Raja Jagat Singh - Revision history

CleanupBot: /* History */ Robot: Replacing encoded entity with character

2026-03-22T04:59:48Z

History: Robot: Replacing encoded entity with character

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:29, 22 March 2026
Line 30:		Line 30:

	==History==		==History==
	When the [[Nurpur kingdom]] was being heavily taxed in 1630 by the Mughals, its king Raja Jagat Singh instead of taxing sided with people, who were starving during the famine and paid taxes from his own pocket. A lack of rain for three years caused the [[Deccan famine of 1630–1632\|Deccan famine of 1630–32]]. It affected the Gujarat, Malwa, and Deccan regions while the [[Mughals]] carried out a war campaign. While the entire province lay dead, [[Shah Jahan]]'s war camp was “fair and spacious, plentifully stored with all provisions, being supplied with all things from all parts, far and near”.~~<~~ref~~>~~. Ibid PP.50~~<~~/ref~~>~~ While people in the entire province were dying due to famine caused by his own army, Shah Jahan was collecting money to build the [[Taj Mahal]], the construction of which began on 1632. Taxes in the Mughal Empire were among the highest in the world; according to the estimates of J.N.U scholar Shireen Moosvi, Mughals took 56.7% of total produce from peasants.~~<~~ref~~>~~The Economy of the Mughal Empire C. 1595: A Statistical Study, Shireen Moosvi, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp.301~~<~~/ref~~>~~ Where the state's revenue needed to be used to quell the famine, Shah Jahan used it to build the Taj Mahal. According to contemporary sources like a letter written by a [[Dutch East India Company]] lawyer, the famine led to 7.4 million deaths.~~<~~ref~~>~~Winters et al, “A famine in [[Surat]] in 1631 and Dodos on Mauritius: a long lost manuscript rediscovered”, Archives of natural history, Volume 44, Issue 1(2017), Edinburgh University Press~~<~~/ref~~>~~ In contrast to Mughal tax regime of 1632, [[Hindu king]]s like Raja Jagat Singh and Raja of Bundelkhand took one-sixth (16.6%) as laid out in the Hindu scriptures. They rebelled to prevent further famines. The Bundelkhand rebellion by [[Jhujhar Singh]] was stopped in 1635 but Jagat Singh fought until 1642, when the Taj Mahal was completed and no more additional funds were needed.		When the [[Nurpur kingdom]] was being heavily taxed in 1630 by the Mughals, its king Raja Jagat Singh instead of taxing sided with people, who were starving during the famine and paid taxes from his own pocket. A lack of rain for three years caused the [[Deccan famine of 1630–1632\|Deccan famine of 1630–32]]. It affected the Gujarat, Malwa, and Deccan regions while the [[Mughals]] carried out a war campaign. While the entire province lay dead, [[Shah Jahan]]'s war camp was “fair and spacious, plentifully stored with all provisions, being supplied with all things from all parts, far and near”.<ref>. Ibid PP.50</ref> While people in the entire province were dying due to famine caused by his own army, Shah Jahan was collecting money to build the [[Taj Mahal]], the construction of which began on 1632. Taxes in the Mughal Empire were among the highest in the world; according to the estimates of J.N.U scholar Shireen Moosvi, Mughals took 56.7% of total produce from peasants.<ref>The Economy of the Mughal Empire C. 1595: A Statistical Study, Shireen Moosvi, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp.301</ref> Where the state's revenue needed to be used to quell the famine, Shah Jahan used it to build the Taj Mahal. According to contemporary sources like a letter written by a [[Dutch East India Company]] lawyer, the famine led to 7.4 million deaths.<ref>Winters et al, “A famine in [[Surat]] in 1631 and Dodos on Mauritius: a long lost manuscript rediscovered”, Archives of natural history, Volume 44, Issue 1(2017), Edinburgh University Press</ref> In contrast to Mughal tax regime of 1632, [[Hindu king]]s like Raja Jagat Singh and Raja of Bundelkhand took one-sixth (16.6%) as laid out in the Hindu scriptures. They rebelled to prevent further famines. The Bundelkhand rebellion by [[Jhujhar Singh]] was stopped in 1635 but Jagat Singh fought until 1642, when the Taj Mahal was completed and no more additional funds were needed.
	He was immortalized by the poet Gambhir Rai, who wrote of his military expeditions, four years after he had died:The Rhapsodies of Gambhír Rái, the Bard of Núrpur, A.D. 1650.— by [[John Beames]], C.S. A composition by bard Gambhir Raj mentions starvation and hunger in the period of Jagat Singh and his generosity in dealing with the catastrophe " जैसा राजा जगत सिंह अगर होता कोई, नौ द्वीप भूमंडल में भूखा रहे ना कोई \|" Like Raja Jagat Singh, if there was anyone, no one would have gone hungry in the nine valleys and basins of the [[Shivalik hills]].I		He was immortalized by the poet Gambhir Rai, who wrote of his military expeditions, four years after he had died:The Rhapsodies of Gambhír Rái, the Bard of Núrpur, A.D. 1650.— by [[John Beames]], C.S. A composition by bard Gambhir Raj mentions starvation and hunger in the period of Jagat Singh and his generosity in dealing with the catastrophe " जैसा राजा जगत सिंह अगर होता कोई, नौ द्वीप भूमंडल में भूखा रहे ना कोई \|" Like Raja Jagat Singh, if there was anyone, no one would have gone hungry in the nine valleys and basins of the [[Shivalik hills]].I
	In folklore the most renowned incident that resulted in victory of Raja Jagat Singh became the		In folklore the most renowned incident that resulted in victory of Raja Jagat Singh became the
	'''Legend of Fort Taragarh''' 1640–1642, Near [[Dalhousie, India]]-[[Khajjiar]], that event of victory is celebrated even today every year on 10 April at fort Taragarh made on the highest peak of this area on meeting point of Hathidhar range with sub range of [[Dhauladhar]] range below Kakira. This fort was made to keep away any armies coming from Nurpur and or Punjab side. Down this fort towards all side is thousands feet deep stiff descent all sides except only North side that is towards Chamba side. Below this fort towards north side is a small and long flat valley formed where people of Taragarh have constructed their houses and Draman to Chamba road also passes through a village named Bariean da Gala. At such a highly inaccessible location, the impregnable fort was built after a Brahmin named Tara offered his sacrifice to protect from demons. Taragarh Fort was so well fortified by Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklore it took the huge Mughal army 12 years to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘''Amb ka Bagh''’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). To break the moral of invading army, the sons and men of Jagat Singh threw pudding made from bitches milk out of the fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of the fort on his terms. After 12 years of anti-taxation rebellion against the Mughals and the War of Taragarh 1640–1642, he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but his knighthood of 12,000 Mansabadari was restored as was the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’ since he was needed in the Afghanistan campaign.~~<~~ref~~>~~Dogra Legends of Art &~~amp;~~ Culture By Aśoka Jeratha, Ashok Jerath, Indus Publishing, p172,173~~<~~/ref~~>~~		'''Legend of Fort Taragarh''' 1640–1642, Near [[Dalhousie, India]]-[[Khajjiar]], that event of victory is celebrated even today every year on 10 April at fort Taragarh made on the highest peak of this area on meeting point of Hathidhar range with sub range of [[Dhauladhar]] range below Kakira. This fort was made to keep away any armies coming from Nurpur and or Punjab side. Down this fort towards all side is thousands feet deep stiff descent all sides except only North side that is towards Chamba side. Below this fort towards north side is a small and long flat valley formed where people of Taragarh have constructed their houses and Draman to Chamba road also passes through a village named Bariean da Gala. At such a highly inaccessible location, the impregnable fort was built after a Brahmin named Tara offered his sacrifice to protect from demons. Taragarh Fort was so well fortified by Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklore it took the huge Mughal army 12 years to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘''Amb ka Bagh''’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). To break the moral of invading army, the sons and men of Jagat Singh threw pudding made from bitches milk out of the fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of the fort on his terms. After 12 years of anti-taxation rebellion against the Mughals and the War of Taragarh 1640–1642, he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but his knighthood of 12,000 Mansabadari was restored as was the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’ since he was needed in the Afghanistan campaign.<ref>Dogra Legends of Art & Culture By Aśoka Jeratha, Ashok Jerath, Indus Publishing, p172,173</ref>

	==Death==		==Death==

Evan692365: Structure improved and content revised

2026-03-18T06:32:58Z

Structure improved and content revised

Show changes

->Soldier stories: /* The legend of Nur Jahan and Jahangir union 1610-1611 */

2022-01-02T22:17:46Z

The legend of Nur Jahan and Jahangir union 1610-1611

New page

{{Short description|17th-century Indian monarch}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=July 2021}}
{{Copy edit|for=style|date=July 2021}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Raja Jagat Singh
| image = File:Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur.jpg
| caption = Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur
| image_size = 120px
| succession = King of [[Nurpur kingdom]]
| reign = 1618 — January 1646
| predecessor = [[Suraj Mal of Nurpur]] (1613-1618)
| successor =
[[Rajrup Singh]] [[Nurpur kingdom]](1646-1700)
| issue = Rajrup Singh, Bhau Singh, Guleri Rani
| spouse =
| house = [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra]]
| father = Raja Vasudev
| mother =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1575|1|1}}
| birth_place = [[Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh|Nurpur]], [[Nurpur kingdom]], [[Mughal Raj|Mughal India]] (present-day [[Himachal Pradesh]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age |df=yes|1646|1|1 |1575|1|1}}
| death_place = [[Chitral]], Pakistan
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| signature =
}}
Legendary Rajput Soldier and Ruler of the Himalayan kingdom.

==Introduction==
'''King of Nurpur State (1618-1646)''' Akbar befriended the distrust and rebellious nature of 22 hill Rajas by raising their second sons along with Mughal princes. So by fate, Raja Jagat Singh was raised amongst Mughals with whom he developed compassionate relationships. At an early age he entered in the Mughal Army and was serving Bengal when his elder and younger brothers defected to Chamba along with Nurpur treasury, they were being enforced to capture [[Kangra Fort]] for Mughals but rather chose to side with fellow states. So in 1618 Mughals had to recognize Raja Jagat Singh as the only heir of the throne. Soon, Jagat Singh took control of Dameri [[Nurpur kingdom]] and broke the defense of impregnable [[Kangra Fort]] in 1620. When Shahjahan rebelled in 1622, Nurpur kingdom flexed its borders on all its sides, annexing Chamba (1623) and Basolhi (1624) while scaring all its neighbouring states. Under him, the state reached her pinnacle.

==Career==

'''Raja Jagat Singh Pathania''' [[Mansabdar]] of Mughal Army in [[Afghanistan]] rose from 300 to 12000 Mansabs.
*Year: [[Mansabdar]] of:-
*1610: 300 men
*1618: 1000 men and 500 horses
*1622: 3000 men and 2000 horses
*1634: Appointed [[Faujdar]] of Lower [[Bangash]]
*1638: 10th year of ShahJahan's rule, appointed Sahayak [[Sardar]] Kabul
*1639: 11th year of ShahJahan's rule, captured [[Jamrud Fort]]
*1640: Appointed [[Faujdar]] of Lower and Upper [[Bangash]]
*1641: 5000 men and 5000 horses,
*1642: Compelled to side with his rebellious son against tax collection.
*1644: 12000 men and 8000 horses, appointed [[Kiladar]] Fort [[Kohat]]
*1645: Conquered [[Balkh]], [[Badakhshan]]
*1646: Death by freezing in snow storm [[Chitral]], cremated in [[Peshawar]]

== In Folklore ==
'''Legend of Brij Raj temple built in 1613, inside Nurpur Fort''' is a [[Krishna]] statue which lied in ruins of Fort [[Chittorgarh]] during Mughal occupation from (1568-1616). Raja Basu was sent to capture Rana of Mewar ( Udaipur) [[Amar Singh I]] where he died at thana [[Jhalawar]] in September 1613. His sons, especially Raja [[Suraj Mal of Nurpur]] must have accompanied Raja Basu although Raja Jagat Singh is reputed to have halted at Chittorgarh in the night and heard the sound of "ghungroo" and smell of Mollesary and someone reciting bhajan with "tanpura" outside in the ruins of Fort Chittor. When he told this episode to the learned Brahmin, he was advised by him that he had transcended into the twilight of Mira-Krishna and thus as a tribute to his enlightenment should smuggle the same very statue which Mira worshipped to hills where it will be safe from the barbaric hands of Mughals. The erected temple in Nurpur Fort closely resembles that of the Hari dev temple, built by [[Raja Bhagwant Das]] in [[Govardhan]] (1557), and of the [[Govind Dev Ji Temple]] shrine, erected by [[Mansingh]] in Sarii.[[Vrindavan]] (1590), as per ASI report, destruction of temple took place in (1618) when [[Suraj Mal of Nurpur]] rebelled. The frescoes in Diwan-i-Aam mentions the establishment year as (1610), while the statue was hidden underneath the pond during uncertain times. Thakur dwara was repaired and the statue was recovered in peaceful times by Raja Mandhatta (1661-1700) (grandson of Raja Jagat Singh).
In 1886 ASI discovered the ruins of a temple which were excavated in 1904.<ref>https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.207530/2015.207530.Archaeological-Survey_djvu.txt Page28-29</ref>

'''The legend of Nur Jahan and Jahangir union 1610-1611'''
He had entered Mughal services very early at the age of 21 and his first duty was in Bengal with a mansab of 300 and there is a possibility that he pursued Jahangir's interests like participation in the battle at Burdwan between [[Sher Afghan Khan]] and Qutubuddin Koka, the then Mughal Subahdar of Bengal and the foster brother of Jahangir where both died fighting in 1610.

Jagat Singh knew that [[Nur Jahan]] was forcibly married by [[Akbar]] to Sher Afghan so after she became widow he made arrangements so that Jahangir's mother consented to keep her as women in waiting till she married [[Jahangir]] in 1611. Soon after the capture of Kangra Fort, on 6 Nov 1620 Jahangir and [[Nur Jahan]] visited Dhameri. To commemorate their visit, Jagat Singh renamed Dhameri as [[Nurpur State|Nurpur]]. Nur Jahan was so fascinated by the beauty of the place that she ordered construction of a palace for her at Nurpur by paying one lakh rupees. It is believed that Jagat Singh enjoyed a special confidence of Nur Jahan and that, according to the ''[[Tuzk-e-Jahangiri]]'', Nurpur bordered Kashmir and so Nurpur Kingdom was given importance by Noorjahan as her own fallback in case of political instability.

'''Legend as hero of Kabul and Kandahar'''
He distinguished himself at [[Kabul]] by capturing Karim Dadh S/o Jalala Tariki who had rebelled against the Mughals. He assisted Mughal forces in [[Kandahar]] and conquered [[Zamindawar]] and Bost ([[Lashkargah]]). All this gave him great influence in the Mughal court and he was presented with gifts and honours by the emperor.

'''Legend for rebellions against heavy taxation for construction of [[Taj Mahal]] 1630-1642'''
In 1630 he sided with his own country people of Nurpur who were starving during the famine and decided to pay taxes from his own pocket and somehow managed to save his country from starvation and hunger till 1642. Continuous scarcity of rains for three years created one of the deadliest [[Deccan famine of 1630-32]] in world history. It afflicted the Gujarat, Malwa and Deccan regions as it was precisely here that Mughals ran their devastating campaign. But where was all the food ? While the entire province lay dead, Shah Jahan's war camp was “fair and spacious, plentifully stored with all provisions, being supplied with all things from all parts, far and near”.<ref>. Ibid PP.50</ref> While people in the entire province were dying due to famine caused by his own army, Shahjahan was busy collecting money for construction of Taj Mahal which began on 1632. Taxes in Mughal empire were among the highest in the world. According to the estimates of J.N.U scholar Shireen Moosvi, Mughals took 56.7% of total produce of peasants.<ref>The Economy of the Mughal Empire C. 1595: A Statistical Study, Shireen Moosvi, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp.301</ref> Where the state's revenue needed to be used to quell the famine, he instead intensified it by diverting the funds to build Taj Mahal. According to contemporary sources like the letter written by [[Dutch East India Company ]](VOC) lawyer, the famine led to 7.4 million deaths. This was a man made famine. And one man whose lust for power and wealth knew no bounds was responsible for it.<ref>Winters et al, “A famine in [[Surat]] in 1631 and Dodos on Mauritius: a long lost manuscript rediscovered”, Archives of natural history, Volume 44, Issue 1(2017), Edinburgh University Press</ref>
In contrast to Mughal tax regime of 1632, Hindu kings like Raja Jagat Singh and Raja of Bundelkhand took only one-sixth (16.6%) as laid out in the Hindu scriptures. So, they rebelled as they didn't want to create famines in their countries. Bundelkhand rebellion by [[Jhujhar Singh]] was crushed in 1635 but Jagat Singh continued to struggle till 1642, the year main [[mausoleum]] of [[Taj Mahal]] was completed and no more additional funds were needed. The famous words of bard on this moment were: "Jaisa Raja Jagat Singh aghar hota dua koi, Now dweep bhu mandal mein bhuka rahae na koi".
If there was even one contemporary of Jagat Singh, the country of hills with 9 basins or elsewhere would have never starved.

'''Legend of [[Balkh]] and [[Badakhshan]] military expedition 1644-1645''' was second expedition to [[Central Asia]] in which he excelled while accompanying Mughal prince [[Murad Bakhsh]] to subdue [[Uzbegs]] and [[Badakhshan]] for which Raja had recruited over 14000 men from his principality. Elphinstone speaking of this great Dogra conquest into Central Asia says: "the spirit of the Dogra never showed more brilliantly than in this unusual duty. They stormed mountain passes, made forced marches over snow, they constructed redoubts by their own labour. The Raja himself taking the axe like the rest and bore up against the tempest of frozen region as firmly as against the fierce and repeated attack of the enemy". In December 1645 he had completed military expedition to the northeastern tip of Afghanistan for Mughals and had reached [[Tajikistan]]-Pakistan-[[Afghanistan]] axis. As he had only scattered the enemies, he expected hostilities on his return journey.
Instead of going back to [[Badakhshan]] and [[Balkh]] from [[Sarhad-e Broghil]] he attempted to cross [[Broghil Pass]] to reach [[Chitral]] from where he had started his expedition in 1644 but died due to a snow storm in January 1646. His grandson built a temple/memorial in Haridwar for the lost souls.

'''Legend of Fort Taragarh 1640–1642, Near Dalhousie-Khajiar''' is a fort made on the highest peak of this area on meeting point of Hathidhar range with sub range of [[Dhauladhar]] range below Kakira. This fort was made to keep away any armies coming from Nurpur and or Punjab side. Down this fort towards all side is thousands feet deep stiff descent all sides except only North side that is towards Chamba side. Below this fort towards north side is small and long flat valley is formed where people of Taragarh have constructed their houses and Draman to Chamba road also passes through a Village named Bariean da Gala. At such a highly inaccessible location impregnable fort was built after a Brahmin named Tara offered his sacrifice to protect from demons. Taragarh Fort was so well fortified by Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklores it took huge Mughal army 12 years to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘''Amb ka Bagh''’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). To break the moral of invading army, the sons and men of Jagat Singh threw pudding made from bitches milk out of fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of Fort on his terms. 12 years of anti-taxation rebellion against the Mughals and the War of Taragarh 1640–1642, he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but his knighthood of 12,000 Mansabadari was restored and the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’ as he was needed in Afghanistan Campaign.

'''Legend as a formidable warrior '''
He was immortalized by the poet [[Gambhir Rai]], who wrote of his military expeditions, four years after he had died:The Rhapsodies of Gambhír Rái, the Bard of Núrpur, A.D. 1650.— by [[John Beames]], C.S.

"''Uthapan, Uthapan Naresh Tu Paithan Path,''
''Jako dae Badshahi panch sath pave,''
''Dandath udandi nokhandat akhandi,''
''Panch Sath dweep kirth, yash ghave,''
''Uthal-Vithal aur udal ujal jath,''
''Sangi gaey suk jath, bhojan na khave,''
''Kaith Gambhir sur spath Ashok Raja,''
''Sanj lo salam karan Khan yahan aave''"

(Hey Lord, You are the glory of Pathania clan. Only few are bestowed upon such greatness in this world. Your lordship punishes the defaulters. Your valour conquered nine parts and consolidated to form single kingdom. Several islands sing your glory. In battle our forces could not take food. And yet the Khan came to salute you O lord. Ghambir speaks the truth that you in your glory equal the king Ashoka)

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book|title=Chronology of Royal Family of Pathania|first=Raghunath Singh Pathania|last=Translated by Walia|publisher=Archive Department H.P|year=2004|isbn=}}
*{{cite book|title=Art Culture and History of Himalayan Kingdoms|author=Sukhdev Singh Charak|year=1979|language= English|ISBN= 978-9937105507}}
*{{cite book |title=Forts and Palaces of the Western Himalayas |first=Aśoka |last=Jeratha |publisher=Indus Publishing |year=2000 |isbn=9788173871047 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2oZiyOqReoC}}
*{{cite book |title=Dogra Legends of Art and Culture |first=Aśoka |last=Jeratha |publisher=Indus Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=9788173870828 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ToONShWeEB0C}}
*{{cite book |title=The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire |volume=1 - Himachal Pradesh |editor-first=Mark |editor-last=Brentnall |publisher=Indus Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=9788173871634 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayYbAvECXQwC}}

== External links ==
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Raja Jagat}}
[[Category:17th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Rajput rulers]]
[[Category:1646 deaths]]
[[Category:History of Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:1575 births]]