History of Udaipur

History of Udaipur

Geology of Udaipur

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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.