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  The Pachrang flag of the former Jaipur state. Prior to the adoption of the Pachrang (five coloured) flag by Raja Man Singh I of Amber, the original flag of the Kachwahas was known as the "Jharshahi (tree-marked) flag".

The Kachwaha are a Rajput clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states such as Alwar, Maihar and Talcher in India. Their largest kingdom was Jaipur (Jainagara), which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. The Maharaja of Jaipur is regarded as the head of the extended Kachwaha clan.

  Legend and early history

T.H. Hendley states in his Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana (1897),^{[full citation needed]} that the Kachwaha clan is believed to have settled in an early era at Rohtas (Rahatas) on the Son River in present-day Bihar. He notes that their notable seats of power were Kutwar, Gwalior, Dubkhund, Simhapaniya and Narwar (Nalapura) (all in present-day Madhya Pradesh). This second westward migration to Madhaya Pradesh is said to have been initiated under Raja Nala, the legendary founder of Narwar.

Historians^[who?] state that the Kacchapaghatas, like the Chandellas and Paramaras, originated as tributaries of the preceding powers of the region. They point out that it was only following the downfall, during the 8th–10th centuries AD, of Kannauj (regional seat of power following the breakup of Harsha's empire), that the Kacchapaghata state emerged as a principal power in the Chambal[1] valley of present-day Madhya Pradesh. This view is largely supported by archaeological artifacts:^[1] Kacchapaghata coinage (minted Gupta-fashion)^[2] discovered in Madhya Pradesh and Gopaksetra inscriptions.^[3]

According to Rudolf Hoernle (1905), the Kachhwahas are related to the Gurjara-Pratiharas. He identifies similarities between the names of the line of rulers of Kannauj (mid-10th century) with the recorded line of eight Kachwaha rulers of Gwalior (based on the Sas-Bahu inscription of Mahipal).^[4]

After Sumitra, Madhubramh, Kanh, Devanik and Isha Singh ruled Narwar. The Sas-Bahu inscription dates to 1093, and provides a genealogy of the ruling family up to Mahipal (who died sometime before 1104).^[3]

  Modern Jaipur

  The Chandramahal, part of the Jaipur City Palace built by Jai Singh II

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded the city of Jaipur and constructed a palace for the royal family. The present Maharajah of Jaipur is Padmanabh Singh, who was crowned on 27 April 2011.^[5]

  Notables

• Pajawan
• Jai Singh I
• Ramsingh I
• Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II
• Maharaja Sawai Isrisingh
• Maharaj Sawai Madhosingh I
• Maharaja Sawai Pratapsingh
• Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II
• Rao Shekha
• Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir
• Maharaja Gulab Singh
• Karan Singh: Former cabinet minister in India
• Piru Singh (Shekhawat sub-clan): Awarded the Param Veer Chakra
• Kripal Singh Shekhawat

  Notes

  Further reading

• Bayley C. (1894) Chiefs and Leading Families In Rajputana
• Hendley T. H. (1897) Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana
• Henige, David (2004). Princely states of India;A guide to chronology and rulers
• Jyoti J. (2001) Royal Jaipur
• Krishnadatta Kavi, Gopalnarayan Bahura(editor) (1983) Pratapa Prakasa, a contemporary account of life in the court at Jaipur in the late 18th century
• Khangarot, R.S., and P.S. Nathawat (1990). Jaigarh- The invincible Fort of Amber
• Topsfield, A. (1994). Indian paintings from Oxford collections
• Tillotson, G. (2006). Jaipur Nama, Penguin books
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

  External links

• Ayodhya
• Gwalior's Tourist Attractions
• The coins of the western and central Indian dynasties