Churaman
| Raja Churaman Singh | |
|---|---|
| Ruler of Bharatpur | |
 Portrait of Raja Churaman Singh | |
| Reign | 1695–20 September 1721 |
| Predecessor | Raja Ram Sinsinwar |
| Successor | Muhkam Singh |
| Died | 20 September 1721 |
| Issue | Muhkam Singh |
| House | Sinsinwar |
| Father | Bhajja/Bhagwant Singh |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Churaman (1695–20 September 1721) was a chieftain of Sinsini, Rajasthan. He became leader of the zamindars after Rajaram's death. Bahadur Shah I made him a mansabdar after he supported him against Muhammad Azam Shah in becoming the emperor. He was also made the faujdar of Mathura, and the imperial highway from Delhi to Agra was placed under his protection by the Mughal Emperor.[1]
He was the founder of Bharatpur dynasty. He also founded a city of the name of Bharatpur which subsequently was made the capital of the state in the beginning of the 17th century.[2]
Early life & Rise to power
[edit]Churaman's ascent to prominence began after the death of his elder brother, Raja Ram Jat, during the war of Bijal between the Shekhawats and Chauhans on July 4, 1688. Following this event, his father, Bhajja Singh, assumed leadership of the Jats. However, Aurangzeb's appointment of Raja Bishan Singh of Amber as Faujdar of Mathura threatened the autonomy of the Jats, leading to a struggle for freedom from Mughal rule.[3][4]
Military campaigns and leadership
[edit]In 1702 after the death of his father Bhajja Singh, Raja Churaman Singh came to the fore. Within a short period Raja Churaman Singh gathered 500 horsemen and thousands of soldiers. Nand Ram, the Zamindar of Hathras, joined him along with 100 horsemen. Raja Churaman Singh recruited a well-known brigand of Mendoo and Mursan to his army. He constructed a fort at Thoon, 150 kilometres west of Agra, near Bharatpur in modern day Rajasthan, India. Within a short span there were 80 villages under the Thoon state and an army of 14 – 15 thousand.[5]
Battles Fought
[edit]1. Battle of Kama (1708)
[edit]A Mughal force, joined by Churaman and his Jat soldiers, clashed with Rajput forces loyal to Jai Singh II .The combined Mughal-Jat force marched towards Kama, a strategically important location. They were confronted by the forces of Ajit Singh Kachwaha (a different Ajit Singh than the one from Marwar), the zamindar (local ruler) of Kama, who was loyal to Jai Singh II of Amber.The battle resulted in a defeat for the Mughal-Jat forces. Ajit Singh Kachwaha and his Rajput forces successfully repelled the attack. The Mughal faujdar (commander) Raza Bahadur was killed in the battle, and Churaman himself was reportedly injured and fled to Thun.
2. Battle of Javli (1710)
[edit]Rajput rulers, particularly Jai Singh II of Amber (Jaipur) and Ajit Singh of Marwar (Jodhpur) formed an alliance to make their respecting territories independent from Mughals.To counter this Rajput resurgence, the Mughal faujdar of Narnol, Mir Khan, gathered a force of approximately 7,000 troops. Churaman and his Jat forces, numbering around 6,000, joined Mir Khan's Mughal contingent. This combined Mughal-Jat force marched towards Rajput territories. They encountered the forces of Gaj Singh Naruka of Javli, numbering around 10,000, who was loyal to Jai Singh II of Amber. The ensuing battle took place at Javli (the precise location of which is uncertain, but it was likely in the vicinity of Narnol).Churaman and his Jat soldiers fought alongside the Mughals against the Rajput forces. However, the battle resulted in a check on the Mughal-Jat advance. Gaj Singh Naruka and his forces successfully halted their progress, preventing them from making further inroads into Rajput territory. While not a decisive defeat for the Mughals, it was a strategic setback and a demonstration of Rajput resistance.
3. Campaigns Against Banda Singh Bahadur (1710-1711)
[edit]Banda Singh Bahadur led a significant Sikh rebellion against the Mughal Empire in the Punjab. Churaman and his Jat forces participated in the Mughal campaigns for suppressing Banda Singh's rebellion.However combined Mughal-Jat forces remain mainly unsuccesful during this period against Banda Singh Bahadur.
4.Siege of Gurdas Nangal(1715)
[edit]This was the culmination of the Mughal campaigns. Mughals and Jat forces (lead by Churaman) besieged Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers at Gurdas Nangal where Banda Singh Bahadur and his followers were captured by Mughals after which he was tortured and brutally killed by Mughals.
References
[edit]- ^ Bhardwaj, Suraj Bhan (2016). "The Bhomias". Contestations and Accommodations: Mewat and Meos in Mughal India. Oxford University Press. p. 211. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199462797.003.0006. ISBN 978-0-19-946279-7.
- ^ Pawar, Hukam Singh (1993). The Jats, Their Origin, Antiquity, and Migrations. Manthan Publications. p. 105. ISBN 9788185235226.
- ^ Dwivedi, Girish Chandra (1989). The Jats, Their Role in the Mughal Empire. Arnold Publishers. p. 41. ISBN 9788170311508.
- ^ Qanungo, K. R. "Some Sidelights on the Career of Raja Bishan Singh, Kachhwah of Amber". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress (XI): 170–71.
- ^ Chandra, Satish (2002). Parties and Politics at the Mughal Court, 1707–1740 (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 162–164. ISBN 978-0-19-565444-8.
Further reading
[edit]- Bhardwaj, Suraj Bhan (2020). "Churaman and the making of the Jat state in the late 17th and early eighteenth century". Studies in People's History. 7 (1). SAGE Publishing: 30–52. doi:10.1177/2348448920908238. S2CID 216320823.
- Rana, R. P. (2006). Rebels to Rulers: The Rise of Jat Power in Medieval India c. 1665–1735. Manohar. pp. 153–160. ISBN 978-81-7304-605-6.
- Dwivedi, Girish Chandra (1989). The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire. Arnold Publishers. pp. 27–28, 37–39, 45, 47–48, 51–53, 55, 57–68, 70–80, 84–88, 91–92, 94–97, 170. ISBN 978-81-7031-150-8.
- Pande, Ram (1970). Bharatpur up to 1826: A Social and Political History of the Jats (1st ed.). Rama Publishing House. pp. 11–27. OCLC 555482496.