The Hindua Suraj

Titles of Mewar Chiefs : descent from the Sun. These are 
styled Ranas, and are the elder branch of the Suryavansi, or 
' children of the sun.' Another patronymic is Raghuvansi, 
derived from a predecessor of Rama, the focal point of each scion 
of the solar race. To him, the conqueror of Lanka, the genea- 
logists endeavour to trace the solar lines. The titles of many of 
these claimants are disputed ; but the Hindu tribes yield unani- 
mous suffrage to the prince of Mewar as the legitimate heir to 
the throne of Rama, and style him Hindua Suraj, or ' Sun of the 
Hindus.' He is universally allowed to be the first of the ' thirty- 
six royal tribes ' ; nor has a doubt ever been raised respecting 
his purity of descent. Many of these tribes ' have been swept 
away by time ; and the genealogist, who abhors a vacuum in his 
mystic page, fills up their place with others, mere scions of some 
ancient but forgotten stem. 

name was Kausalya.^ The first royal emigrant from tlie north

The country of which Ayodhya (now Oudh) was the capital, 
and Rama monarch, is termed, in the geographical writings of the 
Hindus, Kosala ; doubtless from the mother of Rama, whose

is styled, in the Rana's archives, Kosala-putra, ' son of Kosala.' 

Rama had two sons, Lava and Kusa : 
from the former the Rana's family claim descent. He is stated 
to have built Lahore, the ancient Lohkot ; and the branch from 
which the princes of Mewar are descended resided there until 
Kanaksen emigrated to Dwarka. The difficulty of tracing these 
races through a long period of years is greatly increased by the 
custom of changing the appellation of the tribe, from conquest, 
locality, or personal celebrity. Sen seems to have been the 
martial termination for many generations : this was followed by 
Dit, or Aditya, a term for the ' sun.' The first change in the 
name of the tribe was on their expulsion from Saurashtra, when 
for the generic term of Suryavansi was substituted the particular 
appellation of Guhilot. This name was maintained till another 
event dispersed the family, and when they settled in Ahar, 
Aharya became the appellative of the branch. This continued 
till loss of territory and new acquisitions once more transferred 
the dynasty to Sesoda.

This descendant of one hundred kings use to shows himself in cloudy weather 
from the surya-gaukhra, or ' balcony of the sun.'from the Udaipur city Palace.