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Tourist Destinations of Rajasthan
Dholpur
About This
Place
This old historic city of
Dholpur was initially named "Dhawalpuri" after the ruler Dhawal
Deo who built the city at a site, little south of the present city. Later
people started calling it Dholpur. In 846 AD, it was ruled by a Chauhan
family, apparently as a feudatory of Kannauj. Dholpur was a small state
but it had a very turbulent history.
Its strategic location on the main route from Kabul and Delhi to Deccan
and its proximity to cities like Gwalior, Agra and Bayana attracted
attention of almost all powerful kings and rulers of Delhi and Agra.
Though the rulers of Dholpur resisted the invasions with valour, it was,
time and again, occupied by the invading forces and suffered plunder and
devastation. Sikander Lodi attacked and occupied Dholpur in 1501 AD. His
forces plundered the city and even uprooted all the gardens that shaded
Dholpur. It was again invaded by Babar in 1526 AD. During Humayun¿s
regime, the site of Dholpur town was moved northwards to avoid erosion by
the river Chambal.
It was near Dholpur that two important Mughul wars of succession were
fought. When Shah Jahan fell ill, his eldest and most beloved son, Dara
Shikoh, was defeated by his younger brother, Aurangzeb, in 1658 AD at
Ran-ka-Chabutra, 5 kms (3 miles) east of Dholpur. Again, after Aurangzeb¿s
death in 1707 AD, his sons, Azam and Muazzam, fought a war of succession
at Baretha.
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