Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or the Central and Western Rajput States of India v1.c20.s3.224

v1.c20.s3.224

Rāna Udai Singh, A.D. 1537-72.—Rana Udai Singh ascended the throne in S. 1597 (A.D. 1541-2). Great were the rejoicings on the restoration of this prince. ‘The song of joy,’² which was composed on the occasion, is yet a favourite at Udaipur, and on the festival of Isani (the Ceres of Rajasthan), the females still chant in chorus the ‘farewell to Kumbhalmer.’³ But the evil days of Mewar which set in with Sanga’s death, and were accelerated by the fiery valour of Ratna and the capricious conduct of Bikramajit, were completed by an anomaly in her annals : a coward succeeding a bastard to guide the destinies of the Sesodias. The vices of Ratna and his brother were virtues compared to this physical defect, the consequences of which destroyed a great national feeling, the opinion of its invincibility.