Dhundhar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Historical Region of North India Dhundhar |
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| Location | Rajastan |
| Flag of 19th c. |  |
| State established: | 10th c. |
| Language | Dhundari |
| Dynasties | Chanda(till 10th c.) Kachwahas (967-1949) |
| Historical capitals | Dausa, Amber, Jaipur |
| Separated states | Bharatpur, Alwar, Karauli |
Dhundhar (also Jaipur region, in different times was also known as Kachwaha Kingdom, Amber Kingdom, Jaipur Kingdom) is an historical region of Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the districts of Jaipur, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, and Tonk and the northern part of Karauli District. The region lies in east-central Rajasthan, and is bounded by the Aravalli Range on the northwest, Ajmer to the west, Mewar region to the southwest, Hadoti region to the south, and Alwar, Bharatpur, and Karauli districts to the east.
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[edit] Geography
In 1900, at the times of Jaipur Kingdom, region had a total area of 15,579 square miles (40,349 km²).
The southern and central portions of the region lie in the basin of the Banas River and its tributaries, including the Dhund River, which gives its name to the region. The northern portion of the region is drained by the Ban Ganga River, which originates in Jaipur district and flows east to join the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh state.
[edit] History
The Chanda clan of Meena kings were the early rulers of Dhundhar and later on the region was governed by the Kachwaha dynasty of Rajputs. Kachwahas ruled from the 11th century until after India's independence in 1947.
The state is said to have been founded in the eleventh century or 1097 by Dūhaladeva (popularly known by his folk name of Tejkaranj -'the Bridegroom prince'), who hailed from Gwalior; he and his Kachwaha kinsmen are said to have absorbed or driven out the local Meenas and Bargujar Rajput chiefs. The Meenas became a key ally of the Kachwahas. Their original capital in the Dhundhar region was Dausa, then Jamwa Ramgarh then Amber before the shift to Jaipur.
The ruling dynasty of Jaipur provided the Mughal Empire with some of their most distinguished generals. Among them were Raja Man Singh I, who fought and governed from Kabul to Orissa and Assam; Jai Singh I, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja, whose name appears in all the wars of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb; and Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, the famous mathematician and astronomer, and the founder of Jaipur city. "Sawai" was a title bestowed upon him by Aurangzeb which meant "one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries".
Throughout the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the armies of Jaipur were constantly at war. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar (also a Kachwaha) declared themselves independent from Jaipur and each annexed the eastern portion of Jaipur's territory. This period of Jaipur's history is characterized by internal power-struggles and constant military conflicts with the Marathas, Jats, other Rajput states, as well as the British and the Pindaris (Jaipur's former mercenary allies). Nevertheless, enough wealth remained in Jaipur for the patronage of fine temples/palaces, continuity of its courtly traditions and the well-being of its citizens and merchant communities.
A treaty was initially made by Maharaja Sawai Jagat Singh and the British under Governor General Marquis Wellesley in 1803. However, the treaty was dissolved shortly afterwards by Wellesley's successor, Cornwallis. At this, Jaipur's ambassador to Lord Lake observed that "This was the first time since the English government was established in India that it had been known to make its faith subservient to its convenience". It was later, in 1818, that the Jaipur state entered into subsidiary alliance with the British. In 1835 there was a serious disturbance in the city, after which the British government intervened. The state later became well-governed and prosperous. During the Revolt of 1857 when the British invoked the treaty to request assistance in the suppression of rebellious sepoys, the Maharaja opted to preserve his treaty, and thus sent troops to subdue the uprisings in the area around Gurgaon and the out-skirts of Delhi. The Jaipur forces also secured and kept open the strategic Agra-Ajmer highway. Europeans fleeing from the menace of the mutineers were sheltered in Nahargarh Fort.
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II (1922-1949) acceded the state of Jaipur to the Government of India in 1948, shortly after India's independence. Jaipur then became the capital of Rajasthan.
The marriage of Jaipur daughter to the Chauhan prince of Devgadh Baria is recorded as one of the most expensive in the world and even Henri Cartier-Bresson the famous photographer has recorded it.
[edit] Culture
Generally liberal policies of the rulers permitted Jainism to flourish at Amber and later at Jaipur.
It continues to be one of the most important centers of Jainism in India. It is here where the Bispanthi/Terapanthi divisions among the Jains emerged in 17th century[1]. In 17th century the Chittor seat of the Bhattarakas of Mula Sangh Saraswati gachchha moved from Champawati to Sanganer and then to Amber and finally to Jaipur where the last Bhattarka was present until 1965. The lineage is
- Narendrakirti (Samvat 1691, Sanganer) -
- Surendrakirti (Samvat 1722, Amber) -
- Jagatkirti -
- Devendrakirti -
- Mahendrakirti -
- Kshemendrakirti (Samvat 1815, Jaipur) -
- Surendrakirti -
- Sukhendrakirti -
- Nayankirti -
- Devendrakirti -
- Mahendrakirti - [2]
- Chandrakirti.
[edit] References
- ^ John E. Cort "A Tale of Two Cities: On the Origins of Digambara Sectarianism in North India." L. A. Babb, V. Joshi, and M. W. Meister (eds.), Multiple Histories: Culture and Society in the Study of Rajasthan, 39-83. Jaipur: Rawat, 2002.
- ^ Varni, Jinendra, Jainendra Siddhanta Kosa, in 4 volumes. New Delhi, 1970-1973
| Historical regions of North India | |
|---|---|
| Ajmer | Awadh | Bagelkhand | Braj | Bundelkhand | Delhi | Dhundhar | Garhwal | Gird | Godwar | Hadoti | Jaisalmer | Jangladesh | Kumaun | Magadha | Mahakoshal | Malwa | Marwar | Mewar | Mewat | Mithila | Nimar | Purvanchal | Rohilkhand | Shekhawati | Vagad | |
