Bappa Rawal Annadata's Life, Achievements

Abstract

One of the most powerful and well-known kings of the Mewar Dynasty was Bappa Rawal. Despite being a living descendant of the Guhilot line, Prince Kalbhoj (his real name), who hailed from the Atri clan, did not adopt the name of the family that had been used for seven generations when he ascended to the throne. Instead, he founded the Mewar Dynasty and gave it the name of the newly-acquired country. He later rose to prominence as a beloved hero on several battlefields, but his intriguing life is riddled with mysteries, and numerous tales have been made about him. According to legend, Bappa received the kingdom from Mewar area sage Harit Rishi. His father, Rawal Mahendra II, had wed a Paramara Rajput lady from Chandravati or Mt. Abu, both of which were Paramara hubs at the time. She was also related to Maan Mori, the ruler of the Paramara people and a significant portion of the State of Mewar. This included the territory of the Guhilot clan, which Malwa-based Paramara invaders had claimed a century or so earlier and captured. They established their capital at the venerable citadel of Chittorgarh. According to legend, Bappa Rawal grew up close to the city of Nagda. There are various tales about Bappa's formative years as a young man amid the untamed Vindhya Range, as there are for most high-spirited rulers. His pranks included apparently harmless mischief with rural damsels, however it's possible that it wasn't so innocent (he cared for the holy livestock of the Brahmans). He'married' a number of the young ladies one day during a game he made up, which required him to leave Nagda for a hideout in the hills to avoid the enraged parents of the young girls. This story of potential virility has an intriguing addendum in that Bappa Rawal is reported to have wed several women and fathered well over a hundred offspring.