| Rawal Jaisal | |
|---|---|
| Rawal ofJaisalmer | |
 Portrait of Rawal Jaisal insideJaisalmer Fort | |
| Rawal of Jaisalmer | |
| Reign | 1156–1168 |
| Predecessor | Bhojraj (as Rawal ofLodhruva) |
| Successor | Salbahan II |
| Born | 1113 (1113) Lodhruva |
| Died | 1168 (aged 54–55) Kingdom of Jaisalmer |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Sons
|
| House | Bhati |
| Father | Dusaj (1098–1122) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Rawal Jaisal Bhati (1113–1168) was the founder and first ruler of theKingdom of Jaisalmer from 1156 to 1168. Jaisal was aRajput chief of theBhati clan who lived during the 12th century, Jaisal rose to power in 1143 by defeating his nephew, Rawal Bhojdeo ofLodhruva, in battle and seizing his nephew's position asRawal.[1][2] In 1156, Jaisal founded the city ofJaisalmer and became the Rawal of theKingdom of Jaisalmer.[3] Jaisal's descendants ruled Jaisalmer as Rawal, and later as Maharawal, untilIndia's independence in 1947. Jaisal is also claimed to be the ancestor of thePhulkian dynasty and other notable families and individuals.[4][5]
Jaisal traced his descent toRao Bhati, a 3rd-centuryHindu monarch and the common ancestor of theBhati Rajputclan.[1] The first monarch in Jaisal's ancestry to have the title ofRawal was Devraj ofLodhran, his ancestor in the 9th century.[6] Devraj built theDerawar Fort in the modern-dayBahawalpur District,Punjab, Pakistan.[6]
The Bhatis ofJaisalmer belonged to theYadava clan of Rajputs.[7][8] They reportedly originated inMathura through a common ancestor named Rao Bhati, a descendant ofPradyumna.[9][10] According to the seventeenth-centuryNainsi ri Khyat, the Bhatis after losing Mathura moved toBhatner inLakhi Jungle, and from there to other locations inwestern andnorthwestern India includingPunjab. Rao Bhati conquered and annexed territories from 14 princes in Punjab, including the area of what is now modern-dayLahore.[11][12] He is also credited with establishing the modern town ofBathinda in the Lakhi Jungle area in the 3rd century.[9]
Jaisal and his descendants also claim direct descent fromYadu, a mythological Hindu king who, according toHindu mythological texts, founded theYadu dynasty branch of thelegendaryLunar dynasty.[13][1][14]
Jaisal was born in 1113. His father Dusaj, was the Rawal ofLodhruva.[2] After Dusaj's death, his younger brotherVijayrao Lanjo (aka. Bijai Rai II) was appointed Rawal over Jaisal and his other elder brother.[2] Vijayrao Lanjo married the daughter of KingJayasimha Siddharaja of theChaulukya dynasty, and their son, Bhojdeo, succeeded his father as Rawal in 1143.[2] In the same year, Jaisal began to conspire against his nephew Bhojdeo; however, Bhojdeo's personal guard of 500 Chaulukya warriors made it impossible for Jaisal to attack his nephew.[2] Jaisal then allied with thePersianateIslamicGhurid dynasty, who provided the forces Jaisal needed to attack Bhojdeo and his capital Lodhruva.[2] In 1143, Jaisal, with the help of the Ghurid dynasty forces, sacked Lodhruva, and Bhojdeo died in battle.[2] Within the year of 1143, Jaisal had become the Rawal.[2] However, Jaisal would later move his capital from Lodhruva as he found the area ill-defended.[2]
In 1156, Jaisal founded the city ofJaisalmer andKingdom of Jaisalmer.[15] He also began the construction ofJaisalmer Fort in 1156.[15] In 1156, Jaisal met a hermit named Eesaal, who told him a legend from theHindu epic,Mahabharata.[16][17] Eesaal told Jaisal that theHindu deityKrishna, during theKurukshetra War, wandered the desert with thePandavaArjuna andprophesied that a citadel would be founded by a descendant of the Yadu dynasty on top of Trikuta Hill, a triple-peakeddesert hill in what is now the modern-day city of Jaisalmer.[16][17]
After hearing the legend, Jaisal decided to build a fort at that location and began the construction ofJaisalmer Fort in 1156.[16][17] The name of the city of Jaisalmer and its fort is a combination of Jaisal's name andMount Meru, asacred mountain inHindu,Jain, andBuddhist cosmology.[16] Jaisal also chose Trikuta Hill for the location of Jaisalmer Fort because it would provide protection from other Bhati Rajput rivals and Muslims who had begun to make inroads into theThar Desert.[17] Jaisalmer Fort's construction was completed in 1171, three years after Jaisal's death.[17]
Jaisal died in 1168 and was succeeded as Rawal by his son, Salbahan II (aka. Rawal Shalivahan Singh II).[18] The construction of Jaislamer Fort was completed under Salbahan II.[19]
Rawal Jaisal was the founder of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, which in 1818, became Jaisalmer State, aprincely state inBritish India.[6] Jaisal's descendants, who ruled the Kingdom of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer State, held the title of Rawal until 1661, after which the ruler's title became Maharawal.[6][20] His other direct descendants migrated to the region that became modern-dayPunjab,Haryana, andPakistan.[21] Jaisal is also claimed to be the ancestor of the royal families ofPatiala,Nabha,Jind,Kapurthala, andFaridkot through his younger son, Hem.[4][5][22][23] Jaisal's descendants that had royal titles maintained them until 1971, when they were abolished in India by the26th Amendment to theConstitution of India.
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