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LURE - THRU THE AGES
Eternal India
encyclopedia
rigid; their courts had
'Bard, Bhat or
Charau'
who recited the heroic deeds of
the ancestors of the Rajputs; women
enjoyed great respect,
"women were
educated and took active part in public
life- Girls could read and write and
understand Sanskrit...."
(Alberuni);
'Sati'
system was popular. The birth of a
daughter was not liked by them.
Economic Condition
Construction of irrigation works, reser-
voirs, tanks, wells and canals was their
chief activity.
Literature
Kings were great patrons of art and lit-
erature. Important poet, kings were-
Raja Munja, Raja Bhoja (wrote
Ayur-
veda, Sarvasva
etc.) Great literary fig-
ures of the period were: Padamgopa,
Dhanika, Halayudha, Raja Shekhara,
Jayadeva (
Gita Govinda
), Kalhana (
Ra-
jatarangini),
Somadeva (
Kathasaritsa-
gara)
and Chand Bardai (
Prithviraj
Raso
); The vernacular literature made
progress during this period.
Art
They were great builders; the evolution
of Rajput temple architecture can be
divided into two parts. 1-600-900 A.D.
and II 900-1200 A.D.; during the II
phase they lost their originality due to
the influence of Tantricism; important
monuments of the period are fortresses of
Chittorgarh, Ranthambhor, Kumbhalgarh
(Rajasthan), Mandu, Gwalior, Chanderi,
Asirgarh (M.P.), the palaces of Mansingh
at Gwalior, buildings at Amber (Jaipur),
lake palaces at Udaipur, the castle of Jodh-
pur; most Rajput temples were destroyed
by the Muslims and a few which have
survived show their artistic excellence -
Khajuraho group of temples (30) in B un-
del Khand, are famous for elegant pro-
portions, graceful contours and rich sur-
face treatment, the
Sikharas
of these are
most refined and these temples are dedi-
cated to Jain Tirthankaras and Siva and
Vishnu; Kalika mata temple at Chittor-
garh, Ekalinga temple (Udaipur) Jain
temples at M
L
Abu; the Rudra Mala
temple
etc.
Strength
The bravery of Rajput kings; loyalty of
subordinates.
Achievements
Offered strong resistance to the foreign
invaders.
Architecture and Art: Beautiful temples at
Khajuraho.
Weakness
Clanish patriotism of Rajputs weakened
their strength and they were defeated by
foreign invaders.
Decline
The Rajputs declined after a series of
long-drawn-out conflicts with the Muslim
invaders.
SISODIAS
The most important kingdoms were
Mewar & Marwar.
Hammir
(1314-78) of the Sisodia branch was
the liberator of the medieval state of Mewar. In
early 15th C the discovery of silver and lead
greatly strengthened the kingdom's economy.
A new system of weights and measures was
introduced. An artificial lake, now called
Dichholain modern Udaipur, was excavated.
Rana Kumbha Karana
(1433-68) increased
his army and built numerous forts. In 1437 he
defeated Mahmud Khalji and built a victory
tower in Chittor. He defended his territory
from incursions by Malwa and Gujarat.
Kumbha was also a poet, a man of letters and
a musician writing commentaries on several
Sanskrit works. He built many temples and
his architect Mandana composed a treatise on
house
building
iconography
and
ornamentation.
Rana Sanga (1508-28) was the greatest ruler
of the dynasty. In 1518 he gained a resound-
ing victory over Sultan Mahmud II of Malwa.
In 1521 an invasion by Gujarat army was
beaten back. Sultan Ibrahim Lodi's bid to
annex Ranathambhor and Ajmer to the Delhi
Sultanate led Rana Sanga to make peace with
the Sultan of Gujarat and to persuade Babur to
invade India.
Rao Chanda (1384-1423) ruled in Marwar.
He seized Khattu, Didwana, Sambhar,
Nagaurand Ajmer.
Jodha (1438-89) ruled in Marwar. A great
warrior. In 1459 he built Jodhpur and later
Mandor fort. Rana Kumbha made an alliance
with him.