Bharatpur | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1722–1947 | |||||||||
 Show Imperial Gazetteer of India Show detailed mapBharatpur State in theImperial Gazetteer of India | |||||||||
| Capital | Bharatpur | ||||||||
| Common languages | Braj Hindi | ||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||
| Maharaja | |||||||||
• 1722–1756 (first) | Badan Singh | ||||||||
• 1929–1947 (last) | Brijendra Singh | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early-modern India | ||||||||
• Established | 18 November 1722 | ||||||||
| 15 August 1947 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Rajasthan (India) | ||||||||
Bharatpur was aprincely state under British suzerainty. It was ruled by theSinsinwar clan of theHinduJats. The state was founded byMaharaja Badan Singh in 1722.Suraj Mal played an important role in the development and expansion of the state. During Suraj Mal's reign (1755–1763), the annual revenue of the state was 17,500,000 gold coins.[2]
Under Suraj Mal leadership, the major architecture of this state include theLohagarh Fort,Deeg Palace and theKeoladeo National Park, a royal hunting reserve, is aWorld Heritage Site.[3][4]
The Jat rulers of Deeg and Bharatpur emerged in the medieval period, spreading over parts of the Subah ofAgra, includingDeeg,Bharatpur, andMewat. During this time, the Jats were zamindars and cultivators causing trouble for theMughal Empire alongsideGujars and Meos. During early time Jats were considered outcasts and jungle inhabitants. According toTarikh-i-Firishta, in 1026 AD, a band of Jats attackedMahmud of Ghazni on his return from Gujarat but were nearly exterminated. In 1397 AD, Timur massacred a group of Jats while marching towards Delhi. In 1526 AD, Babar army was harassed by Jats during his march through Punjab.[5]
The Bharatpur rulers wereJats ofSinsinwar clan. According to a mythological origin, they descended from Balchand, a Yadav Rajput, through his sons Vijje and Sijje, born to a Jat concubine. They adopted the Sinsinwar gotra after being rejected as Rajputs.[6] Ram Pande states that this legend was created "to show superiority of Sinsinwar Jats over other Jats."[7]
The formation of the state of Bharatpur was a result of revolts by theJats living in the region aroundDelhi,Agra, andMathura against the imperialMughals. Gokula was a prominent Jat zamindar of Tilpat who led a rebellion against the Mughal Empire during the reign ofAurangzeb. In 1669, he spearheaded the Battle ofTilpat, where Jat farmers revolted against heavy Mughal taxation. Despite initial successes,Gokula was eventually captured and executed in 1670.[8][9]
Rajaram of Sinsini succeededGokula and continued the struggle againstMughal rule. He is noted for organising the Jats into a more cohesive force and avenging Gokula’s death by desecrating Akbar’s tomb. Rajaram’s leadership saw several victories against Mughal forces, including the defeat of Mughal NawabBahadur Khan (Mughal general). He was instrumental in consolidating Jat power in the region until his death in 1688. NowAurangzeb approached theKachhwaha Rajput rulerBishan Singh to crush the uprising and appointed him as the faujdar ofMathura, granting him the entire area in zamindari. Conflict between Jats and Rajputs for zamindari rights also complicated the issue, with Jats primarily being landowners, whereas the Rajputs were primarily revenue collectors.[10]
The Jats put up a stiff resistance but by 1691,Rajaram and his successorChuraman were compelled to submit to the Imperial Mughals. However unrest among Jats continued and later on in the beginning of the 18th century,Churaman, taking advantage of the Mughal civil wars, was able to expel the Rajputs from the area and establish an independent state where Jat chiefs formed the ruling class.[10]Rajaram who also exhumed and burned the remains ofAkbar is known for setting up a small fort atSinsini and it was a key foundation of this kingdom.[11][12]
Maharaja Suraj Mal was the most prominent ruler of Bharatpur. On 12 June 1761, he captured the significant Mughal city ofAgra. During his reign, he melted the two silver doors of the Taj Mahal. Agra remained under Bharatpur’s control until 1774. After Maharaja Suraj Mal’s death, his successors continued to rule over Agra Fort.Maharaja Jawahar Singh succeeded him, followed byMaharaja Ratan Singh. During the minority of Maharaja Kehri Singh, MaharajaNawal Singh acted as the regent.[13][14]
In 1805, war between theBritish and theHolkars broke out.Maharaja Ranjit Singh agreed to help the Holkar and the two Maharajas fell back to the Bharatpur fort. The British surrounded the fort and after three months, Ranjit Singh agreed to peace and signed a treaty with the British, thus becoming a princely state.[15]Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Bharatpur provided great support for the British during theIndian Rebellion of 1857 and this aid was greatly acknowledged by the British.Jaswant Singh was made aG.C.S.I and his personal gun salute was increased.[16]
In August 1947, Bharatpur acceded to the newly independentDominion of India. The following year, in 1948, it became part of theMatsya Union, and in 1949, it was integrated into the state ofRajasthan. Members of the Bharatpur royal family have remained active in national and regional politics. Several family members have served as members of parliament and in the state legislature.[17]
This section includes list ofMaharajas of Bharatpur in chronological order. The current titular Maharaja of Bharatpur isVishvendra Singh since July 1995.
| Portrait | Name of Maharaja | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Badan Singh | 1722 - 1755 | Founder of the princely state of Bharatpur.[18][19] |
 | Suraj Mal | 1755 - 1763 | Son of Badan Singh. He is known for his political acumen and military prowess, he expanded his kingdom significantly and built the formidableLohagarh Fort andDeeg Palace. He is often referred to as thePlato of the Sinsinwar Jat tribe orJat Ullyses.[20][21] |
 | Jawahar Singh | 1763 - 1768 | Son of Suraj Mal. He successfully repelled several attacks, includingAhmad Shah Abdali's, from Bharatpur. Additionally, he oversaw campaigns against the Marathas and Rohillas. WithSikh allies' assistance, he seized areas inBundelkhand and NorthernMalwa and even sacked Delhi in 1764.[22][23] |
 | Ratan Singh | 1768 - 1769 | Brother ofJawahar Singh. He ruled only for about nine months.[24] |
.jpg) | Kehri Singh | 1769 - 1777 | Son (minor) ofRatan Singh[19] |
 | Ranjit Singh | 1777 - 1805 | Son ofSuraj Mal. He participated in theSecond Anglo-Maratha War on the side of theMarathas and his forces proved to be a tough match forLord Lake[19][25] |
 | Randhir Singh | 1805 - 1823 | Son ofRanjit Singh[19] |
 | Baldeo Singh | 1823 - 1825 | Brother ofRandhir Singh[19] |
 | Balwant Singh | 1825 - 1853 | Son ofBaldeo Singh[19] |
 | Jaswant Singh | 1853 - 1893 | Son ofBalwant Singh[19] |
 | Ram Singh | 1893 - 1900 | Son ofJaswant Singh[19] |
 | Kishan Singh | 1900 - 1929 | Son ofRam Singh[19] |
 | Brijendra Singh | 1929 - 1947 | He was the last ruler of theprincely state of Bharatpur. He was aMember of Parliament (Lok Sabha) 1962–1971. He was deprived of his royal rank, titles andhonours by theGovernment of India on 28 December 1971.[26][27] |
Bharatpur State, founded in 1722 byMaharaja Badan Singh, saw significant expansion under the leadership ofMaharaja Suraj Mal, who ruled from 1755 to 1763, was instrumental in consolidating and expanding the state’s territories. During his reign, the state’s revenue reached an impressive 17,500,000 gold coins per annum.Suraj Mal’s strategic alliances and military prowess enabled Bharatpur to withstand numerous invasions, including those from theMughal Empire and theEast India Company.[28]
Suraj Mal captured important territories such asAgra,Mathura, and parts ofAligarh. Thecapture of Agra in 1761, in particular, was a significant achievement, as it was a major Mughal stronghold. Suraj Mal’s forces also successfully defended Bharatpur against multiple invasions, showcasing the state’s military strength.[29][30]
In the 1760s, the Kingdom of Bharatpur reached its zenith and covered present day capitalDelhi and district ofBharatpur,Bulandshahr,Dholpur,Hathras,Jhajjar,Kanpur Dehat,Auraiya,Hapur,Firozabad,Baghpat,Muzaffarnagar,Palwal,Rohtak,Sonipat. The areas under the control ofJats broadly included parts of modern easternRajasthan, southernHaryana, westernUttar Pradesh andDelhi.[31][32]
After Suraj Mal death in 1763, Bharatpur State experienced internal conflicts and succession issues, weakening its stability. The BritishEast India Company saw an opportunity and attacked in1805, but Bharatpur initially resisted. However, in 1825-26, the British, led byLord Combermere, besieged andcaptured the Lohagarh Fort. This ended Bharatpur’s independence, and in 1826, the state had to sign a treaty, making it a British protectorate.[citation needed] Jats ruled Agra for 13 years from 1761 to 1774. On 18 February 1774, the Mughal CommanderMirza Najaf Khan re-captured Agra.[30]
The Kingdom during Jawahar Singh's time had a large army of 25,000Infantry, 15,000Cavalry and 300 pieces of cannons with addition to the troops stationed at his forts.[33]
Bharatpur State is known for its blend ofMughal andRajput architectural styles.[34]
Lohagarh Fort is one of the architectural achievement of the state. It was built byMaharaja Suraj Mal in 1732 A.D. on an artificial island and construction of this fort took almost eight years.[35] This fort is considered as one of the strongest fort due to its formidable defense because the British forces led byLord Lake were unable to capture the fort in spite of multiple attacks during theSiege of Bharatpur and the fort remained free from British control for more than twenty years till 1825.[36]
Between December 1825 and January 1826, British troops underLord Combermere initially surrounded the state's capital until on 18 January 1826 its fortress was stormed and captured. After thissiege, it became princely state under British Raj control.[37]
Apart from theLohagarh fort, theDeeg Palace was also built by theMaharaja Suraj Mal in 1730 as a luxurious summer resort for the rulers of Bharatpur State. It is the only Hindu-style palace in north India and a perfect blend ofMughal andRajput architecture.[34][3]
Originally a royal hunting reserve,Keoladeo National Park was developed byMaharaja Suraj Mal.[4] It is now aUNESCO World Heritage Site and a bird sanctuary.[38]
The legend current in the Durbars of Bharatpur and Karauli till late was that one Balchand, a Yadav Rajput, 19th from Sindpal, a common claimed ancestor of Bharatpur and Karauli families, one day went out, as was his custom, on plundering expedition. On the way he met a Jat of Dogar clan, resident of Jagar, Hindaun in the former State of Jaipur. This Jat was carrying home his wife from Hodal, Balchand made both the Jat and his wife the prisoners and carried them of to his home Sinsini. Balchand had no family by his own wife and made his Jat prisoner's lady as his concubine and by her had two sons, Viije and Sijje. From that time when these two sons of Balchand were not admitted in the Rajput clan, they became Jats. After becoming Jats they proclaimed Sinsinwar as their Gotra from their own village Sinsini. There are several difficulties in accepting the story. Firstly, Karauli never had been such a big Stage at any time that Sinsini could have been a part of it. Secondly, a child's caste is normally determined by the caste of the father not by that of the mother. If Balchand's sons were not admitted to a Rajput clan, they would have been known as Darogas. Probably the purpose of above legend was to show superiority of Sinsinwar Jats over other Jats.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bharatpur".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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