Sesodia

The Sesodia (also known as Sisodia or Sisodhya) are a Rajput clan who ruled the kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan.

Related Topics:
Rajput - Mewar - Rajasthan

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They trace their descent from Bappa Rawal, of the Guhilot or Guhila clan, who established himself as ruler of Mewar in 734, ruling from the fortress-city of Chittor (or Chittorgarh). Chittorgarh was captured after a long siege by the Ala ud din Khilji, Sultanate of Delhi, in 1303.

Related Topics:
Bappa Rawal - 734 - Chittor - Ala ud din Khilji - Sultanate of Delhi - 1303

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Hamir Singh (1326-1364) recaptured Chittorgarh in 1326, and was the first ruler of the clan to use the title rana (king). He changed the family name to Sisodia, after the village where he was born. Rana Kumbha (1433-1468) expanded the kingdom and established a system of fortresses to secure its boundaries, and made Mewar the most powerful Rajput state of the period. Rana Sangha (1509-1527), sought to free northern India from the Sultanate, and convinced Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty, to challenge Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. Babur defeated Ibrahim at the First Battle of Panipat, and Rana Sangha then led an assembled Rajput army to drive Babur away and to recapture Delhi from the Muslims, who had ruled there since the end of the 12th century. Rana Sangha was defeated by Babur at the Battle of Khanua, and Mewar was forced to pay tribute to the Mughals. The struggle between Babur's successor Humayun and the Suri Dynasty allowed Mewar to regain its independence for several decades. Humayun's successor Akbar brought most of the Rajput states under his rule by force or by dynastic marriage, but the Sisodias refused, and Akbar sent an army headed by the Rajput General Man Singh of the Kachwaha clan. After the capture of Chittor by the emperor Akbar in 1568, Rana Udai Singh II (1537-1572) shifted the capital to the more defensible site of Udaipur, which he had founded shortly before the fall of Chittor. Rana Pratap Singh (1572-1596) led a guerilla war against the occupying armies of the Mughals and their Rajput allies. After the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb attacked the neighboring kingdom of Marwar in 1679, the Sesodias formed a triple alliance with the Rathores of Marwar and the Kachwahas of Jaipur to liberate the Rajputs from the Mughals. Bhim Singh (1777-1828) was the first ruler to use the title maharana (great king). A branch of the family ruled the state of Barwani in present-day Madhya Pradesh. After India became independent in 1947, Maharana Sir Bhupal Singh acceded to the Government of India in 1948. The Sisodias still retain their royal titles and Maharana Arvind Singh of Udaipur is still the "royal officiator of Udaipur" (2005).

Related Topics:
Hamir Singh - 1326 - 1364 - Rana Kumbha - Rana Sangha - Babur - Mughal - Ibrahim Lodi - First Battle of Panipat - Delhi - Battle of Khanua - Humayun - Suri Dynasty - Akbar - Man Singh - Kachwaha - 1568 - Rana Udai Singh II - Udaipur - Rana Pratap Singh - Guerilla - Aurangzeb - Marwar - Rathore - Jaipur - Barwani - Madhya Pradesh

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