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Of
all the kingdoms of Rajasthan, the kingdom of Mewar was
considered of prime importance, and its ruler acknowledged
as being the most senior of all the Rajput Princes.
This
is because the Sisodia Dynasty of Mewars was probably the
Oldest
Dynasty in the World,
tracing its origins directly back through seventy-six generations
to its not the antiquity of their lineage alone for which
the
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Sisodias were respected, but
also for the fierce zeal with which they upheld their independence
and their Rajput values through the centuries. Of
all the Rajput kingdoms, Mewar was the only one which refused
to marry its princess to the Mughal emperors and acquire all the
political advantage that accrued. The Sisodia were also staunch
defenders of the Hindu faith , in fact,the Dynasty's name comes
from the word 'Sisa' or lead .
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For
the legend goes that a certain prince, of the line was unwittingly
made to eat a piece of beef. When he later discovered this, he chose
to atone for his sin by swallowing molten lead. In AD 734, Bappa
Rawal, the first of the great Sisodia kings, came to the throne
It was Bappa Rawal who moved his capital to the strategic hilltop
fortress of Chittorgarh, which was to remain the capital of Mewar
for the next eight hundred years.
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