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Dhundhar, Their ancestors first migrated into the mountain – creased region The rulers of Jaipur
belonged to a clan of Rajputs called the Kachhawahas. They were one of the thirty-six royal houses of India and their kingdom
was called now called Rajasthan, as early as 1093 A.D., shaping an empire from a series of battles with the local Minas.
The earlier capitals of the Kachhawahas
nestled among the Aravalli ranges, a very old formation of banded gneiss dating back some three thousand million years. Of
these Amber, picturesquely wedged between the dust – brown Aravallis, was by far the most prominent. The first capital
of Dhundhar to be laid out on the open plains was Jaipur. Although it was ensured that the city’s fortifications be
connected to the surrounding hills for security, Jaipur was to become the last destination of the warring Kachhawahas. For
while the last of their Maharajas, Man Singh II, still ruled from the city, events of history compelled him to merge his State
with the Indian nation. Although India achieved independence in 1947, the merger of Jaipur took place in 1949. The Kachhawahas
were then to helplessly watch the tide of events turn against them as democracy replaced their monarchical rule – however
benevolent or extravagant it may have been – and they were made redundant.
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Even though twenty
– eight kings ruled for six centuries at Amber, today Jaipur is much better known where only ten Maharajas have sat
on the throne over the last two hundred and fifty years – and an eleventh erstwhile ruler now heads the Kachhawahas.
This has as much to do with the grand vision of Sawai Jai Singh II who founded Jaipur as with the British who began the custom
of calling the states by the manes of their capitals.
Jaipur is a jewel where every
facet of history glints past glories. It is a tale of bravery and migration, patronage and creation, of historic liaison with
the Mughals, of loyalty and intrigue, decadence and deceit. It is also the story of history, tired of royal indulgence, turning
a new and unknown page where the old identities are seen in transition.
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| City Palace the heart of Jaipur |
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