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Later Mughals v2.c15.s4: Sec. 73.—Rajah Chhattarsal, His Career Down to 1720.

Later Mughals v2.c15.s4

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English

Sec. 73.—Rajah Chhattarsal, His Career Down to 1720.

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Thus at the age of twelve years Chhattarsal,[*] who was the fourth son of Champat Rai, was left an orphan and a fugitive. He sought shelter first with his eldest surviving brother Angad Rai at Deogarh and his mother's jewels having been obtained from the town of Dilwari, where they had been deposited, his marriage was carried out. He now offered his services to Rajah Jai Singh of Amber then on his march to the Dakhin and about to proceed against Shivaji the Mahratta. His brother Angad Rai soon joined the same commander, under whom they did good service. When Bahadur Khan besieged Deogarh, Chhattarsal formed part of the detachment sent by Jai Singh as a reinforcement. In a battle fought to force the passes through the hills, Chhattarsal was left for dead on the field of battle and was not discovered till night had come on.

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Chhattarsal disgusted at Bahadur Khan's neglect of his services, decided to join Shivaji, the Mahratta, and with this intention after a long and trying march through hills and forest, he crossed the Bhima river. At an interview Shivaji counselled him to return to his own country of Bundelkhand and there raise his standard against the Muhammadans.[†] Adopting this suggestion Chhattarsal first of all sought to obtain assistance from Subhkaran Bundela Rajah of Datiya, then serving in the Mughal employ in the Dakhin. Subhkaran refused to quit the Mughal, but offered to intercede with the Emperor and obtain for Chhattarsal a suitable rank. Chhattarsal refused.

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∗ The history of Chhattarsal to the death of Alamgir is based upon the *Chhatra-prakash*, with dates and a few details from *M. U.* ii. 510 and *M. A.* 169, 384, 424, 483. The letters of Jai Singh in the *Haft Anjuman* give us information about Chhattarsal's service under him. [J. Sarkar.]

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† Bhimsen gives another account. See my *Shivaji and His Times*, ch. 7 end. [J. S.]

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Now commenced a struggle which lasted for over fifty years. Chhattarsal crossed the Narmada into Bundelkhand in 1671, when he was in his twenty-second year. His following then consisted of five horsemen and twenty-five foot-soldiers; while at his death in December 1713 he was lord of the eastern half of Bundelkhand. In the course of this career of conquest, he defeated many Moslem commanders, Hashim Khan, Sayyid Bahadur, Randaula Khan, Tahavvar Khan, Sayyid Latif, Anwar Khan, Mirza Sadar-ud-din, Hamid Khan, Abdus-samad Khan and Murad Khan (agent of Diler Khan). These obscure struggles are hardly mentioned by the Muhammadan historians. The only campaign they tell us of is that of 1089 H., 1678-9, when Jaswant Singh Bundela was sent 'against the sons of Champat'.

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Twenty years seem to have passed in this never ceasing struggle. Alamgir's departure from Northern India in 1681 and his prolonged campaigns against the Muhammadan Governments and the rising Mahratta power, diverted his attention from the other parts of his Empire. The local generals ceased to exert themselves, in the way that they did in the time of Shah Jahan; and this want of energy was without doubt exceedingly favourable to the rise of a local chief like Chhattarsal. Somewhere about the 40th year of the reign (5 April 1696—23 March 1697) Chhattarsal was induced to enter the imperial service and repaired to the Dakhin. In the 46th year (19 Feb. 1700—8 Feb. 1701) he was appointed to the command of fort Satara. Four years afterwards he abandoned the service and returned home. In the next year the 49th (1705) Nawab Firuz Jang obtained his reinstatement with the rank of 4,000. He returned home when Alamgir died (2nd March 1707).

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In the early part of Bahadur Shah's reign, Chhattarsal neglected the summonings to Court which were sent to him. But on the 30th May 1708, when the new Emperor was on his way to the Dakhin to fight his younger brother, Kam Bakhsh, Harde Narayan and other sons of Chhattarsal presented themselves and received mansabs. In the fourth year of that reign, on 22nd April 1710, when the Emperor was at Karatiya in the Kota country on his return march to Hindustan, Chhattarsal himself attended and proceeded northwards with the army, then on the way to suppress Banda, the follower of the deceased Sikh leader Guru Govind Singh. On the 10th Dec. 1710 Chhattarsal took part in the assault on the Sikh fastness of Lohgarh in the outer Himalayas. Under Farrukh-siyar (1713-1719), he seems to have remained in favour. On the 21st Jan. 1714 he became 6,000 zat (4,000 horse), and on the 3rd May 1718 three of his sons and several grandsons attended Court and received presents. [Kamwar, Dil. 171b, Bahadur, M. U. ii. 510.]

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