Map

Bharatpur – xx gun state [1]

 

Introduction.

Bharatpur was a state in the east of Rajasthan which lay roughly between 26o 43’ and 27o 50’ N. and 76o 53’ and 77o 46’ E..  It had an area of just under 2,000 square miles at the start of the 20th century, but this had varied with the changing fortunes of the state over preceding years and centuries..  To the north was the Punjab, to the east was Agra and Mathura, to the south was Jaipur, Karauli and Dholpur and to the west was Alwar.

 

In pre-Muslim times the north of the state belonged to the Tonwar Rajputs, ruling from Delhi, and further south, to the Jadon Rajputs whose capital was Bayana.  In the eleventh century, the territory fell briefly to Mahmud of Ghazni, and then completely to Muhammad Ghori at the end of the twelfth century.  Thereafter the area was ruled by whatever dynasty was in charge at Delhi, until, under the Mughals, it formed part of the Subah of Agra, except that the northern part fell under the officer responsible for the turbulent Mewat territories.

 

During the period of interest to the collector of Indian Native States coins, the country was ruled by the Jats, of the Sinsinwar clan who claim descent from Madan Pal, a Jadon Rajput, and the third son of Tahan Pal, a ruler at Bayana.  Firstly, Madan Pal possessed himself of most of Karauli.  The origin of the clan is of some interest.  The story goes that one of Madan Pal’s descendents, Bai Chand, had two sons by his Jat concubine, Bijai and Sijai, who because of their mixed parenthood were not admitted to the Rajput brotherhood, but were regarded by them as Jats.  Having no clan (gol) they decded to invent one of their own and called themsi=elves after the name of their paternal village, Sinsini, a few miles south of Dig.  Thence came the name Sinsinwara chosen for their clan.  This clan gave rise to the later Jat rulers of Bharatpur.  Originally they were a jungle tribe, who subsisted mainly by plunder.  The founder of the state is a Jat leader called Brijh, a contemporary of Aurangzeb, who was killed in the late 18th century trying to defend Sinsini against an imperial army sent to curb the depredations for which his clan were responsible.  About this time, another of the clan set himself up over about 40 villages to the west of Sinsini, at Thun.  Eventually these two groups were combined under the seventh son of Brijh, named Churaman,, who was a builder of forts, and possessed himself also of Dig and Kumher (Kunber of modern history) among other places.  He joined his fortunes to those of another Jat leader, Khem Khan of the Sogariya clan, and between them they so  ravaged the country as to close the roads between Agra and Delhi to peaceful traffic.

 

Farrukhsiyar, being a weak and effete ruler, was unable to defeat them, and, instead, in 1714AD, offered them several districts in Jagir, and for a time they ceased their brigandry.  Nature must out, however, and they soon resumed their predatory lifestyle, and the position became so serious for the law-abiding populace that in 1718 AD another army under Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur was sent to expel Churaman from the country, if possible.  By that time, Farrukhsiyar was a puppet, pageant monarch, and the real power in the land was in the hands of the Sayyid brothers, of execrable memory.

 

The Jats fought gallantly in defence of their land, but were about to lose out to the imperial hosts who had invested them at Sinsini and Thun.  However, nothing was ever that simple in which the dastardly Sayyids were involved, and, being at odds with Jai Singh, they made their own peace with the Jats, and Jai Singh retired in understandable disgust.  In return for this favour shown to them by the Sayyids, the grateful Jats assisted them in their treachery against Muhammad Shah.

 

In 1722 Churaman, who had quarrelled with his son, Mokhan, took poison and died.  Mokhan took over the headship of the Jats, and imprisonned his cousin, Badan Singh, whom he feared as a rival for the throne.  The Jats objected to this and invited Jai Singh back, and Thun was taken after a siege of six months, in 1722.  Mokhan escaped and Badan Singh was proclaimed Raja of Dig, tributary to Delhi.  This marks the recognition of the modern Bharatpur state.  Although Badan lived until about 1755, the administration was in the hands of his capable and famous son, Suraj Mal.  Suraj was not satisfied with the territory passed to him by his father, and set about improving and enlarging his holdings.  In 1733, he took the fort of Bharatpur from his Jat rival, Khem Karan, and killed him.  Bharatpur thereafter became his capital.  His strength continued to grow until, in 1753, he was able to attack and sack Delhi itself (apparently in revenge for the murder of his father referred to above) and then repel an attack by the combined forces of Holkar and Jaipur, and then defeat Holkar outside Kumher.  In 1761, he captured Agra, which remained in Jat hands until 1774 AD, along with Mathura and most of Alwar and parts of Gurgaon and Rohtak. 

 

Suraj Mal became arrogant, even hunting in the imperial game reserve, and it was during such an act of folly that he met his end, being surprised by a detachment of the Mughal cavalry, and killed in the action which followed.  He was succeeded by his son, Jawahar Singh, who expanded the Jat possessions to their greatest extent, and used Agra as his capital.  Here he was murdered in 1768AD.  Thereafter, the star of the Jats began to wane.

 

The Marathas became a serious problem to Bharatpur (as to so much of “upper India” at that time) and the ruler of Alwar, becoming more powerful, and in 1775AD he retook the Alwar fort and most of the rest of his territory so recently lost to the Jats was taken back by the end of the century.  Jawhar was followed by Ratan Singh,, who ruled for 9 months, and then his son, Khesri Singh, a minor, became Raja.  Nawal Singh was appointed Regent, but his brother,  Ranjit Singh plotteed against him, and a period of confusion ensued.  During this chaos, the Marathas took advantage and expelled the Jats from all territory held by them east of the Jumna.  Meanwhile, Najaf Khan, in support of Ranjit Singh, recovered Agra in 1774, captured Dig in 1776, and then annexed the rest of the Jat territory except Bharatpur, which was left to Kesri Singh.  Nawal Singh died at Dig, and Kesri Singh died soon afterwards, leaving Ranjit Singh to succeed to the gaddi in 1776.  Suraj Mal’s widow, Rani Kishori managed to pursuade Najaf Khan to restore of ten districts to the Jat state, but they were resumed on the death of Najaf Khan in 1782, by his successor Mirza Shafi, who was murdered at Dig within a year.  The ten districts changed hands once again.

 

In 1784, Sindhia, nominally on behalf of Shah Alam II but really for himself, confiscated the Bhratpur territories, but a petition from Rani Kishori once again achieved their restoration, in 1785AD, along with Dig.  Ranjit Singh thenceforward supported Sindhia, and for this he was awarded three more districts in 1795AD.

 

During the early years of the next century, the struggle was between the British and the Marathas for supremacy, the Mughal power having been utterly dissipated by then, and the French, Dutch and Danish powers also having been broken.  At first, Bharatpur chose to align itself with the British, and a treaty was signed between Ranjit Singh and Lord Lake On September 29th, 1803AD.  Bharatpur troops assisted the British at the battle of Laswari in Alwar, and for this, Ranjit Singh was awarded five additional districts.  However, Ranjit Singh had a pre-existing treaty with Holkar, and in 1804 he took the field with Holkar against the British, and was responsible for many British deaths before the Dig fort, which was taken by storm December 23rd.  Bharatpur was then besieged (January 3rd to February 22nd, 1805AD) and after four unavailing assaults, in which the attacking forces los 3203 killed and wounded, the siege was raised.  The action was re-started by Lord Lake in April 1805, but Ranjit Singh had had enough, and sued for peace.  By the treaty of April 17th, 1805, the five districts granted in 1803 were resumed, and a war indemnity (afterwards remitted) of rupees 7 lakhs, was imposed.

 

In 1805 Ranjit Singh died and was succeeded by his son, Randhir Singh (1805-1823) and then by Randhir’s son, Baldeo Singh (1823-25). Baldeo’s minor son Balwant Singh was recognised by the British government, but deposed and imprisoned by his cousin, Durjan Sal.  When Durjan’s usurpation, supported by outside Maratha and Rajput powers, threatened to lead to a prolonged and destructive war, the British acted in support of Balwant., and after a hard fought campaign, Balwant was put in power, under the regency of his mother, and in 1835 he took full ruling powers.  He died in 1853 and was succeeded by his infant son Jaswant under an Agent and Council.  During this period, valuable assistance was rendered to the English during the troubled period following the Mutiny of 1857/58AD.  Balwant was granted right of adoption in 1862, and took full ruling powers in 1871AD.  He was followed on the gaddi by his son Ram Singh in 1893, but Ram was deprived of all powers for his “intemperate habits” two years later, and deposed for his murder of a servant in 1900AD.  He had a son, Kishan Singh, born in 1899, and he later became the Maharaja.  He was followed by his son, Brijendra Singh, born in 1918, installed on the gaddi in 1929, and invested with full ruling powers in 1939AD.  Brijendra was succeeded by his son, Vishendra Singh, born 23rd June 1962, on 8th July, 1995AD.  He has a son, Yuvaraj Singh

 



[1] Contribution from Barry Tabor