February 10, 2019 -
“Rajasthan literally means ‘Land of Kings’....Chalo!” - The Vagabrothers
Let’s just accept a couple of points right up front. First, it’s too big. There is too much history here to try to condense on a short blog post. I will be leaving so much out. And second, I am very likely going to get this wrong.
However, we are about to leave for a Rajasthan and without some context of what I am looking at, it is impossible to fully appreciate it. So, I am going to try anyway.
In order to have some grasp of where we are going you have to start with the land itself. Rajasthan is a state in India that lies in the Northwest corner of of the country next to the modern day border with Pakistan. It is only one of many unique regions of India each with it’s own history. To try to make them all the same is a little like looking at the history of Texas and thinking the same facts apply to the rest of the United States.
In the Northeast of India you will find the Himalayas which are virtually impassable. And since the rest of the sub continent is surrounded by ocean, Rajasthan in the Northwest is often the main land route into India. It makes sense that many of India’s conflicts would begin here.
A little more background. There is evidence of human populations here for over 200,000 years. Walking here feels like you are walking of the foundation stones of the earth itself. But you have to start somewhere and that is too far back. So this brief synopsis will start around 1500 BC. Keep in mind Rome was in it’s infancy at that time.
1500 BC was the beginning of the Vedic Age. Semi nomadic Aryan tribes from what is now
Iran migrated into this area. Their communities were led by a chief, or Raja, and supported by priests (Brahmans). A lot happened here, but the kindergarten version is that two important things occurred.
The first is this group of people began to write down their history in Sanskrit. They would compose hymns, poetry , and this would eventually form the Vedic Philosophy. It is from these writings would arise the Hindu Faith which is by far the oldest of the world’s great faiths.
The second accomplishment is the encoding into society a structure of social order that came to be called the Caste system.
(I just know I am going to get this wrong here, but here goes....)
The caste system is based on the notion of “Varna” or color. The Aryans tended to be pale skinned immigrants from Persia and the Indus , or locals where darker skinned.
You can kind of guess what happened next. The lighter skinned Aryans formed the Priests (Brahmans), the rulers class (Kshatriyas), and the merchants (Vaishyas). The darker skinned people would form the laborers (Shudras) who would serve the three superior castes.
Now before you get too judgmental consider our own Western history. The British Class system and our own appalling history with slavery are but two of many examples. We have little to brag about. The Indian social system, however flawed, did it’s job and held the fabric of communities together for centuries. It is still here today, although not as much. It is one of the reasons so many people want have selfies with westerners. “It’s a status thing”, as it was explained to us.
So what followed for the coming years was invasion and empires that would come and go. In 300 BC Alexander the Great made it to Rajasthan and left garrisons here. The Rajput class of warriors (Later elevated to one of the superior classes above - Kshatriyas) claim they are descended from his warriors. Our own Air BNB host claims he is a Rajput. When Alexander died at a young age, the Rajputs were adrift. So they essentially became feudal warlords or maharajas in various parts of Rajasthan, often fighting with each other.
Despite this fighting, India was thriving . Art, music, trade, mathematics, Architecture, and astronomy all flourished. Religious toleration was encouraged and trading began to make local merchants rich. Two Indian princes would develop offshoots of Hinduism called Buddhism, and Jainism. The practicality and egalitarianism of these faiths appealed to many.
Then came the invasions of Islam. A relatively young faith, Islamic nobles from Persia began invasions. Initially these were met with fierce resistance by the Rajputs, but superior military tactics prevailed. The first of several Islamic invaders entered Rajasthan and beyond. These were often brutal affairs and lacked the bridge building and administrative expertise. Islamic Fiefdoms would also come and go, most often collapsing from within.
It was into this unsettled landscape that the Mughals invaded out of Uzbekistan. These were Sunni Muslims that brought with them considerable administrative expertise and superior firepower. They had rudimentary missiles that would fire from the back of war elephants! Let’s see some European power in the 17th century match that! The disorganized maharajas and Rajputs were out gunned.
There were several Mughal Emperors during the next 300-400 years. Eventually their empire would extend to most of the sub continent. Babur was the founder. His grandson Akbar the Great brought tolerance and enlightenment to his regime and was much loved for it. And Shah Jahan , his grandson, would build the Taj Mahal.
Eventually the empire grew too large and unwieldy. Constant threats from within led to an internal rot that the massive empire could not sustain. And the acceleration of it’s decline was made worse by the arrival on it’s shores of a foreign business company.
The ship flew the flag of the British East India Trading Company. But, that is an even longer story.
Postscript -
To my Muslim and Hindu friends - My high altitude rapid fly by for the glorious history of India is very likely replete with errors. Please forgive an ignorant Westerner as he tries to understand a small part of so vast a land.
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