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Kingdom of Jaisalmer

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The Kingdom of Jaisalmer was a kingdom of Bhati Rajputs in the far-western part of present-day Rajasthan, India, from the mid-12th century CE until 1947. In 1156 CE, Rawal Jaisal moved his capital from Lodhruva to Jaisalmer because the former was vulnerable to attacks from Turko-Afghan and Baloch tribes. The descendants of Jaisal continued to exercise absolute control over Jaisalmer until 1818 CE, when a treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British East India Company bringing under British protection and sphere of influence. Known as the Maharawal, the native ruler of the princely state was entitled to a 15-gun salute.[3]

Kingdom of Jaisalmer
1156–1947
Flag of Jaisalmer
Flag
Coat of arms of Jaisalmer
Coat of arms

Location of Jaisalmer within Rajputana circa 1525, with neighbouring polities.[1]
Jailsalmer State (orange) within Rajputana (yellow), 1909.

Area 
• 1931
41,600 km2 (16,100 sq mi)
Population 
• 1931
76,255
History 
• Established
1156
1947
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Sambhar
Indian Union
Today part ofRajasthan, India
Coat of arms based on The Princely Armory. Publ. by The Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. Calcutta. 1877
Map of Jaisalmer State with the duchies of Satto, Pithala, Loharki, Lakhmana, Didhu, Kanod, Tota, Bhadariya, and Nachna
This is the royal standard of erstwhile Jaisalmer Princely State.[2] It continues to be royal flag of Bhatis. The flag still fly over the Jaisalmer fort and private properties of Bhati Rajputs.
Maharawal Jaisal Singh, founder of Jaisalmer Fort.

History

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One Rupee coin of 1756, from the Princely state of Jaisalmer, minted during the reign of Ranjit Singh.

Early history

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The royal dynasty of Jaisalmer claims to be descended from the deified hero Krishna. The Bhati rulers originally ruled parts of Afghanistan; their ancestor Rawal Gaj is believed to have founded the city of Gajni. According to James Tod, this city is present-day Ghazni in Afghanistan, while Cunningham identifies it as modern-day Rawalpindi.

His descendant Rawal Salivahan is believed to have founded the city of Sialkot and made it his new capital. Salivahan defeated the Saka Scythians in 78 CE at Kahror, assuming the title of Saka-ari (foe of the Sakas). Salivahan's grandson Rao Bhatti conquered several neighbouring regions. It is from him that the Bhati clan derives its name.[4]

Medieval history

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The Bhati kingdom, marked as Multan in 800 CE

The state of Jaisalmer had its foundations in what remains of the Empire ruled by the Bhati dynasty from the mid-12th century CE until 1947.[5] Early Bhati rulers ruled over large empire stretching from Ghazni[6] in modern-day Afghanistan to Sialkot, Lahore and Rawalpindi in modern-day Pakistan[7] to Bhatinda, Muktsar & Hanumangarh in Modern day India.[8] The empire crumbled over time because of continuous invasions from the central Asia. According to Satish Chandra, the Hindu Shahis of Afghanistan made an alliance with the Bhati rulers of Multhan, because they wanted to end the slave raids made by the Turkic ruler of Ghazni, however the alliance was defeated by Alp Tigin in 977 CE.[9] Bhati dominions continued to be shifted towards the South as they ruled Multan, then finally got pushed into Cholistan and Jaisalmer where Rawal Devaraja built Dera Rawal / Derawar.[10] Jaisalmer was the new capital founded in 1156 by Maharawal Jaisal Singh and the state took its name from the capital.

 
Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 AD by the Rajput Rawal (ruler) Jaisal.

Modern history (Princely state of Jaisalmer)

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On 11 December 1818 Jaisalmer became a British protectorate in the Rajputana Agency.[11][10]

Traditionally, in the Middle Ages, the main source of income for the kingdom was levies on caravans, but the economy was heavily affected when Bombay emerged as a major port and sea trade replaced the traditional land routes. Maharawal Ranjit Singh and Bairi Sal Singh attempted to turn around the economic decline but the dramatic reduction in trade impoverished the kingdom. A severe drought and the resulting famine from 1895 to 1900, during the reign of Maharawal Salivahan Singh, only made matters worse by causing widespread loss of the livestock that the increasingly agriculturally based kingdom relied upon.

The attempts of Maharawal Jawahir Singh (1914–1949) at modernization were also not entirely successful in turning the kingdom's economy around, and the drylands of Jaisalmer remained backward compared with other regions of Rajputana, especially the neighbouring state of Jodhpur. Nonetheless, the extensive water storage and supply, sanitation, and health infrastructures developed in the 1930s by the prime minister Dewan Bahadur Brijmohan Nath Zutshi provided significant relief during the severe droughts of 1941 and 1951. Maharawal During 1930–1947, Jawahir Singh and his ministers also promoted technical education and the academic disciplines of civil and mechanical engineering in the state.

After the departure of the British from India in 1947, the Maharawal signed an Instrument of Accession to the new Union of India, while retaining some internal autonomy until the 1950s.

List of rulers

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Rawals

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  • Rawal Shalivahan Singh II (1168–1200)
  • Rawal Bijal Singh (1200–1200)
  • Rawal Kailan Singh (1200–1219)
  • Rawal Chachak Dev Singh (1219–1241)
  • Rawal Karan Singh I (1241–1271)
  • Rawal Lakhan Sen (1271–1275)
  • Rawal Punpal Singh (1275–1276)
  • Rawal Jait Singh I (1276–1294)
  • Rawal Mulraj Singh I (1294–1295)
  • Rawal Durjan Sal (Duda) (1295–1306)
  • Rawal Gharsi Singh (1306–1335)
  • Rawal Kehar Singh II (1335–1402)
  • Rawal Lachman Singh (1402–1436)
  • Rawal Bersi Singh (1436–1448)
  • Rawal Chachak Dev Singh II (1448–1457)
  • Rawal Devidas Singh (1457–1497)
  • Rawal Jait Singh II (1497–1530)
  • Rawal Karan Singh II (1530–1530)
  • Rawal Lunkaran Singh (1530–1551)
  • Rawal Maldev Singh (1551–1562)
  • Rawal Harraj Singh (1562–1578)
  • Rawal Bhim Singh (1578–1624)
  • Rawal Kalyan Das (1624–1634)
  • Rawal Manohar Das (1634–1648)
  • Rawal Ramchandra Dev (1648–1651)
  • Rawal Sabal Singh (1651–1661)

Maharawals

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  • Maharawal Amar Singh of Jaisalmer (1661–1702)
  • Maharawal Jaswant Singh of Jaisalmer (1702–1708)
  • Maharawal Budh Singh (1708–1722)
  • Maharawal Akhai Singh (1722–1762)
  • Maharawal Mulraj Singh II (1762–1820)
  • Maharawal Gaj Singh (1820–1846)
  • Maharawal Ranjit Singh (1846–1864)
  • HH Maharawal Sir Bairi Sal (1864–1891)
  • HH Maharawal Sir Shalivahan Singh III (1891 –1914)
  • HH Maharawal Sir Jawahar Singh (1914–1949),last ruler of the state.
  • HH Maharawal Girdhar Singh (1949–1950), he was instrumental in merging his former state with Rajasthan Union in the year 1949 forming Greater Rajasthan in 1950.

Titular rulers

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Dewans

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  • List of Dewans (chief ministers)
  1. Mohata Nathmal (1885–1890)
  2. Thakur kado singh (1890-1895)
  3. Mehta Jagjiwan (1895–1903)
  4. Thakur Kushal Singh (acting) (1890?–1900)
  5. Rawatmal Purohit Khetrapalia (acting) (1900–1909)
  6. Lakshmi Das Sapat (1909–1911)
  7. Mohammed Niyaz Ali Kazi (1911–1912)
  8. Murarji Rooji (1912–1930)
  9. M.L. Khosala
  10. Pandit Jamana Lal
  11. Munshi Nand Kishore
  12. Lala Rakhpat Raj
  13. P.K. Shurugula
  14. Brij Mohan Nath Zutshi
  15. Anand Swaroop
  16. Onkar Singh
  17. Lakhpat Rai Sikund (1940–1942)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 147, map XIV.4 (a). ISBN 0226742210. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Jaisalmer". www.crwflags.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 24, p. 386". Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 14, page 2 -- Imperial Gazetteer of India -- Digital South Asia Library". Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  5. ^ Sukhdev (2 October 2023). "Which dynasty ruled to Jaisalmer princely state?". Studentera. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Rajasthan or the Central and Western Rajpoot States, Volume 2, page 197-198". Higginbotham And Co. Madras. 14 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Imperial Gazetter of India, Volume 21, page 272 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library". Dsal.uchicago.edu. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Bhatinda Government: District at A glance- Origin". Bhatinda Government. 14 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. ^ Medieval India 1206-1526 part one, pg.17 by Satish Chandra
  10. ^ a b "Provincial Gazetteers Of India: Rajputana". Government of India. 14 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Princely States of India". Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Chaitanya Raj Singh becomes the 44th Maharawal of Jaisalmer". firstindia.co.in. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
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26°55′N 70°54′E / 26.92°N 70.9°E / 26.92; 70.9

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