 |
Jaggan Nath (Jaggannath/a) Temple (Udaipur): see JAGDISH TEMPLE.
Jaggannath (Jaggannatha), (Sanskrit) Lord of the World; an avatar (incarnation) of the Hindu god, VISHNU, allied to KRISHNA.
Jaggannath Prashasti (inscription): see JAGDISH TEMPLE.
Jaggawats of AMET, a sub-branch of the CHOONDAWATS of SALUMBAR. Choonda's great grandson, Jagga, founded the clan, hence his descendants were known as Jaggawats and bore the title of 'Rawat'.
jagir, (Hindi) a land holding; the whole tract over which a clan chieftain (feudal lord) had ownership. A government, or ruler, gave this hereditary assignment (grant of land). A thikana is the capital of the jagir: e.g., "The Bedla thikana has forty villages in its jagir". The name of the jagir is also used as the general name of the clan chieftain: e.g., "Bedla has forty villages in his jagir". See also JAGIRDAR.
Jagirdar, a feudal lord, the recipient of an hereditary grant of land (JAGIR) given by a government or ruler.
Jagmal, Kunwar, a younger (and favourite) son of Maharana UDAI SINGH II (1537-1572); his mother was Udai Singh's favourite Rani, Bhatiyani. In his will, the Maharana stated that Jagmal was to be his successor and not Crown Prince Pratap Singh, the rightful heir according to the rules of primogeniture. This greatly upset Mewar's nobles: not only was Pratap born to be the king, but, with the Mughal menace still prevalent, this skilled warrior and leader was Mewar's only hope for survival. See PRATAP'S CORONATION DILEMMA.
Jagpura (Mertia Rathore), a town 195 km. from Udaipur, near Asind in Bhilwara District; jagir of the descendants of Jai Singh Rathore of BADNORE. The estate was granted to Thakur Jai Singh's younger son, Sangram Singh.
Jahajpur, a town 191 km. northeast of Udaipur. It was taken from Udaipur by Jalim Singh Jahla, but subsequently restored by British Agent, James TOD in February, 1819.
Jahangir, Emperor (b. Prince Salim, August 31, 1569, Fatehpur Sikri-d. October 28, 1627, en route to Lahore, now in Pakistan), fourth ruler of the Mughal Empire (r. 1605-1627); son of Emperor AKBAR and a Rajput princess, sister of Raja Bhagwan Dass of Amber. Prince Salim was born and bred in a period of intense warfare, while his father Akbar was trying to bring all of the Indian subcontinent under the sceptre of the Mughal Empire. Indeed, he was born one year after Akbar had destroyed Chittor (see CHITTOR, 3RD SACK) and was an infant when his father met Maharana PRATAP SINGH I at the Battle of HALDIGHATI (James Tod in his Annals mistakenly writes that the Mughal forces were actually led by Prince Salim) and grew up during the subsequent years of Akbar's ongoing war against Mewar. When his father died in 1605, and Prince Salim became the next Emperor, he was left with this legacy of ongoing warfare against the small but stubborn Rajput kingdom. On ascending the throne, October 24, 1605, Salim announced that his name as emperor would be Jahangir (Seizer of the World)-to avoid any confusion with a recent sultan of Turkey, Selim II. In an all-out effort to conquer Mewar's Maharana, Pratap's son, AMAR SINGH I, Jahangir attacked Mewar so savagely and so often that, having lost most of his best leaders, Amar Singh was finally advised by his nobles to sue for peace. The Maharana signed the peace treaty in 1615, but mainly on his own terms. Co-signer was Jahangir's ablest son and army commander, Prince Khurram (later known as SHAH JAHAN), who succeeded to the Mughal throne after Jahangir's death in 1627 from the effects of alcoholic over-indulgence.
Jai Singh. Apart from Maharana Jai Singh, there were several leading members of clans who had this name. They came from Bambori (Paramara); Meja (Choondawat); Peethawas (Choondawat); Pipalya (Saktawat); Sangramgarh (Choondawat); Sanwar (Ranawat); Sardargarh (Dodia Rajput), and Tal (Choondawat). There were also Kunwar Jai Singh, Saktawat, a chieftain of Lawa, and Rana Jai Singh of SISODA; son of Rana Bhim Singh. His son was Rana LAKSHA SINGH.
Jai Singh, Maharana (b. December 5, 1653─d. September 23, 1698), fifty-ninth ruler of the Mewar Dynasty (r. 1680-1698); eldest son and successor, at age 27, of Maharana RAJ SINGH I; ruled from Udaipur. His eighteen-year reign was plagued by both an ineptitude in State affairs and, in later life, by unhappiness within his family. The on-again-off-again treaty between Mewar and the Mughals was ratified very early in Jai Singh's reign. In Udaipur, he received the Emperor's representatives, the Mughal princes Azam and Dilir Khan with great pomp and ceremony. To accentuate his significance as an equal and not as a mere servant of the Empire, the Maharana surrounded himself with an impressive contingent of 7,000 horse (horsemen) and 10,000 foot soldiers. As well, many of his subjects flooded into the capital from surrounding mountains and provinces to witness the proceedings, which turned out to be politically amicable. The tone of the meeting was set when Dilir Khan admitted his gratitude for the mercy of the Rana's father, Raj Singh, who was instrumental in saving the Mughal prince from peril when he and his men were cut off in the Aravalli gorge (see RAJ SINGH I vs. AURANGZEB). The formalities proceeded solemnly and Prince Azam concluded the treaty, granting all the terms originated by Jai Singh's ancestor, Maharana Amar Singh I. The thousands who had congregated let out a cry of joy at the prospect of finally having the oppression lifted, and at being able to return to their homes on the plains. Although momentarily disconcerted by the uproar, Azam added, "I am pleased to hear the happiness of your subjects, for I am no stranger to the House of Mewar. There will, of course, be a penalty to pay for aiding our brother Prince Akbar's rebellion. However, it will be only a nominal fine, and you will surrender three of your districts." Maharana Jai Singh had no alternative but to agree, thankful he had been let off so lightly, and so generously, gaining definite advantages.
To assure Jai Singh of the Mughals' integrity in this transaction, some of Dilir Khan's sons were left in charge of the Maharana, temporary hostages until the terms were carried out. As the Mughals were about to depart, Dilir Khan turned to Jai Singh. "Your Rajput nobles are unrefined barbarians, so my children's safety will be in your hands. Ensure their lives are spared, and I shall try to obtain restoration of your entire country, because there was friendship between your father and me." Unfortunately, although Dilir Khan's intentions were noble, he had little control over events which followed, instigated by his father, Aurangzeb who was far from generous, and who harboured no friendship whatsoever for Mewar.
The idea of controlling all of India still possessed Aurangzeb. Despite the treaty, the aging Mughal renewed his campaigns against Mewar, the battles continuing, intermittently, for over a decade. During the times of respite from war, and though they drained the royal coffers of Udaipur, Maharana Jai Singh attended to domestic affairs. There remained a great need for water for cultivation of Mewar's fields. The Maharana emulated his father by damming a small river southeast of Udaipur and building a massive dam for this purpose, naming it JAISAMAND. Raj Singh sired three sons, Crown Prince (Baoji Rao) Amar Singh, Kunwar Pratap Singh and Kunwar Ummed Singh, the latter two holding a jagir at BAWLAS and KAROI respectively.
During Maharana Jai Singh's later reign, when, eventually, there came a lull in the endless fighting between Mewar and the Mughals, jealousy developed between two of his queens. One was Crown Prince Amar Singh's mother, Ganga Kunwari, a daughter of Rao Shatrusal of BUNDI. However, the mother of the heir to the throne was not necessarily uppermost in importance, as princes of the blood were not invested with any political authority. She had to accept second place in her husband's affections to his favourite queen, listed in stories as KOMALA DEVI, daughter of the Paramara, Rajroop Panwar. (Komala Devi's name does not appear in existing official lists of Jai Singh's queens, however she may have been the wife listed as Karmeti Bai.) By then, Jai Singh was an old man, exhausted physically and mentally. Taking advantage of the respite in the conflict with Emperor AURANGZEB (1658-1707), and needing rest, Maharana Jai Singh secluded himself with his favourite in the summer palace he had built for her at Jaisamand Lake. It was a highly unpopular move: he was turning his back on his responsibilities as a leader for a life of indolence, particularly to the resentment of his chief wife, the mother of his heir. His eldest son, Amar embarked upon a rebellion, supported by many of the nobles. It brought Mewar to the brink of civil war (see AMAR SINGH II, MAHARANA). Although the imminent disaster was averted with Prince Amar being exiled to Rajnagar, the uprising had a deleterious effect upon Maharana Jai Singh. He lost his interest in life, and lacked his former fervour as a fighter. Though forced back into public life, he continued to seek refuge in idleness. If he had been able to regain the reputation of his earlier years, as a fighter, he may well have been able to redeem his country's total independence from the Mughals. Records show he died at the age of 45 of the effects of insanity in 1698. Had it not been for the beautiful Jaisamand Lake, his name would have little significance in Mewar's history. Crown Prince AMAR SINGH (II) returned from exile to succeed him.
|
