Later Mughals v1.c6.s8: Sec. 8.—The Rajput Country and Its Chief States.
Later Mughals v1.c6.s8
- Language
- English
Sec. 8.—The Rajput Country and Its Chief States.
v1.c6.s8.1
Rajputana is the extensive country lying between Sind on the west and the Chambal river on the east, and stretching from the Bharatpur and Dholpur States on the north to the Narmada on the south. It is about 130,000 square miles in area and divided by the Aravalli range into two parts, the western, a dry sandy plain, the eastern, a higher and more fertile country, much of it open and cultivated. Into this region the great Hindu military and ruling caste of the Rajputs had retired, in the twelfth century driven out by the Muhammadan invasion from Northern India and from the open valley of the Ganges and Jamuna. There are now fifteen Rajput States within the above boundaries, but some of them are modern and others are mere offshoots from the greater families. Long before the period with which we are dealing the Rajahs ruling the smaller principalities, such as Bundi, Kotah, Partabgarh, had accepted service in the Mughal army. As we have just seen most of them had representatives on one, if not on both sides, in the battle at Jajau, and after that battle they transferred themselves and their troops without hesitation to the side of the victor. With the three leading houses, the Sisodias of Mewar (or Udaipur), the Rathors of Marwar (or Jodhpur), and the Kachhwahas of Amber, the case was somewhat different.
v1.c6.s8.2
∗ Bhimsen asserts that on Munim Khan's advice Bahadur Shah had formed the deliberate plan of conquering the Rajput States in order to find more lands to grant as *jagirs* to his nobles, his undue liberality having already exhausted all that were available. As a pretext for the Emperor's advance, he gave out that he meant to visit the shrine at Ajmer of Muinud-din Chishti. (*Dil.* 169b.)
v1.c6.s8.3
The early Muhammadan kings had made little or no impression on the country held by the Rajputs, and for the most part they were left to themselves. But Babar in 1527 inflicted a crushing defeat at Fathpur Sikri on Rana Sanga Sisodia of Mewar. Akbar carried still farther the process of conquest, obtained wives from some of the houses, and took many of the chiefs into his military service. Still the country was only indirectly governed by the Muhammadans; and although in the *Ain-i-Akbari*, that great record of Akbar's administration, the whole of it is included in some province or other of the Empire, and its Rajahs are always spoken of under the colourless name of 'zamindars', the Mughals held it by little more than a military occupation. No doubt, the Mughal Emperors claimed the right of confirming succession to a Raj, exacted homage and offerings on such occasions, formally conferring at the same time the title of Rajah and a rank or *mansab* in their army, with insignia of various sorts. Such investiture was according to eastern habit preceded by gifts (*peshkash*) to the suzerain. But the only tribute exacted seems to have been service in the Mughal armies, and the only hold on the country the garrisons in certain towns or fortified places. The centre of the Muhammadan authority was Ajmer, around which they possessed some of the lands. Here the *subahdar* or governor of the province of Ajmer lived; while *faujdars* (military magistrates) and *qiladars* or fort commandants were posted at important places, such as Bairath, Sambhar, and Biana and in forts such as Ranthambhor and elsewhere. In the *subah* of Ajmer were included all the Rajput States (those of the Bundela clan excepted).
v1.c6.s8.4
The principal State, from the antiquity and pre-eminence of the Sisodia house which ruled over it, was Mewar in the south-east of the region, with its capital at Udaipur. The old capital Chitor had been stormed and taken by Akbar; but the Sisodias had ever held themselves as far aloof as possible from contact with the Muhammadans, and had succeeded in preserving themselves from the disgrace (as they considered it) of giving any daughter of their house in marriage to the Mughal Emperors. The Rajahs of Mewar never served in person* in the Muhammadan armies as was done by the other Rajput rulers, even the greatest, those of Jodhpur and Amber. In 1707 at the death of Alamgir, Rana Amar Singh, second of that name, was sitting on the gaddi (pillow of state) at Udaipur, and had then occupied it for eight years. (Tod, i. 394.) The smaller States need not be mentioned at this point, as their Rajahs exercised no important influence on the destinies of the Empire. It remains to say a few words about the then position of Amber and Jodhpur.
v1.c6.s8.5
The Kachhwaha State of Amber was comparatively obscure and unimportant when the Mughal period began. It was the first to succumb to the Mughal advance, its Rajahs gave their daughters to the Emperors, and entering their service rose to high employ in the Muhammadan State. Rajah Jai Singh, first of that name, known best by his title of Mirza Rajah, played a conspicuous part in the reign of Shah Jahan between the years 1644 and 1658. In this way the State of Amber, although not larger or wealthier than some of the other secondary States, grew to be considered on an equality with the two largest and most important States of Mewar and Marwar. At the beginning of the 18th century these three States were politically speaking of equal importance. The immediate successors of the Mirza Rajah had not been men of the same note, and since 1699 the chieftainship had been held by his grandson Jai Singh, now in 1707 a young man of about twenty-one years of age.* As we have seen, Jai Singh had espoused the wrong side, that of the defeated Azam Shah; and he suffered from a rival claimant in the person of his younger brother Bijai Singh, who with greater prudence or better luck had joined the army of Bahadur Shah before the decisive battle, having previously lived for some time in the Kabul province under the protection of Prince Shah Alam.
v1.c6.s8.6
∗ This was a concession granted only to the ruler of Mewar, who was exempted from attendance at the imperial Court and service in the imperial army in person like the other vassal Princes, and permitted to do these services by deputy, usually a younger brother or son, or oftener a paid agent. The Sisodia contingent in the Mughal army was very small, unlike the followers of the Jodhpur and Amber chiefs. [J. S.]
v1.c6.s8.7
The headship of the Rathors of Jodhpur was held at this time by Ajit Singh,† posthumous son of Maharajah Jaswant Singh, and now about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age. His early history is surrounded by romance. Jaswant Singh, in the war between the sons of Shah Jahan, had sided with Dara Shukoh. Although he was pardoned by Alamgir he was never fully restored to favour. He was sent to serve in the Dakhin, then in Kabul, then again in the Dakhin. Finally he was sent to be commander (thanadar) at Jamrud in the province of Kabul, where he died on the 6th Zul Qada 1089 H. (18th Dec. 1678). Kumar Pirthi Singh his son had predeceased him (and also two other sons who had accompanied him to Kabul), but he left two widows. At Lahor on their journey home the widows were delivered each of a posthumous son. Alamgir ordered that the ladies with the infants and the deceased Maharajah's dependents should be brought to him at Dihli. When they arrived they encamped near Barahpullah. One of the children had died, but Alamgir tried to obtain possession of the other by force. The faithful Rathor clansmen in the late Maharajah's service, the celebrated Durgadas Rathor at their head, defended their infant chieftain. When at length, overcome by numbers, they were forced to succumb, they left behind an infant and some women dressed in the Ranis' clothes that they had substituted, and escaped with the real heir, Ajit Singh, to their own deserts, where they assembled their fighting men for retaliation. Alamgir affected to believe that the boy of whom he had obtained possession was the veritable Ajit Singh. The child was made a Muhammadan, and receiving the name of Muhammadi Raj was made over to the imperial harem. On the other hand, the boy who had been rescued and carried off by the Rathors was declared a mere pretender set up by the clansmen as a pretext for opposing the imperial arms, nor would Alamgir believe the contrary till the Rana of Chitor agreed to give a Sisodia princess in marriage to Ajit Singh. Alamgir was forced to march early in Zul Hijja in person to suppress the Rathor rising, and reaching Ajmer sent on his fourth son Muhammad Akbar to conduct the campaign. The Rajputs fled with the child into the hills. Finally Durgadas induced Muhammad Akbar to come forward as a claimant to the imperial throne on a promise of support from all the Rathors and other Rajputs. The combination was dissolved by a stratagem. Muhammad Akbar fled to the Dakhin and found refuge with the Mahrattas while Jodhpur was occupied and an imperial faujdar placed in charge. For the remaining years of Alamgir's reign Ajit Singh lived in hiding, principally at Jalor, a place to the south of his own territory. The rest of Alamgir's reign passed in continual forays and incursions by the Rathors which the Muhammadans could never thoroughly suppress. From the time of Jaswant Singh's death and Alamgir's treacherous attempt to seize his son, dates the alienation of the Rajput clans, whose loyalty had been so wisely and prudently fostered for many years by the tolerant measures of Akbar and his two successors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. As soon as Alamgir, their oppressor, had expired, Ajit Singh collected his men, issued from his retreat and ejected the Muhammadans from Jodhpur and neglected to send an embassy to the new sovereign. (Dil. 170.) It was with this state of things that Bahadur Shah had now to deal.
v1.c6.s8.8
∗ He died in 1743, aged 57. [T-i-M.]
v1.c6.s8.9
† The history of the birth and infancy of Ajit Singh is given in full detail and with references to all the authorities, in Sarkar's History of Aurangzib, iii. ch. 36. [J.S.]