The kings of Jaipur - A quick overview!

When we talk about the kings of Jaipur, we are essentially talking about the "kachaawa" dynasty. The word kachaawa comes from "kushava" or "kusha". Lord Rama sons were Lava and Kusha. The Kings of Jaipur consider themselves to be descendents of "Kusha" and hence the name "kachaawa". Right from 966 AD, there were 40 kings... continuing to this day.

However, it would be inappropriate to call these 40 kings as "kings of Jaipur" because Jaipur itself came much later (only about 200 years ago). Till then, there was no Jaipur city. These kings ruled from the Amber Palace area (which is situated atop a hill and overlooks today's Jaipur City).

Though this dynasty has 40 kings, only the following kings are prominent when it comes to understanding the history behind Jaipur and the Amber Palace.

The data has been picked up from the multiple guides who accompanied us on our tours. No attempt has been made to verify these details from any other source!

The accomplishments of the main kings can be summarized as follows:

• Raja Mansingh I: 
• Unlike the other kings of this dynasty who fought against the mughals, Raja Mansingh I befriended the mughals. He was Emperor Akbar's commander-in-chief. As per one version, Jodhabai was his sister. Akbar married Jodhabai and Salim (emperor Jahangir) was their son. During his reign, many parts of the Amber fort were added.
Raja Mansingh I wielded a 5.5 kg sword! The sword is on display in the armory section of the Jaipur City Palace and is a center of attraction. It is left to us to imagine how someone could hold a sword as heavy as this and wield it effectively! He must have been one powerful man!

• Mirza Raja Jaisingh:
• (aka Raja Jaisingh I): He was a contemporary of Emperor Aurangzeb. He helped Shivaji to fight against Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb considered this an act of treason and promptly had Raja Jaisingh I put to death by poisoning him. He was also instrumental in further additions to the Amber Palace.


• Sawai Raja Jaisingh: 
• (aka Raja Jaisingh II): He ascended the throne at the tender age of 14. Aurangzeb accosted the boy in a bid to hussle him. With both his arms, Aurangzeb held the boy by the shoulders roughly. The boy wasn't intimidated. He said that when someone held another by the shoulder, it was considered an act of an enduring relationship lasting 7 lives as per the Rajput tradition! And now that Aurangzeb had held him by both arms, it was as if, they were bound to each other forever! Aurangzeb was so pleased with the boy's presence of mind that he conferred upon him the title of "sawai" (meaning "one and a quarter"). It meant that if everyone was given a grade of "one" for their intelligence quotient, the boy was head and shoulders above the rest and hence would earn a grade of "one and a quarter". The title stuck. The boy was known there after as "sawai Raja Jaisingh". In fact, all the kings in the dynasty took the sobriquet of "sawai" from this point onwards.

           Sawai Raja Jaisingh II has several accomplishments:

• He built the city of Jaipur and moved from the Amber Palace to the "City Palace" in Jaipur. In a way, he can be considered as the father of Jaipur. The city gets its name from him. 
• He mastered 17 languages and had a great interest in astronomy.
• The Jantar Mantar at Jaipur was his creation. 
• He set up 36 factories (kaarkhaanas) in Jaipur and encouraged local craftsmanship in a big way. Some of these factories continue to this day. 
• He learnt the secret of building a cannon from the mughals and built the biggest cannon. As per one story, the mughals kept the construction of the cannon as a top secret. Right from the time of Babur, the cannon was their stregth. Rana Sangha and all the Rajput kings with him suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Babur. When Babur's cannons fired, the elephants on the side of the Rajputs went berserk and trampled their own army. The cannon was an unknown commodity. It was Sawai Raja Jaisingh who learnt the science by pretending to be a commoner under the mughal army and set the equation right.
 

Sawai Madho Singh I:

He was over 7 feet tall and had a chest span of 4 feet! His clothes are on display at the City Palace. A few normal human beings can fit into that tunic and the cummerbund on display! They are so oversized that it boggles the imagination to construct Sawai Madho Singh's frame! The "Sawai Madhopur" township (which falls on the Mumbai-Delhi railway line) is in memory of this king.

Sawai Partap Singh: 

He built the "Jal Mahal" and the "Hawa Mahal". Both are stunning monuments and often the face of Jaipur City today.

Sawai Ram Singh II: 

When Prince Albert visited Jaipur in 1863, Sawai Ram Singh II had all the walls of the city and the major monuments painted in a shade of pink. Pink was a sign of welcome as per Rajput tradition. From this point onwards, Jaipur was known as the "Pink City". When we view the monuments today, they don't exactly look pink in color. It is a shade of "vermilion red, a little burnt sienna and white" mized together to give a pink like hue.

 

Sawai Madho Singh II: 

In 1902, Sawai Madho Singh II set sail for Britain. He stayed there for 6 months. A deeply religious man, Madho Singh II used only Ganga water. He had two gigantic jugs made of silver, filled them with water from the Ganga and took them with him! These are the biggest silver jugs ever made and find a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records! Presently, both these jugs are on display at the Jaipur "City Palace" and make interesting viewing.

Sawai Mansingh II: 

He was a handsome man and a great polo player. He won the polo championship in France in 1957. He was married to Gayatri Devi who was one of the most beauitiful women of her time. He died while playing polo. His trophies are on display at the Jaipur "City Palace".