ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that even after more than five decades of its inception as a modern and unified state, Rajasthan continues to be influenced by its pre-independence and pre-integration subregional identities. The persistent identification of Rajputana province with the Rajput ethic and Kshatryia caste culture establishes the historical importance of Rajput presence in the state. The Mughals can be credited for drawing up a faultline around the region approximating the modern state of Rajasthan. Post-independence administrative organisation of Rajasthan into different divisions more or less coincided with the major subcultures of the princely states distinguished by land ownership pattern, language, location, social organisation and population distribution. In the more immediate context of post-independence competitive politics, the absence of any strong political mobilisation based on subregionalism has prevented the possibility of the emergence of any regional political formation and has also contributed to a more plural and secular politics in Rajasthan.
