Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c28.s9.7

v2.c28.s9.7

The Jats under the house of Bharatpur, in their natural expansion eastwards and northwards along the upper Jamuna valley and beyond that river, came into collision not only with the authority of the Delhi Government but also with the Rajput Gujar and other landowners already in possession of the soil. Even before the rise of this royal family, the Jats had been making a peaceful penetration of the Agra and Mathura districts; they first entered that region as immigrant servants and hired labourers; but their skill in husbandry, rapid growth in numbers and dynamic force as a race enabled them to supplant the decadent lazy old owners and make themselves lords of much of the soil. The same process continued throughout the 18th century and received a great impetus from Suraj Mal's victorious advance and his legal position as a lessee of these districts recognized by the sovereign of Delhi. But this Jat occupation of the country could be effected only at the cost of the existing superior landowners, and thus every Rajput and Gujar zamindar’s arms were turned against the Jat power. The success of Suraj Mal only accentuated the age-long feud between Rajput and Jat, and the former readily joined the enemies of the latter every time the Jat power showed the least sign of decline.*