History of Karauli Jadon (ancient Yadavas ) State---
Karauli State in the east of Rajputana, lying between
26° 3' and 26° 49' N. and 76° 34' and 77° 24' E., with an area of
1,242 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Bharatpur; 110 miles,
the north-west and west by Jaipur; 110miles the south and south-east by Gwalior; and 110 miles the east by Dholpur. Hills and broken ground
characterize almost the whole territory, which lies
within a tract locally termed the Dang, a name given Aspects to the rugged region immediately above the narrow
valley of the Chambal.
The principal hills are on the northern border,
where several ranges run along, or parallel to, the frontier line, forming
somewhat formidable barriers. There is little beauty in these hills ;
but the military advantages they present caused the selection of one
of their eminences, Tahangarh, 1,309 feet above the sea, as the seat
of Jadon rule in early times. Along the valley of the Chambal an
irregular and lofty wall of rock separates the lands on the river bank
from the uplands, of which the southern part of the State consists.
From the summits of the passes the view is often picturesque, the
rocks standing out in striking contrast to the comparatively rich and
undulating plain below. The highest peaks in the south are Bhairon
and Utgir, respectively 1,565 and 1,479 feet above the sea. Farther
to the north the country falls, the alluvial deposit is deeper, level
ground becomes more frequent, and hills stand out more markedly,
while in the neighbourhood of the capital the low ground is cut into
a labyrinth of ravines.
The river Chambal forms the southern boundary, separating the
State from Gwalior.
Sometimes deep and slow, sometimes too rocky
and rapid to admit of the safe passage of a boat, it receives during
the rains numerous contributions to its volume, but 110 considerable
perennial stream flows into it within the boundaries of the State. The
Banasa and Morel rivers belong more properly to Jaipur than to
Karauli; for the former merely marks for some 4 miles the boundary
between these States, while the latter, just before it joins the Banas,
is for only 6 miles a river of Karauli and for another 3 miles flows
along its border. The Panchnad, so called from its being formed
of five streams, all of which rise in Karauli and unite 2 miles north of
the capital, usually contains water in the hot months, though often
only a few inches in depth. It winds away to the north and eventually
joins the Gambhir in Jaipur territory.
In the western portion of the State a narrow strip of quartzites
belonging to the Delhi system is exposed along the Jaipur border,l
while Upper Vindhyan sandstones are faulted down against the quartz-
ites to the south-east, and form a horizontal plateaextending to the
Chambal river. To the north-west of the fault, some outliers of Lower
Vindhyan rocks occur, consisting of limestone, siliceous breccias, and sandstone, which form two long synclinals extending south-west as
far as Naraoli.
The Maharaja of Karauli is the head of the Jadon clan of Rajputs,
who claim descent from Krishna. The Jadons, who have nearly always
history remained in or near the country of Braj round
Mathura, are said to have at one time held half of
Alwar and the whole of Bharatpur, Karauli, and Dholpur, besides the
British Districts of Gurgaon and Muttra, the greater part of Agra west
of the Jamuna, and portions of Gwalior lying along the Chambal. In
the eleventh century Bijai Pal, said to have been eighty-eighth in
descent from Krishna, established himself in Bayana( Sripatha ) now belonging
to Bharatpur, and built the fort overlooking that town.
His eldest
son, Tahan Pal, built the well-known fort of Tahangarh, still in Karauli
territory, about 1058, and shortly afterwards possessed himself of
almost all the country now comprising the Karauli State, as well as a
good deal of land to the east as far as Dholpur. In 1196, in the time
of Kunwar Pal, Muhammad Ghori and his general, Kutb-ud-dln,
captured first Bayana and then Tahangarh; and on the whole of the
Jadon territory falling into the hands of the invader .
Raja Kunwar Pal fled
to a village in the Rewah State. One of his descendants, Arjun Pal,
determined to recover the territory of his ancestors, and about 1327
he started by capturing the fort of Mandrael on the Chambal and to obtained the confirmation of his occupation from the Court of Delhi. and gradually took
possession of most of the country formerly held by Tahan Pal established villages along the Badraoti and built the thakur Kalyanji's temple on the site of Karauli , a name which is said to be corruption of Kalyanji .In 1348 A.D.,he laid the foundation of the city.
The first remarkable chief among his successors was Chandra pal (1449) who won great fame as an ascetic , and , according to the chroniclers , by his prayers , and by sending his grandson Gopal Das with an expedition of the Emperor Akbar ,contributed greatly to the success of the Emperor's arms in Daulatabad .
At the time of Chandrapal , Mahmud I of Malwa is said to have
conquered the country, and to have entrusted the government to his
son, Fidwi Khan. In the reign of Akbar (1556-1605) the State
became incorporated in the Delhi empire, and Gopal Das, probably
the most famous of the chiefs of Karauli, appears to have been in
considerable favour with the emperor. He is mentioned as a comamander of 2,000, and is said to have laid the foundations of the Agra
fort at Akbar’s request, eventually succeeded his grandfather and enlarged the borders of the state. From Gopaladas are descended two of the most important offshoots of the Karauli house , the Muktawats of Sir Mathura , Jhiri and Sabalgarh , and the Bahadur ke Jadon sprung from the Tatsam Bahadur , who obtained Sabalgarh , Bahadurpur and Bijaypur .
Gopal Das's grandson Mukund Das (1585) was the ancestor of the still numerous family of Mukund Jadons .His son Chatar Man (1682) was the ancestor through his son Bhup Pal , of the Inaiti Rao , one of the five chiefs nobles of Karauli , and through another son Shast Pal of the Manoharpur Kotri .
From Dharm Pal , who succeeded in 1645 , are descended the Gareebi ,Hadoti , and Roantra families .Gopal Singh , who succeeded in 1725 , was on good terms with Delhi , whence he received the coveted Mahi Maratib or fish insignia .He looked on as the greatest Chiefs of Karauli after Gopal Das.
On the decline of the Mughal power the State was so far subjugated by the Marathas that they exacted from
it a tribute of Rs. 25,000, which, after a time, was commuted for
a grant of Machilpur and its dependencies. By the treaty of November 9,
1817, with the East IndiaCompany, Karauli was relieved of the
exactions of the Marathas and taken under British protection ; no
tribute'was levied, but the Maharaja was to furnish troops according
to his means on the requisition of the British Government. In 1825,
when the Burmese War was proceeding, and Bharatpur was preparing
for resistance under the usurpation of Durjan Sal, Karauli undoubtedly
sent troops to the aid of the latter ; but on the fall of that fortress
in 1826 the Maharaja made humble professions ofsubmission, and it
was deemed unnecessary to take serious notice of his conduct.
The next event of any importance was the celebrated Karauli
adoption case. Narsingh Pal, a minor, became chief in 1850, and died
in 1852, having adopted a day before his death a distant kinsman,
named Bharat Pal. It was first proposed to enforce the doctrine of
‘ lapse,’ but finally the adoption of Bharat Pal was recognized. In the
meantime a strong party had been formed in favour of Madan Pal,
a nearer relative, whose claim was supported by the opinions of several
chiefs in Rajputana. An inquiry was ordered; and it was ascertained
that the adoption of Bharat Pal was informal, by reason of the minority
of Narsingh Pal and the omission of certain necessary ceremonies.
As Madan Pal was nearer of kin than Bharat Pal and was accepted by
the Ranis, by nine of the most influential Thakurs, and by the general
feeling of the country, he was recognized as chief in 1854.
During the
Mutiny of 1857 he evinced a loyal spirit and sent a body of troops
against the Kotah m utineers; and for these services he was created
a G .C.S.I., a debt of 1-2 lakhs due by him to the British Government
was remitted, a dress of honour conferred, and the salute of the
Maharajas of Karauli was permanently increased from 15 to 17 guns.
The usual sanad guaranteeing the privilege of adoption to the rulers
of this State was granted in 1862, and it is remarkable that the last
seven chiefs have all succeeded by adoption.
Maharaja Bhanwar Pal, the present ruler, was born in 1864, was installed in 1886, obtained full powers in 1889, and, after receiving a K .C .I.E . in 1894, was made a G .C .I.E . in 1897. T he nobles are all Jadon Rajputs connected with the ruling house, and, though for the most part illiterate, are a powerful body in the State, and until quite recently frequently defied the authority of the Darbar.
The chief
among them are Hadoti, Amargarh, Inaiti, Raontra, and Barthun,
and they are called Thikanedars. The Rao of Hadoti is looked
upon as the heir to the Karauli gaddi, when the ruling chief is without
sons.
The only places of interest are Tahangarh, and Bahadurgarh ,8 miles south of Karauli , both are now deserved and in ruins.
References---
1-Trives and Castes of the North;Western Provinces and Qudh by W.Crooke .C.A.Vol.III.,pp.38-39.
2-Imperial Gazetteer of India ,V.15 ,p.26 .
3-Jaisalmer Khyat ;Archaeological Survey of India ,Vol .20 ,38
4-Archacological Survey of India Vol.20 ,p.3.
5-Gazetteer of the Karauli State by Captain Percy Powlett.1874 ,part I ,p.3.
6-ibid .,Vol.V(1957 ),p.120.
7-Cunningham , Report of A tour in eastern Rajputana in 1882-83.pp.6-7.
8-Rajasthan district gazetteers-Sawaimadhopur by (Miss) Savitrigupta Govt of Raj.p.35.
9-Archaeological Survey of India , calcutta ,Govt.Press.(1885) ,Vol.20 .p.9.
10-Sharma ,Dasharath ,Early Chauhan Dynasties ,Delhi (1959 ), p.105 ,fn .22.
11-Elliot&Dowson ,Vol.V, p.98;Jagdish Singh Gahlot ,History of Rajputana ,1937 ,pp.601-2.
12-Karauli Khayat ,p.and Karauli pothi ,
13-Office of the Tahsildar ,Karauli.
14-A gazetteer of eastern Rajputana comprising the native States of Bharatpur ,Dholpur and Karauli bybH.E.Darke-Bockman ,1905.p.298.
15-Rajasthan District Gazetteers-Sawai Madhopur ,places of interest , chapter XIX .pp .532-33.
16-Sherring ,M.A.,The Tribes and Castes of Rajasthan together with description of the sacred and celebrated places of Historical value in Rajasthan.Chapter I.The Rajput Tribes.p.14-15.
17-Chief and Leading families in Rajputana by C.S Bayley ,Jadon States-Karauli ,p.69.
18-Ram Pande (1978) Yadavas of Sripath (Bayana ) .Shodhak Vol.7pt.A ,pp.5-8.
19-Ram Pande (2002) .A Brief Sketch of the History of Karauli State .Shodhak , Vol.31.,pt.C ,pp.281-291.
20-Mediaeval History of Rajasthan .,western rajasthan Vol.I--Rajvi Amar Singh.
21-Rajasthan Through the ages , from the earliest times to 1316 A.D.by Dhasaratha Sharma .
22-Jaisaval Jaina ,eka Yuga, eka Pratika .
23-Ancient Cities and Towns of Rajasthan -K.C.Jain.
24-A Comprehensive History of India ;AD.985-1206 .-R.S.Sharma.
25-History of Rajasthan .-Rima Hooja .
26-Early Chauhan Dynasties .By Dhasaratha Sharma.
27-Bayana :The Sources of Mughal Architecture .By Shokoohy .M and Shokoohy N.H.
28-Tahangarh Fort: A Study in Historical Archaeology .By Dr Vinod Kumar Singh and Dr Manvendra Singh.
29-A Concept of Historical archaeology .By Dr Rajeev Bargoti .
30-History of Jainism ,Medieval Jainism .By K.C.Jaina.
Author-Dr Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hatharas ,U.P.
Associate Prof in Agric.
Sahid Captain Ripudaman Singh Govt.College , Sawaimadhopur ,Raj.
322001.
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