The Sisodia Dynasty

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 14:06

The Sisodia Dynasty The Sisodias claim their descent from Lord Rama, the hero of the famous Hindu epic Ramayana. It is also said that the group descended from the Sun God and is thus known as the Suryavanshi or Children of Sun. The prince of Mewar is treated as the legitimate heir to the throne of 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). 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 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. Written by : Administrator   < Prev   Next >