Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana (1707–1756) was the most powerful ruler of princely state Gohad

Gohad

Gohad , also Gohud, is a city and a municipality in Bhind district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A town of historical importance it is situated close to the city of Gwalior.-History:...

in northwestern Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. According to Alexander Cunningham

Alexander Cunningham

Sir Alexander Cunningham KCIE CSI was a British archaeologist and army engineer, known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India...

and William Cook

William Cook

William Cook, Will Cook, Bill Cook or Billy Cook may refer to:* William Cook , founder of the Cook Group, medical equipment manufacturer...

, Bamraulia
Bamraulia
Bamraulia is a clan or gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in India. This gotra is based on village Bamrauli situated near Agra. The early history of Bamraulia gotra is not known. As per the books maintained by traditional Jagas, Jats in Yudhistir Samvat had...

gotra jats

Jat people

The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...

from village Bamrauli (near Agra

Agra

Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...

) in 1505 founded the city Gohad near Gwalior.Singhandev was the founder of Gohad state. Later it developed into an important Jat State. The Jat rulers of Gohad were awarded the title of Rana.

Alliance with Maharaja Suraj Mal

Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana played an important role in keeping a power balance in Malwa. The Delhi

Delhi

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...

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...

ruler sent Jay 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....

as satrap

Satrap

Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....

of Malwa in 1729. Malharrao Holkar, Udaji Panwar and Kanthaji Panwar encountered Jay Singh at the Mandavgarh fort. Jay Singh succeeded in defeating the Marathas, with the help 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...

of Bharatpur

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.

Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana helped Suraj Mal in this mission. This alliance made them the enemies of the Marathas.

Captures Gwalior fort

Bhim Singh Rana increased his powers and was planning to expand his territories. He marched to Malwa in 1736 but came back and targeted the Gwalior Fort. Marathas were also in race to win the Gwalior Fort. The weak and easy-going Mughal satrap

Satrap

Alikhan, looking to the power of Jats, surrendered the fort to Bhim Singh Rana. Meanwhile there was a severe fight between Marathas and Jats to win the Gwalior Fort but Jats won and the Gwalior fort came under Jats.

Bhim Singh Rana occupied the Gwalior fort from 1740-1756.

Death

In 1756 Marathas attacked the Gwalior Fort under the leadership of Great Warrior Mahadji Rao Sahev Shinde, Yammaji Rahalkar and Motiram Bani with a huge army. There was a severe war between the Jat Army and the Maratha Army down below the fort. At one time Bhim Singh Rana was not riding horse at that time Maratha Atrao attacked Rana with sword. Bhim Singh Rana was wounded and carried out of the war site by his soldiers. He died after three days on Chaitra sudi navami (Ram navami) in 1756. His queen Roshani committed jauhar

Jauhar

Jauhar and Saka refer to the ancient Indian tradition of honorary self immolation of women and subsequent march of men to the battle field to end their life with respect. It was followed by the Rajput clans in order to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of their enemies...

. The fort came in occupation of Marathas.

Constructed historical monuments

Maharaja Bhim Singh had constructed a historical monument Bhimtal in 1754 on the Gwalior fort. His successor Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana

Chhatar Singh

Maharaja Chhatar Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...

constructed a grand Chhatri

Chhatri

Chhatris are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture. Chhatris are commonly used to depict the elements of of pride and honor in the Rajput architecture of Rajasthan. They are widely used, in palaces, in forts, or to demarcate funerary sites...

near Bhimtal in memory of Maharaja Bhim Singh on the Gwalior Fort. Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad Gwalior organizes a fair on Gwalior fort on Ram Navami every year in honour of Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana.

Assessment by Maratha historian

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;...

Historian Srimant Balwantrao Bhaiya Saheb Sindhia, appreciated the bravery of Rana Bhim Singh and has written about Bhim Singh Rana in his book “History of Gwalior fort” as under:

“They (Kishwar Ali Khan and his people) decided to surrender the fort to Rana Bhim singh. Accordingly some 300 men of Rana were allowed to enter the fortress by the way of Kabootar Khana. They were soon followed by Rana Bhim Singh himself, who accompanied with soldiers on foot and on horse back and took up a position at the village of Goorganwan.

The Rana being armless in the midst of the field of battle performed prodigies of valour and receiving wounds retired to Citedal, where he expired and three days after was cremated near the great Tank built by him in accordance with Hindu rites.”

His successor

Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh

Girdhar Pratap Singh

Girdhar Pratap Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...

became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of Rana Bhim Singh. Girdhar Pratap Singh could not rule Gohad for long as he died in 1757. His successor was Rana Chhatar Singh