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History |
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Jodhpur, was founded by Rao Jodha, the chief of a clan Known as the Rathores in
1459. The Afghan invader Mohammed Ghori drove the Rathores from their former homeland
of Kannauj and they fled to Pali, a short way from Jodhpur.
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Umaid Bhavan |
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It was the marriage between Rathore Siahji and the sister of a local prince that
enabled the Rathores to prosper and establish a power base so strong that their
capital at Mandore proved inadequate. ( Besides, it was easy to attack). The new
place to they moved ofered more security with its natural fortifications and formidable
fortress. Rao Jodha did the standard thing: he named the place after himself (jodhpur)
and further prosperity of the clan, especially the expansion of their territory
in Rajasthan |
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Jodhpur lies on the strategic Delhi-Gujrat trading route and the people benefited
from the traffic of opium, copper, silk,sandelwood, dates and cofee. The trade boosted
an economy scarred by military conquests.
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The Mughals wanted a share of the riches and control of Jodhpur. The least bloody
way was the marriage between Emperor Akbar and Rao Udai Singh's sister. The alliance
ensured that the Rathores received military aid from the Mughals for their campaigns
in Gujarat.But the Mughal alliance ran into problems after emperor Akbar's death.
In the mid 17th century, Jaswant Singh joined Emperor Shah Jahan's forces against
Aurengzeb pillaged Jodhpur and its citizens were forcibly converted to Islam.
Jaswant Singh's son Ajit Singh who was then the Maharaja, was murdered and the Mughals
staked their claim to the thorne. |
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Meharangarh Fort |
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His Infant son Ajit Singh II went underground
and after 30 years in hiding in the hills, returned to jodhpur after Aurengzeb's
death (1707) and recaptured the city of his birth. |
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The 18th century saw many bloody battles between Jodhpur and the other princely
states in Rajasthan, Jaipur and Udaipur and Udaipur. Ajit Singh's successor Maharaja
Abhai Singh captured Ahmedabad and later in 1818, Jodhpur signed a treaty with the
British, a strategic treaty but a treaty nonetheless. The Rathores lost some of
the honor , they had preserved for so many centuries but the trety ensured the kingdom
could develop with the benefits of relative peace and prosperity.
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The last Maharaja before Independence Umaid Bhavan is named-is the grandfather of
the present Maharaja Gaj Singh (whose name is a happy combination of elephant and
tiger).
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