BeauBasaldua8: created some biography from scratch

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created some biography from scratch

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{{Short description|Administrator, reformer and army commander of Kota state}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}{{Use Indian English|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Zalim Singh
| title = [[Rana (title)|Raj Rana]]
| image = Jhala Zalim Singh.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Portrait of Zalim Singh
| succession = [[Prime minister|Musahib-i-Ala]] of [[Kota State|Kota]]
| reign = 1771 – 1824
| predecessor =
| successor = [[Jhala Madho Singh|Madho Singh]]
| birth_date = 1739
| birth_place =
| death_date = 1824
| spouse = *Gaurji (name unknown)
*Chundawatji (Sisodiniji) Indra Kanwarji of [[Begun]] in [[Mewar]]
*Khichanji (Chauhanji) Saras Kanwarji from [[Raghogarh-Vijaypur]]
*Sisodiniji Gulab Kanwarji of [[Shahpura]]
*Sisodiniji Chandan Kanwarji
| issue = *[[Jhala Madho Singh|Madho Singh]]
*Ajab Kanwarji m.to Rao Bishan Singh of [[Bundi]]
| full name = Zalim Singh Jhala
| house-type =
| father = Prithvi Singh (biological)<br>Himmat Singh (adoptive)
| mother = Sisodiniji Shaktawatji Kushal Kanwarji d.of Bhupal Singh of Dangarmow in [[Mewar]]
| dynasty = [[Jhala (clan)|Jhala]]
}}
'''Zalim Singh Jhala''' (1739-1824) or '''Zalim Singh of Kotah''', a [[Jhala (clan)|Jhala]] [[Rajput]] was an administrator, reformer and army commander of the [[Hada Chauhan]] house of [[Kota State|Kota]]. He was the [[de facto]] ruler of [[Kota State]] from 1771 to until his death in 1824. He was referred to by his contemporary [[James Tod]] as the [[Niccolò Machiavelli|Machiavelli]] of [[Rajasthan]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VxQiAQAAMAAJ |title=The Historical Record of the Imperial Visit to India, 1911 |date=1914 |publisher=government of India |pages=135 |language=en}}</ref>

== Birth ==
He was born in 1739 to Prithvi Singh and later adopted by his paternal uncle, Himmat Singh.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=R. P. Shastri |url=https://archive.org/details/jhala-zalim-singh |title=Jhala Zalim Singh |pages=1, 35, 44–45, 49, 50–52, 54–60, 240, 364–365}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Bayley |first=C. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/chiefsleadingfam00csba |title=Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana |date=2004 |publisher=New Delhi : Asian Educational Services |others=Public Resource |isbn=978-81-206-1066-8 |pages=55–56, 85}}</ref>

== Early career ==
Upon Himmat Singh's death in 1758, he at the age of eighteen succeeded him in his jagir of Nanta and as [[Faujdar]], or [[Commander-in-chief|Commander]], of the state troops of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota State]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Purushotam Vishram Mawjee |url=https://archive.org/details/DurbarAlbum1 |title=(1911) Imperial durbar album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars, Vol. I. |date=1911 |pages=104}}</ref> Three years later, he was instrumental in leading the Kota troops to a decisive victory over the [[Kingdom of Amber|Jaipur]] army at Bhatwara, where seventeen elephants, 1,800 horses, 73 pieces of cannon, and a state flag of [[Kingdom of Amber|Jaipur]] fell into the hands of the [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] troops.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Tod |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/annalsantiquitie02todj_0 |title=Annals and antiquities of Rajast'han, or the central and western Rajpoot states of India |date=1829 |publisher=London : Smith, Elder and Co. [etc.] |others=Princeton Theological Seminary Library |pages=136, 516, 520}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Vadivelu |first=A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LfoxAQAAMAAJ |title=The Ruling Chiefs, Nobles and Zamindars of India |date=1915 |publisher=G.C. Loganadham |pages=295 |language=en}}</ref> Following the battle, Maharao Raja Shatru Sal of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] welcomed him with great honor in an open [[Durbar (court)|durbar]] to celebrate the victory and acknowledged the valuable services he had rendered.<ref name=":0" />

== Musahib-i-Ala of Kota ==
Sometime after Guman Singh became Maharao Raja of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]], he appointed him as Musahib-i-Ala, or the Diwan, on 28 December 1764.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Relia |first1=Anil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLaOCwAAQBAJ |title=The Indian Portrait - 8: Rajputana Nayak {{!}} Paintings from the Royal courts of Rajasthan |last2=Soni |first2=Sonika |date=2016-02-12 |publisher=Archer Art Gallery |isbn=978-81-931718-0-6 |pages=48 |language=en}}</ref> He arranged the marriage of his adoptive sister to Guman Singh, which earned him the title of "Mama" (maternal uncle).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Peabody |first=Norbert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5YZvuz6EGgcC |title=Hindu Kingship and Polity in Precolonial India |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-46548-9 |pages=118, 120, 132–133, 139 |language=en}}</ref> He used this title in his daily life and official correspondence.<ref name=":7" />

=== Leaving Kota ===
Later, the relationship between him and Guman Singh became tense due to their rivalry over a woman whom the Guman intended to bring into his [[zenana]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> He left [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] and went to [[Kingdom of Mewar|Udaipur]], where he was received by Raj Rana of [[Bari Sadri]], who introduced him to the Maharana Ari Singh, who quickly took him into his service.<ref name=":0" /> Maharana granted him the jagir of Cheeta Khera and Kirpapur, the title of Raj Rana,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /> and married him to the daughter of his cousin.<ref name=":0" /> When attempts were made to dethrone the Maharana, he garnered the support of the nobility of Mewar and the Rajadhiraj of Shahpura, and secured military aid from [[Peshwa]] officers in favor of the Maharana.<ref name=":0" /> He fought alongside Maharana and his troops in 1769 against [[Mahadaji Shinde]] on the banks of the [[Shipra River|Shipra]], where they emerged victorious.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Mehta |first=Pratap Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVs1DwAAQBAJ |title=Guns and Glories: Rajputana Chronicles |date=2017-09-13 |publisher=Notion Press |isbn=978-93-5206-601-8 |pages=65 |language=en}}</ref> However, the situation soon turned unfavorable due to the rash abandonment of the Rajputs.<ref name=":0" /> Mahadji used this to his advantage and defeated them.<ref name=":0" /> Zalim Singh's horse was killed on the battlefield, and he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner by the Marathas.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> He was held at Gugor Fort and released in 1769 due to the intervention of his old friend, Ambaji Ingle.<ref name=":0" /> Ambaji asked his wife, a rakhi sister of [[Mahadaji Shinde|Mahadji Shinde]], to request Zalim Singh's release on [[Raksha Bandhan]] after tying rakhi to [[Mahadaji Shinde|Mahadji]].<ref name=":0" /> When she made the request, [[Mahadaji Shinde|Mahadji]] granted it.<ref name=":0" />

=== Recalled to Kota ===
[[File:Zalim Singh Jhala receiving his son Madho Singh.jpg|thumb|Zalim Singh Jhala receiving his son [[Jhala Madho Singh|Madho Singh]]]]
In 1771, when Guman Singh was on his deathbed, he summoned Zalim Singh back to [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Upon his return, he reinstated him as the [[Faujdar]] and allocated a part of [[Garh Palace, Kota|Garh Palace]] for his residence, where Zalim constructed Jhala ki Haveli.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rookmaaker |first=Kees |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GIFEQAAQBAJ |title=The Rhinoceros of South Asia |date=2024-04-30 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-69154-4 |pages=181 |language=en}}</ref> Guman Singh also entrusted his son Umed Singh and the state to Zalim's care.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" />

=== De facto ruler of Kota ===
Upon Guman Singh's death in 1771, he became the [[de facto]] ruler of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Not Available |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.34582 |title=Memoranda On The Indian States 1930 |date=1933 |pages=138, 141}}</ref> For more than fifty years, he played a significant role directly in [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] and indirectly in the neighboring states of [[Rajputana]].<ref name=":4" /> He generously spent on the upkeep of Umed Singh and his immediate family, earning the durbar of Kota a reputation, as noted by Comte de Modave, as one of the most magnificent in all of Hindustan.<ref name=":7" /> His foreign policy, except for [[Kingdom of Mewar|Udaipur]], was highly successful, allowing him to elevate [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] to a position of great prosperity.<ref name=":4" /> He conducted a statewide land survey in Kota in 1792.<ref name=":7" /> In 1804, he first interacted with the British when the [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] troops assisted Colonel Manson during his disastrous retreat from [[Yashwantrao Holkar]].<ref name=":4" /> He cooperated with [[John Malcolm]] in operations against the [[Pindari|Pindaris]].<ref name=":4" /> In 1805, he abandoned the Mughal system of revenue administration and introduced a new one in which patels, local village headmen, became directly responsible to him and a council of four senior patels.<ref name=":7" /> In 1807, he conducted a new survey to account for the lands brought under cultivation since the previous one.<ref name=":7" /> In 1817, he made a treaty with the British government, placing [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]] under British protection.<ref name=":2" /> In 1818, a supplementary article was added to this treaty, which vested the entire administration of Kota in him and his heirs, in regular succession and perpetuity.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> In 1823, the British government, through his efforts, transferred the allegiance of eight sub-chiefships—Indargarh, Balwan, Khatoli, Gainta, Karwar, Pipalda, Phasud, and Antarda—from [[Bundi State|Bundi]] to the jurisdiction of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7" /> He repaired and strengthened several small forts, which he believed would serve as strategic outposts for defense.<ref name=":0" /> He focused particularly on the forts of Shergarh, [[Gagron Fort|Gagron]], [[Nahargarh Fort|Nahargarh]], and Shahabad.<ref name=":0" /> The city wall of [[Kota, Rajasthan|Kota]], from Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) to Ladpura, was built by him.<ref name=":0" /> [[James Tod]] described it as being as strong as the [[Agra Fort|Agra fort]].<ref name=":0" /> He constructed nearly forty temples, both large and small, dedicated to deities from the [[Vaishnavism]], [[Shaivism]], and [[Shaktism]] traditions.<ref name=":0" /> He constructed tanks throughout almost all the [[Pargana|parganas]] of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota state]] to supply water to nearby communities, support irrigation for farmers, and generate revenue for the state.<ref name=":0" /> He built about ten bridges to facilitate travel and transport, the largest of which was at Borkhandi.<ref name=":0" />

== Jhalrapatan ==
{{Main|Jhalrapatan}}

[[Jhalrapatan]] was founded in 1796 by him,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYZWBLGaOSkC |title=The Encyclopaedia Britannica: Italy-Kyshtym |date=1911 |publisher=At the University Press |pages=412 |language=en}}</ref> approximately half a mile north of the ruins of Chandravati, which had been destroyed by [[Aurangzeb]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=DHOUNDIYAL |first=B. N. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.129026 |title=Rajasthan District Gazetteer of Jhalawar |publisher=GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, Jaipur |year=1964 |pages=286–289 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Dwarkadhish Temple ===
In 1796, he built the Dwarkadhish Temple in [[Jhalrapatan]] when he laid the foundation of the town, but the idol was installed nine years later.<ref name=":6" />

== Personal life ==
=== Children ===
He had two sons: [[Jhala Madho Singh|Madho Singh]], from his wife, the daughter of a Ranawat chieftain, and Govardhan Das, from a Muslim concubine.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" />
== Death ==
He died in 1824, and his son [[Jhala Madho Singh|Madho Singh]] succeeded him as the Musahib-i-Ala of [[Kingdom of Kota|Kota]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Balfour |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3U0OAAAAQAAJ |title=The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures |date=1885 |publisher=B. Quaritch |pages=605 |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Shastri |first=R. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xKkBAAAAMAAJ |title=Jhala Zalim Singh (1730-1823), the De-facto Ruler of Kota: Who Also Dominated Bundi and Udaipur, Shrewd Politician, Administrator, and Reformer |date=1971 |publisher=Printed at Raj Printing Works |language=en}}
* {{Cite book|last=Bayley|first=C. S.|title=Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana|date=2004|publisher=[[Asian Educational Services]]|isbn=81-206-1066-0|location=New Delhi|pages=85–90|oclc=60392358}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Shastri|first=R. P.|title=Zalim Singh and the Marathas from 1761 to 1818|date=1951|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44303991|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=14|pages=322–326|jstor=44303991|issn=2249-1937}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book|last=Tod|first=James|title=Tod's annals of Rajasthan : the annals of Mewar|date=1994|publisher=[[Asian Educational Services]]|others=C. H. Payne|isbn=81-206-0350-8|location=[[New Delhi]]|oclc=85822131|author-link=James Tod}}

[[Category:1739 births]]
[[Category:1824 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kota, Rajasthan]]
[[Category:History of Kota, Rajasthan]]

Zalim Singh - Revision history

BeauBasaldua8: created some biography from scratch