Rajputs and Invasions of India

[suchandra]

posted at http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Rajputs_and_Invasions_of_India

 

"<big>Rajput kings are mainly remembered as warriors and as influential rulers. They also played an important role in the emergence of modern-day society in northern India. Rajput rulers were also prolific builders of beautiful palaces. Archaeological evidence and contemporary texts suggest that the Indian society had achieved significant prosperity during the Rajput rule. Most of the archaeological remains in several regions of the Indian subcontinent are from the Rajput period.

 

Mehrangarh Fort

</big>They were never really conquered by the Moghuls. Even though the Moghuls invaded India in about 1000 AD in huge numbers. The Rajasthanis were not numerous. But they were like the Spartans of India. They would rather commit ‘johar’ than surrender. Johar meant that they would give up their lives first. And the women and children would also drink poison. I think the Moghuls conquered two cities, Chittor and Mewar, and when they entered the city after a long siege, everyone was dead. So then they figured, what’s the point? They wanted to get past Rajasthan to they could plunder the rest of India, so they made accommodations with the Rajasthanis. They included some of the princesses in their harems, and they hired them as generals in their armies. They didn’t like each other particularly, but in order to avoid doing each other damage they co-existed.