RAJPUT KINGDOMS

 'Rajput' comes from the word 'Rajputra' - son of a king. There are different theories about the origin of Rajputs. The Rajputs are described as a mixed race. They include tribes of foreign origin. Some Rajput families are said to descend from tribes like Bhils and Gonds. Foreigeners like Persians, Greeks, Sakas, Parthians, Huns, Gurjars and Jats got assimilated into the Hindu population.

Another theory is that the Rajputs were Agni Kula the fire race and they descended from 'Agni' or 'born from the ancestral fire of Brahma'. Out of this fire came four warrior clans namely Prathiharas, Chalukyas or Solankis, Parmaras and Chauhans.

The Rajputs introduced an age of chivalry and militarism. A Rajput was known to keep his word of honor. His integrity and high code of behavior were more important to him than anything else. His virtues earned him a glorious place in History. A Rajput lady was equally heroic. She preferred death to dishonor. Rajput society was feudal and clannish which contributed to its weakness.

Rajput polity was feudal in its set up. The Rajputs were split into various clans, each under one or more hereditary ruling family and such clans that became prominent have been identified by historians. All land was supposed to belong to the King or ruling chief who divided the land among his subordinates. They rendered military service to the king or paid a fixed revenue in return for the lands granted to them. Such a feudal setup was bound to be inefficient. It encouraged individualism and disunity. A brief look at the political history of the Rajput kingdoms would prove this. 

Among the earlies clans to rise to importance was the Guarat Pratihara class. Their first headquarter was Nirmal in South Rajasthan about 50 miles from Mt. Abu. Here a powerful kingdom arose around 800 A.D. The founder of this kingdom was Nagabhatta. The enemies and rivals of this kingdom were the Palas of Bengal and Rashtrakulas of Delhi. The city of Kanauj and dominance over North India was the prize for which the three dynasties were fighting.

The greatest Pratihara King Raja Bhoja (835-855) belonged to the first dynasty. Kanauj extending from Bihar in the East to Kanauj in the west. He was succeeded by Mahendraraja who ruled from 855-910. He maintained the power and prestige of the Prathiharas. A great Sanskrit scholar Rajashekar was in his court. 

He was succeeded by Mahipal I (910 - 940). He forced a severe defeat at the hands of the Rashtraputra King Indra III who captured Kanauj. Though Mahipal recovered his capital his kingdom did not fully recover. The feudatories became independent of the Pratiharas. The Chandelas and teh Chedolis became independent in the region between the Yamuna and the Narmada. The Chalukyas and the Solankis became independent in Gujarat which the Parmaras in Malwa. The Pratihara Kingdom lingered on till the invasion of Muhmud of Ghazni who defeated Rajyapal in 1018 A.D. and sacked Kanauj.

The Chalukyas and the Solankis were one of the Agnikula clans. They rules in Anhilwara in Gujarat from 974 to the beginning of the thirteenth century. Gujarat was finally conquered. Mulraja was the founder of this dynasty. The most famous king was Jayasinha Siddharaja, who is a popular hero of Gujarati legends. He was a great builder and a patron of the Jain religion. The Jain scholars Heerachandra lived in his court. The last Chalukya King was Bhendua II. He was defeated by the Turkish invasions in 1197 A.D.

The Chanderas ruled in the area now known as Bundelkhand. Their most important cities were Mahoba, Kalinger, Khajuraho. The Chandelas were great builders. The fort at Kalenjar was known for its strength. But more famous are the temples at Khajuraho. The most important Chandela King was Dhanga. The last important ruler was Pramaradideva. He was defeated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1203 A.D. and Chandela independence came to an end. However the kingdom lingered on till its final annexation to the Delhi Sultanate in 1310 A.D.

The Parmara Dynasty of Dhar in Malwa was founded in the tenth century. The Parmaras were great patrons of Sanskrit learning. The greatest of Parmara Kings was Raja Bhoj who ruled from 1018 to 1060. He was a great warrior as well as a scholar of astronomy, poetry. He created a Sanskrit college and he got constructed a very large lake called the Bhopuri lake. In 1060, Raja Bhoj was defeated by a combined attack of the rulers of Gujarat and Chedda kingdom. The Parmara power declined after this. To the South fo Bundelkhand was the Chedda or Kalachuri Kingdom. 

The Hindushahis of Punjab: In Punjab, the Rajput kingdom was set up under the Hindushahis, King Jaipala of this dynasty tried to resist but with little success, the invasions of Subjktagen and his more famous son Mahmud Ghazni. Jaipala was succeeded by his son Anandapala who continued the struggle iwht Mahmud but failed. The Hindushahis of Waihind were unable to resist the right of Mahmud Ghazni who invaded India seventeen times.

Mahmud died in 1030 A.D. During this period between the death of Mahmud of Ghazni and the final Turkish conquest of North India a number of Rajput clans rose to prominence. The most important of these were the Ghadvals of Kanauj and the Chauhans of Ajmer and Delhi. In the latter half of the tenth century, when Pratihara authority weakened, there was teh rise of the new imperial dynasty known as Gahadvala. This dynasty gradually established its authority over Kanauj Benaras and surrounding areas.

The last Gahadvala King was Jayachandra. Mohammad of Ghor defeated him in a great battle of Ghandawar near river Yamuna and Kanauj was captured. The Rathors of Jodhpur claim their descent from Jayachandra to a young boy who escaped from death in this battle.

from about 700, the Chauhan clan ruled the area around Ajmer. There are different branches of Chauhan clan. The most important was the group that established itself at Ajmer with their secondary headquaters at Delhi. The last king of this line is Prithviraj Chauhan, famous in legends. The story of Prithviraj has been immortalized by the poet Bardai in his poem called 'Prithviraj Raso'. Particularly the story of the daring kidnapping of Princess Sanyukta, the daughter of his bitter enemy, Raja Jaychand. Prithviraj organised resistance to Turkish invader and in 1191 A.D. he defeated Mohammed Ghor in the first battle of Tarain. 

However Ghor returned the next year. In the second battle of Tarain, 1192, Prithviraj was defeated and his capital of Ajmer was captured. Jaichand who refused to join the Rajputs was the next to suffer defeat. By 1200 A.D. the whole of North India except Rajasthan, Malwa and parts of Gujarat had been conquered and Rajput supremacy was at an end.

Failure of Rajputs:

They lacked a sense of unity, nationalism and fought amongst themselves.

Only the Rajput elite were in the army. Defence was restricted to a particular caste namely Rajput.

Military technology was inferior to the Turks. Turkish invaders were stronger militarily.

When the Turkish invasions took place, the Rajputs were more preoccupied with mutual warfare. They did not think of pooling their onslaught in the process they were defeated.

Causes of the Failure of the Rajputs against the Muslim Invaders: 

Absence of a powerful empire: At the time of the Muslim invasion, India was divided into several small states. There was no powerful central authority that could offer strong resistance to the invaders and face them determinedly.

Disunity among the Indian rulers: India was not only divided into several small states but the rulers of these states were engaged in constant warfare among themselves. It was perhaps the chief cause of the Rajput defeat that they lacked unity and organisation. These mutual jealousies had made the Rajput rulers weak.

Lack of military Organization: The Muslim armies were generally commanded by a common general who was their supreme authority and whose command was to be obeyed. On the other hand, the Rajput forces were commanded by their petty feudal chiefs which made any concerted efforts not only difficult but also impossible.

Outdated war tactics: The Rajputs were brave warriors but their war tactics were age old and outdated. They depended more on their elephants which sometimes scared by the Muslim archers ran amuck to trample their own armies, while the Muslim invaders were armed by new methods of warfare. 

Only Kshatriyas fight the war: In India it was only the kshatriyas who bore the duty of fighting against the enemy to defend their country. Other classes were indifferent to any political upheaval. In the event of the Kshatriyas being routed the whole country surrendered. 

Neglect of the National Borders: Rajputs never cared to strengthen their frontier and particularly the North-Western frontier of India as the Muslim rulers like Balban and Alauddin Khilji did in later period. Had there been a strong border the invaders could be checked beyond the frontier lines of India. But as the borders were free and unprotected the enemies could easily cross into India without check or hinderence. 

Economic Causes: Constant wars had wrecked the Rajput economy. Wars were both internal as well as against the foreign invaders. The Turkish invaders had plundered the country and carried her riches away to their lands. Frequent invasions had affected the industries and craft as well.