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 Mahabha ...

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 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 subcla ...

s, the Salingars, and the

Kachwaha The Kachhwaha or Kachawa is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. Sometimes families within the clan ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states, such as Jaipur, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Alwar and Maihar. Subclans Rajawat, S ...

s. Ultimately, a Panwar 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 ...

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, is ...

(reigned 1501-1531 CE), said to be a descendant of Sohanpal, moved his capital from Garh Kundar to Orchha 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 ...

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, 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.

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

Etymology

Expansion legends

Historical kingdoms

See also

References

Bibliography