MAHARANA UDAI SINGH - UDAIPUR - IMMORTAL RAJPUTS

History of Udaipur

Significance  of Founding of Udaipur,

An assessment of the global scenario of the sixteenth century reveals that founding of Udaipur was a logical decision of a wise monarch. It was an event that greatly influenced the history of the Indian sub-continent in general and that of Mewar and the still - surviving Sisodia dynasty in particular. Over the centuries, Udaipur has achieved international distinction for its scenic beauty; history; architecture" mineral resources, etc.

Udaipur was founded by Maharana Udai Singh (II) of Mewar in AD 1559 and is named after him. Chittorgarh, the capital of his kingdom, though well fortified, was indeed a vulnerable plateau in the wake of the changing military developments of 16th century:

Use of gunpowder for the military purpose shifted the war tactics from long sieges of forts to open battles in which the infantry and cavalry arms were augmented by a more effective artillery punch. Invention of the spirally grooved rifle barrel ( 1520) , the portable gun (harquebus, 1525) and that of the pistol (1540) added new weapons for the combat. Around the wond, the use of firearms resulted in the creation and expansion of empires in which more powerful rulers emerged. The Ottoman Empire stretched into three continents (Suleiman the Magnificent) , Mughal Empire was well established on the Indian subcontinent (Akbar the Great), and Ivan-IV (the Terrible or the Awe-lnspiring) had become the first tsar of Russia (1547). The martial Japanese, however, considered the muskets and other firearms as " weapons of cowards ", but some of the samurai realized its potential, especially Samurai Oda Nobunaga who captured Kyoto (1568) in an effort to reunite the warring Japan. Kings who were shy of making military use of gunpowder were losing their hold and authority. The MING dynasty was decaying in China, so were most of the sovereigns of Asian kingdoms who were highly reluctant to use firearms.

In Europe, power of the traditionalist Holy Roman Empire was declining and new power equiliprium was emerging. .Germany and France were restless and were trying to compete with the power of Portugal and Spain. French replaced Latin as the official Language of France (1547). England was emerging as a trading nation under the reign of Queen Elizabeth -I ( 1553-1603) ; she also repealed the Catholic legislation and set up a moderate Protestant Church. Not only was Christianity divided into Roman Catholic and Protestants, but Islam too was divided into Sunnis and Shiites resulting in wars between the newly established Safavid Shahs of Persia and the Qanunis of the Ottoman Empire. In India, Sikhism founded by Guru Nanak Dev (1519) was gradually spreading on the Indian sub-continent .

Likewise in the sixteenth century, the great age of world exploration had also begun: the Portuguese had already prepared maps of the sea routes for trading. Portuguese followed by Spanish missionaries were moving out into Asia (notably St. Francis to Japan, 1549; Matteo Ricci to China, 1582) .Spanish Empire was spreading to the New World. The first African slaves were introduced into the Americas {1502) .Francis Drake claimed California for Britain (1565). The first baby; Virginia Dare, was born in America to English parents (1587).

Japanese style woodblock prints by Charles W. Bartlett (1860-1940)

In the scientific field also, great advancements were taking place, De Re Metallica, one of the first books on mining & mineralogy, was published in Germany (1556) and dredge was invented (1561) .Andreas Vesalius published some of the first accurate descriptions of human anatomy (1543), Nicolas Copernicus propounded the theory of solar system (1543) which was at that time considered "anti-church and against the common sense", Enamel was invented and platinum discovered (1557). A new writing tool, graphite pencil, was developed (1565) , Wrench, screwdriver (1550) , screw-cutting machine and ornamental turning lathe were added (1569) to the developing machinery of the period, Galileo recognized the significance of pendulum motion (1581) which had several practical applications, most useful of which was in the improvement of time machines. The Gregorian calendar (1582} replaced the Julian calendar. New foods were discovered and their cultivation spread worldwide notably that of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, sunflower, pineapple, banana, tobacco and cocoa beans. On the other hand, sugar cane plantation spread in Americas and the Mughal Emperor Baber introduced grapes and melons to India.

    

All these examples demonstrate that many of the spheres of human activity, major as well as minor, were witnessing changes; the modern version of violin was also developed during this period and new dresses were designed to cater to the taste of the affluent society that was developing then. Founding of Udaipur should, therefore, be viewed in light of the.changing milieu of that period. Maharana Udai Singh had made up his mind to shift the capital of his state from the then vulnerable Chittorgarh in view of the expansionist designs of the more powerful Mughal might, which had successfully utilized artillery for establishing the Mughal rule in India. Many of the events of the sixteenth century described above may not have been known to the Maharana and his advisers but they definitely knew that Lord Krishna shifted his capital from (vulnerable) Mathura to (safe) Dwarka to negate the persistent attacks from his enemy. They also took into consideration the fate of his kingdom during the First SAKA of Chittorgarh (Alla-O-Din Khilji, AD 1303) in which in succes- sion eleven sons of the Maharana and finally the Maharana himself along with thousands of his countrymen perished for the honor of their motherland. Ajay Singh, the second and the only surviving son of the Maharana was earlier persuaded to leave the vulnerable capital and II ...was in security at Kelwara, a town situated in the Aravalli mountains, the western boundary of Mewar, to which its princes had indebted for twelve centuries of domination" (Col. James Todd, 1829, p 216).

Having been brought up in the Aravalli hills, Maharana Udai Singh had firsthand knowledge of appropriateness of this region. Furthermore, equally important was the drastic change, which came about in the local situation.Mewar had witnessed a glorious period under the reign of Maharana Sanga (Reign: 1509-1527). The fortunes of Mewar declined after the defeat of Maharana Sanga in the Battle of Khanwa. His death by poisoning (1527) resulted in a power struggle and intrigues in Chittorgarh, followed by the failed attempt on the life of infant prince Udai Singh (the third son of Maharana Sanga) , and his incognito upbringing away from the seat of, power. Maharana Udal Singh ascended the GADDI (throne) of Mewar after Chittorgarh had witnessed a decade (1527-1537) of one of the worst periods of chaotic management in the glorious history of Mewar (Pofa bai ro raj) , The tragic memories of the Second SAKA, JOHAR, and massacre of 1533 were still fresh in the mind of the young Maharana. In the words of Col, James Todd: "(Baaz) Bahadoor must have been appalled at the horrid sight of viewing his conquest: the mangled bodies of the slain To use the emphatic words of annalist 'the last day of Cheetore had arrived'. Every clan had lost its chief, and the choicest of their retainers: during the siege and in the storm thirty thousand Rajpoots were slain. This is the Second SAKA of Cheetore"(p250).

Maharana Udai Singh realized that the changed situation therefore called for the adoption of a rational policy: It was under these circumstances that he wisely changed the age-old tradition of: "PERISH BUT DO NOT SURRENDER" TO "NEITHER PERISH NOR SURRENDER" It should be realized that this strategy was essential to ensure the survival of his race and protection of the Indian culture. The Maharana was proved right when Chittorgarh suffered the (Third) SAKA, JOHAR, and massacre that followed the capture of Chittorgarh by the Mughal emperor Akbar ( 1568) .With the fall of Chittorgarh in the hands of Akbar, Maharana Udai Singh immediately moved from Rajpipla to Udaipur and proclaimed the new town the capital of Mewar ( 1568) and vowed to continue the struggle against the Mughal occupation of his state from the new capital. The Third JOHAR, SAKA, and slaughter could have been averted had the capital been moved earlier, but the martial traditions of the period resulted in what had happened at that time in Chittorgarh and the lesson was learnt at a great cost. The slaughter that Akbar had ordered following his capture of Chittorgarh was indeed brutal and inhuman. Instead of counting the dead he got the cordons (sacred thread worn across the torso by a Hindu) collected and weighed -a repugnant ritual of the period to assess loss of the Kafirs ("Enemies of Islam") ! It should be realized that founding of Udaipur ensured that such a tragedy would not be repeated in the future. It is indeed surprising that it took us more than four centuries to realize the foresight of Mahara:na Udai Singh in understanding the importance of relocating the capital from where he and later on his more valiant and renowned son Maharana Pratap challenged the Mughal might through a new war tactics, involving terrain advantage, that in later years came to be known as guerrilla warfare. This was the region from where Maharana Pratap, one of the greatest leaders of the men born on this sub-continent, motivated and led his people, for twenty five long years, to fight a principled struggle against the Mughal occupation of his territory:

This was the region that had assisted Pratap's indomitable spirit to live in independent discomfort. when most of his contemporary maharajas had chosen a life of subjugation and apostasy. In due course of time Maharana Pratap liberated most of the territory from the Mughal occupation. A great deal of credit for the success of Maharana Pratap should go to his father for wisely effecting the shift in policy as well as the capital.

Maharana Udai Singh realized the strategic importance of Girwa valley located at the eastern margin of the thickly forested and the inhospitable Aravalli range. The area he selected had a fairly flat basin surrounded on all sides by hills. This was the region from where the Maharana's founding ancestor Bappa Rawal had moved to a more strategic region of his times, during the 8th century, to Chitrakoot or Chittorgarh to establish the still surviving Sisodia dynasty of Mewar. This valley had also supported a thriving civilization nearly 4000 years BP (Before Present) ; the Ahar Valley Civilization is considered by archaeologists to be contemporary of Indus Valley Civilization.

The proposed site of Udaipur had all the favorable aspects of an ideal location as a new capital of Mewar. It had a small lake by the name of Pichola and the river Ahar supported the fertile valley northeast of the lake. To augment its water resources, Maharana Udai Singh constructed a dam across the river Bedach (Udai Sagar, 1559), inside the eastern fringe of the ring of hills surrounding the proposed new capital. The Girwa valley had good water and agricultural potential besides being strategically located to continue the fight against the Mughal occupation of his state. To its west lay the inhospitable Aravalli range? The area was well supported by much needed forest and mineral resources. It also lay on the trade route connecting north India and Gujarat. It should be realized that founding of Udaipur in 1559 and its proclamation as capital of Mewar in 1568 were the crucial and rational decisions of a far-sighted Maharana under the fast changing scenario of the sixteenth century world.

Founding of Udaipur had far reaching impact on the course of politics, history, culture, religion of the Indian sub-continent. Mughal Emperor Akbar also founded a capital of his empire at Fatehpur Sikri in 1580, but owing to faulty selection of the site the capital had to be abandoned after his death in 1605. Akbarabad -the name that Emperor Akbar had given to Chittorgarh following his victory -never gained acceptance and the name was soon forgotten. Mewar, Chittorgarh and the Sisodia dynasty not only survived but also thrived and earned increased reverence following the founding of Udaipur.