Kotharia is a town in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, which was the headquarters of the former 1st class jagir (estate) of the House of Kotharia, part of the Udaipur (Mewar) state, which was in Mewar Residency in Rajputana Agency. It is situated on the right bank of the Banas River about 50 km. northeast of Udaipur, and 5 km. from Nathdwara.

History

The first ruler of Kotharia were the descendants of the last Chauhan king of Ranthambhor, Raja Hamir Singh, about 1302. Whose descendants settled in Mainpuri in uttar pradesh state of present-day India. During the Battle of Khanwa, when Mughal Emperor Babur fought Maharana Sangram Singh (Rana Sanga) on 17 March 1527, one of them was Manik Chand Chauhan, a chieftain from the village Rajor in present Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh, who joined Rana Sanga with his 4,000 men and fought to the death. After the war, he was posthumously rewarded with the jagir of Kotharia and the title of ‘Rawat’. Manik Chand's sons opted to remain in Kotharia and serve Mewar, and were among the first rank of Mewar's nobles (the First 16 Umraos). In 1802, Rawat Vijay Singh Chauhan fought against Jaswant Rao Holkar's invading army near Nathdwara, when Holkar was on his way to attack ShrinathJi Temple at Nathdwara. Vijay Singh and his men fell in the battle. Rawat Jodh Singh Chauhan was known to anti-British and he provided refuge to many rebels during rebellion of 1857, including Kushal Singh of Auwa. Peshwa Pandu Rang had also requested him to help mutineers. In 1901, the town had a population of 1,586 and the estate had 81 villages under it.

Genealogy