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The Bundela is a
Rajput clan
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
. Over several generations, the cadet lineages of Bundela
Rajputs
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
founded several states in area what came to be known as Bundelkhand anciently known as
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi ( sa, चेदी) was a kingdom which fell roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna along the river Ken. Its capital city was called Suktimati in Sanskrit.
According to the Mahabhara ...
from the 16th century.
Etymology
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.
Expansion legends
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
Khangar (russian: Хангар) is a stratovolcano located in the central part of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is the southernmost volcano of the Sredinny Range. Its 2 km-wide caldera is now filled by a lake.
See also
* List of volcano ...
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
Chauhan
Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan.
Subclans
Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...
s, the Salingars, and the
Kachwahas. Ultimately, a
Panwar
The Panwar is a Rajput clan found in Northern India, especially in Uttarakhand.
See also
* Panwar dynasty
* Paramara dynasty
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-c ...
chief named Panpal (or Punyapal) agreed to help him. Their joint army defeated Naga in 1288 CE. 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. Sohanpal became the king of Kurar, and his daughter married Panpal.
The Mughal-Era Rajputs of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
eventually refused to acknowledge the Rajput identity claimed by their eastern counterparts, such as the Bundelas.
Historical kingdoms
Rudra Pratap Singh
Rudra Pratap Singh Bundela (r. 1501–1531) was the founder and first raja of the kingdom that became the princely state of Orchha, India, during the Lodhi Dynasty . His name is sometimes spelled Rudrapratap Singh and his last name, Bundela, i ...
(reigned 1501-1531 CE), said to be a descendant of Sohanpal, moved his capital from Garh Kundar to
Orchha
Orchha is a town, near city of Niwari in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of covering parts of c ...
in 1531 CE. The
Orchha State
Orchha State (also known as Urchha, Ondchha and Tikamgarh) 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 ...
was the parent Bundela kingdom.
Datia State
Datia State ( hi, दतिया राज्य) was a princely state in subsidiary alliance with British India.
The state was administered as part of the Bundelkhand Agency of Central India. It lay in the extreme north-west of Bundelkhand, n ...
(1626 CE) and
Panna State
Panna State was a princely state of colonial India, located in modern Panna district of Madhya Pradesh.
The state of Panna belonged to the Bundelkhand Agency and covered an area of, 6724 km2 with 1,008 villages within its borders in 190 ...
(1657 CE) separated from the Orchha State. After the death of Panna's founder
Chhatrasal
Chhatrasal Bundela (4 May 1649 – 20 December 1731) was an Indian warrior and ruler from the Bundela Rajput clan, who fought against the Mughal Empire, and established his own kingdom in Bundelkhand during the 17th-18th centuries.
Early l ...
in 1731,
Ajaigarh State
Ajaigarh State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was ruled by Bundela clan of Rajput. The state was founded in 1785 and its capital was located in Ajaigarh, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Prade ...
,
Bijawar State
Bijawar State was a princely state of colonial India, located in modern Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
The native state of Bijawar covered an area of 2520 km2 (973 sq. m.) in the Bundelkhand Agency. Forests covered nearly half t ...
and
Charkhari State
Charkhari State was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. On India's independence, this Princely state acceded to India. Currently Charkhari town, the former state's capital, is a part of Uttar Pradesh state.
...
separated from Panna. The official records of the
Chhatarpur State
Chhatarpur was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was founded in 1785 and its capital was located in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh.
Chhatarpur's last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union o ...
also mentioned the clan of its rulers as "Panwar Bundela". Its founder was a
Panwar
The Panwar is a Rajput clan found in Northern India, especially in Uttarakhand.
See also
* Panwar dynasty
* Paramara dynasty
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-c ...
, who was in service of the Bundela ruler of Panna State until 1785 CE.
The Bundelkhand ("Bundela domain") region was named after the Bundelas.
The different Bundela chieftains of Bundelkhand often fought against each other which the
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
often took advantage of.
See also
*
Bundelkhand Agency#States
References
Bibliography
*
*
* {{cite book , first=Ravindra K. , last=Jain , title=Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fghQhiowlycC&pg=PA1 , year=2002 , publisher=Orient Blackswan , isbn=978-81-250-2194-0
Bundelkhand
Rajput clans
Rajput clans of Madhya Pradesh
Rajput clans of Uttar Pradesh