Maharani Kishori
Encyclopedia
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
(on National Highway No.2), near Mathura and Bharatpur.
.
, the Maharaja always consulted her on important matters. She continued to act as an advisor for three generations, even after the death of her husband the Raja.
Fort, besieging it until 18 May; a state of war which continued for about four months.
One day in March Khande Rao Holkar, Malhar Rao's son, was inspecting his army in an open palanquin. He was fired upon from the fort and hit by a cannonball, dying on 17 March. His father Malhar Rao vowed that he would cut off the head of Maharaja Suraj Mal and throw the fort into the Yamuna
River.
The Marathas increased their pressure and Suraj Mal held his defenses, though no other ruler was ready to come to his aid. He consulted with Maharani Kishori.
Knowing of the enmity between Malhar Rao Holkar and Jayappa Sindhia, she advised Maharaja Suraj Mal to take advantage of the differences within the Marathas camp.
To this end she began by making contact with Diwan Roop Ram Katara, the friend of Jayappa Sindhia, whom she asked to take a letter from her husband to Jayappa Sindhia with a proposal for a treaty. Jayappa Sindhia contacted Raghunath Rao, who in turn advised Holkar to make a peace treaty with Suraj Mal.
Malhar Rao Holkar assessed the situation and consented, out of fear of becoming politically isolated. This led to a treaty on 18 May 1754, which proved of great benefit to Maharaja Suraj Mal.
and adopted mother of Jawahar Singh
, was adept at political intrigue. She was distressed to see that Jawahar Singh was not adopting a favourable policy towards family members and the nobility. She knew that only keeping him engaged in warfare could control him. She also knew that the Rajput
s would never tolerate this abrupt rise of Jat rule and would always resist the latter's efforts to gain power. The solution to both problems lay in war.
Maharani Kishori told 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. Instead he advised her that if she determined to go Pushkar for a bath, she should go with only a few followers and Rupa Ram, Purohit
.
The Rani retorted that she was the mother of Jawahar Singh and the queen of Maharaja Suraj Mal, and taking a bath like Marwari
women would affront her pride; she would like to take her bath along with the Rajput Ranis (queens) there, and also intended to give alms surpassing that of the Rajput Ranis. Furthermore, she did not understand why the Jats should be afraid of the Rajputs any longer.
Jawahar Singh knew full well that this would lead to warfare and bloodshed, so he marched to Pushkar with 60,000 cavalry, 100,000 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's weight in gold was distributed in charity. The other Ranis who had come on this occasion were humiliated, because they were not in a position to match Maharani Kishori's charity. Rajput pride was hurt.
, some one hundred thousand Maratha survivors returning south reached Suraj Mal’s territory without food, arms or clothing. Maharani Kishori together with Maharaja Suraj Mal received them with open arms, feeding the refugees and caring for the wounded until they were well enough to travel.
was constrained to make peace with the Rao Raja, recognising his title to Alwar and other territories conquered from the Jats. He sent back Hamdani against Maharaja Ranjit Singh and himself started for Agra. In September 1778, he appeared before Kumher
with a large army, to finish the affairs of Jats.
The siege of Kumher
was prosecuted with great vigour but the garrison, in hopes of the Emperor's arrival, put up a stiff resistance. Mirza Najaf Khan grew impatient as the siege seemed to drag on an interminable length of time. The Amir-ul-umra, out of the considerations of policy and for the general good, sent a letter full of admonitions... reminding Ranjit Singh that there was yet time to secure pardon through submission, and to atone for his past error by loyal service, without dragging several thousand men to their destruction.
This advice failed to find any place in Ranjit Singh's heart - he remained as haughty and obstinate as before.
The besieging army redoubled their efforts and soon rendered the fort untenable. In their hour of supreme peril they remembered the old Maharani Kishori, who had outlived the glory of house of Bharatpur
, and been pining in neglect and retirement after the death of Maharaja Jawahar Singh. Ranjit Singh's well-wishers advised him to send the old Rani Kishori to the Mughal camp, because she enjoyed the respect and good-will of the high officers of Amir-ul-umra and might possibly by her intercession procure pardon for his past offenses.
But Ranjit Singh hesitated to act upon their advice, lest the Mirza should compel him to surrender unconditionally, by detaining her in Mughal camp. One night he escaped with a few friends, leaving Kumher
to its fate. Next morning the Muslim troops scaled the walls of the fort and overpowered the defenders. Rani Kishori fell prisoner into their hands and was taken with all honour to the camp of Nawab. In obedience to his orders his officers erected lofty and secluded tents for her residence and well trained servants were appointed to wait upon her, in hopes that after a few days her grief might subdue.
It was not with the suspicious and timid steps of a prisoner that she went to meet the conqueror when summoned by him, but rather in the hope and confidence of a mother in distress who goes to see her foster child. On reaching the presence of Nawab she, like an affectionate nurse, walked around the person of Amir-ul-umra, and with sincerity took upon herself all his woes. With tearful in her eyes she narrated the pitiful tale of her misery.
When Nawab Amir-ul-umra learnt the distress of her heart, his own overflowed with kindness: he very graciously set her up as his own mother, giving her the fort of Kumher
for her residence and the mahals (palaces) around it for her support.
For her sake he also pardoned Ranjit Singh his crimes and left him the fort of Bharatpur, with territories worth seven lakhs (seven hundred thousand) rupees as jagir (his district). Where the barbarous ferocity of the Abdali
had failed, the magnanimity of Amir-ul-umra succeeded.
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,...
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...
in 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...
, 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...
. She came from Hodal
Hodal
Hodal is a city and a municipal committee in Palwal district in the Haryana state of India. Hodal is near the Kaman, Rajasthan, at the border of Uttar Pradesh on National Highway 2 ....
, a town situated in the Faridabad
Faridabad
Faridabad is a city in the south-east of Haryana state in northern India, in Faridabad district. It lies at 28º 25' 16" N Latitude and 77º 18' 28" E Longitude. The district shares its boundaries with the National Capital and Union Territory of Delhi to its north, Gurgaon district to the west and...
district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
(on National Highway No.2), near Mathura and Bharatpur.
.
Advisor
Maharani Kishori played an important role in running the administration of BharatpurBharatpur, 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...
, the Maharaja always consulted her on important matters. She continued to act as an advisor for three generations, even after the death of her husband the Raja.
Diplomacy
On 20 January 1754, the Marathas attacked KumherKumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
Fort, besieging it until 18 May; a state of war which continued for about four months.
One day in March Khande Rao Holkar, Malhar Rao's son, was inspecting his army in an open palanquin. He was fired upon from the fort and hit by a cannonball, dying on 17 March. His father Malhar Rao vowed that he would cut off the head of Maharaja Suraj Mal and throw the fort into the Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
River.
The Marathas increased their pressure and Suraj Mal held his defenses, though no other ruler was ready to come to his aid. He consulted with Maharani Kishori.
Knowing of the enmity between Malhar Rao Holkar and Jayappa Sindhia, she advised Maharaja Suraj Mal to take advantage of the differences within the Marathas camp.
To this end she began by making contact with Diwan Roop Ram Katara, the friend of Jayappa Sindhia, whom she asked to take a letter from her husband to Jayappa Sindhia with a proposal for a treaty. Jayappa Sindhia contacted Raghunath Rao, who in turn advised Holkar to make a peace treaty with Suraj Mal.
Malhar Rao Holkar assessed the situation and consented, out of fear of becoming politically isolated. This led to a treaty on 18 May 1754, which proved of great benefit to Maharaja Suraj Mal.
The Pushkar bath of Maharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori, wife of 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...
and adopted mother of Jawahar Singh
Jawahar Singh
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....
, was adept at political intrigue. She was distressed to see that Jawahar Singh was not adopting a favourable policy towards family members and the nobility. 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 would never tolerate this abrupt rise of Jat rule and would always resist the latter's efforts to gain power. The solution to both problems lay in war.
Maharani Kishori told 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. Instead he advised her that if she determined to go Pushkar for a bath, she should go with only a few followers and Rupa Ram, 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 that she was the mother of Jawahar Singh and the queen 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 affront her pride; she would like to take her bath along with the Rajput Ranis (queens) there, and also intended to give alms surpassing that of the Rajput Ranis. Furthermore, she did not understand why the Jats should be afraid of the Rajputs any longer.
Jawahar Singh knew full well that this would lead to warfare and bloodshed, so he marched to Pushkar with 60,000 cavalry, 100,000 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's weight in gold was distributed in charity. The other Ranis who had come on this occasion were humiliated, because they were not in a position to match Maharani Kishori's charity. Rajput pride was hurt.
Humanity
When the Marathas were defeated in the Third Battle of PanipatThird battle of Panipat
The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761, at Panipat , about 60 miles north of Delhi between a northern expeditionary force of the Maratha Confederacy and a coalition of the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali with 2 Indian Muslim allies—the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab, and the...
, some one hundred thousand Maratha survivors returning south reached Suraj Mal’s territory without food, arms or clothing. Maharani Kishori together with Maharaja Suraj Mal received them with open arms, feeding the refugees and caring for the wounded until they were well enough to travel.
Saving the Bharatpur royal house from annihilation
In July 1778, Mirza Najaf KhanMirza Najaf Khan
Mirza Najaf Khan was a Persian adventurer in the court of Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. He had royal lineage, having been a Safavi prince, when that dynasty was deposed by Nader Shah in 1735. He came to India around 1740 and may even have come a year earlier with the Afsharids. His sister married...
was constrained to make peace with the Rao Raja, recognising his title to Alwar and other territories conquered from the Jats. He sent back Hamdani against Maharaja Ranjit Singh and himself started for Agra. In September 1778, he appeared before Kumher
Kumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
with a large army, to finish the affairs of Jats.
The siege of Kumher
Kumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
was prosecuted with great vigour but the garrison, in hopes of the Emperor's arrival, put up a stiff resistance. Mirza Najaf Khan grew impatient as the siege seemed to drag on an interminable length of time. The Amir-ul-umra, out of the considerations of policy and for the general good, sent a letter full of admonitions... reminding Ranjit Singh that there was yet time to secure pardon through submission, and to atone for his past error by loyal service, without dragging several thousand men to their destruction.
This advice failed to find any place in Ranjit Singh's heart - he remained as haughty and obstinate as before.
The besieging army redoubled their efforts and soon rendered the fort untenable. In their hour of supreme peril they remembered the old Maharani Kishori, who had outlived the glory of house 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...
, and been pining in neglect and retirement after the death of Maharaja Jawahar Singh. Ranjit Singh's well-wishers advised him to send the old Rani Kishori to the Mughal camp, because she enjoyed the respect and good-will of the high officers of Amir-ul-umra and might possibly by her intercession procure pardon for his past offenses.
But Ranjit Singh hesitated to act upon their advice, lest the Mirza should compel him to surrender unconditionally, by detaining her in Mughal camp. One night he escaped with a few friends, leaving Kumher
Kumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
to its fate. Next morning the Muslim troops scaled the walls of the fort and overpowered the defenders. Rani Kishori fell prisoner into their hands and was taken with all honour to the camp of Nawab. In obedience to his orders his officers erected lofty and secluded tents for her residence and well trained servants were appointed to wait upon her, in hopes that after a few days her grief might subdue.
It was not with the suspicious and timid steps of a prisoner that she went to meet the conqueror when summoned by him, but rather in the hope and confidence of a mother in distress who goes to see her foster child. On reaching the presence of Nawab she, like an affectionate nurse, walked around the person of Amir-ul-umra, and with sincerity took upon herself all his woes. With tearful in her eyes she narrated the pitiful tale of her misery.
When Nawab Amir-ul-umra learnt the distress of her heart, his own overflowed with kindness: he very graciously set her up as his own mother, giving her the fort of Kumher
Kumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
for her residence and the mahals (palaces) around it for her support.
For her sake he also pardoned Ranjit Singh his crimes and left him the fort of Bharatpur, with territories worth seven lakhs (seven hundred thousand) rupees as jagir (his district). Where the barbarous ferocity of the Abdali
Abdali
Abdali may refer to:* Abdali Urban Regeneration Project, district in Amman, Jordan* Durrani, one of the two largest Pashtun tribes of Afghanistan and Pakistan* Ahmed Shah Abdali, founder of the Durrani Empire...
had failed, the magnanimity of Amir-ul-umra succeeded.
Sources
- Thakur DeshrajThakur DeshrajThakur Deshraj was a social worker, journalist, nationalist, freedom fighter and author of many books. He was from Rajasthan state in India. He was revenue minister in the princely state of Bharatpur....
: Jat Itihas (Hindi), Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934, 2nd edition 1992. - Dr Natthan Singh: Jat - Itihas (Hindi), Jat Samaj Kalyan Parishad Gwalior, 2004
- Chaudhari Udayvir Singh: Jat Bandhu, Agra, 25 April 2001
- Kalika Ranjan Qanungo: History of the Jats : Contribution to the History of Northern India (Up to the Death of Mirza Najaf Khan, 1782). Edited and annotated by Vir Singh. Delhi, Originals, 2003, ISBN 81-7536-299-5
- Dr. Prakash Chandra Chandawat: Maharaja Suraj Mal aur unka yug, Jaypal Agencies Agra, 1982
- Kunwar Natwar Singh: Maharaja Suraj MalMaharaja Suraj MalMaharaja 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...