The history of Rajasthan is about 5000 years old and the origin of this colossal land adverts to the famous myth of Ram, the seventh avatar or incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Ram aimed an arrow towards Lanka to burn the island where his wife was imprisoned by the demon king-Ravana. But instead of reaching that land the arrow turned towards the direction of the sea which resulted in the evaporation of all the water. The dry land which emerged due to the evaporation of water was the land of Rajasthan.
The history of Rajasthan can be classified into three parts owing to the different eras-
Ancient Rajasthan- The ancient history of Rajasthan dates back to1200 AD. Rajasthan was a part of the illustrious Mauryan Empire in around (321-184 BC) and was also a portion of other dynasties like the Arjunyas, Hunas, Kushans, Saka Satraps and so on. Archaeological excavations have proved that Rajasthan was associated with the Harappan Civilization and the Indus Valley Civilization. The Dundhmer region was the first Aryan settlement and the foremost inhabitants of this area were the Bhil and the Mina. The earliest Rajput dynasty that emerged around 700 AD was the Gurjara Partiharas and since then Rajasthan was cited as Rajputana (the land of the Rajputs).
During the eighth - twelfth century AD, the Rajput clan gained supremacy and altogether the Rajputs were divided into 36 royal clans and 21 dynasties.
Around 1000-1200 AD, the Rajputs were engaged in armed conflicts and a struggle for supremacy took place among the Parmars, Chalukyas, and Chauhans which made the sands of Rajasthan red with blood.
Medieval Rajasthan- The internal strife within the Rajputs and their struggle for supremacy resulted in weakening of the unity between them. In this medieval era around 1200 AD, the major regions of Rajasthan such as Nagaur, Ajmer and Ranthanbhor came under the Mughal hegemony and the great Mughal ruler- Akbar consolidated all power in his hands from the Rajput rulers and exerted his supremacy either by striking accord with them or by waging war against them. The most famous Rajput warriors who represented the vigor and valiance of the Rajput dynasty and whose tales of chivalry are still imprinted in the sands of Rajasthan were Rana Uday Singh, his son Rana Pratap, Bhappa Rawal, Rana Kumbha and Prithviraj Chauhan and others.
Modern Period- With the culmination of the Mughal rule around 1707, the Marathas gained supremacy in Northern India including Rajasthan and in 1775 they captured Ajmer. However the Maratha ascendancy ended in the late 17th century when the British colonial power established their suzerainty in the state of Rajasthan. In 1817-18 the British Raj resolved treaties of alliance with most of the states of Rajputana (currently known as Rajasthan).During the time of Independence the former Rajputana State of Rajasthan consisted of nineteen princely states. It was later amalgamated into a single whole by a prolonged process that commenced on17th March, 1948 and ended on 1stNovember, 1956. In 1956 the entire state of present day Rajasthan came into existence. The princes of the former kingdoms were granted adequate remuneration known as privy purses which was later abolished by Indira Gandhi in 1970.
