Far East Kingdoms

Alwar (Rajputana) (India)

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The name of Rajputana is the old form of today's modern Indian state of Rajasthan. It borders Pakistan in the north-west, and the Indian states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the south, south-east, east, and north respectively.

It is the land of the kshatriya (warrior) Rajputs (with other communities including Meenas, Gujars, Brahmins, Jats, Yadavs, Bhils, Bishnois, and Ahirs). The Rajputs derive their name from their state: Rajputana literally means the 'land of the princes' (with 'raj' meaning 'king' and 'put' meaning 'son'). The modern capital of Rajasthan is Jaipur, while the earliest Rajput kingdom was at Kannauj in today's Uttar Pradesh.

Those Rajput kingdoms which emerged following the break-up of the Thaneshwar empire in the sixth century AD included Ajmer (one of the most important early Rajput states), Alwar, Banswara, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Bundi, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jhalawar, Karauli, Kishangad, Kotah, Marwar, Mewar (Udaipur - the senior Rajput kingdom), Pratapgarh, Tonk, and Taranga, with that list not even being exhaustive.

All were eventually conquered by the Moghuls but, during the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, Rajputana acted as an agency under the British Raj. It was formed of a group of kingdoms which owed allegiance to the British crown, but which were autonomous enough to run their own administration.

Initially known as Ulwar, Alwar was located near Jaipur in the Rajputana region. The state was also claimed as a Jat state after the kingdom of Bharatpur was founded. The rajas claimed descent from Raja Udaikarna of Amer, belonging to the Kachwaha clan (they claimed a lineage which descended from the legendary Prithviraj Chauhan, the king of early Delhi).

It was Alwar which was the first of the princely states of Rajputana to sign a treaty of friendship with the British East India Company. In addition Hemu, the celebrated king who challenged the might of Akbar's Moghul forces, was born in Alwar.

Please note that the History Files does not regularly monitor changes in modern heads of state or their representatives. Get in touch here if this section requires updating.

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(Information by Abhijit Rajadhyaksha and Peter Kessler, with additional information by Siddharth Singh Rathore (grandson of Major Maharaj Udai Singh of Bikaner (Ridi) of the erstwhile royal family), from Maharana Pratap, Bhawan Singh Rana (containing a list of rulers of Mewar), and from External Links: India History Blogspot (formerly full of information by Abhijit Rajadhyaksha but now seemingly emptied).)

fl c.1390s

Son of Raja Udaikarna of Amber.

fl c.1660s

Thakur of Macheri.

1660s

Mirza Raja Jai Singh I of Amber, a serving general in Moghul army, grants Rao Agar Singh the additional title of thakur of Macheri. This is while the general has been deputed to tackle the troublesome Maratha king, Shivaji.

The city and principality of Alwar rose to prominence through its rich cultural heritage and natural beauty

Founder of the Khara family.

Of Para-Thakur.

1775

Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur is granted the panch hazari mansab by Moghul Emperor Shah Alam.

1775 - 1791

Son. A Kachwaha Rajput and founder of the state of Alwar.

1791 - 1815

Adopted son. Aided East India Company against the Marathas.

1815

Son. Deposed. Died in exile at Tijara in 1826.

1815 - 1857

Nephew of Bakhtawar Singh.

1857 - 1858

In common with many of his peers, Binay Singh (known colloquially as Bane Singh) assists the British in India during the Indian Mutiny (or Great Sepoy Mutiny), following which the British Viceroys are established to replace the Moghuls as the highest power in the land. Binay Singh is also a patron of the arts, encouraging fine architecture in Alwar, including palaces, gardens, buildings, and roads.

1857 - 1874

Son.

1874 - 1892

Adopted son. Poisoned.

1892 - 1937

Son. Found guilty of state irregularities. Exiled to France.

1937 - 2009

Relative and adopted son.

1947

Tejsingh Prabhakar Bahadur serves in the British army in North Africa and Italy. However, the dominion of India is formed on 15 August 1947 following the official handover of power by Britain. In the following year the raja's own state is merged within the Indian union together with the princely states of Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli to form part of Rajasthan, and the raja himself is left only with his title.

1970 - 1971

The Indian parliament in 1970 decides to abolish the institution of royalty, and in the following year the rulers of the former princely states are de-recognised, with their privy purses and titles being snatched away from them.

2009 - Present

Son. Congress politician, MLA.