The Mediaeval History of famous Ranathambhor in Sawaimadhopur district of Rajasthan---

The Mediaeval  History of Famous Ranthambhor in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan -- --

Ancient Period--

The proximity of the district to Bharatpur in the north-east, to Alwar in the north and to Jaipur in the north-west lends the area the antiquity of the epic age. The region might have been included in the Matsya kingdom in the north-west and Surasena in the north-east. It might have formed part of one or the other or both(1). The Matsyas in the epic age lived to the west of Surasenas of Mathura. Ray Chaudhary points(2) out that Matsya lay to the south of Kurus of Delhi and to the west of Surasenas of Mathura; southward it approached the Chambal, while westward it reached the forests skirting the river Sravasti. D. C. Sircar gives a larger territorial extent to Matsya when he says(3) that it comprised the modern Alwar, Jaipur (Sawai Madhopur was a part of the erstwhile Jaipur State) and Bharatpur (which has a common boundary with Sawai Madhopur district) States. To the east of Matsya was the kingdom of Surasena with Mathura as capital.

After the disintegration of the Maaryan empire and the end of the Greek invasion in the closing years of the first century B. C., the Malavas, Yaudhyas and Arjunayans established their tribal republics in various parts, the latter two emerged in the triangular region Delhi-Jaipur Agra. This is testified to by the discovery of an inscription of about the 3rd century A. D. of the Yaudhyas at Bayana (4) in the adjacent district of Bharatpar, north-east of Sawai Madhopur. Some sites belonging to the Matavas have also come to light(1) in Sawai Madhopur district belon ging to the period from the 2nd century B. c. to the 4th century A.D.

It appears that early Kushana power had extended to this region. This is testified to by the discovery of a large number of Kushana records in the adjacent areas of the district. Kushana authority was supplanted by that of Saka Satrap after whose decline, subordinate ruling houses became independent or semi-independent. The Yaudhyas, during the middle of the 2nd century A.D. challenged the authority of the mighty Saka Satrap Rudradaman and became powerful during the 3rd century, only to be subdued by the Guptas whose domination(5) in the adjacent territory is evidenced by the existence of their coins and sculptures. With the decline and fall of the Gapta empire, the Gurjara-Pratiharas came into prominence. In the later period of their supremacy about the second half of the 8th century A. D., the kingdom of the Pratihara Vatsaraj, included Malwa and east Rajputana(6).

About the first half of the eleventh century A. D. a Yadu family is found ruling on the borders of this district, at Bayana (Bharatpur district) with Vijayapala as the ruler. His successor was Tahanpala who, according to tradition, built the fort of Tahangarh (Tribhuvangiri) now within the borders of Sawai Madhopur ditsrict. When Muhammad Ghori attacked (1195 A. D.) Bayana, its chief, Kunwarpala, evacuated his capi tal and shut himself in the fort of Tahangarh(7) or Thangarh which he had surrender to after a short siege.

After the death of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the Muslim hold over Bayana weakened due to the revival of the power of the dethroned rulers but Iltutmish again subdued them by storming Bayana and Tahangarh. The Yaduvanshi dynasty of Bayana and Tahangarh, being deprived of their strongholds and territories, migrated to other adjacent territories and it is not unlikely that a scion of this family established himself at Karkrala
or Karkaralagiri. Later on, his descendants came to be known as the Yadavas of Karauli (8).

Mediaeval period--

Ranthambhor, situated near the town of Sawai Madhopur, was one of the strongest forts of mediaeval India. Mention of this citadel is made in connection with the philanthropy of Prithviraj, the ruler of Shakambhari who had golden cupolas put on the Jain temple of Ranthambhor. By the way, this proves his suzerainty over Ranthambhore (9).

After the death of Prithviraj III, his son Govinda was made the ruler of Ajmer by Shahabuddin Ghori on payment of a heavy tribute. But soon after, Hariraja, the brother of Prithviraj III droves (10) him out of Ajmer and made himself its ruler. Govinda went to Ranthambhor which too was captured by Hariraja soon after. It appears that after Hariraja's death, Qutb-ud-din Aibak restored Ranthambhor to Govinda. Govinda was succeeded, in due course, by his son Valhana who, like his father continued to acknowledge the supremacy of the Delhi Sultans which is clear from the Manglana stone inscriptions (11) of v.s. 1272.

Valhana was succeeded by his son Prahaladana, whose reign was very short. He was succeeded by his son Viranarayana, his uncle Vaga bhata being his regent. Sultan Iltutmish attacked Ranthambhor but was obliged to retreat. He tried treachery and invited Viranarayana to Delhi and poisoned him to death and thus occupied the fort of Ranthambhor. Vagabhata left Ranthambhor for Malwa where he carved out a principality for himself.

After the death of Iltutmish, Vagabhata, taking advantage of the Sultan's weak successors collected a large force and stormed the fort during the reign of Razia (1236 A.D.). Thereafter, Ranthambhor was twice attacked by the Muslim forces led by Ulugh Khan, first in 1248 and then in 1253 A. D. but success eluded him. Vagabhata must have by that time, become very powerful and his greatness was acknowledged.

Vagabhata was succeeded by his son Jaitrasimha who fought
against the Paramara ruler (Jaya Sinha II) of Malwa and subdued the ruler of Tribhuvangiri (Tahangarh or Thangarh ).He also encountered the Muslim forces  in
1259 A.D when Nasiruddin sent  Malik-un-Nawab with a force to attack Ranthambhor.

Jaitrasimha had  three sons -Suratrana , Virama and Hamira , the last whom was crowned king during the  life time of  his father in v.s.1339. Hammira was most powerful ruler of Ranthambhor extended kingdom considerably. He started digvijaya(conquest  of all  quarters)as  described in Hammir Mahakavya. He first deafeted (12) Arjuna, the ruler of Bhimarasa,and  then exacted tribute from the chief of the fort of Mandalgarh. Advancing southwards he reached Ujjain Dhara and defeated  Bhoja,the Paramara ruler. He then turned north- ward passing through Chittaur, Abu, Vardhanapura, Changa, Pushkar ,Maharastra (Maroth), Khandila, Chhampa and Karkarala (Karauli ) reached Ranthambhor. This may as well  be an exaggerated  eulogy of the court poet . At the last of these places, Hammira received the homage of the ruler of Tribhuvangiri.

The first Sultan the Khalji dynasty , Jalaluddin , captured Jhain after a stiff fight with the force of  Hammira and then advanced to  besiege Ranthambhor. But he soon realised its strength and withdrew  to Delhi .Hammira recovered Jhain soon after(13) .In  1292 Jalaluddin again invaded Jhain but  without much success.

Ranthambhor was an  eyesore to the ambitious Sultan Alauddin  Khalji , who would not tolerate a powerful Hindu ruler. Soon Hammira gave (14) an excuse to Sultan to invade Ranthambhor by sheltering  Muhammad Shah,a refractory neo-Muslim  military leader who had  rebelled against a general of Sultan and defected the Muslim army .Hammira refused to comply with Sultan's demand surrender Muhammad Shah. Alauddin sent his general Ulughkhan at the head of  a large force subdue the fort but the progress of the  invader was checked by Hammira's general Bhimasimha, who fell fighting. Hammira now had to raise big army to oppose the enemy for which  he  required finances. He dismissed  his ministers, levied heavy  taxes on his subjects and thus made himself unpopular. His own brother Bhoja, a minister when denigrated, deserted him  and repaired to the court the Khilji  Sultan. Under the advice of  Bhoja, another expedition was sent Ranthambhor which also proved unsuccessful. Muhammad Shah, the  neo-Muslim protege with  his followers captured Jagara, his former jagir, which had been now assigned to Bhoja by the Khalji Sultan. This action further infuriated the Sultan who sent yet another army against Hammira but without success.

All these failures made Alauddin lead the expedition personally. He marched with a huge horde and laid siege to the fort of Ranthambhor, which dragged on for a long time. The besiegers and the besieged both suffered heavily but kept up appearances. Perceiving the futility of using force. Alauddin now employed diplomacy. Under the pretext of negotiations, he invited Hammira's General Ratipala and promised him the fort of Ranthambhor if he changed side. Ratipala returned to Hammira as a traitor and gave an under estimate of the actual strength of the enemy's army. He also succeeded in inveigling another General, Ranamala and the two traitors then joined the enemy. Hammira, in desperation, prepared for the final sortie, performed Jauhar, crowned Jaja as his saccessor and plunged into the battle. Fearing to be captured by the enemy, he killed himself. His followers were also cut to pieces. Jaja held the fort for two days more. But the Muslim army finally stormed it. With Hammira's death, the Chauhan line of Ranthambhor came to an end and the fort was incorporated in the Sultanate.

After Alauddin Khalji, the Tughluqs retained possession of the fort for a long time. Then it became a bone of contention between the Khalji Sultans of Malwa and the Maharanas of Mewar. From the Kumbhalgarh inscription of v.s. 1517 (1460 A.D.), it appears that Maharana Kumbha wrested Ranthambhor probably from the Khaljis of Malwa. But it again slipped into the hands of the Khaljis. Daulat Khan is mentioned (15) as the governor of Ranthambhor appointed by the Khaljis of Malwa. But it was again conquered by Rana Sanga in 1519 from the Sultan of Malwa and annexed to the Mewar territory.

It seems probable that during the reign of the weak rulers of Mewar and the rise of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, the Ranthambhor area fell into the hands of the Gujarat Sultans. Shershah Suri, during his expedition in Rajputana, captured Ranthambhor from Khan-i Khana, an officer of Bahadurshah (16) , and bestowed it upon his son Salim Shah as Jagir.

During this period, a formidable power was rising in the vicinity of Ranthambhor, the Hadas of Bundi. Rao Surjan Hada, the powerful
ruler of Bundi purchased  the fort of Ranthambhor from Jhujhar Khan, who was a Qiledar of Muhammad Adil Shah(17). He strengthened its Fortification and stocked it with adequate provisions. However, Akbar. soon after the coprace of Chittaur, matured his plans for the capture of Ranthambhor, which was a formidable fortress next only to Chittaurgarh in Rajasthan. He sent a large force under the leadership of Ashraf Khan to besiege the fort. But it had to be withdrawn owing to the outbreak of a rebellion in Malwa. After quelling this tumult, Akbar decided to proceed against Ranthambhor (1568) and by way of Delhi, Alwar and Lalsot he reached Ranthambhor in 1569. He surveyed the citadel carefully and besieged it closely. Batteries were set up but these produced little effect. Akbar(18) , therefore, ordered the construction of Sobats as high as the fort walls. Big culverins were dragged over the level ground each by 200 pairs of oxen and carried over the hill by a crowd of armed bearers (Kahars). These culverins, capable of throwing thirty maund iron balls and sixty maund stone balls, began battering the fort, and soon effected a breach in the wall and pulled down the houses inside the forts(19). Akbar then decided on a general assault. Surjan Hada in great desperation made overtures of peace and surrendered the fort.

Thenceforth Ranthambhor became one of the Sarkars of the Mughal Empire and was included in the Subah of Ajmer(20). It contained 73 Mahals, and 6024196 Bighas, 11 Biswas of land yielding a revenue of 89824,576 Dams. Todabhim. Wazirpur, Hindaun and Madrail were under Khalsa land in the Subah of Agra while Bonli, Alanpar and Khandar were included in the Ajmer Subah(21).

During the time of Jahangir it was one of the most important forts of the Empire. Jahangir visited Ranthambhor in 1619 A. D. and felt delighted. Shahjahan appointed Vittaldas Gaur as the Qiledar of this fort in 1631.

During the reign of Aurangzeb, the Jat rulers of Bharatpur State rose in revolt and started plundering Mughal territories. They also threatened the fort of Ranthambhor and the emperor was obliged to appoint Ram Singh, the Kachhawaha Raja of Amber, to crush the Jat
plunderers. After Ram Singh's death, Raja Bishan Singh Kachhawaha was appointed as Foujdar of Mathura and now the responsibility of sub duing the rebellious Jats fell to his lot. Some areas which are in Sawai Madhopur now, like Todabhim, Bonli and Malarna were given to him while Bahauddin was given Malarna area and Kamaluddin received Hindaun. Alanpur and Ranthambhor areas were given to Raja Naraindas (22).

The Jat menace continued. In Hindaun, Hari Singh (Raja Bishan Singh's lieutenant) faced (23)  a severe revolt. Another revolt(24)  occurred at Mahuwa in 1694 A.D.

After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire disintegrated rapidly and the petty chieftains started carving new principalities and building their power. In the House of Amber a feud broke out between Jai Singh and his younger brother Bijai Singh, sons of the late Raja Bishan Singh. In the war of succession between Bahadur Shah and Azam Shah, Jai Singh had sided with the latter. So Bahadur Shah on emerging victorious and becoming emperor, enthroned Bijai Singh and Jai Singh was dispossessed of his ancestral patrimony. Jai Singh, therefore, organised a coalition of the Maharana of Udaipur and Maharaja of Jodhpur against his brother and waited for an opportunity. After Ajit Singh's occupation of Jodhpur, Jai Singh invaded Amber with a force of thirty thousand (1708). A battle was fought near Kaladera. Saiyyid Hussain Alikhan, the Imperial Faujdar, unable to face the onslaught, left the command to his son and stealthily left the field. His camp was plundered and his son slain. Emboldened by their success (25) , the Rajput forces dashed towards Hindaun, Bayana and the areas in the Sarkar of Ranthambhor and liquidated the Imperial outposts.

Jai Singh now suggested to Ajit Singh to organise a united front against the Imperial forces(26). He sent an emissary, named Fatehchand (1709), to Karauli to beseech Ratanpal, the Yadav chieftain, to open hostilities against Ridayatullah, the faujdar of Hindaun (27). He also suggested to Rao (Raja of Karauli) to seek Rambabu Jat's cooperation in the
job. It is also mentioned that Jai Singn sent emissaries to the Maratha and the Sikhs also. Ajit Singh too sought help from different quarters. Jai Singh besieged the Naib Qiledar of Ranthambhor, with unabated vigour. But the Qiledar compelled the Rajputs to retreat after heavy fighting.

However, the struggle for the gadi of Amber came to an end when Jai Singh was installed as ruler at Amber (1710) and Bijai Singh given Todabhim and Hindaun in Jagir. Jai Singh received in 1716 A. D. the grant of pargana Malarna, yielding (28) , rupees 333,272 annually and of the Jagirs of Jhalai and Barwara (1717) in the Sarkar of Ranthambhor.

To check the increasing incursions of the Marathas, Madho Singh, the next ruler of Jaipur, requested the emperor for the grant of the fort of Ranthambhor but he did not succeed. He therefore fortified Sherpur(29) and named it Sawai Madhopur in 1765. The emperor realised that the Maratha marauders were irresistible and assigned the fort of Rantham bhor in 1765 A.D. to the Jaipur Raja. The history of this region there after forms a part of the history of the erstwhile Jaipur State.

References--

1. Source: Office of the Director, Archaeology and Museums, Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

2. Ray Chaudhary, H.C.: Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta (1938), p. 137.
3.  Sircar, D.C.:Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Mediaeval India, Delhi (1960).
4. The History & Culture of the Indian People, Vol. II, Bombay (1960), p. 166.

5. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. VII, Oxford (1901), p. 137; also A.S. Altekar's Catalogue of the Gupta Gold Coins in the Bayana Hoard, Bombay (1954), p. 1.

6. The History and Culture of the Indian People, Vol. IV, Bombay (1955), p. 22.

7. Ibid., Vol. V (1957), 120.

8. Sharma, Dasharatha: Early Chauhan Dynasties, Delhi (1959), p. 105, fn. 22.

9. ibid., p. 38.

10. ibid., p. 100.

11. ibid.

12.Sharma, Dasharatha, op.cit., 107.

13. Ibid .,p.109.

14.ibid .,pp.109-114.

15. The History & Culture of the Indian People-Delhi Sultanate, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan (Bombay), p. 145.
16. Qanungo, K.R.: Shershah and His Times (Orient Longman, 1965), pp. 328-9.
17. Shyamal Das: Vir Vinod (Udaipur), pp. 1263-65. 2.

18. Srivastava, A.L.: Akbar the Great, Vol. I, Agra, Shivlal Agarwal and Co. (1962),p. 113.
19. ibid., p. 123.
20. Abul Fazl: Ain-i-Akbari, Vol. II, Tr. Jarret (Calcutta, Royal Asiatic Society,1949), p. 279.
21.  ibid., p. 103.
22. Vakil Reports, No. 251, 260, 270, 307, 345 & 372, Rajasthan State Archives,Bikaner.
23.  Vakil Reports, No. 421, 449, Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner.

24. Vakil Report, No. 427, Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner. 24-25.

25. Tikkiwal, H. C.; Jaipur and the Later Mughals (1974), pp. 5. 26.Tikkiwal, H. C., op. cit., p. 28.
27. ibid.

28.H.C.Tikkiwal ,op.cit.,p.52
29.Farishth paragana , Sherpur and Alanpur , V .Sambat 1852 , State Archives , Bikaner.

Author- Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hatharas ,Uttar Pradesh
Associate Prof in Agriculture
Shahid Captain Ripudaman Singh Govt.College ,Sawai madhopur 'Rajasthan ,322001.