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Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c28.s13: § 24. Last days of Jawahir Singh

Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c28.s13

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§ 24. Last days of Jawahir Singh

v2.c28.s13.1

Soon afterwards Madho Singh followed up his success by invading the Jat country at the head of 16,000 men, (Madec's estimate of 60,000 is grossly exaggerated.) Jawahir had hired 10,000 Sikhs and tried hard to increase Madec's sepoy corps by adding Rs. 5,000 to his monthly pay. On 29th February 1768, a battle was fought outside Kāmā (the halting place of the Jaipur army); the Jats were defeated with the loss of 400 men killed and Dān Sāhi wounded, and they fled away with their Sikh allies. On a fresh Sikh force of 20,000 men, engaged for seven lakhs (a month), arriving, the Rajputs retreated to their own country. [Wendel, 108. *René Madec*, 50. *SPD.* xxix. 84. *CPC.* ii.] A scheme framed by the Marathas and Shuja-ud-daulah for conducting Shah Alam with a combined escort of English, Maratha, Jaipur, Ruhcla and Oudh troops, to Agra, wresting that fort from Jawahir's hands, installing the Emperor at Delhi and stripping the upstart Jat kingdom of all its annexations under Suraj Mal and Jawahir, fell still-born from the wise refusal of the English to venture so far from their base. And Jawahir gained breathing space. Soon afterwards, he captured a petty Rajput baron's fort through Madec. Then, his stormy career came to an appropriately tragic end, when in July 1768 he was suddenly cut down by a favourite soldier whom he had once raised inordinately high and then disgraced. *

v2.c28.s13.2

∗ Wendel, 108. He is slightly inaccurate here, as SPD. xxix.

v2.c28.s13.3

75 shows that his Bundelkhand conquests of July 1767 were recovered by the Marathas six weeks before this battle.

v2.c28.s13.4

∗ *SPD.* xxix. 192. *CPC.* ii. 789, 835. *Chahar Gulzar*, 495a & b Qanungo, 213-218.