Maharaja Suraj Mal : The Plato of Jats

Raja Badan Singh died on 9th June, 1756. De facto ruler for long, Suraj Mal now ascended the throne with the title of Maharaja Brijendra Bahadur Sujan Singh. Born in a martial community, Suraj Mal was gifted with variety of military talents, which vigorously supported his character in his many engagements. No danger wavered his courage and resolutions as no success filled him with presumption or vanity. He was a gallant soldier an excellent tactician and great captain as his great adversary Nazib-ud-Daulah himself admitted. With signs of boldness visible at the very dawn of his career (early thirties), his military fame spread gradually far and wide and even the greatest in the land sought his powerful support. In an apparent reference to the earlier part of his long career Ghulam Ali Khan remarks “In prudence and skill and ability to manage the revenue and civil affairs, he had no equal among the grandees of Hindustan except Asaf Jah Bahadur (the first Nizam). He was equally a good statesman too. War with Marathas By 1740s, the Jats had grown into a first rate military power. The reputation of Suraj Mal as a skillful commander and his Jats as gallant fighters spread far and wide and there came repeated solicitations for his sword from the highest in the land By 1756, Suraj Mal extended his hold over large parts of the province of Agra and other parts of the province of Agra and other parts of Delhi. The area under his control was worth Rs. 1.00 crore which amounted to nearly one-eight of the total revenue, but most of it was never paid to the royal (imperial) exchequer since long. The first information about Suraj Mal movements refers to the time of Peshwa Baji Rao sudden dash upon Delhi (March, 1737). The Marathi letters tell us that Suraj Mal lay encamped with 5000 troops at Agra, probably to join the incoming Saadat Khan and Qamar-u-Din against the Peshwa. Next, the Jat troops accompanied the Mughal army to Bhopal where they gave a good account of themselves against Baji Rao on Dec., 9, 1737. The Peshwas march to Delhi had terrified Muhammad Shah and he summoned Nizam-ul-Mulk to the court and ordered him to expel the Marathas from Malwa and Bundelkhand. Asaf Jah then moved out with an army and the Jats under Pratap Singh also joined him along with several other contingents. The opposite armies met at Bhopal. On 14th December, he decided the Jats and Rajputs to move forward and offered a battle to the enemy. Ranoji Scindhia and others advanced from the other side and fight ensued in which both sides suffered heavy losses. This battle was not decisive. Thus, it was 1748 or 1749 that the Jats and the Marathas confronted each other for the first time. Amidst these reverses, poured into the heart of the Jat country the huge Maratha army under Raghunath Rao Holkar on 16th January, 1754, Khandoji Har Govind Natani of Jaipur and Imad also joined it to swell the number to formidable 80,000 men, consisting of the ‘best troops then in the country. Suraj Mal, however, remained undeterred, even though his numerical strength fell much short of the enemies. His foes had devised a clever scheme against him but still cleverer was the one matured by the sagacious Jat veteran which enabled him to withstand successfully the happiness of the Deccan for full four months. He apparently wished to draw his enemy in front of his forts, which formed his main strength i.e. stockpiled his forts with grains and ammunition. Elaborate arrangements were made under the personal guidance of the King Suraj Mal, his minister Gaj Singh and Prince Jawahar Singh. The bastions were hurriedly put up at Bharatpur fort and the defence of this fort was entrusted to Diwan Chain Singh and that of the fort wair to Bahadur Singh. Suraj Mal personally decided to stay at Kumbher, which until then was an ˜ordinary fort. This decision reflects the commendable shrewdness of the great Jat General Soon after their arrival the Marathas made an onrush on the forts only to be driven back by the gun fire. Later, Suraj Mal came out and a sanguinary battle ensued, in which both sides were killed and wounded in large numbers. Their best exertions to besiege the fort of Deeg remained absolutely ineffective for lack of suitable cannons. With their huge numbers they, however, succeeded in devastating the countryside. From 24th February to 25th March onwards, Imad-ul-Mulk followed by Aquibat Mahmud came from Mathura to Kumbher at, the call of the Holkar. He also put up daily exertions to make an assault on the fort, but in vain. Meanwhile, the Holkars had been unsuccessfully trying through Imad to get the big size guns from the imperial arsenals at Delhi and Agra. The wazir was however, opposed to Suraj Mal suppression by Imad and his allies. He therefore, prevailed upon the Emperor not only to refuse the guns but to write secret letters to the Jat Prince, assuring that the Mir Bakhshi was fighting against the Emperor will. The Marathas, however, were not wholly dependent on the imperial arsenal. Early in March, Naro Shankar was ordered to bring four big size guns, gun powder and lead in sufficient quantity from Jhansi to Kumbher. Similarly, Mazaffar Khan was also reported to be dragging in some pieces from Malwa. But even these pieces, if and when brought failed to create an impression on the fort walls. Meanwhile, a tragedy befall the Marathas, one day (mid of the March) Khandoji, earlier summoned from Hodal,riding a palaki was inspecting his advance trenches at Gangarsauli (4 miles north of Kumbher), when the fort artillery opened fire and he was killed by a chance zamburak shot. The tragic sight of the corpse of Khandoji overwhelmed Malhar Rao Holkar with grief. However, on the basis of Bhau Bakhar it is said that the destruction of Suraj Mal now appeared only a matter of days, that Rani encouraged his despondent husband; and that Jayappa Scindia eagerly sought favour contributed in rescuing Suraj Mal from his impending doom in the battle of Bagru (August, 1748). Suraj Mal displayed super human valour by defeating the Marathas under Malhar Rao Holkar. Suraj Mal was a courageous man, he retained his habitual calm and poise even in most desperate situation. In the present case, Kumbher, to use his own words, was almost impregnable and it contained provisions sufficient to last more than a year It is said that despite the enemy ‘deluge’ the Jats made persistent forays and thus kept the enemy in ‘great alarm’. There was no might when their raids were not sure, just as no day passed when the enemy convoys were not attacked. Supported by the fort artillary they hovered round as if there was no enemy in the environs or capable of harming them at all. On the night 1st April, 1754, Suraj Mal interviewed the Jaipur general, Natani, outside the fort of Kumbher. Thereafter a Jat artillary force came out and attacked the enemy trenches in the plain. The battle was even with casualities on both sides. Again, on 30th April, a Jat squadron surprised Shivdeo, killing 41 Maratha soldiers and wresting his total sum of Rs. 29,500. Earlier a Jat force from wair under Bahadur Singh fell upon a Maratha detachment and grabbed ‘a lot of money’ alongwith a few (two or three) distinguished Maratha ladies of the Holkar’s family. Malhar Rao justly felt humiliated at his boldness. Suraj Mal was, however, courteous enough to send the ladies back honourably. Meanwhile, Imad and the Marathas themselves had become “fed up†with and “felt ashamed†over waging a war which even after their all efforts, had failed to turn in their favour. With his cool undaunted courage, masterly defensive strategy and sagacious diplomacy, Suraj Mal succeeded in thwarting the designs of a formidable combination of 80,000 men. This fetched him “high reputation†all over India. The revengeful Imad and the extortionate Marathas had left no stone unturned to wipe out his existence, but they utterly failed in their avowed objective. The extortionate hostility displayed by them ran deep into the Jat bossom and duly influenced the Jat policy towards them, both in the succeeding days and also during Panipat. Jat Maratha rapprochement took place in June, 1757 in which the Jat king was allowed to retain his annexations, including the fort of Agra. War with Mughals and Afghans By 1740s the Jats had grown into a first rate military power. The reputation of Suraj Mal as a skillful commander and his Jats brethren as gallant fighters spread far and wide and “there came repeated solicitations for his sword from the highest in the landâ€. In November, 1745, Suraj Mal extended help to Fateh Ali (Son of Sabit Khan, the governor of Aligarh against Asad Khan, the fourth Bakshi of Muhammad Shah. Muhammad Shah with 10,000 troops met in the neighbourhood of Chandos (16 miles from Aligarh), where in a swift action Suraj Mal completely routed and killed Asad Khan, putting his soldiers to fleece. They were given a hot chase upto 7 miles and large booty fell into the hands of Jat pursuers. Suraj Mal sent Prince Jawahar Singh to Kol (Aligarh) and he himself returned to meet his father. As in Karnal so in Manpur, a Jat contingent served the Mughal army against another invader, Ahmad Shah in March, 1748. A few weeks later Mir Bakshi, Salabat Khan Zulfiqar Jung, who held the governorship of Agra and Ajmer, including the fauzdari of Narnaul, forced a foolish contest on Suraj Mal. Halting at Pataudi for sometime, Salabat Khan proceeded ravaging Mewat to the fort of Nimrana (33 miles south-west of Pataudi), which he wrested from the Jat garrision on 30th December, 1749. The Bakshi now changed his original plan and decided first to go to Agra and attack the Jats. The reversal dismayed his lieutenants who councilled him that “a quarrel with the Jats was improper†at this juncture. He disregarded their reasonable advice, recalled his advice camp and set out for Agra. The night halt was at Sarai Sobhachand. Meanwhile, Suraj Mal had advanced with his forces to a nearly place, Naugaon. Here from he sent his vakil to Bakshi entreating him not to despoil the country (Mewat). Demanding explanation for killing Asad Khan, he asked Suraj Mal to pay Rs. 2 crores, vacate the lands of this jagir and ‘join the emperor’. In the end Bakshi warned Suraj Mal either to accept these terms or be prepared for war. Suraj Mal accepted the challenge and he swiftly moved with his lieutenants (Gokul Ram, Surati Ram, Balram, Pratap Kachhwah etc.) the Rana of Gohad and picked a force of 6000 horse (rest he left behind). He divided it into five squadrons to attack and invest the Bakshi from all sides and he overtook him on the night of 31st December, 1749. Next day (1st January, 1750) at mid day his men surrounded and harassed Salabat’s troops under Fateh Ali (the same whom Suraj Mal had helped against Asad Khan in 1745) some 3 miles away from the Sarai. Ali Rustam Khan and Hakim Khan Kheshgi led re-enforcements two hours before Sun-set. But the Mughals could not cope with the mounted Jat matchlockmen. Panic gripped the Bakshi’s camp. The Jats fired the volley of muskets causing heavy slaughter. Hakim Khan, the commander of the Bakshi’s right wing, was fighting on an elephant. Har Narain charged his horse upon the elephant and killed the Khan. Ali Rustam who led the vanguard was severally wounded. The Jats achieved a singular victory. The fell upon Salabat Khan’s camp and plundered it for four ‘gharies’. The Amir-ul-umra was so much struck with terror that it was only the vigilance, the his commanders that prevented his cowardly fleece. At last, after two or three days of strict confinement the helpless Bakshi sued for terms. He sent vakil Fateh Ali to Suraj Mal, offering to vacate the tracts he had just recovered. Prince Jawahar Singh was then sent to the Bakshi to dictate peace (4th January, 1750) on the following terms : (i) the Bakshi’s men would refrain from cutting the ‘Peepal’ trees, desecrating the temples or any other object of Hindu worship. (ii) that Suraj Mal would realize Rs. 15 lakhs from the Rajputs as the revenue of Ajmer. The phenomenal encounter at Sarai Sobhachand marks a glorious stage in the career of Suraj Mal. No other Jat leader had ever before succeeded in humbling the Commander-in-Chief of the Mughal Empire. The material gains of his success were negligible beyond the recapture of his former possessions in Mewat. It, however, enhanced his prestige and increased his self-confidence as is evidenced by his accepting onerous task of realising the revenue of Ajmer. Safdar Jang was worried over the recrudescence of the Afghan rebellion. He therefore, planned an expedition and accordingly set out from Delhi (25th July, 1750) on his way he received the uprising news and news of defeat of his deputy, Nawal Rai. Realising the gravity of the situation, he resolved to muster up additional troops and he sounded, among others, the Jats also. He sent letters to Suraj Mal, who came to Kol to join the wazir (end of July, 1750). Wazir displayed utmost friendliness, “clasping†Suraj Mal and taking his hands into own. At last the fighting commenced on 13th September, 1750. Safdar Jang with most of his troops stood in the centre while Suraj Mal commanded at the wazir’s right nearest to the van and Ismail Khan to his left. On the other side, Ahmad Bangash, divided his troops into two parts; the first one consisting of 10,000 was deputed under Rustam Khan Afridi against the enemy, while the other under his own command was kept in hiding for a surprise attack. The fight began with the advance of the Pathans and the boom of cannons from both sides. Suraj Mal and Ismail Khan moved forward to confront Rustam Khan. Balram Jat of Ballamgarh captured and implanted his guns upon a rising ground lying between the two armies. The Jat guns opened murderous fight upon the Pathans and at first repulsed them. But soon Rustam Khan with 7,000 men moved forward to reinforce his men and eventually succeeded in wresting that ground alongwith the guns atop. Balram and his Jats fought most vigorously but they were outnumbered and suffered heavy losses. Chain Singh, Sahib Ram and Tilak Singh Tomar were among those who perished there. At this Suraj Mal immediately sent his maternal uncle, Sukh Ram to reinforce Balram, instructing his to use arrows and firelocks instead of swords and he himself moved forward, assisted by Ismail Khan and Himmat Khan in a semi-circular form of discharging matchlocks and arrows pounced upon the Pathans. Rustam Khan and his men fought most gallantly. But they could not cope up with Jats. Rustam Khan was killed alongwith six to seven thousand Pathans. On the opposite side three to four thousand Jats perished in the process. Suraj Mal vigorously pursued the surviving enemies a long way in the direction of Aliganj (Etah) and grabbed a rich booty. He thus scored a complete triumph in this theatre of war. Ahmad Shah Abdali's Jat Expedition Hardly had Suraj Mal got relief from the internal crisis, when the Abdali invaded India in Dec., 1756. Partly on his own and partly at the supplications of Mughlani Begum, Najib and others, Ahmad Shah Abdali swooped down on the imperial capital (January, 1757). The invaders methodically sacked, tortured and outraged the populace of the capital. Alamgir was deposed, Imad imprisoned and the wizarat conferred upon Intizam on his promising to give Rs. 2 crores to Shah. To escape the Afghan havoc, about half the population of the city flocked to popular refuge, the Jat dominions. The threatening march of invader within the striking distance of his dominions obviously created an unprecedented situation for Suramal. It was indeed to be tackled with great caution foresight and courage. Earlier on 19th December, Imad had written and sought help from him, the Maratha and Shuja. Suraj Mal suspected that once the danger is over, he would attempt his (the Jat's) destruction with the help of his Maratha allies whose designs he (Suraj Mal) equally visualized. Hence, he wisely refused to feed milk to such a dangerous viper. Towards the end of January, 1757, he sent his envoy to Abdali, professing submission and joined Najib, Nagarmal and others in petitioning the Abdali to overthrow their common enemy Imad, “the son of Malhar Rao Holkar and the sworn brother of Dada Saheb (Raghunath Rao)†and detained him, (Imad) “beyond attackâ€. In return the signatories promised to give Rs. 50 lakhs as tribute to the Shah. The Marathas suspected, Suraj Mal’s hand also in the Shah’s transfer of the wizarat from Imad to Intizam. A report reads that Intizam and Suraj Mal were at the root of Imad’s overthrow. “Khan-i-Khana†became the wazir. The existing wazir was imprisoned and thus, the influence of the Jats increasedâ€. On his part, the Abdali refused to be satisfied with the Jat King’s submission in absentia. Early in February, 1757, he wrote to Suraj Mal ordering him to disgorge his acquisitions, pay money, attend his court personally. Meanwhile, Ahmad Shah insisted on Suraj Mal to return some eminent personages, like Nagarmal at Kumbher, Bal Govind Sahukar and the Khan-i-Saman, who had taken shelter with him. But the Jat King courageously refuged saying, “How can I send Raja Nagarmal and other, who have sought asylum with me?†This was too much for the ferocious Abdali. The Abdali now resolved to march in person against the Jat Raja and he sent a foraging part to Faridabad. Jawahar Singh who was then at Ballamgarh, took 5 to 6 thousand soldiers, fell upon and routed it, slaying some 60 men and capturing 150 horses. On 22nd February, Ahmad Shah Abdali left Delhi and moving slowly, came to Faridabad on 26th February, 1757. At first he ignored nearly Ballamgarh, declaring that his objects were Deeg and Kumbher. But the insistence of Imad and the presence of Jawahar Singh, these made him change his plans. He personally invested Ballamgarh, despatching his vanguard of 20,000 under Jahan Khan and another 20,000 under Nazib, with the instructions : Move into the boundaries of the accursed Jat, and in every town and district held by him slay and plunder. The city of Mathura is a holy place of the Hindus........ let is be put entirely to the edge of the sword. To the best of your power leave nothing in the kingdom and country. Upto Akbarabad leave not a single place standing. Later on 3rd March, Ballamgarh was assaulted. The battle of Chaumuha took place on 28th February among Jats and Afghan vanguard. In the battle 10 thousand Jats under Jawahar Singh displayed their traditional valour and courage. But the odds against them were overwhelming. They had to cope with the generalship of Jahan Khan, who commanded a bigger force. After nine hours of grim fighting, the Jat resistance broke up and 10 to 20 thousand perished on the two sides taken altogether. Those wounded were beyond count Suraj Mal suspected that the Afghans might turn to Bharatpur, Deeg and Kumbher. Therefore he remained stationed there prepared for war. Consequently, on March 1, Jahan Khan and Nijib pounced upon the people of the Mathura. They were indiscriminately massacred, ravished and plundered. The Holi, though celebrated only two days ago, was now replayed not with colour but with blood of the Hindus. The houses were put to flames. The temples demolished, idols broken and picked in the streets like Polo balls Ahmad Shah suddenly resumed his homeward, without making an effort to fulfil his avowed objective of capturing Deeg and Kumbher. The out break of sickness in his camp was one of its important reasons. The Jat threatening demeanour and the Abdali fear of the Jat forts coupled with the coming of the Maratha army in the adjacent Jaipur state also contributed to his retreat without even having a look at his targets, Deeg and Kumbher. The Abdali had sent repeated messages for tribute to Suraj Mal but he negotiated to merely gain time. The Afghan devastation of its parts was sure to adversely affect the resources of the Jat state. All the same, its military strength and the rich treasury mostly remained unaffected. With all his legions, the Abdali failed, like the Maratha hordes three years before to annihilate Suraj Mal or his main forts. In addition, he could not get “a single kauri†by way of tribute. The valiant and shrewd Jat Raja, thus, single handedly tided over yet another, this being the most formidable storm when the Mughal Emperor and his courtiers ... lay overwhelmed by it. Not merely that - He emerged as the ‘strongest’ and ‘richest’ potentate in the north. In 1761, he turned to conquer the imperial fort of Agra with huge army, 50,000 horses, 10,000 footmen under Balram and seized the fort. Later he seize Kol (Aligarh). Suraj Mal As A Great Builder He was a great builder and according to Wendel, spent “not lakhs but crores†on his magnificent edifices, such as, the “truly royal†and “superb†palace of Deeg and the gorgeous fort of Bharatpur both imcomparable in Hindustan. He also displayed his grandeur by keeping a big herd of elephants and several thousand horses in his personal stables a number as Wendel says far in excess of that maintained by any other Raja in Hindustan. Suraj Mal is credited with building several tanks arbours and temples in Govardhan, Mathura, Vrindaban and other religious places. Besides, he spent lakhs of rupees in charitable deeds. Giriraj Govardhan importance increased under them and several artistic chhataries were built there along with other buildings. Administrative Set-up The standing army under him consisted of 15,000 cavalry, 25,000 infantry and 300 pieces of cannons. He also possessed 60 elephants and 5,000 horses in his stables. Apart from it, considering the number of his forts, the garrison posted in them must not have been less than 25,000 soldiers, equipped with long and short range cannons and ammunition. Suraj Mal was an ambitious and powerful man, but his ambition was tempered with caution and self-control. He kept matrimonial alliances with important families. As regards his administrative set-up, below the king, who was the fountain-head was probably the most powerful grandee, Balram Jat (his brother-in-law) who held the post of Chief Minister. Jiwa Ram held the office of Diwan. Somnath was the Dandadhyaksh (the head of the charity department). The management of the army seems to have been entrusted to several officers, each having a sub-department. We know the names of two officers, each having a sub-department. We know the names of two officers, Balram and Mohan Ram, who headed the cavalry and the artillery, respectively. Balram was also the fauzdar as well. Besides, the posts of minister, Bakshi, Kotwal and Qiledar referred to in Sujan Charitra must have continued during the reign of Suraj Mal as well. Apart from the strongest band of troops, a network of fairly strong (three of them being impregnable) forts studded with beautiful buildings, richest treasures and a political system commensurate with the Jat instincts and traditions, the "Jat Plato" Suraj Mal handed down a kingdom well cultivated, peaceful and out of the danger of being suddenly attacked. Conclusion If Badan Singh laid the foundation of a Jat state, Suraj Mal consolidated it first as Regent and strength of character. He rose to be the greatest Raja in the whole of contemporary India possessing not only a spacious kingdom but also the richest overflowing treasury and the strongest army. The Jats under him rose to the heights of playing an important role in the history of the Mughal Empire. The imperial wazir, Safdar Jang, sought his friendship and Imad-ul-Mulk craved for his patronage. Whether fighting heroically in Muhammad Shah's Rohilla expedition (1745) or leading the Jaipur van at Bagru, whether dumbling the Mir Bakshi at Sarai Sabla Chand (1750), Suraj Mal left behind a name for valour and stubborn courage. Endowed with a cool calculating vision, a profound sense of foresight and an exemplary shrewdness, Suraj Mal's genius shone forth handling of man and matters. Maharaja Suraj Mal was endowed with all the qualities of a good ruler, he succeeded by his government in vastly increasing his tenantry and treasure. This was predominantly the result of the patient toil of that Raja. By the time of his death the Jat state had grown to 200 miles in the length (east to west) and 140 miles in breadth (north to south), covering a part of the Subah of Delhi and Subah of Agra. His state included among others the districts of Mathura, Agra, Dholpur, Mainpuri, Aligarh, Bulandshar, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Rewari, besides the original principality of Bharatpur. A contemporary historian has described him as follows : Though he wore the dress of a farmer and could speak only his own Braj dialect, he was the Ulysses or Plato of the Jat tribe. In prudence and skill, and ability to manage the revenue and civil affairs he had no equal among the grandees of Hindustan except Asaf Jah Bahadur.

Courtsey: Pramod Kalirana