Later Mughals v2.c14.s7: Sec. 31.—The Jats.
Later Mughals v2.c14.s7
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Sec. 31.—The Jats.
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We turn now to another quarter in which troubles had arisen. Our last mention of the Jats was in April and May 1718, near the end of Farrukh-siyar's reign. Rajah Jai Singh of Amber had been foiled in his attempt to crush Churaman, and a peace more or less favourable to the latter chief had been patched up through the good offices of the Sayyids' uncle, Sayyid Khan Jahan. This failure still rankled in the breast of Jai Singh, who had returned to the Dihli Court (1st May 1721), after the defeat and imprisonment of Sayyid Abdullah Khan. Nor, in the interval of three years which had elapsed, had further provocation been wanting on the part of Churaman. On the death of Sayyid Husain Ali Khan he had temporarily declared himself on the side of the Emperor, but, on the day of battle with Sayyid Abdullah Khan, had gone over to the ex-Wazir and plundered the imperial baggage. Furthermore he had done his best to hinder Saadat Khan on his march to join the army proceeding against Ajit Singh of Jodhpur ; and had sent men to the aid of the Bundelas in their opposition to Diler Khan, the lieutenant of Muhammad Khan Bangash, governor of Allahabad.
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Saadat Khan, as we have said, had been appointed to the province of Agra, to which he sent Nilkanth Nagar as his deputy. One of his first injunctions to this man was to proceed against the Jats and punish them for their various misdeeds. Accordingly he took up a position near Fathpur Sikri with an army of 10,000 horse besides infantry. On the 26th Sept. 1721 he went against one of the villages in the Jat territory, seized many of the inhabitants and all their cattle. As Nilkanth was on his return march, Muhkam Singh, eldest son of Churaman, came up with him at the head of five to six thousand men and offered battle. In the fight Nilkanth was hit by a bullet and fell down dead in his howda ; as many of his men as were able took to flight ; the rest were made prisoners and gave up their arms and horses to the Jats. All the deputy governor's elephants and property fell into Muhkam Singh's hands. The captives were released upon each man paying ransom according to his status. [Shiu Das 79b, Siwanih, Siyar text 73, Ghulam Ali 46a.]
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Saadat Khan was ordered to depart at once from Court and take charge in person of his Government. On arriving at Agra he was joined by Badan Singh Jat, brother's son of Churaman. It seems that the latter had recently died and a dispute as to the succession had broken out between the cousins. Saadat Khan thought it wise to conciliate the fugitive, giving him robes of honour and an elephant and entering into an alliance with him. But Saadat Khan in spite of all his efforts made no impression on the Jats, the excuse he offered being the obstacles presented by the thickly growing trees and the strength of their forts. As he was deemed unequal to his task, his removal was determined upon and the Government was given to Rajah Jai Singh Kachhwaha.∗
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∗ Shiu Das 80a, K. K. 944, M. U. i. 545. Ghulam Ali (46a) says Saadat Khan was already in Oudh and wanted to return thence to Agra.
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About this time, as we just said, Churaman the Jat chief had died; this event happened in Zul Hijja 1133 (Sept.—Oct. 1721). As one story goes, there was one of his relations, a wealthy man, who died childless. The brethren sent for Muhkam, the eldest son of Churaman, and made him head of the deceased’s zamindari and gave over to him all the deceased’s goods. Zul Karan, the second son of Churaman, said to his brother “Give me too a share in those goods and admit me as a partner.” A verbal dispute followed and Muhkam made ready to resist by force. Zul Karan determined to have the quarrel out, gathered men together, and attacked his brother. The elders of the place sent word to Churaman that his sons were fighting, which was not well; it were better that he should adjust the dispute.
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Churaman spoke to Muhkam. The son replied to his father by abusive language, and showed himself ready to fight his father as well as his brother. Churaman lost his temper and from chagrin swallowed a dose of deadly poison which he always carried upon him, and going to an orchard in that village lay down and gave up the ghost. After a long time had elapsed, men were sent to search for him and found his dead body.*
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Jai Singh, the new governor of Agra, had undertaken to lead an army against the Jat head-quarters which were still at Thun. On the 19th April 1722, a number of nobles and Rajahs
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But Samsam-ud-daulah interfered and the Agra Government was taken from him.
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∗ Shiu Das 78, Ghulam Ali 46b, Siyar trans. i. 259. Compare the story in Siyar and Khizr Khan which agree—one of them has copied from the other or both use a common source. I am obliged to throw doubt on Khizr Khan (although he was supposed to be on the spot) because he makes Churaman die after Jai Singh had invested Thun. Shiu Das, Mirza Muhammad and Khafi Khan, on the whole authorities of greater weight, coincide in saying that the defence against Jai Singh was conducted by the sons of Churaman and not by that leader himself. T-i-Mhdi (1133); “Churaman Jat, an unruly zamindar of position in the Akbarabad province, died in Zul Hijja in the fighting between his sons Tham Singh and Muhkam Singh. He went to reconcile them and was killed.”
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were named to serve under him, the best known of whom were Rajah Girdhar Bahadur Nagar and Maharao Arjun Singh of Orchha. An army of 14,000 to 15,000 horsemen was assembled, artillery and ammunition were provided, and a grant of two lakhs of Rupees made from the imperial treasury. But on the 14th July Jai Singh was still at Court, and still later, on the 29th August, renewed injunctions to start were issued to the Rajah and his second-in-command Muzaffar Khan. The Bakhshis were directed to make up his army to fifty thousand horsemen. [Kamwar 251, K. K. 945.]
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Finally, on the 1st Sept. 1722 Rajah Jai Singh Sawai received his formal appointment to Agra in open darbar and was invested in the usual way. More nobles were granted robes of honour and posted to serve under him, while Sayyid Muzaffar Ali Khan was appointed deputy governor of Agra. At this time Saadat Khan, the displaced governor of that province, reached the capital. He was refused an audience and told to proceed direct to Oudh, the robes of investiture for it and for the faujdari of Gorakhpur being sent to him by a messenger. His predecessor in Oudh, Rajah Girdhar Bahadur Nagar, was transferred to Malwa (9 Sept. 1722). [Kamwar 254, Siwanih.]
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On the 25th October reports were received at Court that the sons of Churaman Jat had taken refuge in their fort of Thun, round which daily skirmishes were taking place. The Rajah commenced by cutting down the jungle, then erected his batteries. From time to time the Jats came out and taking shelter among the trees fell upon the imperial camp at night. Many men were slain on both sides. Matters went on thus for about one-and-a-half months, and one or two of the forts were beginning to feel distressed. Then Badan Singh, who once before had shown ill-will to his cousins, left their side and came over to the Rajah. He pointed out the weak places of the defenders, and two of their forts were taken. The besieged then lost heart. At midnight Muhkam set fire to the houses, exploded his powder magazines, and took to flight carrying as much cash, jewellery and portable property as he could. On the 18th November the imperialists took possession of Thun, and the treasures amassed by Churaman were sought for; house after house was dug up, but all in vain. No treasure was discovered. Muhkam Singh took refuge with Rajah Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, and although he survived for many years was never able to regain his ancestral domains. He was alive in 1167 H., the 6th year of Ahmad Shah, for he turned up at Dihli on the 11th Safar of that year (10 Dec. 1753) and tried through Aqibat Mahmud Khan, Imad-ul-mulk’s chief adviser, to get back the Raj.* In reward for his services Rajah Jai Singh received on the 12th June 1723 the titles of Rajah-i-Rajeshwar, Shri Raja-dhiraj, Maharaj Jai Singh Sawai. Already on the 1st May 1721 he had been given the title of Sar-amad-i-Rajahae, and the chiefship of the Jats remained with Badan Singh. [K. K. 945; Siyar trans. i. 259; Kamwar 249, 265.]
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SEC. 32.—MARRIAGE OF MUHAMMAD SHAH AND HIS DAILY LIFE.
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One of the first matters to be seen to after the victory over the Sayyids and the completion of the consequent rejoicings was the marriage of the young Emperor to the daughter of his predecessor, Farrukh-siyar, her title being after marriage Malika-uz-zamani. On the 14th Safar 1134 H. (3 Dec. 1721) the sachaq or bridegroom’s gifts were sent to the bride’s house. Samsam-ud-daulah, who was especially active in the matter, received rich gifts and the eunuchs, such as Khwaja Khawas Khan, Mahaldar Khan Nazir, and Hafiz Jawahir Khan, were rewarded. On the 17th (6 Dec. 1721) at nightfall the Emperor proceeded in state to the chaplet room. Then the great nobles, such as the Samsam-ud-daulah (who was given a prominent part as the chief arranger of the union with this Princess) and the Wazir and Haidar Quli Khan and Roshan-ud-daulah, were employed to fix upon the amount of dower. It was settled at fifty lakhs of Rupees. Then at the auspicious moment the marriage ceremony was performed by Mulla Sadullah (entitled Musawi Khan) and Himmat Khan. Offerings of a lakh of Rupees each were made to Samsam-uddaulah, Qamar-ud-din Khan, Abdus-samad Khan Diler Jang, Haidar Quli Khan, Khan Khanan Mir Jumla, Zafar Khan (Roshan-ud-daulah), Rajah Jai Singh, and Rajah Girdhar Bahadur. The evening ended with singing and dancing, illuminations and fireworks. Customs peculiar to the people of Hindustan, such as that called henna-bandi and others, were not performed publicly, in order not to clash with the prescription of the holy law. Valuable presents were conferred on the Emperor's mother Qudsiya-ul-alqab Hazrat Begam and other women of the harem. [K. K. 937, Sahifa-i-iqbal 465.]
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∗ Tarikh-i-Ahmad Shah (Br. Mus. Or. 2005), 94b.
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In this earlier part of his reign, although Muhammad Shah was only nineteen years of age, we hear of his being already in ill-health. On the 7th Zul Hijja (28th Sept. 1721) he was under treatment for some complaint by three physicians, one of whom was the Frenchman Monsieur Martin. At this period the Emperor had several children born to him, none of whom survived. It was not until Dec. 1727 that a son destined to grow up was born. This boy became the Emperor's successor under the title of Ahmad Shah. For some years Muhammad Shah seems to have led a comparatively active life, and continued like his predecessor to make hunting expeditions at short intervals. Thus, for instance, on the 26th Feb. 1722, he went out to the preserve (ramna) of Shakkarpur. Again, on the 13th April of the same year he visited the preserve at Tal Katora; and that at Badli, in the other direction from Dihli, on the 16th August. Another and somewhat larger expedition took place from the 18th Jan. to 7th Feb. 1723, in which the stages were Agharabad, Sarai Narela, Siyubi [?=Sonipat], Sarai Kanwar [=Ganaur], Panipat (in the garden of Lutfullah Khan), Sarai Sambhalka, Sarai Kanwar [i.e., Ganaur] again, Sonipat, Narela and Agharabad once more, and finally Tal Katora near the Qutb. On this tour the shrines of the Panipat saints were visited. [Shiu Das 79b, Kamwar, Siyar, Ghulam Ali.]
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A more important expedition of this sort was made after a tiger. On the 17th Sept. 1723, the Emperor went on a visit to the shrines at the Qutb, and pitched his camp at the foot of the low hills there. Four days afterwards Mutaqad-uddaulah Allahwirdi Khan, the head huntsman, reported that two tigers with two cubs had been marked down in a plain covered with scrub. The kind of net known as a yawar or bawar with other hunting necessaries was ordered to be made ready. On the 22nd the advance tents were sent on to the village of Khaoli. Two days later they marched from the camp near the Qutb, and halted at Bijwasan village. Next day they reached Dholkot, the day after they were at Qasba Patodhi. The tiger hunt took place on the 29th. When they had arrived near the yawar or net the Emperor directed that the following nobles should enter it: the Wazir (Nizam-ul-mulk), the Amir-ul-umara (Samsam-ud-daulah), Ghazi-ud-din Khan (the Wazir's eldest son), Sarbuland Khan Mir Mushrif, and the three eunuchs Hafiz Khidmatgar Khan, Jawahir Khan and Itibar Khan. Some followers of these nobles, men famed for their bravery, were ordered to arm themselves and walk in front of the elephant on which the Emperor was seated. First of all, the Emperor himself shot dead the larger tiger; then four cubs were killed with sword and dagger and matchlock by the nobles and their retainers, of whom some fifteen were wounded. The next day the return march was made to Dholkot, and the day after the Emperor reached once more the palace at Dihli. [Kamwar 266, 259; Ahwal 183a for a plot against Nizam.]