The
land of the legendary saint Mira Bai and dauntless Maharana Pratap,
Udaipur literally means the land of dawn and is popularly known
as the 'city of lakes'. Udaipur is a bustling world of scrub forests,
lakes, monuments and even wild animals and surprises you with
its glassy lakes in the midst of desert Rajasthan.
Capital
of erstwhile Mewar, Udaipur is a storehouse of fascinating monuments
in white marble, ornamental royal gardens and ancient temples.
The
genesis of the history of Udaipur begins with a famous local legend
according to which Maharana Udai Singhji chanced upon a holy sage
meditating on the Aravalli hills, who advised the king to establish
a kingdom on this fertile valley bound by the rugged Aravalli's.
Thus
Maharan Udai Singhji laid the foundations of the Udaipur city
in the year 1559 A.D. Maharana Udai Singh was a descendant of
the mighty Sisodias who claim their descent from the sun god,
Surya.
Legendary
Founding of Udaipur
Once
the capital of Mewar, Udaipur was founded by Rana Udai Singh after
the fall of Chittor to Akbar in 1568. Although the Rajputs were
thrown out of their capital they never gave up their sense of
freedom, choosing to give up their lives lives for dignity and
honour instead. Legend says that Maharana Udai Singh was out hunting
one day and he came upon a sage seated beside the Pichola Lake.
The sage said that the king would build his palace at the same
site, and then the fortunes of his family would change. The Maharana
built a small shrine, Dhuni Mata, to mark the spot which is now
the oldest part of the City Palace. Udai Singh chose the site
of Udaipur for his new capital and built an artificial lake named
Udai Sagar after himself. Later he hit upon a pond said to have
been made in the 15th century by a banjara (gypsy).
Udaipur
remained untouched by Mughals
Sisodias,
or the Guhilots (Suryavansh)have ruled the Mewar region since
V.S 191, were against Mughal dominion, and tried to distance themselves
from them.[citation needed] Being a mountainous region and unsuitable
for heavily armoured Mughal horses, Udaipur remained unmolested
from Mughal influence in spite of much pressure. Maharana Fateh
Singh of Udaipur was the only royalty who did not attend the Delhi
Durbar for King George V in 1911. This fierce sense of independence
earned them the highest gun salute in Rajasthan, 19 against the
17 each of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bundi, Bikaner, Kota and Karauli.
Rosita Forbes, who passed this land of bravery during the decline
of the British Raj, described it as "like no other place
on earth."
The
Sisodia Dynasty
The
Sisodias are recognized as the oldest ruling family in the world
and were perhaps the mightiest among the warrior clans in Rajasthan.
The
Sisodias claim their descent from Lord Rama, the hero of the famous
Hindu epic The Ramayana through Lava. They continued with the
flag of Lava that had insignia of 'Sun' embossed on a crimson
back ground. They are thus known as Suryavanshi. The rulers of
Mewar are obviously the legitimate decedents of Lord Rama. The
earliest history of the clan calims that the group had probably
descended from the Central Asian tribes who had moved from Kashmir
to Gujarat in the 6th century. Vallabhi, their capital was invaded
by raiders and the pregnant queen, Pushpavati, escaped their clutches
because she was away on a pilgrimage. The queen gave birth to
a baby boy, Guhil (cave born), in a cave in the mountains of Mallia
and left him in the hands of Kamalavati, a Brahmin lady from Birnagar.
The queen then committed sati (a widow’s self immolation
on her husband’s funeral pyre).
Guhil
grew up among the tribal Bhils and in 568 AD, when he was 11,
became their chieftain. Guhil also founded a new clan known as
the Gehlots, who derived their name from their founder. In the
7th century they moved north to the plains of Mewar and settled
in the area around Nagda. Nagda is a small town around 25km from
Udaipur and was named after Nagaditya, the fourth ruler of Mewar.
The seventh ruler was accidentally killed by a Bhil in 734AD,
and thus the three-year-old Kalbhoj became king, who later came
to be known as Bappa Rawal (Bappa meaning father and Rawal a title
of the Kshatriya caste).
They
trace their descent from Bappa Rawal, purported scion of the Guhilot
or Guhila or Gehlot or Gahlot clan, who established himself as
ruler of Mewar in 734 AD, ruling from the fortress of Chittor
(or Chittorgarh).
Bappa
grew up as a cowherd in the town of Kailashpuri (now Eklingji)
but spent much of his time studying the Vedas in the hermitage
of the sage Harita Rishi. He learned to respect Lord Eklingji,
and later Harita Rishi gave him the title of the Diwan of Eklingji,
one that has become a legacy for the succeeding maharanas. When
he was 15 Bappa came to know that he was the nephew of the ruler
of Chittor who had been ousted by the ruler of Malwa. He left
Kailashpuri, went to the fortress city of Chittor and snatched
his kingdom back from the prince of Malwa, Man Singh Mori. In
the 9th century bad luck fell upon the Gehlots who were driven
away by the Pratiharas who in turn made way for the Rashtrakutas
and Paramaras (for more details on the latter three dynasties
see History of Madhya Pradesh). Chittor remained the capital of
the Sisodias till it was sacked by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar in
1568.
The
Gehlots settled in Ahar, where they were known as Aharya. They
maintained this title till they shifted to Sissoda. Sissoda arrived
at its name when a prince of Chittor built the town right where
he had killed a hare (Susso). Since then the clan has retained
the title of Sisodia. However, another version says that the dynasty
was so named from the word sisa or lead. It is said that a prince
of the dynasty was accidentally made to eat beef. The Sisodias
are staunch followers of the Hindu faith which holds the cow sacred.
When the prince realised his folly he chose to atone for his blunder
by swallowing molten lead.
The
Sisodia flag
The
Mewar flag is disinguished for its "crimson" flag. During
both times of war and peace, this standard could always be seen
flying high. It depicts the image of a dagger and a flaming sun.
Robert Taylor of the Bengal Civil Service records in his book,
"The Princely Armory", "...for eight centuries
a golden sun in a crimson field has floated over the head of the
Rana at feast and fray, and is conspicuous in the ornament of
his palace...On the top of the mast is the face of the Sun, embossed
in gold. On the triangular Nishan (flag), the human face is embroidered
in gold depicting the Sun. It has a gold tassle at the end. A
Katar (a type of dagger) with silver threads on the Nishan completes
this simple design. The Sun signifies that the Nishan is of the
"Surya Vansi" (Sun Dynasty) Maharanas of Mewar. The
Katar is the emblem of independence....the colour of the Nishan
(flag) is Saffron and the mast is red."
The
Chivalry and Honor of the Sisodia Clan
A
century later they shifted to Mewar in Rajasthan. The valour and
honour of the Sisodia clan is known everywhere – from the
pages of history books to the folklore of Rajasthan. "O mother,
give me only unto the house of the Sisodias, if you must"
says the lines of a popular folk song. The Mewar dynasty is the
world’s oldest surviving dynasty with a time span of 1,500
years and 26 generations and has outlived eight centuries of foreign
domination. Extremely possessive about their culture, tradition
and honour, the Sisodias have played an important role in medieval
Indian history as tireless upholders of Hindu traditions. Maharana
Pratap Singh once refused lunch with Raja Man Singh because he
had given away his sister in marriage to Prince Salim, later Mughal
Emperor Jahangir. Man Singh avenged this insult by defeating Pratap
at the battle of Haldighati. Pratap’s son Amar Singh made
peace with the Mughals but unable to accept his humiliation, he
gave up his title in favour of his son Maharana Karan Singh. Amar
Singh left Udaipur never to see its landscape again.
Maharana
means Great Warrior, and the one from Udaipur is the acclaimed
head of all the 36 Rajput clans. The title of Rana was adopted
in the 12th century when the Parihara prince of Mandore awarded
it to the Prince of Mewar. The Mewar dynasty descends from the
sun family and is hence known as Suryavanshi (descendents of the
Sun) with the sun as its insignia. The central shield on the coat
of arms depicts a Bhil tribal, the sun, Chittor Fort and a Rajput
warrior with a line from the Gita saying ‘God helps those
who do their duty’. The Maharana of Udaipur is crowned only
after being annointed with blood drawn from the palm of a Bhil
chieftain, who then leads the Maharana to the throne of Mewar.
Sisodia
Kings who ruled from Udaipur
Rana
Udai Singh II – reigned 1568-1572
Maharana Pratap Singh – reigned 1572-1597
Rana Amar Singh I – reigned 1597-1620
Rana Karan Singh – reigned 1620-28
Rana Jagat Singh I – reigned 1628-54
Rana Raj Singh I – reigned 1654- 1681
Maharana Jai Singh – reigned 1681-1700
Rana Amar Singh II – reigned 1700-16
Maharana Sangram Singh II – reigned 1716-34
Rana Jagat Singh II – reigned 1734-51
Rana Pratap Singh II – reigned 1752-55
Rana Raj Singh II – reigned 1755-62
Rana Ari Singh II – reigned 1762-72
Rana Hamir Singh II – reigned 1772-78
Rana Bhim Singh – reigned 1778-1828
Maharana Jawan Singh – reigned 1828-38
Maharana Swaroop Singh – reigned 1842-1861
Maharana Shambhu Singh – reigned 1861-74
Rana Sajjan Singh – reigned 1874-84
Maharana Fateh Singh – reigned 1884-1930
Maharana Bhopal Singh – reigned 1930-55
Maharana Bhagwat Singh – reigned 1955-84
Maharana Arvind Singh from 1984-
Rana
Udai Singh (1568-1572)
Udai
Singh became a disgrace to the dynasty when he fled Chittor after
its fall to Akbar in 1568. He lacked all the qualities essential
and appropriate for a sovereign. Col. James Tod writes in his
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan: "With [Udai Singh] fled
the "fair face" which in the dead of night unsealed
the eyes of Samarsi, and told him "the glory of the Hindu
was departing" with him, that opinion, which for ages esteemed
her walls the sanctuary of the race, which encircled her with
a halo of glory, as the palladium of the religion and the liberties
of the Rajpoots." When Udai Singh fled from Chittor he took
refuge with the Bhils in the forests of Rajpiplee. From there
he went to the valley of Girwo in the Aravallis. At the entrance
of this valley he formed a lake and named it Udai Sagar after
himself. He also built Nochouki, a small castle on the adjoining
hills around which grew up the city of Udaipur. Udai Singh’s
reign from his new capital was short and lasted only four years.
The maharana died in 1572 at the age of 42. He was survived by
25 legitimate sons among whom Udai had proclaimed his favourite
son, Jagmal, as his successor. However, his nobles and chiefs
politely removed Jagmal and hailed Pratap as the King of Mewar.
Maharana
Pratap Singh (1572-1597)
Maharana
Pratap, the son of Maharana Udai Singh, is the only Rajput ruler
who is celebrated throughout the country for his courage and patriotism.
He is more popularly known in Rajasthan as Rana Kika or Mewari
Singh. Col. Tod, the famous British antiquarian, bestows title
of Leonidas of Rajasthan on Rana Pratap. According to Tod, "There
is not a pass in the Alpine Aravalli that is not sanctified by
some deed of Maharana Pratap – some brilliant victory, or
oftener, more glorious defeat." Pratap was the only Rajput
who never surrendered to the Mughal Emperor Akbar. "Has anyone
seen the Maharana bow his head before the balustrade in the Mughal
court?" asks a famous poem on Maharana Pratap. Though once
tempted on seeing his son cry for food, Rana Pratap never gave
Akbar the satisfaction of receiving his submission.
Living
up to traditional Rajput pride, Pratap had once refused to eat
with Raja Man Singh of Amber because Man Singh had given his sister
in marriage to Prince Salim. Man Singh avenged this insult at
the battle of Haldighati (for more details see History of Amber).
Pratap was defeated and driven towards Gogunda. In the battlefield
a soldier placed the crown on his own head as a decoy. The Mughals
mistook him to be the Rana and killed him while Pratap escaped.
Unfortunately, Pratap’s favourite charger Chetak died in
the battle, but not before saving the life of his master. The
horse is supposed to have jumped over a mountain stream when pursued
by two Mughal chiefs. Chetak died soon after he had seen his master
to safety.
Rana
Amar Singh (1597-1620)
Out
of the 17 sons of Rana Pratap, Amar Singh was the eldest, and
to him passed the daunting task of conquering Chittor. From his
very childhood to the days of Pratap’s death, Amar had been
a constant companion in his valiant father’s toils and troubles.
A great warrior, he fulfilled his father’s last wish to
capture the whole of Mewar; but not Chittor. Amar Singh remodelled
his kingdom and revamped the functioning of his land. He built
a small palace on the banks of the lake and named it Amar Singh
Mahal, ‘the abode of immortality’. He was later persuaded
by his courtiers to enter into a peace treaty with the Mughals.
He wasn’t happy with the turn of events and thus never attended
the Mughal court. His son Maharana Karan Singh attended the Imperial
Durbar on his behalf. Amar Singh eventually left Udaipur never
to enter it again. A great art connoisseur, Amar Singh’s
name has thus been immortalized over and over again in Rajasthani
poems and folklore.
Rana
Amar Singh's Successors
Karan
Singh was the successor to the able son of Maharana Pratap, Rana
Amar Singh, and mounted the throne of Mewar in 1620. Karan Singh
has been depicted as a laid-back ruler but lacked neither in courage
nor in conduct. He mostly acted as buffer between his self-righteous
father and the Mughal court. The Sisodias soon acclaimed distinction
among the Rajput underlings of the Mughals. Bhim Singh, Karan
Singh’s younger brother, became the chief adviser and friend
of Prince Khurram, later Emperor Shah Jahan. On Khurram’s
request his father Emperor Jahangir conferred the title of Raja
(king) on Bhim Singh and gave him a small kingdom, of which Thoda
was the capital. Bhim Singh built a new capital city for himself
and a palace, Raj Mahal, on the banks of a river. This palace
was held for 40 years by his descendents till it lost its struggle
for survival to time and weather. The ruins of the palace now
merely display the excellent architectural ideas of Bhim Singh.
Rana
Karan Singh died in 1628 just before the ascension of Shah Jahan
and was succeeded by his son Rana Jagat Singh I. The 26 years
of Jagat Singh’s reign were spent entirely for the development
of art and architecture of Mewar. Jagat Singh was a highly respected
ruler and a Sisodia king to the letter. He has been celebrated
through the pens of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the ambassador
of England and in the chronicles of Mewar. He rebuilt the ancient
capital of Mewar, Chittor, from its ruins and restored much of
the city’s temples and bastions. He died in 1654 and was
succeeded by the eldest of his two sons, Raj Singh, begotten from
the princess of Marwar.
Rana
Raj Singh I (1654-1710)
The
last independent Maharana of Mewar, Rana Raj Singh ascended the
throne in 1654 and ruled during the reign of Aurangzeb. The famous
legend of Princess Roopmati of the kingdom of Roopnagar is associated
with him. Aurangzeb was besotted by her and wanted to marry her.
Roopmati refused, and requested Raj Singh to save her from the
Mughal Emperor and offered herself as the reward of protection.
She needn’t have offered herself, because for a Rajput the
honour of his womenfolk is of prime importance. Called to uphold
Roopmati’s honour, Raj Singh married her and consequently
the Emperor’s wrath descended upon him. Aurangzeb despatched
an army to defeat Raj Singh and bring Roopmati to him. While the
Rana prepared for marriage his chief courtier Chandawut met the
Mughal forces in battle.
After
the ceremony was over Raj Singh was to join his Rajput warriors
in the battlefield. While leaving he found his young wife looking
at him from the corridor of his palace. He, therefore sent a servant
to bring back something for her remembrance. Coming from the brave
clan of the Hara Chauhanas, Roopmati thought that he would not
be able to fulfill his mission and his attention would be diverted
towards her. Raj Singh had asked for a momento, and for this Roopmati
cut off her head with a sword and sent it as a farewell gift to
her husband.
Apart from his acts of chivalry Rana Raj Singh had the historical
Sanskrit epic ‘Raj Prasthi’ carved on 25 black stones.
Maharana
Jai Singh (1681-1700)
Jai
Singh (lion of victory) mounted the throne in 1681 after the death
of his illustrious father Rana Raj Singh I. Although his father
had long distanced himself from the Mughals, Jai Singh entered
into a treaty with Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor. But this pact
was not the usual one, for Jai Singh was a bit of a diplomat.
What had transpired was that Aurangzeb’s military campaigns
took the Imperial army once again to Rajputana, and consequently
to the lands of Jai Singh. The generals were Prince Azim and Delhir
Khan who were routed by the Rajputs. The two generals were taken
prisoner. With Jai Singh gaining the upper hand, he made the duo
sign a treaty in exchange for their lives.
The
treaty was signed on the spot, accompanied by a nominal fine,
the surrender of three districts. It was also agreed that the
Mughal regal colour (crimson) of tents and umbrellas would be
discontinued. However, in less than five years of the treaty the
Rana was forced to leave the city to take refuge in the inaccessible
Kamori. Even under such dire straits Jai Singh built a dam across
a stream and formed the largest lake in India. He named it after
himself, Jaisamand or the Sea of Victory. Near the lake he built
a palace for his most favoured queen, Komala Devi, a princess
of the Paramara race. Domestic unhappiness made the Rana unable
to perform his state functions. Jai Singh now removed himself
from his duties and started living in the palace of Jaisamand
with his favourite consort, Komala. He left Amar Singh II, his
heir apparent, in the hands of the Pancholi Minister at Udaipur.
Rana Amar Singh II (1700-16)
Amar
Singh II was quite similar in character and bravery like his distinguished
namesake, Rana Amar Singh I. Amar Singh II took advantage of the
declining Mughal power and entered into a private treaty with
the Mughal heir apparent Shah Alam. His reign witnessed continuous
revolts in the Mughal Empire and the rebel kingdoms of Amber and
Marwar soon came to him for help. The Rana welcomed them and the
kingdoms of Udaipur, Amber and Marwar formed a triple league.
Amar Singh sealed their friendship by giving his sister to Ajit
Singh, Rao of Jodhpur, and his daughter to Sawai Jai Singh of
Jaipur in marriage.
They
set aside some rules for admission of other Rajput States to the
alliance, in which they had to take an oath to deny all connections
with the Mughal Empire. It was also specified that the sons of
nuptial arrangements would be the heirs and if the issues were
females they would never be dishonoured by marrying a Mughal.
The alliance, however, turned out to be a failure when Ajit Singh
allied himself with the Sayyids and renewed matrimonial ties with
the Mughals. Nevertheless Amar Singh doubled his efforts to gain
independence for himself as well as for the Rajput nation. An
important document, Memorandum of Requests, was prepared with
the consent of the emperor, keeping the independence of the state
in mind. The second article of the treaty sanctioned the abolition
of the jaziya, a religious tax on the Hindus. The very name of
the document marked the subordination of the Rajput chiefs. The
eighth article gave the Rana an air of protection from the emperor.
This treaty was the the Rana’s final act consequence as
the ruler of Mewar before he died in 1716. Rana Amar Singh II
left behind a legacy of being an independent and virtuous prince
who upheld his independence and the prosperity of his kingdom
before the misrule of the Mughals.
Maharana Sangram Singh II (1716-34)
Sangram
Singh or the lion of battle succeeded Rana Amar Singh II in the
year 1716 when the Mughal Empire was disintegrating. He ascended
the throne about the same time as Muhammad Shah, who succeeded
Farukhsiyyar, the Emperor. The empire was divided and several
independent states sprung up, with each chief announcing his independence.
Mewar during such times was isolated in its dominion expansion
policies and kept it till the boundaries of Abu and the region
from where the small states of Banswara and Dungarpur had crept
up. The internal feuds within the state of Mewar decreased the
chance of their expansion. These events made the state bring about
a change in their internal policy, more defensive in nature. As
Mughal influence gradually flipped downwards, this defensive system
was abandoned. However, they continued to build forts to defend
themselves from the Marathas and the Pathans as well as rebels.
Sangram Singh II ruled for 18 years. He recovered the lost territories
of Mewar and the kingdom soon regained its lost respect. The Rana
was a just and intelligent ruler, efficient in both his state
and financial affairs. An indulgent master of his subjects he
was ever watchful of their needs. His death in 1734 saw the emergence
of the Maratha power during his successor Jagat Singh II’s
rule.
Rana Jagat Singh II (1734-51)
The
eldest of the four sons of Sangram Singh, Jagat Singh II ascended
the throne in 1734. He started his reign with the revival of the
tripartite alliance formed by Rana Amar Singh II (see Rana Amar
Singh II in History for more details). This union of states was
formed at Hoorlah, a town in Ajmer region. To ensure unity among
the confederate states the Rana was given absolute authority regarding
the execution of the treaty and heading the combined forces. The
states were united in their aim to gain independence and to expand
Rajasthan. They became the most powerful forces in India at that
point of time, but unfortunately couldn’t hold on to their
dreams.
Individual
ambition reared its ugly head and the inevitable happened. The
opportunities to recover Rajasthan all went waste and led to the
Mughals annexing the whole of Rajasthan. This turn of events made
the Rajput states come together again, brought about by the obvious
step of matrimonial alliances. Later, Mewar also entered into
a treaty with the Marathas that specified an annual tribute for
a period of 10 years. This was the only regular engagement that
Mewar entered into. According to the triple league signed during
Rana Amar Singh II’s reign (see Rana Amar Singh II in History),
Jai Singh’s eldest son Ishwari Singh was proclaimed the
Raja of Amber. However, another party supported the Rana’s
nephew, Madho Singh. Rana Jagat Singh backed his nephew and met
the combined forces of Ishwari Singh and the Marathas in the battlefield.
However, the results were in Ishwari’s favour and he took
over the throne of Mewar. Ishwari went on expanding the kingdom
but unfortunately had to commit suicide when plans were hatched
by the Rana to depose him. Thereafter Madho Singh occupied the
throne. From this period onwards the Mewar kingdom went into a
downslide. Rana Jagat Singh II died in 1752 after a reign filled
of misrule. He was more interested in the pleasures of life rather
than governing his kingdom. A great patron of the arts, he enlarged
his palaces, erected villages all over the valley and conceived
most of the festivals that are still celebrated in Udaipur.
Jagat Singh II's Successors
Rana Pratap II (1752-55), nowhere near his illustrious namesake,
succeeded Jagat Singh in the year 1752. He ruled merely for three
years, marked only by repeated invasions of the Marathas. He married
a daughter of Raja Jai Singh of Amber from whom he begot a son
who later succeeded him. Rana Raj Singh II took over the throne
in 1755 and held it for seven years. This Rana was also far from
possessing the qualities of his famous predecessor, and the full
span of his reign saw the continuous marauding of his country.
On his death the order of succession was reversed and his uncle,
Rana Ari Singh occupied the throne in 1762.
Rana Ari Singh II (1762-72)
The
incompetent successors and the ungovernable temper of Ari Singh
led to the further decline of Mewar. He has often been accused
of unfairly occupying the throne by removing his nephew, Rana
Raj Singh II. Ari spent the first few days of his reign antagonizing
and estranging the nobles of Mewar. The first to leave was the
Sadri chieftain followed by Jaswant Singh of Devgarh. These hurt
and angry nobles formed a group to depose the Rana and set up
Ratna Singh as the future ruler. He was declared to be the son
of Raj Singh II from the daughter of the chief of Gogunda. Needless
to say the mission was a failure. However, Mewar did not remain
safe any longer, with all sorts of invaders trying to acquire
the state. The Marathas, the Scindias and the Holkars were all
there to reap the wealth of Mewar. The Rana had to surrender the
district of Nimbahera to the Holkars who threatened to sack Mewar
if not complied with. Amidst such conflicts and battles for domination,
Rana Ari Singh fell at the hands of the Bundi Prince.
Successors
of Rana Ari Singh
Ari
Singh was survived by his two sons, Hamir and Bheem Singh. Hamir
succeeded the Rana in 1772. He did not rule long; only for a period
of six years and died in 1778 even before he could consolidate
his territories. Rana Bheem Singh (1778-1828) succeeded his brother
and was the fourth minor in a span of 40 years to inherit Mewar.
He occupied the throne at the young age of eight and ruled for
half a century. The first thing that the Rana did was to try and
recover some of the lost lands of Mewar, even if it meant to do
so through payment. His reign saw the invasions of Ahalya Bai
of Holkar, Zalim Singh of Kota, and the attacks of the Chondawat
rebels on Chittor. The Rana asked for help from Madhaji Scindia,
which led to the surrender of the rebels. A few years later the
Holkars again attacked Mewar and had the Nathdwara priests confined.
The Marathas were also not far behind, but unfortunately this
time they were defeated by the Rana. Zalim Singh later liberated
the Maratha leader, Bala Rao. In 1818 he finally signed a treaty
accepting the paramountcy of the British. Though able and wise
as a ruler, the Rana had numerous weak points. He was well versed
with the past history of his kingdom, but his trivial entertainment
and shows of vanity negated all his kingly qualities.
Maharana Fateh Singh (1884-1930)
Maharana
Fateh Singh was the 73rd maharana in line, and he also tried his
best not to submit to British reign. During his rule Udaipur underwent
a change; several schools, a college, hospitals and dispensaries
and a railway line connecting Udaipur with Chittor were built.
He enlarged the Fateh Sagar Lake and also completed the Shiv Niwas
Palace to be used as a guesthouse for his visitors. In 1903 Fateh
Singh travelled to Delhi with full ceremony manner to attend Lord
Curzon’s Imperial Durbar. However, he returned to Udaipur
without even getting off the train. The reason behind this action
of his was that he had discovered that he had been placed after
the states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Kashmir and Baroda. Likewise,
he also refrained from attending the 1911 Durbar. The British
Empire later curbed his powers and he remained the head of the
state of Mewar in name only.
Maharana Bhopal Singh (1930-55)
Bhopal Singh occupied the throne of Mewar in 1930 and was one
of the first out of the 500 princely states to merge with the
Indian Union in 1947. Later in 1949, 22 princely states of Rajasthan
merged to form the Union of Greater Rajasthan, acknowledging Udaipur
as their head.
Several
generations ago, Maharana Sangram Singh II (1710-34) had four
sons out of whom the eldest Jagat Singh II succeeded him. The
other three founded the Bagore, Karjali and Shivrati lines of
families. The subsequent ranas of Mewar were linear descendents
of Sangram Singh II and Bhopal Singh. The first natural born son
to ascend the throne after five consecutive adoptions was a great
and liberal ruler. Paralysed from the waist down from the early
age of 16, Bhopal nevertheless was an expert hunter, going out
on hunts strapped onto his horse. He was also interested in education
and built several schools and colleges in Mewar. In 1939 he adopted
the 17 year old Bhagwat Singh, from the Shivrati branch of the
family, still a schoolboy in the Mayo College, Ajmer.
Maharana Bhagwat Singh (1955-84)
One
year after the ascension of Bhagwat Singh on 1st November 1956,
the state of Rajasthan came into being. The Rajasthan rulers gave
up their sovereignty but enjoyed privy purses until 1970 when
the Indian Parliament decided to abolish the institution of royalty.
In 1971 the rulers of the former princely states were derecognised
and their privy purses and titles were snatched away. Bhagwat
Singh took the decision of selling Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Fateh
Prakash and other estates on the shores of lake Pichola to ensure
the survival of his property. He converted Jag Niwas to a charitable
trust called the Maharana Mewar Foundation run in the City Palace
complex. The money earned from here is used for social welfare
and education. The maharana added another trust called the Maharana
Mewar Institution Trust of which the Managing Trustee is his second
son, Maharana Arvind Singh. In 1983 Bhagwat’s elder son
Mahendra Singh filed a civil suit seeking a share in the family
inheritance. Mahendra Singh thus cut himself from his family and
Bhagwat disinherited him. In 1984 proclaimed his second son Maharana
Arvind Singh as his successor. Arvind Singh, the 76th generation
of the Sisodia dynasty, now administers the House of Mewar alongwith
his wife Princess Vijayraj, the grand daughter of the ruler of
Kutch.
