Later Mughals v1.c6.s8.7

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.