The kingdom of Jodhpur was ruled by the powerful Rathor clan. The Rathors trace their ancestry back to Lord Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, and, through him, to the sun god himself. In AD 470, Nayan Pal, a Rathor prince, established himself as the ruler of great kingdom of Kannauj in central India. However, by 1192 Kannauj fell to the Muslim invader, Mohammed Ghori. Rao Siyaji, an heir to the throne, escaped with the traditional panchranga ("five-colored") flag of the Rathors and marched into the deserts of Rajasthan with his followers to set up a new kingdom there.

an old cityscape

By the 15th century the Rathors ruled all of Marwar, with their capital at Mandore. Shortly after, they went to war with the Maharanas of Mewar over the accession to the throne of Chittorgarh. The conflict was successfully resolved in 1459. Rao Jodha, the ruler of Marwar, abandoned his old capital and built a new fort on the rocky cliffs of what is now Jodhpur. Unfortunately, the legend goes, in the process he had to displace a hermit who was meditating at the site, and the hermit placed a curse on his descendants, saying henceforth they would be plagued by famine every year. Rao Jodha later placated the holy man, but the curse could not be withdrawn completely - which, they say, is the reason why, even today, there is a drought in Jodhpur every three or four years.