HISTORY OF RAJPUTS

                       

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The Rajputs (from the Sanskrit tatpurusha compound rajaputra, "son of a king", led by probably the two best Yom Sport Captains of all time, who have managed to rule the "Rajputs" even in 2010) are a ruling class of Indian subcontinent and south east asia. In the Hindustani language, those belonging to the Kshatriya Varna of Hindus are generally referred to as "Rajputs". They rule in Indian sub-continent from 6th century to 20th century and south east asia from 9th to 15th centuries, Nepal was the last empire of Rajputs which ended in 1950,Rajputs ruled more than 400[1] of the estimated 600 princely states at the time of India's independence in 1947. Rajputs ruled 81 of out the 121 Salute states extant at the time of independence. Most Rajputs claim descent from Shri Ram and Shri Krishna.

Rajput origins

KUSHANSHAS (565 AD)

Lands of the Kushanshas (Indo-Sassanian) and Hunas (Kushano-Hepthalites) in 565 AD.

The Sanskrit word Rajputra is found in ancient texts, including the Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. It was used by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Pa?ini in the 4th century BCE. The word Kshatriya ("warrior") was used for the Vedic community of warriors and rulers. To differentiate royal warriors from other Kshatriyas the word Rajputra was used, which literally means "Son of King" Rajputra eventually was shortened to Rajput.

Rajputs belong to one of three great patrilineages, which are Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi there Some Other vans also Nagavanshi and Rishivansi.. Rajput literally means son of a King or royal blood. The British historians disclaim the puranic genelogies as given in Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana as myths, but with advancing science a few of these 'myths' have indeed be proven correct (like the legend of Krishna and submerged Dwarika).

Most Rajputs, the medieval kings, nobles and farmers have a disputable origin. However, quite authoritatively identified, various theories of origin have been put forward. The first Rajputs kingdoms are attested in the 6th century BC, and the Rajputs rose to prominence in Indian history in the ninth and tenth centuries.This is however unlikely as the tribes present in the NWFP of Pakistan and the country Afghanistan are most probably descended from Huna, Kushans etc. they could be the modern day Hazaras, Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Nuristani and many more.The Huna's were defeated in 528 AD by Yasodharman and in 532 a coalition of Hindu kings drives the Huna out of Northern India. The genetic analysis of Rajput clans indicate there is a close connection between the Punjabi Khatri/Arora clans and Rajputs clearly indicating that the rajputs are not outsiders as most tend to belive.

Many tribes over the course of time became extinct because of war, or relocated to another location and changed their names.

Traditionally, every rajput must belong to one of 36 rajput clans, the Chattis Rajkuls. During the rule of the British, Lieutenant Colonel James Tod visited Rajasthan and attempted to write a definitive list of the 36 Rajput tribes. However, everyone that he spoke to gave him varying lists. It can thus be concluded that any caste or clan that had furnished warriors or was politically dominant in a particular region could justly call itself Rajput.deora sirohi

Chattis Rajkul

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Locations of Hun successor states in 500 AD.

Today with the aid of inscriptions and copper plates discovered, it is possible to trace the history of the royal clans with considerable certainty. However they were not available in 17-18th century when a number of chronicles (khyats) were compiled, often based on oral tradition. By this time, the Agni-kunda myth had been expanded to explain the origin of four of the major clan. James Tod wrote his influential book The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan in 1829 and 1832 on the basis of these chronicles. Other authors have used some of his hypotheses, even though the texts discovered and read during the 20th century show that Todd's hypotheses are sometimes inaccurate.

The chattis rajkul are list of kings of the 36 different states of India. During the time of Alexander the Great's invasion in 3rd century B.C. there were 16 great kingdom's in India called Mahajanpada's. Each Mahajanapada had several janapada's and their number was about 36. Chattis Rajkul or 36 royal clans include clans from Suryavansha, Chandravansha, Agnivansha, and Nagvansha. Suryavanshi's are descendants of surya (sun god) and one of them was Lord Sri Ram, an incarnation of Hindu trinity Vishnu. Lord Krishna was chandravanshi. Even today Suryavanshi Rajputs pray to Lord Sri Ram and Chandravanshi's pray to Lord Sri Krishna. The Agnivanshi's pray to various deities including Lord Sri 

Ram and Lord Sri Krishna.

36 Royal Clans of India

Tod's list published in 1820's

Surya - Icshwaca or Ikshvaku (Surya - Raghu vansha)

Raghuvansha from Ancestor of Raja Ram.

Surya Vansha - Ikshvaku Vansha - Raja Ram - Lav Vansha; 24 

Chandra Vansha (From Lord Krishna)

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Suryavanshi

Surya Vansha and Ikshvaku vansha: 

Suryavanshi rajputs trace their lineage to the Vedic Sun - Surya. Lord Rama was also born in this lineage. Suryavanshi rajputs ruled over Mewar, Marwar, Amber, etc.

Ancestor of Raja Raghu, Raja Dashrath, Raja Ram. Also of Raja Janak

Guhilot - (Sisodia, Gohil) 

Rathore - (Jodha, Bika, Mehcha, Barmera)

Kacchhawa - (Shekhawat)

Makwana -  (Jhala, Zala)

Chandravanshi

Somvanshi/Chandravanshi rajputs descended from Som (the vedic deity Soma or Moon). Chandravanshi and Yaduvanshi are from the same line which bifurcated at King Yadu when his father banished him from becoming the king. Gujarat, Jaisalmer was ruled by Chandravanshi rajputs. The Yaduvanshi trace there lineage to Lord Krishn.

Chandra or Som Vansha

Jadeja - 

Bhatti - 

Tomar - (Tanwar)

Chudasama - 

Raijada - 

Sarvaiya - 

Janjua

Agnivanshi

Agnivanshi rajputs have a mythological belief that they originated from fire. Bundi, Kotah, Jalore, Sirohi, Delhi were ruled by Agnivanshi rajputs. In reality Agnivanshi rajputs are also a sub-division of Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi rajputs.

Each vansha is divided into many cula and each cula is further divided into many shakha.

Agni Vansha

Parmara -    (Sodha)

Chauhan -   (Deora)

Solanki   -   (Chaluya, Vaghela)

Pratihar  - 

Early dynasties

Rajputras were ruling families of various states from ancient times. Most of them belonged to either Surya or Chandra lineages. e.g. Kosala, Kuru, Panchal, Magadh, Kalinga, Anga, Bang, Madra etc. are mentioned in Mahabharata. These families continued to ruled till they were annexed by others.

In modern times, of which written history is available in terms of stone inscriptions etc., the first Rajput kingdoms are attested to in the 6th century and these Rajputs rose to prominence in the 5th and 6th centuries after the collapse of Gupta empire, Rajput empire spread in Many countries. Afghanisthan,Pakisthan,Nepal,Bangladesh,India,south east asia and some parts of Tibet. The clans that descended from the solar and lunar lineage i.e. 'Suryavanshis' and 'Chandervanshis' rose to prominence first, followed by the four Agnivanshi clans, the (Gurjar Pratiharas) (Parihars), Chauhans (Chamahanas), Solankis (Chaulukyas),and the Paramaras.

Harsha Empire

The first Rajput empire in medivel history is Harsha empire He is Bais Rajput. Who rule whole north india for 47 years after his death his empire broken into numerous Rajput Kingdoms.

Rathore Rajput

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Rathore Rajputs belong from Suryavans[17] The Rathores gradually spread across Marwar, forming a brotherhood of landowners and village chieftains, loosely bound to each other by ties of clan and caste. An epoch in the history both of Marwar and of the Rathores was marked by Rao Jodha, a warrior who founded a kingdom that grew to encompass all of Marwar. He also founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459, and moved his capital thither from Mandore. One of his sons, Rao Bika, with the help of his uncle Rawat Kandhal, established the town of Bikaner in 1488, in the Jangladesh region lying to the north of Marwar; that town was to become the seat of a second major Rathore kingdom. Some of these migrations from Marwar into Gujarat caused changes in language and the spelling of Rathore to Rathod, which is seen in clans present in Gujarat. Rathods of Gujarat trace their history to the city Jodhpur.

Rathore Rajput rule many Kingdoms:

Marwar (1226-1949),Bikaner (1488-1949),Kishangarh (1611-1949),Idar (1728–1949),Ratlam (1651–1949),Sitamau (1701–1949),Sailana (1730–1949),Alirajpur(1701–1949),Manda,Poonch(1596–1798)

Gurjara-Pratihar (Parihar) Rajput

The parihar rajputs established kingdom in Mandore and at their Great extent they rule west and central India [2], Marwar in southwestern Rajasthan, with the Chauhans at Ajmer in central Rajasthan, the Solankis in Gujarat, the Paramaras in Malwa, the Rever's in Tarangagadh.

Chauhan rajput

The lonia rajput or chauhan rajput are residenting in Eastern Uttarpradesh they came to this place from Rajasthan in 16th century.They r ancesstor of chauhan ruler of Ranthambore & there army. They where very brave soldier fought more then 150years against Aurangzeb army. They r having all vansh of rajput but chauhan , rathod, parmar, parihiar,gahlot & tomar vansh numbers r more compare to others. They r found in areas such as Varanasi,Ghazipur,Jaunpur, Pratapgarh,Azamgarh ,Amathi,Sultanpur,Allahabad & Ballia.Generally people call them chauhanji OR Singhsahab.

Kacchawa Rajput

The Kuchwaha (also spelled as Kachavaha,Kachawaha,Kacchavahas, Kachhawa, Kuchhwaha,Kachhawaha, & Keshwala including Kacchapghata, Kakutstha, and Kurma) are a Suryavanshi KshatriyaRajput clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur (Jainagara) which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. The Maharaja of Jaipur is regarded as the head of the extended Kachwaha clan.

Guhilots Rajput of Nagda - Mewar(south Rajasthan)

The Guhilas (later called the Sisodias) established the state of Mewar(Maiwar) (later Udaipur), under Bappa Rawal, who ruled at Chittorgarh, which was given in dowry to Bappa in 734 for his bravery.Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga are sisodia heros The great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha ruler, was from Sisodia family of Rajputs.

The Tomars/ Tanwars Rajput

The Tomars/ Tanwars established a state in present day Delhi, Haryana, and Eastern Punjab, rebuilding and founding in 736 A.D later on Tomar Rajput establish their rule in Central India Under Man Singh tomar. the city of Dhiliki, ancient Inderprastha and modern day Delhi. Tomars/ Tanwars, being of Chandravanshi (Bharatvanshi) lineage, descended from Mahabharat's great hero, Arjun, through his son, Abhimanyu, and grandson, Prikshit. King Anangpal-I Tomar rebuilt Dhilika. Tomar/ Tanwar rule lasted at least until 1182 A.D when the then Tomar King Anangpal-II appointed Prithviraj, his daughter's son, as 'Caretaker'. King Anangpal-II Tomar,in the words of Lt. Col. Tod - quoting Chand Bardai- 'was justly entitled to be termed as the sovereign of Hindustan'. According to 'Jagas' of Tomars/ Tanwars, King Anangpal-II handed over the kingdom to Prithviraj when he went on a religious pilgrimage. However, Prithviraj refused to hand over the kingdom when King Anangpal-II returned from pilgrimage. Younger Branches of Tomar Kingdom were established after Gazni's invasion between 998AD and 1050 AD at Dhameri now called Nurpur and Patan in Rajasthan. Raja Jaypal Tomar was ruler of Dilli at the time of Gazni Invasion.Later Tomar Rajputs Establish their Rule in Madhya Pardesh.

Chalukya/Solanki Rajput

Solanki Rajput Rule over Gujarat.Mulraj I Establish the empire 10 century. they built the famous somnath temple.dynasty came to end in 13 century

Paramara Rajput

Paramara (also known as Parmara and Parmarand Panwar) is the Rajput Clan ruling over prominent dynasty of medieval India, which ruled the Dhar and Ujjaini kingdoms from the 9th century to the 14th century. They rule Malwa Region of Central India for centuries.

Bhatti Rajput

Bhatti Rajputs are Chandravanshi Rajput Clan. They rule Jaiselmer for Many centuries. The Famous Bhatti Rajput warrior is Dhula bhati.

Jadeja Rajput

Jadeja is the name of a major clan of Chandravanshi Rajputs. The Chandravanshi, claim descent from Yadu Ancestry, the Hindu Moon-God, or the Lunar Dynasty. They ruled huge parts of the Kathiawar peninsula and Kutch until India's independence in 1947.They Rule kindoms of Kutch,Dhrol,Nawanagar,Rajkot,Morbi

Shekhawat Rajput

Shekhawat is a sub-clan of Kachwaha Rajputs found mainly in Rajasthan, India. The Shekhawat Rajputs ruled over the Shekhawati region for over 500 years.Shekhawati was established by the Shekhawat Rajputs and it was ruled by them till India’s Independence.

Bhojraj Shekhawats ruled over two territories; one was Pentalisa and another was Panch Pana. Pentalisa comprised Jhajhar, Gudhagorji, Khirod, Chirana etc. and Panch Pana comprised the Thikanas of Khetri, Bissau, Mukandgarh, Nawalgarh, Dundlod,Mandawa, Mehansar, Alsisar, Inderpura, Malsisar, Taen,Mandrella, Arooka, Chowkari, Hirwa, Sigra Thakur Shardul Singh, a descendent of Rao Bhojraj Ji, conquered Jhunjhunu in 1730 from the Kayamkhani Nawabs.

Chauhan Rajput

Chauhan Rajput rule over Punjab Haryana Delhi Radthambore Ajmer and some part of orissa

Prithvi Raj Chauhan, The Last great Hindu King of Delhi: (1168-1192 CE; pronounced. Prithvi Raj Chauhan was a king of the Hindu Rajput Chauhan (Chauhan) dynasty, who ruled a kingdom in northern India during the latter half of the 12th century. Prithvi Raj Chauhan was the Second last Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi (the last Hindu king being Hemu). He succeeded to the throne in 1179 CE at the age of 11, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He controlled much of Rajasthan and Haryana, and unified the Rajputs against Muslim invasions. His elopement with Samyukta (Sanyogita), the daughter of Jai Chandra, the Gahadvala king of Kannauj, is a popular romantic tale in India, and is one of the subjects of the Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem composed by Prithviraj's court poet and friend, Chand Bardai.

Prithvi Raj fought and defeated the Afghan ruler Muhammad Ghori in the First Battle of Tarain in 1191 CE but was then immediately defeated at the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE. After his defeat, India was open to invasion by the Mahmud Ghori, and Delhi came under the control of him. Qila Rai Pithora in Delhi, also known as Pithoragarh.

Rajput resistance to Muslim Attack

Gaznavid invasions

In the early 11th century, Mahmud of Ghazni conquered the Hindu-Shahi kingdom in the Punjab, and his raids into northern India weakened the Gurjar Pratihara kingdom, which was drastically reduced in size and came under the control of the Chandelas. Mahmud sacked some temples across northern India to stop idol worship, including the temple at Somnath in Gujarat, but his permanent conquests were limited to the Punjab. The early 11th century also saw the reign of the polymath king Raja Bhoj, the Paramara ruler of Malwa.

Gahadvala's, Chandel's, Tomar's and Chauhan's spread

The Rathores, as the Gahadvala dynasty, reestablished the kingdom of Kannauj, capturing it from Tomar rulers ruling the Ganges plain. The Rahevars, as the Rever dynasty, established the kingdom of Tarangadh in 11th through the 12th century, and conquering Marwar in the 13th. Chandela's established Jejakbhukti and ruled from Mahoba.

The Rajputs did unite once in a while against foreign invaders - once under Bappa Rawal, then under Shakti Kumar of Mewar/Maiwar. A few times under Jaypal Tomar but once the foreign invasions stopped, the Rajputs fought each other in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Major wars broke out between Tomars of Delhi and Gahadavalas of Kannauj. The Kalinadi being the witness of many such wars, as it was the line of control between those kingdoms.

Md. Ghori's Invasion

Prithiviraj II, ruler of Delhi, crushed Muhammad of Ghor in 1191 with the help of his Bargujar allies and relatives at the First Battle of Tarain and Ghori was captured. After Ghori sued for his life he was let go despite strong resistance by Prithviraj's generals. Ghori managed to defeat Prithviraj the following year at the Second Battle of Tarain, and the attacks of Muhammad's armies brought down the Gahadvala kingdom of Kannauj in 1194.

Slave Dynasty and Rajputs

The Delhi Sultanate was founded by Qutb ud din Aybak, Muhammad of Ghor's successor, in first decade of the 13th century. The Chauhans reestablished themselves at Ranthambore, led by Govinda Chauhan, grandson of Prithviraj III. Jalore was ruled by another branch of Chauhans, the Songaras. Another branch of the Chauhans, the Hadas, established a kingdom in Hadoti in the mid-13th century.

Fight against Khilji's

Sultan Ala ud din Khilji (1296–1316) conquered Gujarat (1297) and Malwa (1305),captured fort of mandu and handed over to the songara chouhans, and captured the fortresses of Ranthambore (1301), Mewar's capital Chittorgarh (1303) and Jalor (1311) after long sieges with fierce resistance from their Rajput defenders. Ala ud khilji also fought with Bhatti rajputs of Jaisalmer and occupied the Golden fort.

Fight against Tuglaq's

Mewar reestablished their supremacy within 50 years of the sack of Chittor under Maharana Hammir. Hammir defeated Muhammad Tughlaq with Bargujars as main allies and captured him. Tughlaq had to pay huge ransom and relinquish all of Mewar's lands. After this the Delhi Sultanate did not attack Chittor for a few hundred years. The Rajputs reestablished their independence, and Rajput states were established as far east as Bengal and north into the Punjab. The Tomaras established themselves at Gwalior, and the ruler Man Singh Tomar built the fortress which still stands there. Mewar emerged as the leading Rajput state, and Rana Kumbha expanded his kingdom at the expense of the sultanates of Malwa and Gujarat.

Lodhi's and Mughal's

The Delhi Sultanate recovered somewhat under the Lodhi dynasty, and Rana Sanga of Mewar convinced Babur to challenge Ibrahim Lodi for control of the Delhi Sultanate, hoping that the struggle between Muslim rivals would allow the Rajputs to reclaim Delhi. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat on April 21, 1526, and the Rana Sanga rallied a Rajput army to challenge Babur. Babur barely managed to defeat the Rajputs at the Battle of Khanua on March 16, 1527. The Rajput rulers agreed to pay tribute to Babur, but most retained control of their states, and struggles between Babur's successor Humayun and the Suri Dynasty for control of the Sultanate preoccupied the Muslims for several decades.

Rajputs at the Rise of Mughals

Soon after his defeat in 1527 at The Battle of Khanwa, Rana Sanga died in 1528. Bahadur Shah of Gujrat became a powerful Sultan. He captured Raiseen in 1532 and defeated Mewar/maiwar in 1533. He helped Tatar Khan to capture Bayana which was under Mughal occupation. Humayun sent Hindal and Askari to fight Tatar Khan. At the battle of Mandrail in 1534 Tatar Khan was defeated and killed. Raja of Amber Puranmal helped Mughals in this battle. He himself was killed in this battle. Now it became necessary for Humayun to crush the rising power of Bahadur Shah. When Bahadur Shah was engaged in besieging the fort of Chittor, Humayun started against him. Hearing the news Rani "Karmawati" widow of Rana Sanga sent Rakhi to Hymayun. Humayun is considered to have accepted the Rakhi but stopped at Sarang Pur in January 1535. Mewar/Maiwar was weakened due to constant struggles. After a long wait Rajputs had a last fight on March 8, 1535 and Rani Karmawati together with other women committed Jauhar the same day. Humayun now pursued Bahadur Shah. Later Bahadur Shah and Sher Shah Suri created many problems for Humayun and he lost the empire. Fortunately he regained the empire in July 1555. Soon after he died in January 1556. Akbar the son of Humayun tried to persuade Mewar/Maiwar to accept mughal sovereignty like other Rajputs. But Rana Udai Singh didn't accept it. Ultimately Akbar besieged the fort of Chittor in 1567. This time Rana Udai Singh acted tactfully and left the fort with his family. Jaimal Rathor of "Merta" and Fatah Singh of "Kelwa" were left to take care of the fort. On 23 February 1568, Akbar hit a Prominent Person with his gun who was looking after the repair work. The person was Jaimal Rathore. In the same night Rajput women committed Jauhar and Rajput men, led by the wounded Jaimal and Fatta (Fatah Singh), fought their last battle. Akbar entered the fort and at least 30,000 innocent people were killed. Later Akbar placed a statue of these two brave Rajput warriors on the gates of Agra Fort.

Akbar and Rajputs

Akbar won the fort of Chittor but Rana Udai Singh was ruling mewar/maiwar from another places. On March 3, 1572 Udai Singh died and his son Rana Pratap sat on throne at Gogunda. He vowed that he will liberate Mewar/maiwar from Mughals and till then will not sleep on a bed, will not live in a palace, and will not have food in a plate (Thali). Akbar tried that Rana Pratap should have a treaty with him. But he did not succeed in it. Finally he sent an army under Raja Man Singh in 1576. Rana Pratap was defeated at the Battle of Haldighati in June 1576. Rana Pratap escaped from the battle and started guerrilla warfare with Mughals ultimately he was successful in liberating most of the Mewar except the fort of Chittor The Bargujar's were main allies of Ranas of Mewar/Maiwar. Rana Pratap died on January 19, 1597 and Rana Amar Singh succeeded him. Akbar sent Salim in October 1603 to attack Mewar/Maiwar but he stopped at Fatehpur Sikri and sought permission from emperor to go to Allahabad and went there. In 1605 Salim sat on the throne and took the name of Jahangir.

Jehangir and Rajputs

Jahangir sent an army to attack Mewar/Maiwar in 1605 under his son Parvez. A battle was fought at Debari but was not decisive. Again in 1608 the Mughal emperor sent Mahabat Khan. In 1609 he was called back and Abdulla Khan was sent. Then Raja Basu was sent and then Mirza Ajij Koka was sent. But no conclusive victory could be achieved. Ultimately Jahangir himself arrived at Ajmer in 1613 and he appointed Shazada "Khurram" to fight against Mewar. Khurram devastated the areas of Mewar/Maiwar and cut the supplies to Rana. With the advice of the nobles and his crown prince "Karna" Rana sent a peace delegation to Khurram under Shubhkaran and Haridas. Khurram sought an approval of treaty from his father Jahangir at Ajmer. Jahangir issued a Farman (Order) to authorize the Khurram to agree a treaty with Rana Amar Singh. The treaty was agreed between Rana Amar Singh and prince "Khurram" in 1615 CE. 1.Rana of Mewar/Maiwar accepted Mughal sovereignty. 2.Mewar/Maiwar and the fort of Chittor was returned to Rana. 3.The fort of Chittor could not be repaired or renovated by Rana. 4.Rana of Mewar/Maiwar would not attend personally the Mughal court. Crown prince of Mewar will attend the court and give himself and his army for the Mughals. 5.It was not necessary for Rana to establish marriage alliance with Mughals.

This treaty was respectable for both parties and ended the 88-year long enmity between Mewar/Maiwar and the Mughals.

But we are proud that we are indian

Aurangzeb and Rajput rebellion

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who was far less tolerant of Hinduism than his predecessors, placed a Muslim on the throne of Marwar when the childless Maharaja Jaswant Singh died. This enraged the Rathores, and when Ajit Singh, Jaswant Singh's son was born after his death Marwar nobles asked Aurangzeb to place Ajit on the throne. Aurangzeb refused and instead tried to have Ajit assassinated. Durgadas Rathore and the Dhaa Maa (wet nurse) of Ajit Singh of Marwar, Goora Dhaa (The Sainik Kshatriyas Gehlot Rajput of Mandore) and others smuggled Ajit out of Delhi to Jaipur, thus starting the 30 year Rajput rebellion against Aurangzeb. This rebellion united the Rajput clans, and a triple-pronged alliance was formed by the states of Marwar, Mewar, and Jaipur. One of the conditions of this alliance was that the rulers of Jodhpur and Jaipur should regain the privilege of marriage with the ruling Sesodia dynasty of Mewar, on the understanding that the offspring of Sesodia princesses should succeed to the throne over any other offspring. This stipulation would lend itself to many future conflict

Maratha Domination and British Rule

The quarrels among the Rajputs led to their inviting the Marathas for help in their power struggles; this resulted in the subjection of all the Rajput states to the Marathas. Jodhpur was conquered by Sindhia, who levied a tribute of 60,000 rupees, and took from it the fort and town of Ajmer. Internecine disputes and succession wars disturbed the peace of the early years of the century, and the Rajput princes asked for British protection from the Marathas during the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818. At the conclusion of this war in 1818, 18 states in the Rajputana region, of which 15 were ruled by Rajputs, became princely states of the British Raj, while the British took direct control of Ajmer, which became the province of Ajmer-Merwara. A number of other Rajput states in central India, including Rewa, Ajaigarh, Barwani, Chhatarpur, Datia, Orchha, Samthar and Ratlam, became princely states as well, and were placed under the authority of the Central India Agency. :

Independent India

On India's independence in 1947, there are 600 Princely States out of which Rajputs were ruling over more than 400 princely state so they were given three choices, join one of the two states Indian or Pakistan, or remain independent. Rajput rulers acceded to newly independent India; Rajputana was renamed Rajasthan and became an Indian state in 1950. The Maharajas were given special recognitions and an annual amount termed privy-purse was endowed them.

Many of the Rajput Maharajas entered politics and served India as elected representatives. In 1971, Indira Gandhi "de-recognized" the Maharajas and abolished the privy-purses. As a result, the Maharajas had to transform some of their palaces into hotels and tourist destinations. Today, the Maharajas still fulfill some of the ceremonial duties as recognized elders and private citizens in India.