Last modified: 2011-06-11 by ian macdonald
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I've reconstructed the flag of Udaipur-Mewar according to
Ziggioto (1998). He also has a princely flag:
same design, but the sun is bigger with a human face a 24 rays (small stripes),
and the house has changed color: light blue and lies vertically and has fallen
down. I left out the finial (there seems to be some confusion).
Jarig Bakker, 17 January 2001
Not to be confused with Udaipur, Eastern States
Agency (Madhya Pradesh).
Chrystian Kretowicz, 15 January 2003
THE STATE OF UDAIPUR - MEWAR
Princely States of Rajputana - Rajasthan, Rajasthan Residency
19 Gun Salute
Area: 33, 517 sq.km
Acceded to the Union of India on April 7, 1948
The genealogy of the Mewar Rajput rulers started in 566 AD with Raja Gohil. His descendant, Rana Hamir Singh (1326-64), was the first ruler to use the title Maharana. The Maharana of Udaipur - Mewar is recognized by all Hindus as the most prestigious of all the Princes. He is declared a direct descendant of God Rama, one of the two main heroes of the epic 'Ramayama'.
Flag:
"The flag of the State of Udaipur - Mewar is triangular and of dark purple
color. On it are displayed: the sun, the katar and the crescent moon, all of it
gold (yellow). The flag is finished at its sharpest point in the fly with the
single fringe (a finial) in the shape of teardrop, purple like the flag,
containing small, white disc in its center.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 17 January 2003
A webpage entitled
The House of Mewar: The Udaipur Coat of Arms"
states that the Katar is a type of dagger. Furthermore, it describes
the standard of Mewar (called the Nishan) as the "crimson flag", but
then states it is a saffron flag on a red staff. An illustration is
shown on the page.
Ned Smith, 18 January 2003
The flag presented by Jarig (reported in both books -
Filcher, 1984 and
Ziggioto, 1998) is supposed to be a STATE flag. Filcher describes its color
as "pourpre-grenat" Also, Filcher (and I presume Ziggotto, too) describes the
flag reported by Ned. Filcher clearly states it is a PERSONAL STANDARD of the
Maharana in time of war and peace. And, he names the color of it (the Nishan) as
"cramoisi" (crimson).
Chrystian Kretowicz, 18 January 2003
An image on the web at
http://www.mewarindia.com/coat/indexcoat1.html?http://www.mewarindia.com/coat/coat.html
is slightly different from that shown above. The flag is also pictured in the
old arms from Taylor
http://www.mewarindia.com/images/coat/coatold.jpg. Mewar is distinguished by
its 'crimson' flag. In times of war and peace, this Standard or 'Nishan' as it
is called, was always flying high. The image of the flaming sun and the katar
are the distinguishing features of this famous awe-inspiring Nishan, a frequent
mention of which is found in Col. James Todd's Annals and Antiquities of
Rajasthan. Robert Taylor of the Bengal Civil Service records in his book, The
Princely Armory, "...for eight centuries a golden sun in a crimson field has
floated over the head of the Rana at feast and fray,
and is conspicuous in the ornament of his palace..."
The Maharanas of Mewar, as the Diwans of Eklingji, administer and serve the
state of Mewar in the name of its Ruler Parameshwaraji Maharaj Shri Eklingji.
Hence, the Nishan of the State of Mewar was devoid of any coat of arms. Till the
late 19th century, it retained this simple form and was acknowledged as the
symbol of might and independence.
On the top of the mast is the face of the Sun, embossed in gold. On the
triangular Nishan the human face is embroidered in gold depicting the Sun. It
has a gold tassel at the end. A katar (a type of dagger) with silver threads on
the Nishan completes this simple design. The Sun signifies that the Nishan is of
the "Surya Vansi" (Sun Dynasty) Maharanas of Mewar. The Katar is the emblem of
Independence for the defender of Hinduism. All the Hindus address the Maharanas
as the "Sun of Hindus", the light and protection of the Hindus. This still
continues to be a form of address. The colour of the Nishan is Saffron and the
mast is Red.
Jaume Ollé, 19 January 2002