Jawahar Singh
Encyclopedia
Maharaja Jawahar Singh was a ruling Maharaja of the Bharatpur
state. He succeeded to the throne when his father Maharaja Suraj Mal
died in 1763. At the time of Raja Suraj Mal's death in 1763 Jawahar Singh was in Farrukhnagar
.
's nobles placed Nahar Singh on the throne. On hearing this news Jawahar Singh lost his temper and sent a letter to Bharatpur expressing how painful it was that while the dead body of his father Suraj Mal was restless for his head, his sons were quarrelling among themselves for the throne. Jawahar Singh announced that he would soon return to Bharatpur and would contend for the throne only after taking revenge for his father’s head.
By the time he reached Bharatpur, the news had spread that Jawahar Singh took shelter with the Raja of Karauli
. Bal Ram brother-in-law of Maharaja Suraj Mal the commander of Bharatpur forces closed the gates of Bharatpur fort and prepared for war against Jawahar Singh. Ultimately, however, he accepted Jawahar Singh's claim to the throne. Maharaja Sawai Jawahar Singh ascended the throne of Bharatpur with the title of Bharat Indra.
and the Maratha
s, but was defeated. Jawahar Singh helped the Raja of Dholpur
to be independent of the Marathas. He also made alliances with the East India Company
against the Maratha Leader, Raghunath Rao. He had his maternal uncle Balram murdered. Raja Suraj Mal had been maintaining superficially friendly relations with Raja Madho Singh of Jaipur
, in spite of his having a born foe of the Bharatpur 'Raj'. Jawahar Singh did not approve of it. After the death of Nahar Singh, Jawahar Singh called his wife and his children back from Jaipur to Bharatpur, but Madho Singh refused to send them. In reply, Jawahar Singh gave shelter to Pratap Singh, a rebel Sardar of Jaipur, and demanded Pargana Kama
of Jaipur, which was adjacent to Bharatpur. He further annoyed Madho Singh by adopting the title
of Sawai
, which was the title adopted by Madho Singh's father, Raja Jai Singh only
with 100 guns, 60,000 soldiers of his own, 25,000 Maratha
soldiers of Holkar
and 15,000 Sikh
soldiers.
After a siege of several months Najibuddin
appealed for peace. But Jawahar Singh was determined to take revenge for his father, by severing his head. After several days, some Rohilla
leaders came to the camp of Jawahar Singh with Zubita Khan who sought the intervention of Maharaja Holkar.
Holkar tried to persuade Jawahar Singh to make peace on the condition that a Mughal
princess would be given to him in marriage, and Najibuddaulah would pay the whole expenditure for the war. Jawahar Singh accepted this offer and returned to Bharatpur along with the Chitorgarh fort's Door captured from Lal quilla, earlier this door was captured by Akbar during the war with Maharana Pratap at chitorgarh,By doing it, he took the revenge of Maharana from Mugals.In February 1765 a treaty was signed on payment of Rs. 600,000 as war indemnity and the offer of the hand of a Mughal princess, who was later married to a Frenchman, Captain Samru,In making this treaty, Holkar had accepted a bribe from Najibuddaulah and acted treacherously towards Jawahar Singh. When Jawahar Singh knew these things, relations between him and Holkar became strained.
, wife of Maharaja Suraj Mal
, who had adopted Jawahar Singh, was adept at political intrigues. She was pained to see that Jawahar Singh was not adopting a favourable policy towards the members of the family and the nobles. She knew that only keeping him engaged in warfare could control him. She also knew that the Rajput
s could never tolerate this abrupt rise of Jat rule and would always resist the latter's efforts to gain power. The solution for both the problems lay in war.
Maharani Kishori
epressed her desire to her proud son that she wanted to go for a sacred bath at Pushkar
. Jawahar Singh pointed out that Pushkar was situated in the territory of his eternal and deadly foe, Raja Madho Singh, who would not tolerate her arrival at Pushkar with a large retinue, and advised her that if at all she were keen to go for Pushkar bath, she would go with only a few followers and Rupa Ram the Purohit
.
The Rani retorted by saying that she was the mother of Jawahar Singh, and the Rani of Maharaja Suraj Mal and taking a bath like Marwari
women would hurt her pride, and that she would like to take her bath along with the Rajput Ranis there.
She would also like to give away alms surpassing the Rajput Ranis. She said, she did not understand why the Jats should be afraid of the Rajputs any longer. Jawahar Singh knew well that this would lead to warfare and bloodshed.
Jawahar Singh marched to Pushkar with 60,000 Cavalry, 1 lakh Infantry and 200 guns. With fluttering banners and beating drums they entered Jaipur territory and set up an impressive camp in the Sandy plains of Pushkar.
Maharani Kishori was weighed in gold, which was given in charity. The other Ranis who had come on this occasion felt humiliated because they were not in a position to match the charity of Maharani Kishori. The Rajput vanity was hurt.
When Pratap Singh came to know about the Pushkar bath, He left Bharatpur undefended, and joined the camp of Madho Singh. Pratap Singh instigated Madho Singh against Jawahar Singh. All the Rajput rulers assembled at Pushkar and held a conference in which no Jat rulers were invited. Raja Madho Singh said in this conference that the Jat ruler had injured the vanity of all the Rajputs. It was here that a witty Marwari, Raja Vijay Singh pointed out that after all the Jats were also Hindus and if they donated liberally on this auspicious occasion according to their financial position, it must not be taken as humiliation by Rajputs. Madho Singh, however, rejected this advice and appealed for war. The decision of this conference soon reached Jawahar Singh. He was expecting it.
Madho Singh laid on ambush in a valley to intercept Jawahar Singh on his return. Jawahar Singh had anticipated this and took the alternative route via Tanwarawati, near the present day Neem-ka-Thana
, Maonda and Mandholi
villages, this area was a bottleneck Surrounded by hills. The column of troops with cavalry and artillery was marching under the leadership of Captain Samru.
The palanquins of the Ranis were escorted by Jawahar Singh in the
rear of the column. All of a sudden Rajputs attacked them from three sides. It was a fierce battle, in which the Rajputs suffered great losses. In the battle, it was found that only 11 tender aged members were left in the family of Raja Madho Singh. The rest lost their lives.
It is said that 25,000 casualties occurred in this - Battle of Maonda and Mandholi
. Jawahar Singh reached Bharatpur. Both the Jats and Rajputs claimed themselves victorious in this battle, but apparently the loss did not have not much of a repercussion on the strength of Jats, whereas Madho Singh had to suffer such a severe blow that his power never recovered. Rajputs claimed that Jawahir Singh ran from the field and hence they claimed themselves victorious in spite of heavy losses whereas Jats claimed that anyhow they were returning to their own territory and successfully repulsed the attack of Rajputs in their own territory rather giving a death blow to their pride and any further ambitions ......
Some unknown person ( popular perception holding it that it was none other than one of his own bodyguard who attacked him with stealth)killed later Jawahar Singh in 1768 while he was out on hunting. His successor was Maharaja Ratan Singh
.
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
state. He succeeded to the throne when his father Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. He has been described by a contemporary historian as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.-Early life:Surajmal was born on...
died in 1763. At the time of Raja Suraj Mal's death in 1763 Jawahar Singh was in Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar is a town and municipality in Gurgaon district in Haryana state, India. It is one of the nine administrative blocks of Gurgaon district situated 21 km from Gurgaon and shares its border with Jhajjar district. Established in 1732 by Faujdar Khan, the first Nawab of Farrukhnagar...
.
Jawahar Singh ascended the throne
Maharaja Suraj MalMaharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. He has been described by a contemporary historian as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.-Early life:Surajmal was born on...
's nobles placed Nahar Singh on the throne. On hearing this news Jawahar Singh lost his temper and sent a letter to Bharatpur expressing how painful it was that while the dead body of his father Suraj Mal was restless for his head, his sons were quarrelling among themselves for the throne. Jawahar Singh announced that he would soon return to Bharatpur and would contend for the throne only after taking revenge for his father’s head.
By the time he reached Bharatpur, the news had spread that Jawahar Singh took shelter with the Raja of Karauli
Karauli
Karauli is a town lying in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The town is the administrative center of Karauli District, and was formerly the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Karauli.-Geography:...
. Bal Ram brother-in-law of Maharaja Suraj Mal the commander of Bharatpur forces closed the gates of Bharatpur fort and prepared for war against Jawahar Singh. Ultimately, however, he accepted Jawahar Singh's claim to the throne. Maharaja Sawai Jawahar Singh ascended the throne of Bharatpur with the title of Bharat Indra.
Jawahar Singh’s revenge
Maharaja Jawahar Singh punished all those courtiers who had opposed his succession to the throne. Nahar Singh fought a war against him with the help of KarauliKarauli
Karauli is a town lying in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The town is the administrative center of Karauli District, and was formerly the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Karauli.-Geography:...
and the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s, but was defeated. Jawahar Singh helped the Raja of Dholpur
Dholpur
Dholpur is a city in eastern-most parts of the Rajasthan state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur princely state, before Independence....
to be independent of the Marathas. He also made alliances with the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
against the Maratha Leader, Raghunath Rao. He had his maternal uncle Balram murdered. Raja Suraj Mal had been maintaining superficially friendly relations with Raja Madho Singh of Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, in spite of his having a born foe of the Bharatpur 'Raj'. Jawahar Singh did not approve of it. After the death of Nahar Singh, Jawahar Singh called his wife and his children back from Jaipur to Bharatpur, but Madho Singh refused to send them. In reply, Jawahar Singh gave shelter to Pratap Singh, a rebel Sardar of Jaipur, and demanded Pargana Kama
Kama
Kāma is often translated from Sanskrit as sexual desire, sexual pleasure, sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, or eros54654564+more broadly mean desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, without sexual connotations.-Kama in...
of Jaipur, which was adjacent to Bharatpur. He further annoyed Madho Singh by adopting the title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
of Sawai
Sawai
Sawai in India, may refer to Honorary title generally used with Bahadur, for example Sawai Bahadur. Sawai literally means a quarter over one .Sawai may also refer to:*Sawai, a language*Sawai, a tropical tree...
, which was the title adopted by Madho Singh's father, Raja Jai Singh only
Jawahar Singh’s march against Delhi
In October 1764, Jawahar Singh had marched against DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
with 100 guns, 60,000 soldiers of his own, 25,000 Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
soldiers of Holkar
Holkar
The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
and 15,000 Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
soldiers.
After a siege of several months Najibuddin
Najib-ul-Daula
Najib-ud-daula, also known as Najib Khan, was a noted Rohilla tribal chief in 18th century Rohilkhand, who in the 1740s founded the city of Najibabad in Bijnor district, India, and succeeded Safdar Jang as Nawab Wazir of the Mughal Empire...
appealed for peace. But Jawahar Singh was determined to take revenge for his father, by severing his head. After several days, some Rohilla
Rohilla
The Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...
leaders came to the camp of Jawahar Singh with Zubita Khan who sought the intervention of Maharaja Holkar.
Holkar tried to persuade Jawahar Singh to make peace on the condition that a Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
princess would be given to him in marriage, and Najibuddaulah would pay the whole expenditure for the war. Jawahar Singh accepted this offer and returned to Bharatpur along with the Chitorgarh fort's Door captured from Lal quilla, earlier this door was captured by Akbar during the war with Maharana Pratap at chitorgarh,By doing it, he took the revenge of Maharana from Mugals.In February 1765 a treaty was signed on payment of Rs. 600,000 as war indemnity and the offer of the hand of a Mughal princess, who was later married to a Frenchman, Captain Samru,In making this treaty, Holkar had accepted a bribe from Najibuddaulah and acted treacherously towards Jawahar Singh. When Jawahar Singh knew these things, relations between him and Holkar became strained.
The Pushkar bath by Maharani Kishori
Maharani KishoriMaharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori lived in the 16th century, the wife of Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India. She came from Hodal, a town situated in the Faridabad district of Haryana , near Mathura and Bharatpur....
, wife of Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. He has been described by a contemporary historian as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.-Early life:Surajmal was born on...
, who had adopted Jawahar Singh, was adept at political intrigues. She was pained to see that Jawahar Singh was not adopting a favourable policy towards the members of the family and the nobles. She knew that only keeping him engaged in warfare could control him. She also knew that the 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...
s could never tolerate this abrupt rise of Jat rule and would always resist the latter's efforts to gain power. The solution for both the problems lay in war.
Maharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori lived in the 16th century, the wife of Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India. She came from Hodal, a town situated in the Faridabad district of Haryana , near Mathura and Bharatpur....
epressed her desire to her proud son that she wanted to go for a sacred bath at Pushkar
Pushkar
Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated at 14 km North West from Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 metres , and is one of the five sacred dhams...
. Jawahar Singh pointed out that Pushkar was situated in the territory of his eternal and deadly foe, Raja Madho Singh, who would not tolerate her arrival at Pushkar with a large retinue, and advised her that if at all she were keen to go for Pushkar bath, she would go with only a few followers and Rupa Ram the Purohit
Purohit
Purohit in Indian religious context means a family priest, from Sanskrit , translated as: one placed foremost, from Puras meaning front, and hita, placed. Rajpurohit is a term used to denote a priest for a royal family or a king who was the authorized person that carried out rituals for the...
.
The Rani retorted by saying that she was the mother of Jawahar Singh, and the Rani of Maharaja Suraj Mal and taking a bath like Marwari
Marwaris
Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
women would hurt her pride, and that she would like to take her bath along with the Rajput Ranis there.
She would also like to give away alms surpassing the Rajput Ranis. She said, she did not understand why the Jats should be afraid of the Rajputs any longer. Jawahar Singh knew well that this would lead to warfare and bloodshed.
Jawahar Singh marched to Pushkar with 60,000 Cavalry, 1 lakh Infantry and 200 guns. With fluttering banners and beating drums they entered Jaipur territory and set up an impressive camp in the Sandy plains of Pushkar.
Maharani Kishori was weighed in gold, which was given in charity. The other Ranis who had come on this occasion felt humiliated because they were not in a position to match the charity of Maharani Kishori. The Rajput vanity was hurt.
War with Madho Singh
Jawahar Singh made the big mistake of leaving Pratap Singh the rebel of Jaipur, for the defence of Bharatpur. He considered Partap Singh to be a reliable man, but in this he was deceived.When Pratap Singh came to know about the Pushkar bath, He left Bharatpur undefended, and joined the camp of Madho Singh. Pratap Singh instigated Madho Singh against Jawahar Singh. All the Rajput rulers assembled at Pushkar and held a conference in which no Jat rulers were invited. Raja Madho Singh said in this conference that the Jat ruler had injured the vanity of all the Rajputs. It was here that a witty Marwari, Raja Vijay Singh pointed out that after all the Jats were also Hindus and if they donated liberally on this auspicious occasion according to their financial position, it must not be taken as humiliation by Rajputs. Madho Singh, however, rejected this advice and appealed for war. The decision of this conference soon reached Jawahar Singh. He was expecting it.
Madho Singh laid on ambush in a valley to intercept Jawahar Singh on his return. Jawahar Singh had anticipated this and took the alternative route via Tanwarawati, near the present day Neem-ka-Thana
Neem-Ka-Thana
Neem-Ka-Thana is a city and a municipality in Sikar district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the six tehsils of the district. Papra colony is great because road, infrastructure,water supply is very good in this colony & 100% people in this colony are educated and most of them are...
, Maonda and Mandholi
Mandholi
Mandholi is a small town of about 1500 People in eastern Rajasthan. It is 5 km from Neem ka thana township and about 90 km from Jaipur. Famous for Battle of Maonda and Mandholi-History:...
villages, this area was a bottleneck Surrounded by hills. The column of troops with cavalry and artillery was marching under the leadership of Captain Samru.
The palanquins of the Ranis were escorted by Jawahar Singh in the
rear of the column. All of a sudden Rajputs attacked them from three sides. It was a fierce battle, in which the Rajputs suffered great losses. In the battle, it was found that only 11 tender aged members were left in the family of Raja Madho Singh. The rest lost their lives.
It is said that 25,000 casualties occurred in this - Battle of Maonda and Mandholi
Battle of Maonda and Mandholi
The Battle of Maonda and Mandholi was fought between The Jat rulers of Bharatpur and the Rajput rulers of Amer Jaipur in 1776. Maharaj Jawahar Singh of Bharatpur was leading an army on his way back from Pushkar when the forces of Sawai Raja Madho Singhji of Jaipur met them near Maonda and Mandholi...
. Jawahar Singh reached Bharatpur. Both the Jats and Rajputs claimed themselves victorious in this battle, but apparently the loss did not have not much of a repercussion on the strength of Jats, whereas Madho Singh had to suffer such a severe blow that his power never recovered. Rajputs claimed that Jawahir Singh ran from the field and hence they claimed themselves victorious in spite of heavy losses whereas Jats claimed that anyhow they were returning to their own territory and successfully repulsed the attack of Rajputs in their own territory rather giving a death blow to their pride and any further ambitions ......
Some unknown person ( popular perception holding it that it was none other than one of his own bodyguard who attacked him with stealth)killed later Jawahar Singh in 1768 while he was out on hunting. His successor was Maharaja Ratan Singh
Maharaja Ratan Singh
Ratan Singh was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bharatpur from 1768 to 1769. He ascended to the throne on the death of Maharaja Jawahar Singh. Jawahar Singh had no son, hence he was succeeded by his brother, Ratan Singh. Ratan Singh was ultimately killed by a juggler at Mathura. His...
.