The Bundela is a Rajput clan. [2] [3] [4] Over several generations, the cadet lineages of Bundela Rajputs founded several states in area what came to be known as Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom from the 16th century. [5] [6]
As per Jaswant Lal Mehta, the word "Bundela" is based on a deity, named Bind-bhasini Devi, who is believed to have her abode on the Bindhachal, the northern most part of the Vindhya ranges. [7]
According to Bundela legends, Jagdas' descendant Arjunpal was the ruler of Mahoni. His eldest son Birpal succeeded him as the king of Mahoni, although his younger son Sohanpal was the best warrior. To get his share of the kingdom, Sohanpal sought help from Naga (alias Hurmat Singh), the Khangar ruler of Kurar (Kundar). Naga demanded a matrimonial alliance in return. When Sohanpal refused, Naga tried to detain him and forcibly agree him to the condition. Sohanpal escaped, and unsuccessfully sought help from the Chauhans, the Salingars, and the Kachwahas. Ultimately, a Panwar chief named Panpal (or Punyapal) agreed to help him. Their joint army defeated Naga in 1288 CE. [8] Sohanpal killed all the Khangar men in the fort, but spared the babies on the condition that the Khangars would serve as the servants of the Bundelas. [9] Sohanpal became the king of Kurar, and his daughter married Panpal. [8]
Rudra Pratap Singh (reigned 1501-1531 CE), said to be a descendant of Sohanpal, moved his capital from Garh Kundar to Orchha in 1531 CE. [10] The Orchha State was the parent Bundela kingdom. Datia State (1626 CE) and Panna State (1657 CE) separated from the Orchha State. After the death of Panna's founder Chhatrasal in 1731, Ajaigarh State, Bijawar State and Charkhari State separated from Panna. [11] The official records of the Chhatarpur State also mentioned the clan of its rulers as "Panwar Bundela". Its founder was a Panwar, who was in service of the Bundela ruler of Panna State until 1785 CE. [11]
The Bundelkhand ("Bundela domain") region was named after the Bundelas. [12]
The different Bundela chieftains of Bundelkhand often fought against each other which the Mughals often took advantage of. [13]
Bajirao I was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He, after Shivaji, is considered to be the most charismatic and dynamic leader in Maratha history. He was just twenty years old and already had a reputation for rapid decisions and a passion for military adventure.
Bundelkhand is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lying in the latter state.
Orchha is a town, near the city of Niwari in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by a Bundela rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of covering parts of central & north India, in the Bundelkhand region. Orchha lies on the Betwa River, 80 km from Tikamgarh and 15 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.
Chhatri are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round.
Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km from Isagarh. It is surrounded by hills southwest of the Betwa River. Chanderi is surrounded by hills, lakes and forests and is spotted with several monuments of the Bundela Rajputs. It is famous for ancient Jain Temples. Its population in 2011 was 33,081.
Tikamgarh is a town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri consisting of three hamlets, forming a rough triangle. In Tikamgarh town there is locality still known as 'Purani Tehri'. Until Indian independence in 1947, Tikamgarh, formerly called Tehri, was part of the kingdom of Orchha, which was founded in the 16th century by the Bundeli chief Rudra Pratap Singh, who became the first King of Orchha. In 1783 the capital of the state was moved to Tehri, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Orchha, which was home to the fort of Tikamgarh, and the town eventually took the name of the fort. The district is famous for the old fort of Kundar known as Garh Kundar, which was built by Khangars and remained the capital of Khangar rulers from 1180 to 1347.
Satna is a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of Satna district. It is 7th largest city and 8th most populous city of the state. The city is 500 km east of the state capital Bhopal. The city is distributed over a land area of 111.9 square kilometres.
Bijawar is a city the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bijawar Taluk, and was formerly the capital of a princely state of British India of the same name. The people of Bijawar are demanding the district status from their state government. It is the 53rd proposed district of Madhya Pradesh
Chhatrasal Bundela was the Raja of Panna from 1675 to 1731. He is well known for his resistance against the Mughal Empire.
Garh Kundar is a small village in the city of Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh. It has been named so after the splendid fort, or "Garh", of Kundar located here. From 925 to 1507 AD, Garh Kundar fort witnessed many battles and bloodshed. Yashovarma Chandel built the fort after conquering south western Bundelkhand. In the battle between Prithviraj Chauhan and the Chandels in 1182 AD fort commander. Shayaji Parmar lost and the fort came under Prithviraj Chauhan. Then Rajput King Prithviraj Chauhan appointed Khub Singh khangar as the ruler of this fort who founded the Khangar Dynasty afterwards.
Chauth was a regular tax or tribute imposed from the early 18th century by the Maratha Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It was an annual tax nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name, on lands that were under nominal Mughal rule. The sardeshmukhi was an additional 10% levy on top of the chauth. A tribute paid to the king, it was started by Koli Maharaja Som Shah of Ramnagar.
The Maratha–Mysore wars were a conflict in the 18th century India between the Maratha Confederacy and the Kingdom of Mysore. Though initial hostilities between the sides started in 1760s, the last battle began in February 1785 and ended in 1787.
Orchha State was a kingdom situated in the Bundelkhand region and later a princely state in British India. The state was ruled by Bundela clan of Rajputs. It was located within what is now the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Raja Vir Singh Ju Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha in the historic Bundelkhand region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He was a vassal of the imperial Mughal Empire. and ruled between the year 1605 and either 1626 or 1627.
Khaniadhana or Khaniyadhana was a princely state of British India ruled by the Judev dynasty of Bundela Rajputs. The capital of the State was Khaniadhana. It was part of the Bundelkhand Agency and later the Central India Agency.
Raja Jhujhar Singh Ju Deo was the Bundela ruler of Orchha Kingdom in the 17th century reining from 1627 to 1635 in the cultural Bundelkhand region of modern Madhya Pradesh.
Nawab Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan Barha, officially Itisham-ul-Mulk, was a kingmaker of the later Mughal Period. Best known for ordering the death of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar largely in attempt to halt the numerous assaination attempts that the latter had ordered against him and his brother Abdullah Khan Barha. Hussain Ali Khan rose as a kingmaker in early 18th century India, when he was concurrently the governor of Ajmer and Aurangabad in the Deccan.
Khet Singh Khangar was one of the rulers of Garh Kundar.
Rajput architecture is an architectural style associated with the forts and palaces of the many Rajput rulers. Many of the Rajput forts are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and popular tourist attractions.
The Bundelas, who imparted their name to their habitat, were a clan of Rajputs, who emerged as a political entity in central India in the early medieval period.