Friends, do you know that there is one province (state) of independent India where not a single town, city, or district is named after Mughal kings or has an Islamic name? That province/area at the time of independence was known as RAJPUTANA, which is now known as the state of Rajasthan. This only is sufficient to show the bravery of Rajputs and the sacrifices made by them to protect their motherland.
Here is the list of some of the important cities/districts of modern-day Rajasthan, and who founded them:
1 Ajmer– It was founded by Ajayraj Chauhan, the 23rd king of the Chauhan Rajput dynasty on 27th March 1112.
2 Bikaner-Its old name is Jangal Desh. The name was changed to Bikaner, in the memory of Rao Bikaji Rathod.
3 Sri Ganganagar– The name is in the memory of Maharaja Ganga Singh.
4 Jaisalmer– This city/district was founded by Maharaval Jaisalji Bhatti, and the name Jaisalmer is derived from his name
5 Udaipur– This city/district was founded by Maharana Uday Singh Sisodia, and the name Udaipur is based on his name.
6 Badmer– The name comes from its founder Rao Bahadji.
7 Jallore– The foundation of this area was started by 10th century Parmar, Rajput king. Later it was ruled by kings of Chauhan, Rathod, and Solanki dynasties.
8 Sirohi– Sheshathmal, the son of Rao Sobhaji, founded this city on the western slopes of modern-day Sirohi. In the year 1525, he laid the foundation of Sirohi fort.
9 Dungurpur– It was founded by the king of Vagadh, Raja Dungar Singh in 1358. At the time of Babur King Uday singh was the ruler of Vagadh, who along with Maharana Sangram Singh of Mewad stopped the march of Babur.
10 Pratapgarh– It was founded by Pratap Singh Maharavat.
11 Chittor– This city/district is famous for the valour, bravery, and sacrifices of Rajputs, known as ‘Rajputana ki Shaan’. It was ruled by kings of the Sisodia dynasty, Bappa Raval and Maharana Pratap Singh.
12 Hanumangarh– King of the Bhatti dynasty constructed the Bhatner fort. As it was founded on Tuesday, the area became to be known as Hanumangarh.
13 Jodhpur– Rao Jodha founded this city on 12th May 1459, which is now known as Jodhpur.
14 Rajsamand– The name of the city/district is named after an artificial lake constructed by Rana of Mewad Raj Singh, which was named Rajsamand Lake.
15 Bundi– It was named after Boonda Meena, and was later ruled by Rao Deva of the Hada dynasty.
16 Seekar– It was founded by Veerbhan, and its old name is ‘Veerbhan Ka Baas’.
17 Pali– It was originally founded by the Brahmins of Paliwal. It is also famous for being the maternal home of Maharana Pratap and the place where the inlaws of Maharana Uday Singh resided.
18 Bhilwada– Its name is after the name of the tribal caste of Bheel, who in 16th century helped Maharana Pratap in his fight against Akbar.
19 Karoli– It was founded by King Vijay Pal, who was a descendant of Lord Krishna.
20 Sawai Madhopur– It was founded by King Madho Singh.
21 Jaipur– It was founded by Sawai Jai Singh in 1727, which was later further developed by starting from Sawai Pratap Singh to Sawai Maan Singh, the second.
22 Naggore– Fort Naggore is famous from the ancient days, believed to be made by Naag Kshatriya. Naag tribe’s history dates back to the Mahabharat period.
23 Alwar– It was the capital city of the Kachwaha Rajput dynasty kingdom, it was founded by Prabhat Singh Prabhakar in 1770.
24 Dholpur– It was founded by 11th-century king Dholan Dev. Originally its name was Dhawalpur, which later became Dholpur.
25 Jhalawad– Maharana Madan Singh Jhala constructed the Jhalawad fort in 1840, and from there the area is known as Jhalawad
26 Dousa– Initially founded by the Badgujar dynasty, later developed by rulers of the Kuchwaha dynasty
Presently, Rajasthan state has about 50 districts for administration, and all the districts other than above are also known by their ancient/original names, and none of them is named after any Mughal or Islamic rulers.
Rajputs defeated their enemies most of the time and hardly lost any war. Their defeats were minuscule in numbers. Mughal Emperor Akbar tried his level best to capture Rajputana in his lifetime but never succeeded. Kudos to the people of Rajasthan, who even during the rules of Congress in Rajasthan never allowed the change of names of any city/town, and are continuing with the old names.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
21st February 2024