Ajit Singh of Marwar
Encyclopedia
Ajit Singh was the Maharaja of Marwar (later Jodhpur
) state in the present-day Rajasthan
and the son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh
.
Maharaja Jaswant Singh
, ruler of Marwar, died in 1679 without immediate male heirs. However, two of his wives were pregnant at the time of his death. These circumstances allowed the mughal emperor Aurangzeb
to intervene; he appointed a Muslim to rule over Marwar, which upset the Rathore
clan a great deal. One of Jaswant Singh's pregnant widows gave birth, in due course, to a male child, who was named Ajit Singh. After the birth of this rightful heir, prominent grandees of Marwar, including Durgadas, went to Delhi along with the infant Ajit Singh and asked Aurangzeb that the infant be confirmed in his late father's estates and titles. Aurangzeb did not absolutely refuse, but suggested, supposedly for the infant's own safety, that Ajit grow up in his harem.
The nurturing of the head of the Rathore
clan in Aurangzeb's staunchly Muslim household was not acceptable to the clan. It is said that Crown prince Ajit Singh along with his mother Queen was staying at a place called "Bhuli Bhatiyari" near Jhandewalan of modern Delhi. Durga Das and
the Dhaa Maa (wet nurse
) of Ajit Singh, Goora Dhaa (The Sainik Kshatriyas Gehlot Rajput
of Mandore
) and others of the delegation resolved upon smuggling Ajit Singh out of Delhi. Even as they approached the outskirts of the city, the mughal guard fell in hot pursuit of them. Durgadas and his 300 men, notable among them Raghunandan Bhati, had to make their escape while fighting hand-to-hand with the much larger Mughal guards. Every so often, some 15-20 Rajputs would fall behind to check the Mughal pursuers, in the process getting themselves killed, thus allowing the forward party to create some distance between Ajit and the Mughals. This continued till the evening; Durgadas was left with just seven men out of the 300 he started with, but he managed to convey the infant Ajit Singh to safety in Jaipur. Later, the infant was removed to the safety of Aravali hills near Abu Sirohi
, a remote town on the southern fringes of Marwar
, and grew up in anonymity.
For 20 years after this event, Marwar
remained under the direct rule of a mughal governor. During this period, Durgadas carried out a relentless struggle against the occupying forces. Trade routes that passed through the region were plundered by the guerillas, who also looted various treasuries in present-day Rajasthan and Gujarat. These disorders adversely impacted the finances of the empire.
Aurangzeb
died in 1707; he was to prove the last of the great mughals. Durgadas took advantage of the disturbances following this death to seize Jodhpur and eventually evict the occupying mughal force. Ajit Singh was proclaimed Maharaja of Jodhpur. He rebuilt all the temples that had been descecrated by the occupying Mughals.
After he was killed by son Bakhat Singh in 1724, he was succeeded by his eldest son Abhai Singh.
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
) state in the present-day Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and the son of Maharaja Jaswant Singh
Maharaja Jaswant Singh
Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a ruler of Marwar in the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. He was a Rajput belonging to the Rathore clan. His father was Maharaja Guj Singh.-History:...
.
Maharaja Jaswant Singh
Maharaja Jaswant Singh
Maharaja Jaswant Singh was a ruler of Marwar in the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan. He was a Rajput belonging to the Rathore clan. His father was Maharaja Guj Singh.-History:...
, ruler of Marwar, died in 1679 without immediate male heirs. However, two of his wives were pregnant at the time of his death. These circumstances allowed the mughal emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
to intervene; he appointed a Muslim to rule over Marwar, which upset the Rathore
Rathore
The Rathore is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan same caste as Lohana. Their Kuldevi is Nagnechiya Mata and "Karani Mata". Rathores are originally from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Rathores are historically considered the samurais of India...
clan a great deal. One of Jaswant Singh's pregnant widows gave birth, in due course, to a male child, who was named Ajit Singh. After the birth of this rightful heir, prominent grandees of Marwar, including Durgadas, went to Delhi along with the infant Ajit Singh and asked Aurangzeb that the infant be confirmed in his late father's estates and titles. Aurangzeb did not absolutely refuse, but suggested, supposedly for the infant's own safety, that Ajit grow up in his harem.
The nurturing of the head of the Rathore
Rathore
The Rathore is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan same caste as Lohana. Their Kuldevi is Nagnechiya Mata and "Karani Mata". Rathores are originally from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. Rathores are historically considered the samurais of India...
clan in Aurangzeb's staunchly Muslim household was not acceptable to the clan. It is said that Crown prince Ajit Singh along with his mother Queen was staying at a place called "Bhuli Bhatiyari" near Jhandewalan of modern Delhi. Durga Das and
the Dhaa Maa (wet nurse
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
) of Ajit Singh, Goora Dhaa (The Sainik Kshatriyas Gehlot Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
of Mandore
Mandore
Mandore , is a town located 9 km north of Jodhpur city, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-History:Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Mandorva branch of the Parihar dynasty which ruled the region in the 6th century AD by King Nahar Rao Parihar...
) and others of the delegation resolved upon smuggling Ajit Singh out of Delhi. Even as they approached the outskirts of the city, the mughal guard fell in hot pursuit of them. Durgadas and his 300 men, notable among them Raghunandan Bhati, had to make their escape while fighting hand-to-hand with the much larger Mughal guards. Every so often, some 15-20 Rajputs would fall behind to check the Mughal pursuers, in the process getting themselves killed, thus allowing the forward party to create some distance between Ajit and the Mughals. This continued till the evening; Durgadas was left with just seven men out of the 300 he started with, but he managed to convey the infant Ajit Singh to safety in Jaipur. Later, the infant was removed to the safety of Aravali hills near Abu Sirohi
Sirohi
Sirohi is a city in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of the same name. Nearest railway station to Sirohi is Sirohi Road station.-Geography:...
, a remote town on the southern fringes of Marwar
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...
, and grew up in anonymity.
For 20 years after this event, Marwar
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...
remained under the direct rule of a mughal governor. During this period, Durgadas carried out a relentless struggle against the occupying forces. Trade routes that passed through the region were plundered by the guerillas, who also looted various treasuries in present-day Rajasthan and Gujarat. These disorders adversely impacted the finances of the empire.
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
died in 1707; he was to prove the last of the great mughals. Durgadas took advantage of the disturbances following this death to seize Jodhpur and eventually evict the occupying mughal force. Ajit Singh was proclaimed Maharaja of Jodhpur. He rebuilt all the temples that had been descecrated by the occupying Mughals.
After he was killed by son Bakhat Singh in 1724, he was succeeded by his eldest son Abhai Singh.