Rajasthan as the name suggests is 'Sthan of Rajput' (Place of Rajput). It was formerly known as 'Gurjaratra', as it was a native place of Gurjars. Later the state was known for Rajput warriors and the name Rajasthan was coined. It is a land of great Rajput warriors and treasures a number of tales of sacrifice and love of Rajput emperors.
Rajasthan belonged to Indus valley civilisation from 3500 to 1750 BC. The remains of the world's oldest civilisation, Harappa Civilisation are found at Kalibanga in Rajasthan. The Kalibanga region is situated near River Saraswati. Among the various civilisations in Rajasthan, the most prominent ones were during Aryan period. The region of Bairat and Dhundar reflects the settlement of Aryan and Kshatriya tribes in Rajasthan.
Maurayan Empire served Rajasthan between 321-184 BC. Later Hunas, Kushanas, Malavas were a part of Republic of Rajasthan. After the decline of a 300 year old Maurayan Empire, there was instability within the Northern states of India. Pratihara Gurjars were the first to stabilise the situation. They were the greatest enemies of Arab invaders and were firm with their decision of not interacting with them over any issue. Gurjar Empire had strong foundation unlike any other empire during that time.
Rajasthan had a mix of empire post-Independence. There were Rajput Emperors and Jat emperors in the regions of Dholpur and Bharatpur. Rajputana kingdom was flourishing over Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur and Jaipur. The whole of Northern region was under Rajputana Empire.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan was a great emperor during 1100 BC. He defeated foreign invader Muhammad Ghori for 16 times but was defeated the 17th time. This defeat was a result of a traitor from Chauhan's army supported Ghori. After the decline of Chauhan Empire, the state was under Muslim rulers. Nagaur and Ajmer regions were under Muslim rulers. Rajput emperors resisted Muslims in the beginning of 13th century but later were seen serving them.
Later, during 15th century Rajasthan was under Mughal Empire. Akbar is known to be the greatest Mughal Emperor ever. He arranged matrimonial alliance with Rajput Emperors to gain their trust. He married Rajput princess Jodha Bai. Jodha Bai was the daughter of Maharaja of Amber. During Mughal Empire, Rajasthan witnessed a constant growth in its economy and in its architectural structures.
The decline of Mughal Empire was followed by rise of Maratha Empire. Ajmer was first occupied by Marathas. Later Rajput Emperors were seeking protection from Marathas and joined British. British government sensed the situation and worked under the policy of 'Divide and Rule' among the Emperors of Rajasthan. British ruled the country for more than 200 years. During this period country was scavenged and India got independence on 15 August 1947.
Martin Wynn
