RAJPUTS AND THE HISTORY OF RAJPDTANA. 



93 



of blood being amply revenged upon his descendants, of whom 

 21 out of 27 died violent deaths. The evil existed in all ranks, 

 because upon the demise of a noble or high official his possessions 

 passed to the crown, his natural heirs only receiving enough to 

 live upon. Can it be wondered then that the Rajputs and the 

 people generally preferred a system which had some elements 

 of permanency in it, and that not even the Mohammedans were 

 wholly in favour of regulations which destroyed all the natural 

 incentives of working for a man's own family and of founding 

 a home and keeping in memory a name. 



Ordinarily then the succession in Kajputana was hereditary, 

 but when there were no sons the Hindu laws, which admitted 

 of adoption of some lad of the royal line, were followed. This 

 practice admitted of the choice of the most promising scion of 

 the family who was at the moment capable of adoption. 



Of course there was not unfrequently much scope for intrigue, 

 but on the whole if the main stem had proved unworthy, there 

 was a change for the better, and the ancient lineage was always 

 preserved. Such a case occurred while I was at Jaipur. The 

 Maharaja was the last of the direct line, and on his deathbed it 

 became necessary to inquire whom he wished to succeed him, 

 he replied, " The next of kin according to the Shastras," or 

 Hindu Scriptures. This would have led to some dispute, because 

 tribal and local customs and state views might have given rise 

 to differences of opinion, so that a few minutes later he was 

 induced to speak more definitely, and then named a young 

 man, who was of the family, and who, being the second 

 son, was not required to perform his own natural father's, 

 funeral rites, and was therefore capable of being adopted by 

 another. This youth succeeded, arid is now the capable, though 

 conservative and popular chief of the state who came over to 

 England for the coronation of our King. There were several 

 important considerations however that arose in this case that 

 are illustrative of the subject, as, for example, the facts that the 

 widows of the chief had also a voice in the matter as well as. 

 the nobles and the members of the state council, all of whom 

 agreed. In case of a death without nomination of an heir the 

 same principles will be followed, but the widow would nominate 

 by the advice of the other parties. 



The Paramount Power has always, certainly since Moghul 

 times, held, and exercised as far as it could, the right of final ap- 

 proval. The Moghuls, it will readily be surmised, would interfere 

 the more often in order to back up their own system of succession, 

 and to enable them to keep clown their most truculent opponents 



