THE HISTORY OF SISODIA
The Sisodia are a clutch of prominent Rajput rulers, who ruled over the Mewar region in Rajasthan, a North-western Indian state.
Origin of the Sisodia dynasty
It is widely believed that the Sisodias trace their ancestry to a prince named Rahapa. His father was the twelfth-century Guhila King Ranasimha. Prince Rahapa went to found the Sisodia townlet in the present-day Rajsamand district, as his capital, after which his descendants were called the Sisodias. Following a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Alauddin Khalji, during the Seige of Chittorgarh, the main branch of the Guhila dynasty had to be dissolved. Though subsequently, Rana Hammir, who belonged to the Sisodia branch, reclaimed control of the region and re-established the dynasty. He also became the founder of the Sisodia dynasty clan, a branch of the Guhila dynasty, to which every succeeding Maharana of Mewar belonged, and the Sisodias gallantly regained control of Chittor, the former Guhila capital that had been previously lost during the Seige. Over the years, the name of this clan has also been transliterated as Sesodia, Shishodia, Sishodia, Shishodya, Sisodya, Sisodiya, and Sisodia among others.
History of the Sisodia
Throughout their reign, the Sisodias had a string of notable rulers some of them were Rana Hamir (r. 1326–64), Rana Kumbha (r. 1433–68), Rana Sanga (r.1508–1528) and Rana Pratap (r. 1572–97).
According to the Sisodia Chronicles, in 1303, when conqueror Alauddin Khalji attacked the then-Guhila capital of Chittorgarh, the Sisodia men deployed the practice of Saka (fighting until death), while their women deployed the practice of Jauhar (self-immolation). These practices which had widely been considered a valiant response to their attackers were repeated twice later on: when Bahadur Shah of Gujarat besieged Chittorgarh in 1535, and when the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered it in 1567.
Frequent skirmishes with the Mughals throughout Sisodia’s reign greatly reduced the size of their kingdom. Eventually, the Sisodias accepted the Mughal suzerainty, participating in various Mughal war campaigns. However, their literary works commissioned by the subsequent Sisodia rulers continued to emphasise their pre-Mughal past. The Sisodias were the last Rajput dynasty to ally with the Mughals. Interestingly, unlike other Rajput clans, members of the clan never intermarried with the Mughal imperial family. The Sisodias cultivated an elite identity distinct from other Rajput clans through the poetic legends, and bards commissioned by them.
The ravages of time had largely erased their legacy from the general public’s mind. It was only during British colonial rule that these materials were unearthed. James Tod, an officer of the British East India Company, relied on these works for his book Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the central and western Rajpoot states of India (1829–1832). His widely read work further helped spread the views of the Sisodias as a superior Rajput clan in colonial and post-colonial India. Acquainting India with one of its most dauntless sets of rulers.
THE HISTORY OF GAURS
The Guar is a Hindu Rajput clan, whose ancestry can be traced back to antiquity.
The Origins of the Guars
Of all the literature in this regard, the book, Gaur — The Medieval city of Bengal (c. 1450-1565), gives readers the best glimpse into the origin of the Gaurs. According to the book, traces of the recorded history of the origins of Gaur Rajputs can be found in old texts of the British Raj that extensively refer to the Pala Dynasty as Gaur Rajputs.
It has been chronicled that the Pala dynasty ruled large parts of present Bengal and Bangladesh, later extending to other parts of north India, central India and Pakistan from around the eighth century to the eleventh century. After the end of the rule of the Palas, the Sen Dynasty established exclusive control over the entire region of Bengal. Two famous rulers of the Sen Dynasty were Ballal Sen and Lakshman Sen. Lakshman Sen proved pivotal in later expanding the Sen’s power to Assam, Odisha, Bihar and Varanasi. The capital of this Guar kingdom was Laknuati/Lakshmanvati. In 1203–1204, the Turkic military general of Qutb-ud-din Aybak, Bakhtiyar Khilji suppressed Lakshman Sen thus capturing Northwest Bengal, although Eastern Bengal remained under the Sena king’s control.
After their fall in eastern India, the Gaurs relocated to Central and Northern India (Mainly to regions in present-day Uttar Pradesh, Himachal and Rajasthan).
The History of the Gaurs
The Guars for a long time held the region of Ajmer till the time of King Prithviraj Chauhan. Modern-day Ajmer is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. But in the later centuries, they lost control of these territories. The Sheolot townlet in Madhya Pradesh was founded by the Gaur rulers in 1573.
Sometime in the fifteenth century, the Guars fought at least thirteen battles with the Shekhawats. The Shekhawats were a fellow Rajput clan. Despite putting up a valiant fight, the Gaurs were defeated, with them being reduced to feudatory status under the Shekhawats.
The Rajgarh territory, in modern-day Madhya Pradesh state, was one of the last bastions of Gaur Rajputs during the times of Mughal Emperors, Humayun and Akbar, but was lost to Kishan Singh in the seventeenth century. Gaur Rajputs remained allies to the Mughals till the time of Aurangzeb, but relations began to strain after Aurangazeb began implementing social policies that came to be seen as hostile towards them. The Guars also find mention in Britsh chronicler James Todd’s popular work, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan.
THE HISTORY OF THE SHEKHAWATS
Shekhawat is a clan of Rajputs found mainly in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, Members of the Shekhawat group claim descendance from Maharao Shekha of Amarsar. The Shekhawats are the most prominent clan among Kachhwaha. Kachhwahas were a superset of Shekawata, spread across the princely states of Jaipur, Alwar and Maihar among others.
They ruled the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan for more than five hundred years. During this time they fought against the Mughals on several different occasions. For instance, Rao Sujjan Singh of Chhapoli famously fought the Mughal army with 300 men to save a temple, that his clan considered sacred.
Scholars tracing the genealogical outline of the Shekhawat clan, determine them to be one of the sixty-five branches of the Kachhawa ruling clan of Jaipur and the most prominent of all the Kachhawas. They claim to be the descendants of the great Rajput warrior, Rao Shekhaji. The early rulers owed allegiance to their then overlords, the rulers of Amber, but Rao Shekhaji declared himself independent in 1471, thereby establishing a separate principality for his descendants. The Shekhawats ruled over the Shekhawati region for roughly five hundred years. The Shekhawat rulers during their time in power built a clutch of forts to leave behind a strong legacy of their rule over the Shekhawati region, which was the largest district within Jaipur State. Col. J.C. Brooke in his book, Political History of India, wrote that “For the recruitment of Horse-army there is no region in India at par with Shekhawati.” Their cavalry was parred excellence.
Interestingly, Shekhawat is a very common surname in the Indian military. Many members of the clan have won gallantry awards including the Param Veer Chakra and Mahaveer Chakra among others.
THE HISTORY OF THE GAUTAM
The Gautams are members of the Rajput clan found in the northern and central Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Many prominent members of the Indian society belonged to this ancient clan, among them was Jodha Singh Attaiya a great chieftain who participated in the Indian rebellion of 1857.
The Origins of the Gautams
It is widely believed that the Gautams originated somewhere in the region around the doab area of the upper Gangetic plain. In modern times, this area spans a vast territory across the border of Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh. After the seventh century, members of the Gautam clan also migrated outside the place of their origin, akin to other Rajputs of their times.
The History of the Gautams
Some members of the Guatam clan have been known to have fought for Sher Shah Suri against the Mughal Emperor Humayun in the sixteenth century. By the time of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign, the Gautam Rajputs had mustered enough strength to field armed contingents including sophisticated artillery and well-trained horse cavalry, eventually making incursions into the neighbouring Bhumihars of Gorakhpur.
One late 17th-century Rajput chief from the Azamgarh area, named Bikramajit Singh, a descendant of Gautam Rajputs of Mehnagar in pargana Nizamabad, converted to Islam. His sons and descendants went on to found communities, establish markets and construct improvements such as a canal connecting the Tons River with the Kol.
With the advent of the British Raj, the Gautams slowly began to lose their former influence, ultimately fading from the public consciousness.
