He also plans to renovate and restore the dilapidated Durbargadh, the old palace of the royal family and convert it into a museum. Mandhatasinh, who joined the BJP in , also runs a chain of heritage hotels. One of the largest private residences in the world, a part of the Imaid Bhawan is open to tourists and the rest is managed by the Taj Group of Hotels, who run the place in partnership with the family.
A post shared by Umaid Bhawan Palace umaidbhawanpalace. A post shared by Indian Royal Families indianroyalfamilies. He constructed a personal golf course in the palace and is also a top-notch cricketer, who represented his state in the Ranji Trophy. A post shared by Radhikaraje Gaekwad radhikaraje. A post shared by IndiaToday Select indiatodayselect.
He also manages temple trusts of 17 temples in Gujarat and Banaras. Rajyashree Kumari has turned a part of this palace into a heritage hotel. A post shared by The Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner thelallgarhpalace. Besides being the oldest dynasty in the world, the history of the House of Mewar's is embellished with the contributions of iconic personalities like RanaKumbha, RanaSangha and RanaPratap to Indian civilization and culture. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar is the direct descendant of such historic luminaries and is conscious of the responsibilities he has to shoulder and the values he has to uphold: of loyalty, courage, sacrifice, valour, commitment the code of chivalry.
In his personal life, he is carrying forward the glorious and time-honoured traditions of the House of Mewar. Early Life. High School. Professional Courses. Public Life. Personal Life. With the rising sun along the Lake Pichola in Udaipur, the mesmerising Lake Palace, formerly known as Jag Niwas, designed under Maharana Jagat Singh II is strategically placed to face and worship the rising Sun; the Sun god from which the Sisodiya clan is said to have descended.
With one of the most beautiful summer palaces under his time in power; Maharana Jagat Singh II of Sisodiya dynasty, was believed to be more involved in enjoying the worldly pleasures of life than governing his empire. His moderate approach towards his kingdom along with concurrent Maratha invasions eventually lead to Mewar's decline. With the declining Mughal Empire, the union of states was formed to gain independence and expand Rajasthan, making them quite powerful at the time.
Maharana Jagat Singh II played a prominent role in the union of Rajput forces at Harda conference in July and was given the authority to head the alliance. But with the upsurge of independent ambitions amongst the Rajputana rulers, the alliance failed leading to the down slide of Rajputana. He is rather remembered as a great patron of Art and Architecture who enlarged his palaces and developed villages all around the Udaipur valley.
Being the ruler who believed in festivities and pleasures, he conceived many festivals which are still celebrated in Udaipur till date. Unlike his predecessors, Maharana Jagat Singh II may not have been able to hold onto his ancestral dream of freedom of Mewar; but his developments in regard to his structures and palaces stand tall in the history of Rajasthan to this date.
With an illustrious name in the history of Rajputana and a dynasty of warriors to boast of, Rana Pratap Singh II was nowhere near his distinguished predecessor Maharana Pratap.
He is said to have very restrained relationships with his father. This infuriated his father Maharana Jagat Singh II, who along with his brother planned to arrest him and sent him to prison. Pratap Singh II was summoned into a trap where he was arrested and thrown into the palace prison. During his time in prison, people attempted to kill him by poisoning his food as he was the heir to Jagat Singh II, but they failed in their attempts.
After his father's death, he ascended the throne. Unlike Maharana Pratap, Pratap Singh II was a weak ruler who turned his back on the adversities that Mewar was facing since his fathe's rule and continued to pay the huge amount of money to the Marathas as his security. The courtiers continued fighting amongst each other weakening the roots of Mewar. Maharana Pratap Singh II ruled for merely three years which were marked with dealing continuous invasions and marauding of Mewar.
This was probably the weakest time in the history of Mewar with frequent invasions and unrewarding succession of weak rulers. The fate of Mewar had been sealed and the Sisodiya rule began to collapse. With the decline of the Mughal Empire at the centre, the history of Indian sub-continent was at a crucial juncture, on the verge of marking a new beginning. The Marathas were the new emerging power with recurrent marauding attacks on their Rajputana neighbours and the Rajputs, disunited, continued fighting amongst each other.
The regular invasions depleted Rajputana assets and the task to maintain their power became more and more difficult. The death of Maharana Pratap Singh II, after only three years of ascending the throne made situations more complicated for the Sisodiya dynasty of Mewar.
Mewar was decaying with divided nobles and frequent invasions. Mewar hoped for a ruler who could revive its state of affairs and restore the lost glory of the kingdom. Maratha invasions continued in full swing and Mewar became so destitute that it could not afford to pay the protection money to Marathas and continued losing it territories to the invaders.
Unlike its past history, Mewar began to crumble. It is said that the finances depleted to such a level that the Maharana had to borrow money for his own marriage ceremony. While Maharana Raj Singh continued with inadequacies, his sudden death at the age of eighteen years without any heir made circumstances more critical.
Maharana Ari Singh II was much disliked by his own courtiers and nobles but with no apparent heir they were forced to obey him and the plight of Mewar continued with weak successors and exhausting state of affairs. With the downturn of the Mughal Empire at the centre and the emergence of the Marathas in west, Mewar was also experiencing the political shift.
His uncle Maharana Ari Singh II succeeded the throne after his nephew's death while many accused him of occupying the throne through unfair means. Ari Singh II was said to have an uncontrollable temper because of which the nobles and chieftains of Mewar started distancing themselves from the ruler.
This further added to the decline of the power of Mewar. With Mewar divided amongst each other and the invaders trying to conquer the state; Mewar was corroding rapidly. With continuous marauding attacks by the Marathas, Scindias and Holkars, the wealth of Mewar depleted with every invasion. Ari Singh II was threatened by these attacks and was forced to comply and thus he surrendered the district of Nimbahera to the Holkars for the fear of being sacked.
Between these continuous attacks and conflicts, Maharana Ari Singh II was killed by the ruler of Bundi while on a hunting expedition. This phase of incompetent successors and frequent invasions and attacks lead to the weakening of the Sisodiya clan and the brave descendants of Ram who were once believed to be the symbol of courage and bravery, started to perish.
Once the most powerful clan of Rajasthan and North India, the Sisodiyas of Mewar had lost their sheen by now. With frequent successions and no ruler being able to restore their pride or revive the state of affairs; Mewar lost all its hope.
The young ruler did not rule long and died at the age of sixteen years under mysterious circumstances reigning for a very small span of time.
But it is said that during these brief six years, the Maharana regained Chittor from invaders and Mewar enjoyed a comparative peaceful stretch after long with rebuilding and reviving the kingdom. In the meanwhile the invasions and plundering by Marathas continued, weakening the royal empire and with his death, Marathas extracted huge amount of money and Mewar's territories thus marking the final blow to the downfall of illustrious era of Mewar.
The glorious descendants of Ram were reduced to mere fables of glory and courage. Maharana Bhim Singh was the sixty seventh ruler of the Mewar Dynasty. After 40 years, he was the 4 th minor that was crowned king at the age of 10! As a result, he remained under his mother's Rajmata Sardar Kunwar Jhali's scrutiny, sadly though this trend continued even after his minority was long gone. In his reign of 50 years, Mewar saw some really hard times. First from the Marathas, who came and settled in Mewar and robbed the region off its riches.
Slowly and steadily it weakened the state so much so, that farmers fled from their land in search for greener pastures. Maharana Bhim Singh too was hard pressed for money and is said to have borrowed money from the king of Kota for one of his marriages. Apparently and arguably, the king had close to 32 sons! To get rid of the Maratha menace, Bhim Singh joined hands with the British, more like out of the frying pan into the fire!
This trade off came at a high political and monetary price that left Mewar at the mercy of the British. According to the treaty signed, Mewar state would have a resident British agent, as would all other states that signed the treaty.
All political correspondence was left to these agents, and the Maharanas were forbidden to interfere. The state was to pay the British one fourth of its revenues every five years, and the figure was revisited often.
To the good fortune of the residents of Mewar, Col. Tod, a fine man of great principle and character got posted as their agent and in time became their saviour. Col Tod, never did approve of Maharana Bhim Singh's ways, he thought he was lazy and had no interest in prosperity of his subjects or land.
Under Col. Tod's rule Mewar saw great revenue returns. Maharana Bhim Singh died at the age of Sixty. By then, Mewar had fallen hopelessly into the hands of the British. With the likes of legendary Maharana Pratap and his son Maharana Amar Singh, or celebrated Maharana Sanga and Maharana Kumbha; the Sisodiya clan of Mewar who trace their lineage to the Sun God, produced abundant folklores of heroism, chivalry and patriotism.
The multitude of magnanimous warriors, etched their name in history forever and the blood-smeared soil of Mewar remains a testimony of their valour. But the wheel of time neither stops nor is same forever. And the land of Mewar was no different. After a series of failed rulers, successive minor kings and their collapse, frequent incursions and marauding by invaders and depleting financial resources; Mewar was going through the worst of its time. After the death of Maharana Bhim Singh who ruled Mewar for fifty years, Mewar saw another short span of succession by his son Maharana Jawan Singh, the twenty sixth ruler of Mewar.
Maharana Jawan Singh's rule was an inconsequential span of time in the history of Mewar. He inherited a weak kingdom with a bankrupt treasury and dwindling resources. The British with whom Maharana Bhim Singh had signed a treaty enabling monetary support and security also proved trivial and insignificant for Maharana Jawan Singh to recover his empire. He retained a diplomatic stance with them but the state of affairs deteriorated and the progression worsened.
Though Maharana Jawan Singh tried incorporating measures to revive economic growth to pull through the financial drain but his attempts proved ineffective.
He ruled Mewar for a span of ten years. Amongst failed attempts and laid-back policies with no signs of improvement, he died at a young age with no nominated heir. He too ruled for three years before another succession and the fate of Mewar continued to plod through the sluggish years of its history.
The sand of the royal hourglass in Mewar was changing and the era of reformation had approached the royal courtyards. The British had set their foot in India and Mewar, like the mainland was experiencing a new wave of reform. The battles of Haldighati and the jauhar of Padmini were a story of the past and resurgence of Mewar was invigorated. Maharana Swaroop Singh ascended the throne in , after the death of his predecessor Maharana Sardar Singh.
Maharana Sardar Singh had no son and before his death, he formally adopted his brother Swaroop Singh as his nominated heir. With his succession, Swaroop Singh had the responsibility of bringing economic reforms to revive the depleting financial conditions of Mewar. He introduced various administrative reforms which had their effect in the due course of time.
He introduced new forms of coinage during his rule and prohibited the custom of Sati in Mewar, bringing a change in the traditional and social values. On the other hand, he supported the British in Mewar and surrounding areas and proved his loyalty to them. He sheltered and protected the British refugees in the Jag Mandir Palace in Udaipur and gained their trust. He sent a small contingent of his army to Neemuch and Nimbahera, to suppress the uprising and put down the rebellion.
Nimbahera, which had been a territory of Mewar during the rule of his forefathers; was recaptured by his forces. Thus his rule started reviving Mewar's state of affairs and its financial resources.
The epoch of reforms had begun and Maharana Swaroop Singh walked the exit after playing his part with a sense of satisfaction, handing over command to his imminent successors. The rich and diverse land of India had faced numerous invasions and marauding before the British set their foot as merchants and slowly took over the dominance of the Indian main land.
With the great Indian rebellion of , the governance of India was transferred to the Queen and a new era had begun with Maharana Shambhu Singh ascending the throne of Mewar.
Maharana Shambhu Singh ascended the throne as a minor and a British Political agent was appointed to guide the young Maharana. Unlike his predecessors, the financial conditions at the time were relatively stable and progressive and Shambhu Singh continued to replenish the state treasury, after he was provided full powers as the king of Mewar. After attaining complete control, he set up various new rules and offices for improving administrative resources, organised administration and income of temples and sacred places and introduced new legal code for Mewar.
Under him the military was reorganised, various jail reforms were introduced and new construction of roads and railway tracks started.
In spite of being formally uneducated, he gave education supreme importance and expanded various existing schools and introduced numerous new ones. Most importantly, he was the first to set up a school for girls and thus promoted opportunities of education for everyone. He enforced special measures to curb the Sati pratha and imposed heavy monetary fines on offenders.
Thus with various reforms in public facilities and infrastructure, Maharana Shambhu Singh was considered a liberal and well managed king of his times. But with his untimely death at a young age of twenty seven years, his dreams of revival of his homeland to the ancient golden times were stalled.
He left behind no heir and his cousin Sajjan Singh, who himself was a minor at the time of his death; succeeded him and went ahead in continuation with the reforms paved by his predecessor, Late Shambhu Singh. While warrior kings of Mewar were busy creating legends for the bards and poets to recite through ages, a Suryavanshi king was busy doing both. A revolution was about to begin, and a hero was being created.
Maharaja Sajjan Singh brought back glory to the Sisodiya dynasty. He was a cousin of Shambhu Singh and succeeded him after his death.
Being a minor, he was assisted in administration of Mewar. Like his ancestors, he served for the development of his people. He developed infrastructure such as roads, civil works, railway tracks and water supply; introduced Ijlas-e-Khas, court of appeal in judiciary for improving the civic amenities; took actions to check corruption and dismissed officials found guilty of bribery and manipulation of funds; improved and promoted education and medical resources; introduced various irrigation and afforestation projects and de-silted Lake Pichola post heavy floods, for the beautification of Udaipur.
Udaipur became the second city to form municipality after Bombay under his rule. He renovated various important buildings but his most ambitious project was building Sajjan Garh Palace or the Monsoon Palace, acting as a backdrop for the serene and mesmerising city of lakes. On the other hand, Maharana Sajjan Singh possessed an artistic flair in him.
He gave up a promising career in cricket to concentrate on sports administration. Presently he is the President of the Udaipur District Cricket Association and has had a remarkable run of success in every facet of the game.
He is also the Vice-President of the Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti, Udaipur and is extremely active in the conservation of Mewar's cultural and historic heritage.
Lakshyaraj uses his public profile to create awareness about issues relevant to the urban and rural societies in the region and campaigns for health, environmental and youth causes. The love and trust accrued over 76 generations by his family allow him to take a leading role in social causes close to his heart.
In his personal life Mr.
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