Pariksha SaathiLesson 2 of 10 · Rajasthan General Knowledge
Rajput Dynasties and Medieval Rajasthan: Mewar, Marwar, Amber and the Chauhans
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
Clans and regions
From the 8th century Rajasthan was divided among Rajput clans: the Guhilas (later Sisodias) in Mewar, the Rathores in Marwar and Bikaner, the Kachwahas in Dhundhar, the Chauhans at Sakambhari, Ajmer, Ranthambore and Jalore, the Bhatis at Jaisalmer, and the Hadas, a Chauhan branch, in Hadoti (Bundi and Kota). Chand Bardai's Prithviraj Raso gives the Agnikula legend that the Pratihara, Parmar, Chalukya and Chauhan clans were born from a sacrificial fire on Mount Abu; James Tod argued for a foreign (Scythian) origin, and G.H. Ojha for descent from the ancient Kshatriyas.
The Chauhans
The Chauhans began at Sakambhari (Sambhar) under Vasudev. Ajayaraja founded Ajaymeru (Ajmer) in the early 12th century, Arnoraja built the Ana Sagar lake, and Vigraharaja IV (Visaldev), author of the play Harkeli Natak, built a Sanskrit college that Qutbuddin Aibak later turned into the mosque called Adhai Din ka Jhonpra. Prithviraj III defeated Muhammad Ghori at Tarain (in Haryana) in 1191 but lost to him there in 1192, opening north India to the Turks. At Ranthambore, Hammir Dev resisted Alauddin Khalji until 1301, and the fall of the fort is counted as the first saka of Rajasthan. Jalore under Kanhadadeva fell to Alauddin in 1311, as told in Padmanabh's Kanhadade Prabandh.
Mewar from Bappa Rawal to Kumbha
Bappa Rawal took Chittor in the 8th century, and tradition credits him with the Eklingji temple near Udaipur, whose deity the Maharanas treated as the real ruler, calling themselves his Dewan. In 1303 Alauddin Khalji took Chittor from Rawal Ratan Singh; Rani Padmini's jauhar and the valour of Gora and Badal became legend, retold in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's Padmavat (1540), and Alauddin renamed the fort Khizrabad after his son. Hammir recovered Chittor in the 14th century and began the Sisodia line. Rana Kumbha (1433-1468) defeated Mahmud Khilji of Malwa at Sarangpur in 1437 and built the Vijay Stambh at Chittor to mark it; tradition credits him with 32 of Mewar's 84 forts, including Kumbhalgarh, designed by the architect Mandan. He wrote the Sangeet Raj and bore titles such as Abhinav Bharatacharya and Hindu Suratrana.
Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap
Rana Sanga (1509-1528) defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Khatoli in 1517 and led a Rajput confederacy against Babur, winning at Bayana but losing at Khanwa near Bharatpur in March 1527 to Babur's artillery; Babur then took the title Ghazi. Chittor was besieged by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat (1535) and by Akbar (1567-68, when Jaimal and Patta died defending it); after its fall Udai Singh II made Udaipur, which he had founded in 1559, his capital. Maharana Pratap, born in 1540 and crowned at Gogunda in 1572, met Akbar's army under Man Singh of Amber and Asaf Khan at Haldighati on 18 June 1576. Hakim Khan Sur, the Bhil chief Rana Punja and Jhala Mana, who wore the royal insignia to draw the enemy, fought for him, and his horse Chetak died carrying him to safety. James Tod called Haldighati the Thermopylae of Mewar and Pratap's victory at Dewair (1582) its Marathon. Helped by Bhamashah's wealth, Pratap won back most of Mewar and died at Chavand on 19 January 1597. His son Amar Singh I made a treaty with Jahangir in 1615.
Marwar and Bikaner
Rao Siha began Rathore rule in Marwar in the 13th century; Rao Chunda took Mandore, and Rao Jodha founded Jodhpur and Mehrangarh in 1459. His son Rao Bika founded Bikaner in 1488. Against Rao Maldev, Sher Shah Suri barely won at Girri-Sumel in 1544 and said he had nearly lost the empire of Hindustan for a handful of bajra. Mota Raja Udai Singh's daughter Jagat Gosain, married to Jahangir, was the mother of Shah Jahan. When Jaswant Singh died in 1678, Aurangzeb tried to annex Marwar, and Durgadas Rathore protected the infant Ajit Singh.
Amber, Jaisalmer and Hadoti
The Kachwahas under Dulherai set up rule in Dhundhar in the 12th century with Dausa as capital, later moving to Amber. Raja Bharmal was the first Rajput ruler to accept Akbar's overlordship, marrying his daughter Harkha Bai to him in 1562; Man Singh I of Amber became Akbar's leading general and governor of Kabul, Bihar and Bengal. Mirza Raja Jai Singh made the Treaty of Purandar with Shivaji in 1665. The Bhatis ruled from Jaisalmer, founded by Rawal Jaisal in 1156. The Hadas under Rao Deva took Bundi from the Meenas, and Kota became a separate state in 1631 when Shah Jahan gave it to Madho Singh.
Jauhar, saka and the Mughal-Rajput bargain
Jauhar was the self-immolation of women when a fort was about to fall; saka was the final charge of the men, dressed in saffron (kesariya). Chittor saw three sakas (1303, 1535 and 1568), Gagron two (1423 against Hoshang Shah of Malwa and 1444 against Mahmud Khilji), and Jaisalmer is said to have seen two and a half. Akbar made the Rajput rulers partners through marriage alliances, high mansabs and the right to keep their home kingdoms as watan jagirs; at his Nagaur Darbar of 1570 the rulers of Bikaner and Jaisalmer accepted his overlordship. Aurangzeb's reimposition of jizya in 1679 and his move on Marwar broke this bargain.
Key facts
- Tarain: in 1191 Prithviraj III defeated Muhammad Ghori; in 1192 Ghori won. Tarain is in Haryana, not Rajasthan.
- Ranthambore 1301 (Hammir Dev against Alauddin) is counted as the first saka of Rajasthan; Jalore fell in 1311 (Kanhadadeva).
- Chittor's three sakas: 1303 (Alauddin, Padmini), 1535 (Bahadur Shah, Karnavati), 1568 (Akbar, Jaimal and Patta).
- Rana Kumbha (1433-1468): Sarangpur victory 1437, Vijay Stambh, Kumbhalgarh (architect Mandan), titles Abhinav Bharatacharya and Hindu Suratrana.
- Khanwa, March 1527: Babur defeated Rana Sanga; Sanga had earlier beaten Ibrahim Lodi at Khatoli (1517).
- Haldighati, 18 June 1576: Man Singh and Asaf Khan for Akbar; Hakim Khan Sur, Rana Punja and Jhala Mana for Pratap; Tod's 'Thermopylae of Mewar'.
- Dewair 1582: Pratap's victory, Tod's 'Marathon of Mewar'; Pratap died at Chavand on 19 January 1597; Mewar-Mughal treaty 1615.
- Girri-Sumel 1544: Sher Shah beat Maldev and said he had almost lost Hindustan 'for a handful of bajra'.
- Bharmal of Amber: first Rajput ruler to accept Akbar (1562); Mirza Raja Jai Singh: Treaty of Purandar with Shivaji (1665).
- Kota separated from Bundi in 1631; Akbar's Nagaur Darbar 1570; Aurangzeb reimposed jizya in 1679.
Quick revision
Agnikula legend in Prithviraj Raso; Ajayaraja founded Ajmer; Tarain 1191 won, 1192 lost; Ranthambore 1301 first saka; Chittor sakas 1303, 1535, 1568; Hammir began the Sisodias; Kumbha: Sarangpur 1437, Vijay Stambh, Kumbhalgarh; Khanwa 1527; Haldighati 18 June 1576, Dewair 1582; treaty 1615; Jodhpur 1459, Bikaner 1488; Girri-Sumel 1544; Bharmal-Akbar 1562; Kota separate 1631.