History of Mewar

The word “Mewar” is vernacular form of “Medapata”, the ancient name of the region. Mewar country richly endowed by nature, and peopled by one of the noblest races of the east. Within her boundaries state contained all the elements of future greatness; but the very sources of prosperity led to her downfall.

Her fertile plains and prosperous cities became a standing temptation to the hoards of hungry invaders who came with monotonous regularity to devastate her fields and batten on her wealth.

The Rajput, with a spirit of constancy and enduring courage to which the history of the world hardly affords a parallel, seized every opportunity to turn upon his oppressors.

For centuries this little state withstood every outrage barbarity could inflict or human nature. The princes of Mewar are styled Ranas. The elder branch of the Suryavansi or ” children of the sun.”

The people referred chief of Mewar as Hindua Sura/, the ” Sun of the Hindus”. The people regarded them as the legitimate heir of throne of Rama, nor has any doubt ever been thrown on the purity of his descent.

With the exception of Jaisalmer, Mewar is the only Rajput state that has outlived eight hundred years of foreign domination, and the Rana of Udaipur rules to-day over the same territory that his ancestors held when the conqueror from Ghazni first carried his victorious arms across the blue waters 1 of the Indus. The title

“Rana” is, comparatively speaking, of modern adoption. Ruler of Mewar assumed the title in consequence of a victory gained over the Prince of Mandor, the original possessor of the title, who surrendered it, together with his life and capital, to the Mewar prince.

History of Ruler of Mewar

Rama had two sons, Lav and Kush. Lav, is said to have built Lahore, the ancient Lohkot. The Rana’s family claim descent from Lav. Here his children and his children’s children ruled until the days of Kanaksen.

The records of the state make Kanaksen, fifty sixth in descent from the deified Rama, the founder of the Mewar dynasty, and assign a.d. 145 as the date of his migration from the northern plains of India to the peninsula of Surashtra.

By what route Kanaksen made his way from Lohkot to Surashtra is uncertain. We know, however, that about the middle of the second century he set up his capital at Birnagara. He captured the place from a chief of the Pramara race, one of the thirty-six royal races of Rajasthan.

So Kanaksen successor moved to Mewar and founded the state of Mewar around 530; later it would also, and ultimately predominantly, called Udaipur after the name of the capital.

The historian considered Bapa Rawal as the founder of the Mewar state. While his predecessors had enjoyed control over limited areas in the hilly regions in the west and southwest of state, Bappa was the first ruler to expand the state close to its later boundaries.

Bappa, who had his capital at Nagda (19 kilometres north of Udaipur), extended his possessions to the east by ousting Man Singh of the Mori (Maurya) clan from Chittor in 734 AD. He took on the title of ‘Rawal.