The Jodhpur Royal Family belongs to the Rathore clan of Rajputs. Their first ruler was Nayan Pal who established his kingdom in the Kannauj region of modern-day Uttar Pradesh in 470 AD. The kingdom flourished until the Afghan ruler Mohammad Ghori attacked Kannauj in 1192. Raja Jai Chand tried to escape but drowned while crossing Ganga river.

First settlements in Rajasthan

The Rathores migrated westwards and settled in Pali. Jai Chand’s place was taken by Rao Siyaji who strengthened his position in the region through matrimonial alliances. One of the descendents, Chonda captured the capital of Marwar, Mandore. This is considered to be a significant event in the history of Jodhpur state. Chonda later tried to extend marital alliances with a prince of Mewar which led to internal conflicts and his own death.

Foundation of Jodhpur state

Due to ongoing internal battles, Rao Jodha shifted his capital from Mandore to Jodhpur in 1459. He built the Chintamani fort in Rajputana Jodhpur, which was renamed as Mehrangarh later. He was considered to be a powerful maharaja of Jodhpur who reigned for 30 years and expanded his kingdom significantly.

Power Game against Delhi Sultanate            

During the reign of the next maharaja Surajmal, Jodhpur state was constantly battling against Sikandar Lodi in 1516.  Surajmal lost his life during one of these battles and Rao Ganga Singh became the next ruler of Jodhpur state.

Friendship with Mughals

A turning point in Jodhpur History was when Mughal emperor Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526 and the Maharaja of Jodhpur joined the Mughal force.  However, Jodhpur remained independent as Babur had no interest in conquering an infertile land. Raja Maldeo expanded the kingdom by capturing Nagore, Ajmer, Jalore, and Bikaner. Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri defeated Mughal emperor Humayun and Humayun tried to take shelter in Marwar. Sher Shah Suri attacked Marwar and won the battle by a narrow margin. Humayun returned from exile and after his death in 1556, a 13 year old Akbar became the next Mughal Emperor. Jodhpur State never co-operated with Akbar and the latter captured Jodhpur fort and the Nagore fort in 1561. Finally Jodhpur became a vassal state of the Mughals.

Akbar’s marriage

Udai Singh was the son of Maldeo and brother of Jodha Bai. Jodha Bai married Mughal emperor Akbar which in turn strengthened the relationship between Mughals and Jodhpur state. Many Jodhpur rulers served the Mughal army and helped them win several important battles. Marwar was given back to Jodhpur state. Sur Singh was the next Jodhpur king who helped Akbar in capturing Gujarat and Deccan regions. Raja Gaj Singh was the next Jodhpur king who helped the next Mughal king Jahangir when Jahangir’s own son Khurram rebelled against him.

All this was followed by a series of interesting events until the British arrived in 1818 and Jodhpur Princely state became a British protectorate.