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Siha. There were a couple of leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Amet (Choondawat); Thana (Choondawat); and Rajrana Siha of Bari Sadri, one of the heroes of Mewar killed in the second sack of Chittor at Hanuman Pol (1534).
Sihar (Saktawat), former name of the town of NATHDWARA, 68 km. north of Udaipur. A cart carrying a statue of Krishna as a child (Nathji), en route from Mathura to sanctuary in Udaipur, ended its journey at Sihar. A temple was built to house the idol, and the town's name was changed (see NATHDWARA'S STATUE OF KRISHNA). Maharana Ari Singh II (1761-1773) granted the jagir of Sihar to Surajmal Saktawat.
Genealogy: Surajmal; Hamir Singh; Bakhtawat Singh; Dalpat Singh; Sakti Singh; Udai Singh; Bhupal Singh.
Sihasan: see SINHASAN.
Siladitya VI, King of Vallabhi, Saurashtra peninsula (now modern Gujarat). He was attacked and assassinated by 'barbarians' (6th century AD). His wife, PUSHPAVATI, on a pilgrimage in Mewar at the time, survived. Shortly after, she gave birth to a son, GUHIL, who founded the GUHILOT Dynasty (AD ca 569), forerunner of the Mewar Dynasty. Siladitya was the final ruler of the MAITRAKA dynasty of Gujarat.
Simha, an old form of the Rajput name SINGH, meaning 'lion'.
Sind (Sindh), now a southeastern province of Pakistan, but originally part of southwest Rajputana. Mercenaries from Sind, SINDIS, helped the Maharanas of Mewar in their battles against the MARATHAS.
Sindhia, Daulat Rao, nephew of MAHADAJI SINDHIA; succeeded his uncle as Peshwa (leader) of the MARATHAS.
Sindhia, Mahadaji (1761-1794), ruler of the Maratha clan, the SINDHIAS who had taken over Gwalior, north of Mewar. He created a North Indian empire virtually independent of the Peshwa in Poone. Sindhia emerged from the war with the British East India Company from 1775 to 1782 as the recognised ruler of northwestern India. In 1768, he assisted the Pretender, Kunwar RATAN SINGH and disenchanted nobles in their bid to take the throne of Mewar from Maharana AMAR SINGH II. Although defeating the Maharana at the BATTLE OF UJJAIN, he finally withdrew his support of the Pretender's force, when the Maharana offered him a suitable fee to do so.
With the aid of French officers he defeated the Rajputs, took the Mughal emperor Shah Alam under his protection, and finally won control of the Peshwa by defeating the Maratha HOLKAR, the Peshwa's chief general, in 1793. His grandnephew, Daulat Rao, however, suffered serious reverses. He came into conflict with the British in 1803; after being defeated in four battles by General Lake he was obliged to disband his French-trained army and sign a treaty; he gave up control of Delhi but retained Rajputana until 1817. See also MARATHAS.
Sindhias, a Maratha family that came to rule Gwalior, north of Mewar. Following the death of SHIVAJI, leader of what became Maharashtra State, a Maratha confederacy was formed with the Peshwa (chief minister) stationed in Poone (Poona). Soon Shivaji's nationalistic dream of freeing India from the yoke of foreigners was forgotten when Maratha clans, greedy for wealth and power, went their own ways. They invaded the northern state of Rajputana, including Mewar, grabbing land and extorting tribute money from the various rulers. The Sindhias became the ruling family of Gwalior, which for a time in the 18th century dominated the politics in North India. Ranoji Sindhia, who in 1726 was put in charge of the Malwa district by the Peshwa (chief minister of Maratha State), founded the dynasty. At his death in 1745, Ranoji had established his capital at Ujjain; only later was the Sindhia capital moved to Gwalior. Probably the greatest of Ranoji's successors was Mahadaji SINDHIA (Sindhia Mahadaji). Sindhia power was broken by a treaty with the British in 1818, and survived as a princely house until 1947. See also MARATHAS and SINDHIA, MAHADAJI.
Sindhis: see SINDIS.
Sindis (Sindhis), Indo-Aryan people living in Sind Province in southwest Rajputana (now in Pakistan). They were mercenaries who fought for Mewar against the MARATHAS. Unfortunately, they also managed to extract payments of large amounts of money, adding to Mewar's financial woes, and virtually took over Udaipur at one time. See also RATAN SINGH, KUNWAR.
Singasan: see SINHASAN.
Singh, (Hindi) Lion; used as a surname by a majority of Rajputs, Sikhs and other communities. See also SINH.
Singoli (Poorawat), a town 160 km. from Udaipur, near Bhainsrorgarh in Chittor District; jagir of the descendants of Mokham Singh, younger brother of Mahesdas of MANGROP. Maharana Ari Singh II (1761-1773) gave Singoli to Naval Singh; an offshoot of Mangrop.
Genealogy: Naval Singh; Jagat Singh; Man Singh; Shivdan Singh; Hari Singh.
Sinh (Sinhji), the form of Singh used in Gujarat, where the 'g' is dropped and the suffix of respect, 'ji' is added.
Sinha, Rawal, twelfth ruler of Mewar (r. 813-828); succeeded his father BHERT PATT I and ruled for fifteen years from Chittor. Very little is known of his reign. His son, KHUMAN (II), succeeded him.
Sinhasan, an ancient term for the Hindu throne, signifying the 'lion seat'. (The first 'n' is silent; also spelled Sihasan or Singasan.) See SANGA AND PRITHVI RAJ; also AASAN.
Sinhji: see SINH.
Sipra, the river that passes Ujjain in the erstwhile kingdom of MALWA and finally joins the Chambal. It was in a field near the river that the Battle of Ujjain (also known as the Battle at Sipra) was fought between the forces of Maharana ARI SINGH II and the combined force of the Pretender to the Mewar throne, Kunwar RATAN SINGH, and the Maratha Peshwa, Mahadaji SINDHIA in 1768. See UJJAIN, BATTLE OF.
Sipra, Battle at the: see UJJAIN, BATTLE OF.
Siropa, (Hindi) a gift. While honouring a person it was a custom to present him with small gifts, which were different depending on the rank of the recipient. A man of status would receive a Hathi Siropa (an elephant), along with swords, ornaments, horses, or brocade clothing, etc. A person of lesser rank would receive cash, a turban, or some ornament, etc.
sisa (shisa), (Hindi) hot, molten lead.
Sisarma, a suburb of Udaipur, on the western shore of Pichola Lake.
Sisoda, a town about 15 km. northwest of NATHDWARA, which became the headquarters of the breakaway branch of the ruling Guhilot family of Mewar, naming themselves SISODIA after the town. See following entry, and MEWAR FAMILY SPLIT.
Sisodia, the major clan of Mewar since Maharana HAMIR SINGH I (1326-1364). Prior to that, since Guhil (569-586) founded the dynasty, the original Guhilot family ruled Mewar. However, in the 12th century, Chittor came under attack and the Mewar capital was relocated at AHAR. It was during this period that there was a FAMILY SPLIT. For reasons unknown, the breakaway occurred possibly towards the end of the reign of Rawal KARAN (RAN) SINGH I (1158-1168). Two of his sons, Mahap and Rahap, quit Ahar, possibly in anger that another son, KSHEM SINGH had been declared Karan's heir. Mahap established a small, independent kingdom at Dungarpur. Rahap defeated Mokal, the Paramara (Parihara) Prince of Mandor at SISODA. He established a junior branch of the Guhilot family at Sisoda, naming his clan Sisodias after the town, and taking the title of 'Rana'.
Genealogy: The line of succession of the Sisodia Ranas was Rahap, Narpat, Dinkaran, Jaskaran Nagpal, Puran Pal, Prithi Pal, Bhuvan Singh, Bhim Singh, Jai Singh and Laksha (or Lakshman) Singh.
Laksha was killed at the first sack of Chittor (1303), as was the ruler of Mewar, Rawal RATAN SINGH I. Laksha's grandson, Hamir succeeded him, and also the king. Thus the Sisodias became the ruling family of Mewar with HAMIR SINGH I (1326-1364), who replaced the age-old, traditional title of 'Rawal' with that of the Sisodias, 'Rana', extending it to 'Maharana'.
In his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, James TOD recounts an amusing story of the origin of the name Sisodia. He claims an old holy man near Bhainsrorgarh told it to him.
In these wilds, an ancient Rana of Chittor (actually Ahar, as his patronymic in this tale is Ahariya) sat down to a got (feast) consisting of the game slain in the chase: and being very hungry, he hastily swallowed a piece of meat to which a gadfly adhered. The fly grievously tormented the Rana's stomach, and he sent for a physician. The wise man (bedi) secretly ordered an attendant to cut off the tip of a cow's ear, as the only means of saving the monarch's life. On obtaining this forbidden morsel (the cow being sacred to a Hindu, the consumption of beef is therefore anathema), the bedi folded it in a piece of thin cloth, and attaching a string to it, made the royal patient swallow it. The gadfly fastened on to the bait, and was dragged to light. The physician was rewarded; but the curious Rana insisted on knowing by what means the cure was effected. When he heard that a piece of sacred kine had passed his lips, he determined to expiate the enormity in a manner that its heinousness required, and to swallow boiling lead (sisa)! A vessel was put on the fire, and half a ser soon melted, when, praying that his involuntary offence might be forgiven, he boldly drank it off; but lo! It passed through him like water. From that day, the name of the tribe was changed from Aharya to Sisodia (possibly after the miraculous dose of molten lead, 'sisa').
Told called it "an absurd tale"; as stated above, the name Sisodia was derived from the village of Sesoda in western Mewar. Author, Chandradioji Sisodia, writing in the time of Maharana Fateh Singh, paid the clan this eulogistic (and, of course, biased) tribute:
The noblest of the noble race of Rajputs, represent the elder branch of the Suryanvanshi (Children of the Sun) Raghuvansi, another patronymic derived from the predecessor of Rama from whom (as genealogists state), all the solar lines descended. The titles of many of these families are disputed. But the entire Aryan or Hindu race yield unanimous franchise to the Chief of the Sisodias, as the legitimate heir to the throne of Many, Ishwaku, Delipa, Raghu, Darasratha, and Rama, and style him 'Hindua Suraj' (sun of the Hindu race) and 'Yavadaryakulakamladhivarkara' (sun of the entire Aryan race). He is universally allowed to be the first of the 36 royal clans, therefore, as the crowning ornament of the Aryan aristocracy is quite beyond all question of rivalry.
Sita, consort of Rama (the seventh avatar of Vishnu), who (as recounted in the RAMAYANA) was abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Ceylon and taken to his abode. There she remained, devoted and faithful to her husband until, with the help of Hanuman the Monkey God, he was able to rescue her. Because of her faithfulness, Sita represents the ideal Hindu wife.
Sitamata Game Sanctuary, Udaipur; on the western shore of Pichola Lake.
Sitar, an Indian stringed instrument of the lute family. It is used as a solo instrument with tambura (drone-lute) and tabla (drums), and in ensembles.
Siva: see SHIVA.
Sivis, an ancient tribe who fled the first known invasion of India by the Greeks. They established the town of Madhyamika, now the village of Nagri, some 4.5 km. from Chittor.
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