana Udai Singh II, in the wake of 16th century emergence of artillery warfare, decided during his exile at Kumbalgarh, to move his capital to a more secure location. Ayad was flood-prone, hence he chose the ridge east of Pichola Lake to start his new capital city, where he came upon a hermit while hunting in the foothills of the Aravalli range. The hermit blessed the king and guided him to build a palace on the spot, assuring him it would be well protected. Udai Singh II consequently established a residence on the site. In November 1567, the Mughal emperor Akbar laid siege to the venerated fort of Chittor. To protect Udaipur from External attacks, Maharana Udai Singh built a six kilometre long city wall, with seven gates, namely Surajpole, Chandpole, Udiapole, Hathipole, Ambapole, Brahmpole and so on. The area within these walls and gates is still known as the old city or the walled city.
As the Mughal empire weakened, the Sisodiarulers, reasserted their independence and recaptured most of Mewar except for Chittor. Udaipur remained the capital of the state, which became a princely state of British India in 1818. Being a mountainous region and unsuitable for heavily armoured Mughal horses, Udaipur remained safe from Mughal influence despite much pressure.
In my opinion, Udaipur is the most beautiful city in Rajasthan and also the friendliest, a necessity as it is dependant on the Tourist trade for its economy. At an altitude of 1960 feet, it’s temperate climate (except in summer when it can touch a scorching 44 degree celsius) makes Udaipur a popular tourist destination alongwith its history, culture, scenic locations and the Rajput-era palaces. It is popularly known as the “City of Lakes” because of its sophisticated lake system the five major lakes being Fateh Sagar, Lake Pichola, Swaroop Sagar, Rangsagar and Doodh Talai. Besides the lakes, Udaipur is also popular for its massive historic forts and palaces, museums, galleries, natural locations and gardens, architectural temples, as well as traditional fairs, festivals and structures.
Unfortunately, due to the various, viral attacks on hard discs and consequent re-formatting we have lost the digital photographs of the that trip, however, this trip fascinated us so much that we have made four more trips together to Rajasthan, where we explored the other parts of Rajasthan – Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Jodhphur, Ajmer, Kumbalgarh and the “most haunted” Bhangarh fort.
I will return to Rajasthan, in a later blog, about the subsequent trips, with photographic evidence.
This trip is unforgettable for us, as
- we made friends with Piers (RIP)
- Ben & Gemma, with whom we are still in touch, and hopefully when Caiden is a bit older, they will visit us again,
- and for igniting our thirst for exploring India and re-discovering our cultural heritage,
- and last but not the least, homestays.
Walkabout with Anil 