Chonda (founder of the CHOONDAWATS): see CHOONDA.

Chondawats (the leading Mewar clan): see CHOONDAWATS.

Choonda (Chonda, Chunda), Prince, the eldest son and heir of Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421); a rather earnest and pure-minded man, qualities that led him to renounce his right to the throne and found the CHOONDAWAT clan of Salumbar. His famous story is one of categorical non-compromise. In medieval times in Mewar, when one royal father offered his daughter in marriage to the son of another ruler, usually for a political alliance, it was tradition to send a coconut as a symbol of the proposal. It all began innocently enough, when Rao Ranmal, the Rathore family king of Mandor in Marwar, the Rajput kingdom on Mewar's western border, wanted a political alliance with his powerful neighbour. He sent Choonda a coconut, a traditional symbol, offering his sister, Princess Hansabai, in marriage to Crown Prince Choonda. However, when the Marwar ambassador arrived at Chittorgarh, Choonda was absent and Maharana Lakha received the gentleman. It is reported that he said, jokingly, "My son will soon return and accept the honour, for I don't suppose your king would send such a plaything to an old greybeard like me." The court duly laughed and applauded and, by repetition, the incident gained undue importance. Rajputs being famous for their honour towards the fairer sex, when Choonda returned and heard the story, he was immediately offended that "delicacy had been sacrificed to wit". He declined to accept the symbol and the marriage proposal. As the coconut could not be returned without insult to Ranmal, the Maharana announced that he himself would marry Hansabai, which he did. It is said the union prompted Prince Choonda to remark with an acerbic wit, "Now Ranmalji's sister is my mother."

The entire situation had begun as a harmless jest, but Maharana Lakha now took it seriously, and announced a shattering condition: Prince Choonda had to promise that, in the event of Hansabai having a son, he would be the heir to the throne of Mewar. Choonda agreed to it and took an oath: he swore by Eklingji to honour his father's wishes, and renounced the throne. Thus a harmless jest eventually deprived Lakha's heir of his birthright. In 1409, Maharana Lakha had his new son by Hansabai, the same princess from Marwar whom Choonda had rejected. The child was named Mokal. A few years later, Lakha set out on a campaign to help drive the Muslims from the Hindu holy city of Gaya in India's far northeast. Before he left, Lakha asked Choonda what estates would be settled on young Mokal in the event of the old Maharana's death. "The throne of Chittor," was Choonda's honest reply. Gratified by his eldest son's sacrifice, yet covering all eventualities, Lakha appointed Choonda the Regent of his young stepbrother. In 1421, Maharana Lakha died in the Gaya campaign; Mokal, aged 5, became the new Maharana of Mewar. Choonda honoured the promise made to his father and did not take the throne. Instead he became Prime Minister, and also Regent to his stepbrother Mokal, who was still a minor. As the boy's guardian, he swore to look after affairs of state until his stepbrother came of age. The nobles of Mewar, in admiration, made a rule that in future the sign of the spear-the emblem of power-would be imprinted on all the state documents and grants by Choonda and his descendants and that they would have the authority to decide, in consultation with other Samants (chieftains), the destiny of Mewar in periods of crisis. Although Choonda performed his caretaker duties with honesty and efficiency, the Rajmata (Queen Mother Hansabai) soon undermined his power, by suggesting his motives were not as felicitous as they appeared. She was perturbed he might be plotting to renege on his promise and take the throne. This, of course, would mean her own loss of power at Court. Although he allowed that she was being maternal in protecting the rights of her son, Choonda reminded his stepmother that had he not renounced his right to the throne in the first place, she would never have been Rajmata. He warned her not to destroy the Sisodia family with her petty suspicions. Rather than prolong the intrigue, Choonda graciously retired to Mandu, then capital of Malwa, Mewar's eastern neighbour.

Events moved swiftly in neighbouring Marwar. It seems that Rao Ranmal's wanting a political alliance with Mewar through marriage may well have been a means to a longtime end. With Choonda out of the way, a contingent of the Rajmata's relatives from Marwar ascended on Chittor. First came her nephew Jodha (who would later found the city of Jodhpur), then her brother, Rao Ranmal, who had a desire to exchange the arid western deserts of his kingdom for the fertile valleys of Mewar. In other words, it was an invidious takeover plot, which was eventually foiled by the assassination of the 24-year-old Maharana Mokal. During the reign of Kumbha, Mokal's young son and successor, Rao Ranmal murdered Choonda's much-loved brother, RAGHUDEO. Hansabai, then acting as Regent for her grandson, Khumba, immediately forgot their earlier differences and sent Choonda an urgent message for help. Choonda devised a plan to have young Maharana Kumbha, his mother and his dhai (nurse) visit a religious festival at Gosunda, about 11 km. south of Chittor on the Mandu road. With a band of forty warriors, Choonda galloped to the fort, actually passing the royal party on the way. The Rathores in the fort were slaughtered unmercifully, including Rao Ranmal who died perhaps happily enough: it has been written that, at the time, he was high on opium. Only Prince Jodha managed to escape, to build his new city and continue the Rathore line in Marwar.

Choonda settled in the district of SALUMBAR (55 km. southeast of modern Udaipur), where he established his own clan, the CHOONDAWATS. They remained the leading clan of Mewar and became a powerful force in the kingdom. The only physical reminder of Choonda these days are the ruins of Choonda's house (or the House of Salumbar, as it is sometimes called) south of the Kalika Mata Temple in Chittorgarh.

Choonda cenotaph, Chittorgarh; the memorial to Prince CHOONDA, founder of the Choondawat clan, who surrendered his birthright (to the throne of Mewar) to please his father, Maharana LAKHA (1382-1421).

Choonda, house of, Chittorgarh; to the south of KALIKA MATA TEMPLE. It is now in ruins; also called the House of SALUMBAR.

Choondawats (Chondawats, Chundawats), the leading clan of Mewar. Choonda, eldest son of Maharana Lakha, founded it after he renounced the throne (see CHOONDA). Their capital is Salumbar, southeast of Udaipur. In recognition of Choonda's renunciation of the throne, Choonda's descendants, known as Choondawats have held an honoured place in the Court of Mewar. Whenever a Maharana left the capital, the Salumbar chief was invested with the government of the city and in charge of the palace during his absence. They remained so powerful that, until 1948, any official document of Mewar not signed by a member of the Choondawat clan (or their designated signatory) was not considered legal. (Because Salumbar was some distance from the capital, which was often an inconvenience, the right of 'signing' these documents was transferred, on behalf of the Choondawats, to the Sahiwalas from the Kayast community, which had the reputation of producing excellent administrators.) In recognition of Choonda renouncing the throne, his descendants have steadfastly refused to assume the royal insignia of State. At the battle of KHANWA (1528), Maharana SANGRAM SINGH I led the Rajput forces against Babur. Severely wounded, Sanga retired from the field to rally Mewar forces and, at the same time, deceive the enemy. Several of Sanga's nobles elected Ratan Singh of Salumbar to represent their ruler. Ratan Singh refused on the grounds that he was a Choondawat and therefore, by assuming royal insignia, would break the promise made by his ancestor, Choonda. The nobles then elected another noble, Jhala Ajja to represent the Maharana-since then this right has remained with the Jhala family. (At the Battle of HALDIGHATI in 1576 when Maharana Pratap Singh was forced to retire wounded, Jhala Mann, a descendant of Jhala Ajja, also took the royal insignia and temporary control of the Mewar army. He gave his life allowing the wounded Maharana Pratap Singh to escape.)

The fact that this elder branch of the Sisodia family became a subordinate clan, with unfulfilled claims to the throne and held an honoured place at Court (traditionally they were Mewar's Prime Ministers), led to bitter rivalry between the Choondawats and the SAKTAWATS, a lesser branch of the family. The Saktawats, founded by Sakta (Shakta), a younger brother of Pratap Singh, considered they should have an equal share of honours. In his Annals, James TOD writes that so many sudden deaths had occurred in the Choondawat family they strongly suspected members of the Saktawats of "heaping these mortal murders on the crown" to push their elders from their seats (at Court). It is said that the father of Padma (the Choondawat chief in Tod's time) was poisoned; and Pahar Singh, one generation before him, returned grievously wounded from the battle of Ujjain and "was not permitted to recover." South of the Kalika Mata Temple, Chittor, stand the ruins of the House of Salumbar (or the House of Choonda, as it is sometimes called) where Choondawat nobles lived while in the capital.

Choti Chitrashali, a small but ornate room in the City Palace, Udaipur; one of the later additions to the sprawling palace complex. It is renowned for its brilliant blue mosaics.

Choti Sadri, a town in a deep forest in the CHAPPAN district, southeast of Udaipur; once the abode of the native Minas and BHILS. The estates of some vassal chiefs of the Maharana were also located there; the duty of these chiefs was to repress the tribal excesses, but often they encouraged the tribals to plunder, and shared the spoils.

Chotta (Mewar village): see LITTLE ATOA.

chouhatta, a square in a bazaar with shops on all four sides.

Chowraya, a town square or traffic circle where four roads meet from different sides; 'chow' means 'four'; 'raya' means 'road'.

Chunda: see CHOONDA.

Chundawat: see CHOONDAWAT.