Rajput Kingdoms:
Rajputs held the status of revenue collectors in the Pratihar kingdom.
When the Pratihar power grew weak, Rajputs established independant
states. Prominent among them were: Chauhans of Ajmer, Gadhwals of
Kanauj, Ranas of Mewad, Solankis of Gujarat, Paramaras of Malwa,
Chandellas of Bundelkhand, and Tomaras of Gwalior.
Chandellas of Bundelkhand
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1250:
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They ruled over parts of Orissa and Madhya pradesh. In 1250s
AD, Tughan Khan attacked the Chandellas in Orrisa. The Chandella king Narasimha Deva
defeated Tughan Khan. To commemorate his victory, Narasimha Deva
erected the Sun Temple at Konark. The Chandella kings also built the
Jagannath temple at Puri, and many temples of Khujerao. |
Chouhans of Ajmer
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1190:
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Prithviraj Chauhan ruled Rajasthan and
Punjab from two capitals, Pithoragadh (Delhi) and Ajmer. Turk, Muhammad
of Ghur conquered Lahore and Sindh and reached the border of Rajasthan.
Prithviraj Chauhan defeated Ghuri in the first battle (1191AD). Ghuri
returned next year, defeated and captured Prithviraj. |
Gahadwals of Kannuaj
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1190:
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Govindchandra Gahadwal founded the Gahadwal kingdom. They ruled from Kannauj. Jaichandra
Gadhawal's daughter Sanyogita eloped with his rival Prithviraj Chauhan,
against his wishes. Thus Jaichandra remained in Ghadwal when Prithviraj
was defeated by Ghuri in 1192. Two years later, Jaichandra was defeated
and killed by Ghuri.
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Ranas of Mewad
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1320:
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Rana Ratan Singh was ruling Mewad from Chittor. Alauddin Khilji attacked Chittod to gain the heavenly beauty, Rani Padmini. Alauddin defeated Rana, but the proud Rajput queen killed herself.
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1527:
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Rana Sangram Singh was killed in the battle of Sikri,
against Babar. His infant son Udai Singh, was saved from his
treacherous brother by the child's nurse, Panna. After Udai Singh
attained youth, he defeated his uncle and became the king of Chittod. |
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1567:
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Akbar captured Chittod. The king Udai Singh fled to the
hills with his nobles Rana Sanga, Jaimall and Patta. With the fall of
Chittor, other Rajput kings (of Ranthambhor, Bundelkhand, Bikaner and
Jaisalmer) submitted to Akbar. Akbar gave them high ranks in his
military. Udai Singh maintained his independence though he lost his
capital. |
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1572:
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Rana Pratap took charge after Udai Singh's death.
Rana Pratap defeated Akbar in the first battle of HaldiGhati.
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1576:
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Mughals led by Man Singh of Amber and Asaf Khan defeated Rana
Pratap at HaldiGhat. He managed to escape to the hills, with his
devoted chief Jhala. Rana Pratap continued the wars and recovered most
of the territories before he died in 1597. |
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1599:
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Amar Singh Rana Pratap's son, was finally defeated by
Man Singh, when Jehangir was ruling Delhi.
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Gondwana
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1564:
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Rani Durgavati a brave rajput queen, ruled Gondwana on
behalf of her son Bir Bahadur. Both were killed in the battle with
Akbar (which he won) in 1564. |
Paramars of Malwa
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1565:
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Baz Bahadur and his beautiful wife Rani Rupmati ruled
Malwa. The king did not bother to look after his kingdom nor did he
maintain a strong army. The Mughals defeated Baz Bahadur and captured
his queen Rupmati. Being a proud Rajput, she killed herself. Baz
Bahadur fled to Chittod, to seek help.
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Jaipur
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1690:
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Sawai Jai Singh II founded the city of Jaipur. He ruled from
Jaipur between 1693 and 1743. The astronomer-king, designed and built 4
observatories at Jaipur, Ujjain, Delhi and Varanasi. The observatories,
called Jantar Mantar are equipped to calculate the rotation of the sun,
moon, planets and stars to an amazing degree of accuracy. |
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