Rajasthan History

Rajasthan Or Rajputana, Commonly Known As The Land Of Rajputs Is A Place Of Ancient History. Inhabited Since 2500 BC And Also Home To Indus Valley Civilisation, Rajasthan Is An Amalgamation Of Influences.

Rajasthan is an ancient land, as old as the desert itself. Inhabitation is believed to have started in 2500 BC and remains of the Indus valley civilisation have been found in Rajasthan. The earliest inhabitants of Rajasthan were the Bhil and the Mina tribes.

Aryans came and settled in this area in 1400 BC. As a result, the local inhabitants moved towards the south and east regions of India. The land of Rajasthan has also been home to the Afghans, Turks, Persians and Mughals, all of whom have left indelible influences on Rajasthan's culture. The martial blood in Rajasthan comes from this lineage.

The ascendancy of Rajputs started from 7^th century AD onwards. There was plenty of infighting and eventually, they were divided into 36 royal clans. While there is plenty of discussion about the origin of Rajputs, they trace their lineage from a mythical fire atop Mt Abu, a mountain in Rajasthan that supposedly gave birth to the Agni Kula or the Fire Family. The others are the Suryavanshi or the Sun Family and the Chandravanshi or the Moon Family. Warrior kings such as Prithviraj Chauhan, Rana Kumbha, and Bhappa Rawal are known for their valiant spirit and odes to their bravery are a part of the folk-lore of Rajasthan.

Mughal aggression in Rajasthan started around the 12^th century. They had control of Nagaur, Ajmer and Ranthambor areas mainly. The Mughal Emperor Akbar united the various provinces of Rajasthan. The power of Rajputs started declining towards the 14th century and even though eventually India became a republic, though Rajput royals are revered by their erstwhile subjects till this day.

The British rule of Rajasthan commenced during 1817-18 with alliance treaties with nearly all the royal states. Under the British, Rajasthan was called Rajputana. Post independence, the erstwhile Rajputana having 19 princely states and two chiefships of Lava and Kushalgarh as well as a British administered territory of Ajmer-Merwara were all integrated to form the state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan now has 32 districts (including the new district of Karauli), 105 sub-divisions, 241 tehsils, 37889 inhabited villages and 222 towns.