Raja Jagat Singh
Encyclopedia
Raja Jagat Singh Pathania (1618–1646) succeeded Raja Suraj Mal (his elder brother) as the King of Nurpur, Himachal/India
. He was the second son of Raja Basu Dev. The golden period of Pathania
rule on Nurpur
(then Dhameri) came under the reign of Raja Jagat Singh. Under him the state reached her pinnacle. In 1618 Nurpur was ruled by elder brother of Jagat Singh namely Raja Suraj Mal. At this time Jagat Singh was in-charge of Mughal army detachment (Mansab) in Bengal. The rebellious and fiercely independent attitude of Raja Suraj Mal was a source of constant annoyance to Mughals. Therefore, Emperor Jahangir exiled Raja Suraj Mal to Chamba and placed Jagat Singh on ‘Gaddi’ (throne) of Nurpur.
Raja Jagat Singh Pathania cleverly exploited his proximity to Mughals in expanding the boundaries of his State. He ruthlessly pursued the interests of Nurpur and as a result was in bad terms of neighbouring states of Chamba, Basoli, Guler, Mandi and Suket. His forces conquered Basoli, Chamba and on 6 November 1620 captured the Kangra Fort.
Soon after the capture of Kangra fort the Emperor Jahangir
and Begum Nur Jahan visited Dhameri (now Nurpur). To commemorate the visit of Emperor and Begum, Raja Jagat Singh renamed his capital Dhameri to Nurpur. Begum Nur Jahan was so fascinated by the beauty of the place that she ordered a construction of her palace at Nurpur. This did not appeal to Raja Jagat Singh who considered the palace a hindrance to his new found freedom. Therefore, to dissuade Nur Jahan he perpetrated the idea that the place did not have good weather and locals were prone to disease ‘Goitre’. It is believed that Raja Jagat Singh enjoyed a special confidence of Begum Nur Jahan so much so that, as per the records of ‘Tuzk-i-Jahangiri’, after Raja Jagat’s infamous rebellion against Mughals from 1640 to 1642 he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but was also restored the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’, all on the behest of Begum Nur Jahan.
Raja Jagat Singh was a formidable warrior. He distinguished himself at Kabul by capturing Karim Dadh S/o Jalala Tariki who had rebelled against Mughals. He assisted Mughal forces in Qandhar and conquered Zamin-i-Dawar and Bust. All this gave him great influence in Mughal court and he was bestowed by the gifts and top honours by the Emperor. However, he had different designs in his mind and was restless for total sovereign.
In 1640 Raja Jagat Singh Pathania revolted against Mughal domination Emperor Shah Jahan. He had been secretly planning this for considerable time and had fortified three forts of Mau, Nurpur and Taragarh. By Dec 1641 the Mau fort had fallen to the combined forces of Mughals and rulers of Guler and Chamba. The detailed account of siege of these forts by Mughals exists in ‘Badshahnamah’ (Mughal records). Taragarh was the last fort to fall and most fortified. Mughals lost several of their commanders to brave men of Raja Jagat Singh. These included Khusru Beg and Asaf Khan. As per account in ‘Badshahnamah’ it appears that cordon of Taragarh fort commenced in Dec 1641 (after fall of Mau and Nurpur forts) and was over by April 1642 when Raja Jagat Singh and his sons surrendered on mutually agreed terms. It is intriguing that Mughals who were normally ruthless towards rebels and did not even spare their kith and kin, but in the case of Raja Jagat Singh he and his sons were restored to all their previous status and kingdom. Emperor knew that Raja Jagat Singh could not be brow beaten and his services can be used elsewhere therefore perhaps he had agreed for surrender on mutual terms also the closeness between Raja Jagat Singh and Begum Nur Jahan ensured reinstatement of Raja Jagat Singh. Raja Jagat Singh was not only a great warrior but a shrewd politician.
Raja Jagat Singh ruled till 1644 and during his remaining reign rendered assistance to Mughal forces in Qandhar ,Kabul. He was immortalized by the poet Gambhir Rai writing four years after his death describing in following poetic verse the exploits of noble Raja Jagat Singh Pathania:-
“Uthapan, Uthapan Naresh Tu Paithan Path,
Jako dae Badshahi panch sath pave,
Dandath udandi nokhandat akhandi,
Panch Sath dweep kirth, yash ghave,
Uthal-Vithal aur udal ujal jath,
Sangi gaey suk jath, bhojan na khave,
Kaith Gambhir sur spath Ashok Raja,
Sanj lo salam karan Khan yahan aave”
(Hey Lord, You are the glory of Pathania
clan. Only few are bestowed upon such greatness in this world. Your lordship punishes the defaulters. Your valour conquered nine parts and consolidated to form single kingdom. Several islands sing your glory. In battle our forces could not take food. And yet the Khan came to salute you O lord. Ghambir speaks the truth that you in your glory equal the king Ashoka)
Folklore associated with siege of Taragarh Fort (Revolt against Mughal from 1640 to 1642)
The Taragarh fort was so well fortified by Raja Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklores it took huge Mughal army 12 years (period seems an exaggeration) to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘Amb ka Bagh’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). The sons and men of Raja Jagat Singh were forced to eat vermin inside the fort as their rations finished. However, to fool enemy surrounding the fort one day the men of Raja Jagat Singh prepared the kheer (milk pudding) from female dog’s milk (which use to feed at surrounding Mughal forces camp but had given litter inside the fort). They then threw this pudding out of fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal Emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Raja Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of Fort on his terms.
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...
. He was the second son of Raja Basu Dev. The golden period of Pathania
Pathania
Pathania is the name of the branch of the Tomara Clan of Chandravanshi, Rajputs, descended from Lord Arjuna, the hero of Mahabharata. It is one of the ruling Rajput clans of India. They mostly live in and around Himachal Pradesh, in North India...
rule on Nurpur
Nurpur
Nurpur is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was formerly a Kingdom ruled by the Pathania clan of Rajputs, since the 11th century AD. The capital of the Kingdom was at Pathankot, now in Punjab....
(then Dhameri) came under the reign of Raja Jagat Singh. Under him the state reached her pinnacle. In 1618 Nurpur was ruled by elder brother of Jagat Singh namely Raja Suraj Mal. At this time Jagat Singh was in-charge of Mughal army detachment (Mansab) in Bengal. The rebellious and fiercely independent attitude of Raja Suraj Mal was a source of constant annoyance to Mughals. Therefore, Emperor Jahangir exiled Raja Suraj Mal to Chamba and placed Jagat Singh on ‘Gaddi’ (throne) of Nurpur.
Raja Jagat Singh Pathania cleverly exploited his proximity to Mughals in expanding the boundaries of his State. He ruthlessly pursued the interests of Nurpur and as a result was in bad terms of neighbouring states of Chamba, Basoli, Guler, Mandi and Suket. His forces conquered Basoli, Chamba and on 6 November 1620 captured the Kangra Fort.
Soon after the capture of Kangra fort the Emperor Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
and Begum Nur Jahan visited Dhameri (now Nurpur). To commemorate the visit of Emperor and Begum, Raja Jagat Singh renamed his capital Dhameri to Nurpur. Begum Nur Jahan was so fascinated by the beauty of the place that she ordered a construction of her palace at Nurpur. This did not appeal to Raja Jagat Singh who considered the palace a hindrance to his new found freedom. Therefore, to dissuade Nur Jahan he perpetrated the idea that the place did not have good weather and locals were prone to disease ‘Goitre’. It is believed that Raja Jagat Singh enjoyed a special confidence of Begum Nur Jahan so much so that, as per the records of ‘Tuzk-i-Jahangiri’, after Raja Jagat’s infamous rebellion against Mughals from 1640 to 1642 he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but was also restored the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’, all on the behest of Begum Nur Jahan.
Raja Jagat Singh was a formidable warrior. He distinguished himself at Kabul by capturing Karim Dadh S/o Jalala Tariki who had rebelled against Mughals. He assisted Mughal forces in Qandhar and conquered Zamin-i-Dawar and Bust. All this gave him great influence in Mughal court and he was bestowed by the gifts and top honours by the Emperor. However, he had different designs in his mind and was restless for total sovereign.
In 1640 Raja Jagat Singh Pathania revolted against Mughal domination Emperor Shah Jahan. He had been secretly planning this for considerable time and had fortified three forts of Mau, Nurpur and Taragarh. By Dec 1641 the Mau fort had fallen to the combined forces of Mughals and rulers of Guler and Chamba. The detailed account of siege of these forts by Mughals exists in ‘Badshahnamah’ (Mughal records). Taragarh was the last fort to fall and most fortified. Mughals lost several of their commanders to brave men of Raja Jagat Singh. These included Khusru Beg and Asaf Khan. As per account in ‘Badshahnamah’ it appears that cordon of Taragarh fort commenced in Dec 1641 (after fall of Mau and Nurpur forts) and was over by April 1642 when Raja Jagat Singh and his sons surrendered on mutually agreed terms. It is intriguing that Mughals who were normally ruthless towards rebels and did not even spare their kith and kin, but in the case of Raja Jagat Singh he and his sons were restored to all their previous status and kingdom. Emperor knew that Raja Jagat Singh could not be brow beaten and his services can be used elsewhere therefore perhaps he had agreed for surrender on mutual terms also the closeness between Raja Jagat Singh and Begum Nur Jahan ensured reinstatement of Raja Jagat Singh. Raja Jagat Singh was not only a great warrior but a shrewd politician.
Raja Jagat Singh ruled till 1644 and during his remaining reign rendered assistance to Mughal forces in Qandhar ,Kabul. He was immortalized by the poet Gambhir Rai writing four years after his death describing in following poetic verse the exploits of noble Raja Jagat Singh Pathania:-
“Uthapan, Uthapan Naresh Tu Paithan Path,
Jako dae Badshahi panch sath pave,
Dandath udandi nokhandat akhandi,
Panch Sath dweep kirth, yash ghave,
Uthal-Vithal aur udal ujal jath,
Sangi gaey suk jath, bhojan na khave,
Kaith Gambhir sur spath Ashok Raja,
Sanj lo salam karan Khan yahan aave”
(Hey Lord, You are the glory of Pathania
Pathania
Pathania is the name of the branch of the Tomara Clan of Chandravanshi, Rajputs, descended from Lord Arjuna, the hero of Mahabharata. It is one of the ruling Rajput clans of India. They mostly live in and around Himachal Pradesh, in North India...
clan. Only few are bestowed upon such greatness in this world. Your lordship punishes the defaulters. Your valour conquered nine parts and consolidated to form single kingdom. Several islands sing your glory. In battle our forces could not take food. And yet the Khan came to salute you O lord. Ghambir speaks the truth that you in your glory equal the king Ashoka)
Folklore associated with siege of Taragarh Fort (Revolt against Mughal from 1640 to 1642)
The Taragarh fort was so well fortified by Raja Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklores it took huge Mughal army 12 years (period seems an exaggeration) to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘Amb ka Bagh’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). The sons and men of Raja Jagat Singh were forced to eat vermin inside the fort as their rations finished. However, to fool enemy surrounding the fort one day the men of Raja Jagat Singh prepared the kheer (milk pudding) from female dog’s milk (which use to feed at surrounding Mughal forces camp but had given litter inside the fort). They then threw this pudding out of fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal Emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Raja Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of Fort on his terms.