The Princely State of Dungarpur was founded in the year 1197 by Samant Singh who was the eldest son of Karan Singh, the ruler of Mewar. They were descendants of Bappa Rawal, the founder of the Mewar Dynasty and the 8th ruler of the Guhilot Dynasty. The rulers of Dungarpur state use the title of Maharawal and are descendants of Mahup, the chief of Mewar during the 12th century. He was the eldest son of Karan Singh. The Dungarpur rulers claim the honours of the elder line of Mewar. Mahup was disinherited by the ruler of Mewar Karan Singh, his father. He later took shelter from the family of his mother, the Chauhans of Bagar. Mahup became a master of that kingdom at the cost of the Bhil chiefs.
The princely state was founded by the descendant of Mahup, Rawal Bir Singh, during the end of the 14th century. The capital of the state was the town of Dungarpur, the name of which was derived from the name of a Bhil chieftain Dungaria, whom Rawal Bir Singh had assassinated. Rawal Udai Singh of Bagar fought along with Rana Sanga against Babur at the Battle of Khanwa in the year 1527, where he died.
After his death, the territories of the state were divided into the states of Banswara and Dungarpur. Consecutively the region came under the control of the Mughals, the Marathas and eventually British East India Company. The British Government of India took control over the region by a treaty that was formed in the year 1818. Thus the region of Dungarpur was assigned as the princely state of Dungarpur and was appointed as a 15 gun salute state. According to the 109 Census of India, the total population of the princely state of Dungarpur was 100,103 and the population of the town was 6094.
Rulers of Princely State of Dungarpur
The chronology of the rulers or Maharawals of the princely state of Dungarpur, who belonged to the Shishodhya dynasty of the Ahra Guhilot clan are mentioned below-
Maharawal Shri Khuman Singh Bahadur (1691- 1702)
Maharawal Shri Ram Singh Bahadur (1702- 1730)
Maharawal Shri Shiv Singh Bahadur (1730- 1785)
Maharawal Shri Vairi Sal Bahadur (1785- 1790)
Maharawal Shri Fateh Singh Bahadur (1790- 1808)
Maharawal Shri Jashwant Singh Bahadur (1808- 1845)
Maharawal Shri Udai Singh Bahadur (1846- 1898)
Maharawal Shri Bijai Singh Bahadur (1898- 1918)
Maharawal Shri Laxman Singh Bahadur (1918- 1947)
His Highness Rai-i-Rayan Maharawal Shri Sir Lakshman Singh Bahadur was the last ruler of the princely of Dungarpur. He was honoured with the Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in 1935 and the Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) in 1947. After the country achieved independence, he acceded his state to the newly formed Union of India. He was appointed as a Member of the Rajya Sabha in the years1952 and in 1958. Later he was became a member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the years 1962 and 1989.
