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Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c33.s2: § 3. Ratan Singh's reign and death: war for his succession

Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c33.s2

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§ 3. Ratan Singh's reign and death: war for his succession

v3.c33.s2.1

Ratan Singh had seen war at the head of a Jāt corps against the Marathas in Bundelkhand and North Malwa early in 1768; but immediately after coming to the throne he gave himself up entirely to pleasure and pomp. As the new lord of Brajamandal, he made a pilgrimage to Vrindāvan and held the grandest and most costly entertainments on the bank of the Jamunā, at which 4,000 dancing girls were assembled. He had picked up Gosain Rupānand, a Brahman monk reputed to be a master of alchemy, and engaged him to procure the Philosopher's stone. The sharper, after draining the Rajah of money for some time, at last found no other way of avoiding punishment for his imposture than to murder his dupe during an experiment for the transmutation of metals in the privacy of his tent. He was instantly cut down by the Rajah's servants and "sent to Vishnu's heaven", while Ratan Singh lingered on for some hours (8 April, 1769). The leading Jāt general now surviving was Dān Shāh, the brother-in-law of Nawal Singh, and he was entrusted with the regency on behalf of Ratan Singh's infant son Kesari Singh.*

v3.c33.s2.2

As the general-regent was not a man of the Jāt blood royal, but an outsider, it was easy for the late Rajah's brothers Nawal Singh and Ranjit Singh to spread the tale that he was going to use his absolute power for seizing the throne for himself. They thus united the other members of the royal family and the chief officers of the State in a plot for ousting him. As soon as Monsieur Madec, the chief supporter of Dān Shāh, had gone out to suppress some rebels in the provinces, the two brothers besieged the regent in his mansion in Dig and forced him to capitulate on condition of exile from the country. Then the victors quarrelled over the division of power. Nawal Singh won over M. Madec and all the chief officers and made himself sole regent ; his younger brother Ranjit Singh went back baffled to his appanage, the fort of Kumbher, which Nawal Singh then attacked. Ranjit in distress hired a band of Sikh mercenaries, rumoured to be 70,000 strong. Madec was now forced to raise the siege of Kumbher and hasten to meet this new enemy on the way. After an obstinate and long doubtful battle, the Sikhs were at last routed (circa 15 Feb. 1770). They retired 30 leagues from the field of combat and halted outside the Jāt frontier. Thence, on receiving a bribe from the agents of Nawal Singh, they marched away to their own country (end of February.)

v3.c33.s2.3

∗ The European evidence on Jat affairs supplied by Father F. X. Wendel stops just before the death of Jawahir Singh. But the loss is fully made good by the *Mémoire* of René Madec who joined the Jat service in July 1767 and left it in Oct. 1772. I.O.L. transcript of this *Mémoire* used by me in preference to the summary given in É. Barbé's book, *Le Nabab René Madec*. Kesari Singh's name is rightly given in *CPC*. ii. 1389, but misspelt as Kheri S in 1499 (corrected in the index.) Jat history after Jawahir S.—*DC*. *CPC*. ii and iii. Madec. *SPD*. xxix. *Bayan* (brief.) *Chahar Gulzar*. *Ibratnamah*. G. Ali ii. 4.

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