THETORCH BEARER OF DAUSA HISTORY

Indian History, there have been many versions of it, and many times, it has been manipulated. How well do people know about the history of the Kachhwaha  clan?

- PRIA

Maharaj Devraj Singh

There are many books available on the history of Rajasthan but the reality is somewhat blurred. This month, we are pleased to have Mahraj Devraj Singh, grandson of Jaipur's last ruling maharaja, Sawai Man Singh II, and his wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi on the cover. He has authored the book, Dulha Rai's Conquest of Dausa: The Early History of the Kachwahas.

It's indeed a pleasure to meet such a great personality and have an insightful conversation with him. We learned a lot about the forgotten history of Rajasthan and the Kachhwaha clan.

THE IDEA BEHIND THE BOOK 

Behind every book, an idea is germinated. Maharaj Devraj Singh's dissatisfaction with reading about the founding history of Dhundhar, as Jaipur state was formerly known led to the idea of him writing this book. "There were several books which specifically described Dulha Rai as an 'Adventurer' who emerged without an explanation of his background, which is essentially denying his ancestry and that he was by chance able to found the principality which became the Dhundhar raj." "I knew in my heart that there must be much more to the story of Jaipur's inception and Dhula Rai's background, so I began to make serious research and inquiry into the topic."

The amount of research he has to put through while narrating historical events is something we wanted to know more about. He was very excited in telling about his research journey and the difficulties he faced. "I began to collect books related to Jaipur and its history in the early 2000s, initially just out of interest. However, I noticed that the early history and sources related to it were either lacking or difficult to acquire."