Rajasthan: History from Prehistory to Integration

What the official syllabus says

RPSC, RAS/RTS Preliminary Examination, General Knowledge and General Science, under “History, Art, Culture, Literature, Tradition & Heritage of Rajasthan”:

• Pre-historical sites of Rajasthan - from Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, Society and Culture of ancient Rajasthan.
• Sources of Rajasthan History: Archaeological, Archival, Literary and Numismatic.
• Political and Cultural achievements of prominent rulers of major dynasties – Cooperation and Resistance with central power, Administrative and Revenue System in Medieval Rajasthan.
• Political and Social condition in 18th-19th Century, Peasant and Tribal movements in 20th century, Praja Mandal movements and Mass awakening, Integration of Rajasthan.

This page covers the political history of Rajasthan, from the earliest sites to the formation of the present state in 1956. Art, architecture, literature, religion and social life, which belong to the same official heading, have pages of their own.

Topics in detail

Prehistoric and protohistoric Rajasthan

• Palaeolithic tools from the Luni, Banas, Berach and Chambal valleys; Didwana (Nagaur) as an important early Stone Age locality
• Mesolithic sites: Bagor (Bhilwara, on the Kothari) and Tilwara (Barmer, on the Luni): microliths and early animal domestication
• Bronze Age (Harappan) sites in the Ghaggar valley: Kalibangan (Hanumangarh) with its ploughed field, fire altars and fortified citadel; other Harappan sites of the Ghaggar plain
• Copper-using cultures: Ganeshwar (Sikar, Kantli valley) and the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture, a supplier of copper objects
• Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture: Ahar (Udaipur), Gilund (Rajsamand) and Balathal (Udaipur); black-and-red ware, copper tools, house plans
• Painted Grey Ware and early iron sites: Noh (Bharatpur), Jodhpura (Jaipur), Sunari (Jhunjhunu)
• Early historic towns: Bairath (Viratnagar, the Matsya capital; Ashokan edicts and a Buddhist circular shrine), Nagari (Madhyamika, Chittorgarh), Rairh (Tonk; coins and seals), Rangmahal (Hanumangarh), Sambhar
• Janapadas and tribes of ancient Rajasthan: Matsya, Shibi, Malava, Arjunayana, Yaudheya
• Society and culture of ancient Rajasthan: settlement, crafts, trade routes, religion as seen in finds

Sources of Rajasthan history

• Archaeological: excavated sites, monuments, sculpture and inscriptions
• Inscriptions: Barli (Ajmer), Ghosundi (Chittorgarh; early Bhagavata worship), Bhabru (Bairath, Ashokan), Ghatiyala (Jodhpur, Pratihara), Bijolia (Bhilwara, Chauhan genealogy), Kirti Stambh and Kumbhalgarh prashastis (Rana Kumbha), Raj Prashasti on Rajsamand lake (Maharana Raj Singh; a long Sanskrit inscription on stone slabs)
• Archival: records of the princely states and the British Agency: bahis, arzdasht, haqiqat, vakil reports, kharita, parwana, patta; the Rajasthan State Archives at Bikaner
• Literary: Prithviraj Vijaya (Jayanaka), Prithviraj Raso (Chand Bardai), Hammir Mahakavya (Nayachandra Suri), Kanhadde Prabandh (Padmanabha), Muhnot Nainsi ri Khyat and Marwar ra Pargana ri Vigat, Vansh Bhaskar (Suryamal Mishran), Veer Vinod (Kaviraja Shyamaldas), Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (James Tod)
• Numismatic: punch-marked coins (Rairh, Gurara), Indo-Greek coins (Bairath), the Bayana hoard of Gupta gold coins, Gadhaiya coins; coins of the princely states (for example Jhadshahi of Jaipur, Vijayshahi of Jodhpur, Gajshahi of Bikaner)

Early medieval dynasties

• Gurjara-Pratiharas: Mandore and Bhinmal branches, Nagabhata I and resistance to the Arabs, the Maha-Maru temple style
• Guhilas of Mewar: Bappa Rawal; Nagda and Chittor; Jaitra Singh; Rawal Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khalji’s siege of Chittor (1303)
• Chauhans of Sakambhari and Ajmer: Ajayaraja (founder of Ajmer), Arnoraja (Anasagar), Vigraharaja IV (Visaldev), Prithviraj III and the battles of Tarain (1191, 1192)
• Chauhan branches: Hammir Dev of Ranthambhore (1301) and Kanhad Dev of Jalore (1311) against Alauddin Khalji
• Paramaras of Abu, Solankis (Chalukyas) of Gujarat in south-west Rajasthan

Major Rajput states and their rulers

• Sisodias of Mewar: Hammir (recovery of Chittor); Rana Kumbha (Sarangpur victory, Vijay Stambh, Kumbhalgarh, patron of music and letters); Rana Sanga (Khatoli, Gagron, Bayana, Khanwa 1527); Udai Singh and the siege of Chittor (1567-68); Maharana Pratap (Haldighati 1576, Dewair, Chavand); Amar Singh I and the treaty with the Mughals (1615); Raj Singh
• Rathores of Marwar: Rao Chunda (Mandore), Rao Jodha (Jodhpur, 1459), Rao Maldev (Sumel-Giri, 1544, against Sher Shah), Rao Chandrasen, Jaswant Singh I, Ajit Singh and Veer Durgadas
• Rathores of Bikaner: Rao Bika (1488), Rai Singh (Junagarh), Karan Singh, Anup Singh, Maharaja Ganga Singh (Gang Canal, 1927)
• Kachhwahas of Amber and Jaipur: Bharmal and the first Mughal alliance (1562), Raja Man Singh I, Mirza Raja Jai Singh (Treaty of Purandar, 1665), Sawai Jai Singh II (founding of Jaipur, 1727; observatories), Sawai Pratap Singh
• Hadas of Bundi and Kota; Bhatis of Jaisalmer (Rawal Jaisal); Yadavs of Karauli; Jhalas of Jhalawar
• Jats of Bharatpur: Churaman, Badan Singh, Maharaja Suraj Mal (Lohagarh)

Cooperation and resistance with central power

• Resistance to the Delhi Sultanate: Tarain, Ranthambhore, Chittor, Jalore, Siwana; jauhar and saka
• Akbar’s Rajput policy: matrimonial alliances, mansabs, watan jagirs; the Nagaur darbar (1570)
• Rajputs who joined the Mughal service and their role in the empire (Man Singh, Mirza Raja Jai Singh, Jaswant Singh)
• Resistance: Maharana Pratap, Chandrasen, the Rathore-Sisodia resistance to Aurangzeb after Jaswant Singh’s death
• The later Mughals, Sawai Jai Singh II’s role at Delhi, the Hurda conference (1734) against the Marathas

Administrative and revenue system in medieval Rajasthan

• The ruler, the samant (feudal nobles) and the jagir system; ranks of nobles; clan kinship and shares of land among kinsmen (bhai-bant)
• Central officials: pradhan/diwan, bakshi, kotwal; pargana and village officials (hakim, amil, patel, patwari, chaudhari)
• Land categories: khalsa (crown land), jagir, bhom (land held by bhomias for service), sasan or muafi (revenue-free grants)
• Methods of revenue assessment: latai/batai (crop sharing), kunta (estimate of standing crop), mukata and bighori (fixed cash rates)
• Rekh (assessed income of a jagir), chakri (service due), succession fees (hukmnama, talwar bandhi), lag-bag (cesses)
• Changes under Mughal influence and later under British supervision (land settlements of the 19th century)

18th and 19th centuries

• Decline of Mughal authority; Maratha incursions, chauth and succession disputes; Pindari raids
• Treaties of subsidiary alliance with the East India Company (1817-18); Rajputana Agency and the Agent to the Governor-General at Ajmer; political agents
• Revolt of 1857 in Rajasthan: Nasirabad, Neemuch, Deoli, Erinpura, Auwa (Thakur Kushal Singh), Kota (Lala Jaydayal and Mehrab Khan); Tantia Tope in Rajasthan; the role of the princes
• Social conditions and reforms: sati, female infanticide, the sale of girls (kanya vikray), samadhi and dakan (witch-branding) practices banned in the states; the Walterkrit Rajputra Hitkarini Sabha (1889)
• Spread of education, the press and the Arya Samaj (Swami Dayanand in Rajasthan) and other reform bodies

Peasant and tribal movements of the 20th century

• Bijolia (from 1897): Sadhu Sitaram Das, Vijay Singh Pathik, Manikya Lal Verma; the Upermal Panch Board
• Begun (Ram Narayan Choudhary), Bundi (Nainuram Sharma), Alwar (Nimuchana firing, 1925), Shekhawati and Sikar Jat movements, Marwar and Bikaner peasant agitations
• Bhil movements: Govind Guru, the Samp Sabha and the Mangarh massacre (1913); Moti Lal Tejawat’s Eki movement and the Neemda firing (1922)
• Meena agitation against the Criminal Tribes (Jarayam Pesha) laws; Meo movement in Alwar and Bharatpur

Political awakening and Praja Mandal movements

• Early nationalists and revolutionaries: Arjun Lal Sethi, Kesari Singh Barhath, Zorawar Singh and Pratap Singh Barhath, Rao Gopal Singh of Kharwa, Damodar Das Rathi
• Organisations: Rajasthan Seva Sangh, Rajputana Madhya Bharat Sabha; the All India States People’s Conference (1927); newspapers such as Rajasthan Kesari and Navin Rajasthan
• Praja Mandals: Jaipur (Jamnalal Bajaj, Hiralal Shastri), Mewar (Manikya Lal Verma, 1938), Marwar Lok Parishad (Jai Narayan Vyas), Bikaner, Kota, Bharatpur, Alwar, Dungarpur, Jaisalmer (Sagarmal Gopa)
• Quit India in the states; the Dungarpur school movement and Kali Bai (Rastapal, 1947)

Integration of Rajasthan (1948-1956)

• The role of the States Department and the princely states’ accession
• Seven stages, from the Matsya Union to the reorganisation of 1956 (table below)
• Rajpramukh, Uprajpramukh and the first popular ministries; Jaipur as capital; the Satyanarayan Rao committee on the capital and offices
• 1 November 1956: the States Reorganisation Act adds Ajmer-Merwara, Abu-Delwara and Sunel Tappa, transfers Sironj to Madhya Pradesh; the office of Rajpramukh ends and Rajasthan gets a Governor

30 March is celebrated as Rajasthan Day, after the fourth stage.

Overlaps

The same history is examined in descriptive form in Mains Paper I (Unit I, Part A). The national background of each period is on Ancient and Medieval India and Modern India.