Rajputana Agency in the context of "Jodhpur"

Udaipur (Hindi: IPA: [ʊdəjpʊɾ], pronunciation) (ISO 15919: Udayapura) is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about 415 km (258 mi) south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. It was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, when he shifted his capital from the city of Chittorgarh to Udaipur after Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when Mewar became a British princely state, and thereafter the Mewar province became a part of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947. It is also known as the City of Lakes, as it is surrounded by five major artificial lakes.

The city is located in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, near the Gujarat border. To its west is the Aravali Range, which separates it from the Thar Desert. It is placed close to the median point between two major Indian metro cities, around 660 km from Delhi and 800 km from Mumbai. Besides, connectivity with Gujarat ports gives Udaipur a strategic geographical advantage. Udaipur is well connected with nearby cities and states by means of road, rail and air transportation facilities. The city is served by the Maharana Pratap Airport. Common languages spoken include Hindi, English and Rajasthani (Mewari).

Rājputana (Hindi: [ɾaːdʒpʊt̪aːnaː]), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a historical region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day southern Pakistan. The region was known for its distinctive socio political structure, characterised by numerous Rajput kingdoms and principalities that maintained a strong warrior ethos and a deeply rooted tradition of honour, kinship, and martial governance.

The main settlements to the west of the Aravalli Hills came to be known as Rajputana, early in the Medieval Period. The name was later adopted by East India Company as the Rajputana Agency for its dependencies in the region of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān. The Rajputana Agency included 26 Rajput and 2 Jat princely states and two chiefships. This official term remained until its replacement by "Rajasthan" in the constitution of 1949.