Udaipur Brief History

	Udaipur Brief History
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Udaipur takes pride in having been the capital of the state of Mewar, the only one of the seven major Rajput states to uphold its Hindu allegiance in the face of Muslim invasions and political compromises.

Its present ruler is the seventy-sixth in the unbroken line of Mewar suzerains, which makes the Mewar household the longest lasting of all ruling powers in Rajasthan, and perhaps the oldest surviving dynasty in the world.

The history of Udaipur itself stretches back far beyond its foundation in the sixteenth century, for the actions and policies of its Sisodia maharanas follow a code of honor laid down by the very first in line, Guhil , who established Mewar in 568 AD. Legend claims that Guhil was of local stock, but he seems at the time to have been fleeing south Gujarat during Muslim invasions.

Either way, Guhil dwelt in the forest where he was trained in leadership and devotion by a hermit. His successors set up their capital at Nagda , which now stands in ruins just over 30km north of Udaipur. Chittaurgarh (also known as Chittor) replaced Nagda as capital in the eighth century, and its hilltop fort protected the Sisodia Rajputs for almost eight hundred years.

By the time Udai Singh II inherited the throne of Mewar and the leadership of the Sisodia Rajputs in 1537, it was clear that the magnificent fortress of Chittor was doomed; his mother had sacrificed her life two years previously during its second major sacking. Udai scanned the surrounding countryside for a suitable site for a new capital, and settled for the area beside Lake Pichola, protected on all sides by outcrops of the Aravalli Range.

Having laid the foundation stones in 1559, he fled the battlefield when Chittor finally fell to the Moghuls eight years later to his new city of Udaipur . On his death in 1572 Udai was succeeded by his son Pratap , a legendary hero whose refusal to recognize the Moghul Akbar as emperor led to the battle of Haldighati, in which Akbar's forces were outwitted and peace in Udaipur was guaranteed.

As the city prospered, the arts flourished; Mewar's superior school of miniature painting became firmly rooted and the awesome palaces on the lake and its shore were constructed. However, in 1736 Mewar was attacked by the destructive Marathas and by the turn of the century the ensuing pillage had reduced the city to poverty and ruin. more...