Gokula
Encyclopedia
Gokula or Gokul Singh (died 1670 AD) was a Jat
chieftain
of Sinsini
village in Bharatpur district
in Rajasthan
, India
. Later, he became a chieftain of Tilpat
in Haryana
. His father's name was Madu. Madu had four sons namely, Sindhuraj, Ola, Jhaman and Saman. The second son Ola later became famous as Gokula. Gokula provided leadership to the Jat
peasants who challenged the Imperial power
. Gokula inspired the Jats to fight the Mughals
.
The first serious outbreak of anti-imperial reaction took place among the Jats of Mathura district Uttar Pradesh, where the imperial faujdar
'Abdun-Nabi', had oppressed them greatly. In 1669 the sturdy Jat peasantry rose under a leader, Gokula, Zamindar
of Tilpat
, killed the faujdar
, and kept the whole district in disorder for a year, till they were suppressed by a strong imperial force under Hasan Ali Khan, the new faujdar
of Mathura aided personally by Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb
. Gokula was put to death.
backed by mughal support in which Sindhuraj died and second son of Madu Ola became the successor. After this war Singha along with other Jat families in the fortress 'Girsa' moved to Mahavan beyond River Yamuna
. Ola (Gokula) also moved with Singha to this place.
emperor Aurangzeb
(1658-1707) attempted to convert Dar-ul-Hurb (Hindustan
) to Dar-ul-Islam forcibly through persecution and dogmatic policies. The 1669 Jat uprising in India
under Gokula occurred at a time when the Mughal government was by no means weak. In fact this period of Aurangzeb’s reign witnessed the climax of the Mughal Empire
. During the early medieval period frequent breakdown of law and order often induced the Jats to adopt a refractory course. But with the establishment of Mughal rule, law and order was effectively established and there were no major Jat revolts during the century and a half preceding the reign of Aurangzeb
, though in 1638 Murshid Quli Khan, the Mughal faujdar of Mathura, was killed during an operation against Jats. During the reign of Aurangzeb, the faujdar
of Mathura in 1669 was Abdunnabi, who incurred the wrath of the people.
In early 1669 Aurangzeb
appointed a strong follower of Islam, Abdunnabi, as faujdar of Mathura to curb the Hindus of this area. Abdunnabi established a cantonment near Gokul Singh and conducted all his operations from there. Gokula organized the farmers not to give taxes to the Mughals. The Mughal soldiers retaliated, beginning the struggle of the farmers. Meanwhile Aurangzeb issued orders on 9 April 1669 to abolish the Hindu temple
s. As a result a large number of Hindu temples and ancient heritages from the period of Kushans were damaged. During May 1669 the faujdar Abdunnabi seized the village Sihora. Gokula was there and there was a fight in which Abdunnabi was killed. Gokula and his fellow farmers moved further, attacked and destroyed the Sadabad
cantonment. Sadullakhan had founded Sadabad during the period of Shahjahan. This incidence inspired the Hindus to fight against the Mughal rulers. The fights continued for five months.
of Tilpat
. A remarkable feature of this rebellion was its composite character.
Though the Jats counted for its majority and provided leadership to it, it consisted of other local people as well such as, Mev
, Meena
, Ahir, Gujjar
, Naruka, Panwar and others. The rebels gathered at the village of Sahora (about 6 miles from Mathura). Abdun Nabi, the faujdar of Mathura, attacked them. At first he appeared to be gaining ground, but in the middle of the fighting he was killed on 12 May 1669 (21st Zil-Hijja, 1079 A.H.) , , ,
Overjoyed at this success, Gokula ravaged the paragana and town of Sadabad (24 miles from Mathura) in the Daob. , , The turbulence spread to Agra district
also whereto Radandaz Khan was sent (13 May – 22nd Zil-Hijja) with a force to put down the rebels. Aurangazeb appointed Saf Shikan Khan as the new faujdar of Mathura. , As arms failed to prevail, diplomacy was resorted to. The Mughal government offered to forgive Gokula provided he surrendered his spoils. But Gukula spurned the offer. On the other side, as the situation was assuming serious proportions, the Emperor had to proceed (28 November 1669 -14th Rajab, 1080 A.H.) in person to the Disturbed area. On his way on 4 December 1669 (20th Rajab) Aurangazeb learnt of the circumstance of rebellion in the villages of Rewara, Chandarakanta and Sarkhud (Sarkharu ?). He dispatched Hasan Ali khan to attack these places. Till noon the insurgent fought with bows and muskets. Getting desperate thereafter, many of them having performed the jauhar
of their women fell upon the Khan, A fierce fight raged till the evening in which many imperialists and 300 rebels were killed. Hasan Ali Khan returned to the Emperor, taking 250 male and female prisoners. Aurangazeb was pleased with his performance. He made him the faujdar of Mathura in place of Saf Shikan Khan who had obviously failed in suppressing the rebels. , ,
Under Hasan Ali Khan, were placed 2,000 barqandaztroops 1000 archers 1000 musketeers 1,000 rocketmen, and 25 pieces of cannons. Amanulla, the faujdar of the environs of Agra, was also ordered to help Hasan Ali. The latter immediately got engaged in quelling the rebellion.
. Both the sides suffered many casualties in the battle in which the Jats, despite showing utmost bravery, could not cope with the trained Mughals and their artillery. They retreated to Tilpat. Hasan Ali followed them and besieged the fortalice. Fighting continued for three days in which muskets and bows were used by the contestants. On the fourth day, the royalists charged the besieged from all sides and having made a breach in the walls entered Tilpat. Then ensued a sanguinary conflict. The Jats displayed their reckless courage and undaunted valour. The experienced Mughals gained the day but not before losing 4,000 men. Of the vanquished 5000 lay dead, while 7000 were arrested.
The gravity of this war can be understood from the fact that the Emperor Aurangzeb
had to march himself on November 28, 1669 from Delhi
to curb the Jat threat. The Mughals under Hasan Alikhan and Brahmdev Sisodia
attacked Gokula Jat. Gokula and his uncle Uday Singh with 20,000 Jats fought with superb courage and tenacity, the battle at Tilpat, but their grit and bravery had no answer to the Mughal artillery. It was only after three days of grim fight Tilpat fell. Losses on both sides were very heavy.
Gokula and Uday Singh were imprisoned. Gokula was offered pardon if he accepted Islam
, which was refused. Gokula and Uday Singh were hacked to death at Agra
Kotwali on 1 January 1670.
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
chieftain
Village head
The village headman or village chief is a central government post. The village headman is the person appointed to administer an area that is often a single village.The headman has several official duties in the village...
of Sinsini
Sinsini
Sinsini is a village in Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, India, situated at a distance of 20 km to the south from Deeg city. It is the place of origin of Sinsinwars who were the rulers of princely state Bharatpur. Before the formation of Bharatpur state the capital of Sinsinwars was at...
village in Bharatpur district
Bharatpur district
Bharatpur District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The town of Bharatpur is the district headquarters.-History:When Bharatpur was a princely state, it was the only political entity ever to have a Chartreuse colored flag.-Demographics:...
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Later, he became a chieftain of Tilpat
Tilpat
Tilpat is a census town in Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana.-Demographics: India census, Tilpat had a population of 6377. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Tilpat has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is...
in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
. His father's name was Madu. Madu had four sons namely, Sindhuraj, Ola, Jhaman and Saman. The second son Ola later became famous as Gokula. Gokula provided leadership to the Jat
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
peasants who challenged the Imperial power
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
. Gokula inspired the Jats to fight the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
.
The first serious outbreak of anti-imperial reaction took place among the Jats of Mathura district Uttar Pradesh, where the imperial faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...
'Abdun-Nabi', had oppressed them greatly. In 1669 the sturdy Jat peasantry rose under a leader, Gokula, Zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of Tilpat
Tilpat
Tilpat is a census town in Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana.-Demographics: India census, Tilpat had a population of 6377. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Tilpat has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is...
, killed the faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...
, and kept the whole district in disorder for a year, till they were suppressed by a strong imperial force under Hasan Ali Khan, the new faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...
of Mathura aided personally by Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
. Gokula was put to death.
Gokula left Sinsini
In year 1650-51 Madu and his uncle Singha had fight with Rajput Raja Jai SinghJai Singh I
Mirza Raja Jai Singh was a senior general of the Mughal Empire and a ruler of the kingdom of Amber . His father was Maha Singh the Raja of Garha, and his mother was Damayanti, a princess of Mewar.The great Raja Man Singh of Amber had several sons, the most capable of whom were the eldest Jagat...
backed by mughal support in which Sindhuraj died and second son of Madu Ola became the successor. After this war Singha along with other Jat families in the fortress 'Girsa' moved to Mahavan beyond River Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
. Ola (Gokula) also moved with Singha to this place.
Rise of Gokula
Gokula came on scene when the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
(1658-1707) attempted to convert Dar-ul-Hurb (Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
) to Dar-ul-Islam forcibly through persecution and dogmatic policies. The 1669 Jat uprising in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
under Gokula occurred at a time when the Mughal government was by no means weak. In fact this period of Aurangzeb’s reign witnessed the climax of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. During the early medieval period frequent breakdown of law and order often induced the Jats to adopt a refractory course. But with the establishment of Mughal rule, law and order was effectively established and there were no major Jat revolts during the century and a half preceding the reign of Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
, though in 1638 Murshid Quli Khan, the Mughal faujdar of Mathura, was killed during an operation against Jats. During the reign of Aurangzeb, the faujdar
Faujdar
Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...
of Mathura in 1669 was Abdunnabi, who incurred the wrath of the people.
In early 1669 Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
appointed a strong follower of Islam, Abdunnabi, as faujdar of Mathura to curb the Hindus of this area. Abdunnabi established a cantonment near Gokul Singh and conducted all his operations from there. Gokula organized the farmers not to give taxes to the Mughals. The Mughal soldiers retaliated, beginning the struggle of the farmers. Meanwhile Aurangzeb issued orders on 9 April 1669 to abolish the Hindu temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s. As a result a large number of Hindu temples and ancient heritages from the period of Kushans were damaged. During May 1669 the faujdar Abdunnabi seized the village Sihora. Gokula was there and there was a fight in which Abdunnabi was killed. Gokula and his fellow farmers moved further, attacked and destroyed the Sadabad
Sadabad
Sadabad is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mahamaya Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As a part of " Brij Ksetra", it enjoys the rich cultural heriatge.-Geography:Sadabad is located at...
cantonment. Sadullakhan had founded Sadabad during the period of Shahjahan. This incidence inspired the Hindus to fight against the Mughal rulers. The fights continued for five months.
The outbreak of the rebellion
The year 1669 witnessed, the bursting forth of the pent up fury of the Jats into a very powerful revolt under the inspiring leadership of Gokula, the zamindarZamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of Tilpat
Tilpat
Tilpat is a census town in Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana.-Demographics: India census, Tilpat had a population of 6377. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Tilpat has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is...
. A remarkable feature of this rebellion was its composite character.
Though the Jats counted for its majority and provided leadership to it, it consisted of other local people as well such as, Mev
MEV
MeV and meV are multiples and submultiples of the electron volt unit referring to 1,000,000 eV and 0.001 eV, respectively.Mev or MEV may refer to:In entertainment:* Musica Elettronica Viva, an Italian musical group...
, Meena
Meenas
Meenas, Meena, Meenoat or Mina is a caste and community mainly found in Rajasthan, India. The name Mina is derived from Meen,meaning 'fish' in Sanskrit, and the Minas claim descent from the Matsya Avatar, or fish incarnation, of Vishnu.Meenas celebrate Meenesh Jayanti in the name of Vishnu on 3...
, Ahir, Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
, Naruka, Panwar and others. The rebels gathered at the village of Sahora (about 6 miles from Mathura). Abdun Nabi, the faujdar of Mathura, attacked them. At first he appeared to be gaining ground, but in the middle of the fighting he was killed on 12 May 1669 (21st Zil-Hijja, 1079 A.H.) , , ,
Overjoyed at this success, Gokula ravaged the paragana and town of Sadabad (24 miles from Mathura) in the Daob. , , The turbulence spread to Agra district
Agra District
Agra District is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and the historical city of Agra is the district headquarters. Agra district is a part of Agra division.-Geography:...
also whereto Radandaz Khan was sent (13 May – 22nd Zil-Hijja) with a force to put down the rebels. Aurangazeb appointed Saf Shikan Khan as the new faujdar of Mathura. , As arms failed to prevail, diplomacy was resorted to. The Mughal government offered to forgive Gokula provided he surrendered his spoils. But Gukula spurned the offer. On the other side, as the situation was assuming serious proportions, the Emperor had to proceed (28 November 1669 -14th Rajab, 1080 A.H.) in person to the Disturbed area. On his way on 4 December 1669 (20th Rajab) Aurangazeb learnt of the circumstance of rebellion in the villages of Rewara, Chandarakanta and Sarkhud (Sarkharu ?). He dispatched Hasan Ali khan to attack these places. Till noon the insurgent fought with bows and muskets. Getting desperate thereafter, many of them having performed the jauhar
Jauhar
Jauhar and Saka refer to the ancient Indian tradition of honorary self immolation of women and subsequent march of men to the battle field to end their life with respect. It was followed by the Rajput clans in order to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of their enemies...
of their women fell upon the Khan, A fierce fight raged till the evening in which many imperialists and 300 rebels were killed. Hasan Ali Khan returned to the Emperor, taking 250 male and female prisoners. Aurangazeb was pleased with his performance. He made him the faujdar of Mathura in place of Saf Shikan Khan who had obviously failed in suppressing the rebels. , ,
Under Hasan Ali Khan, were placed 2,000 barqandaztroops 1000 archers 1000 musketeers 1,000 rocketmen, and 25 pieces of cannons. Amanulla, the faujdar of the environs of Agra, was also ordered to help Hasan Ali. The latter immediately got engaged in quelling the rebellion.
The battle of Tilpat
Gokula with 20,000 Jat and other followers, rushed forward to face the imperialists at a place 20 miles from TilpatTilpat
Tilpat is a census town in Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana.-Demographics: India census, Tilpat had a population of 6377. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Tilpat has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is...
. Both the sides suffered many casualties in the battle in which the Jats, despite showing utmost bravery, could not cope with the trained Mughals and their artillery. They retreated to Tilpat. Hasan Ali followed them and besieged the fortalice. Fighting continued for three days in which muskets and bows were used by the contestants. On the fourth day, the royalists charged the besieged from all sides and having made a breach in the walls entered Tilpat. Then ensued a sanguinary conflict. The Jats displayed their reckless courage and undaunted valour. The experienced Mughals gained the day but not before losing 4,000 men. Of the vanquished 5000 lay dead, while 7000 were arrested.
The gravity of this war can be understood from the fact that the Emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
had to march himself on November 28, 1669 from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
to curb the Jat threat. The Mughals under Hasan Alikhan and Brahmdev Sisodia
Sisodia
The Sisodia are Chattari Rajputs of the Suryavanshi lineage who ruled the kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan. Prior to Rana Hamir the clan was known as Gehlot or Guhilot. In 1303 CE Alla-ud-din Khilji attacked Chittor...
attacked Gokula Jat. Gokula and his uncle Uday Singh with 20,000 Jats fought with superb courage and tenacity, the battle at Tilpat, but their grit and bravery had no answer to the Mughal artillery. It was only after three days of grim fight Tilpat fell. Losses on both sides were very heavy.
Gokula hacked to death
Gokula, with his two associates including “ Sonki” (Udai Singh Singhi), was captured alive through the efforts of Shaikh Razi-ud-Din, the peshkar of Hassan Ali. They and other prisoners were presented to the Emperor. Being furious, he ordered Gokula and Uday Singh to be cut limb on the Chabutara of the Kotwali (Agra). Other captives either met fate of their leader or were put in chains. , , ,Gokula and Uday Singh were imprisoned. Gokula was offered pardon if he accepted Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, which was refused. Gokula and Uday Singh were hacked to death at Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
Kotwali on 1 January 1670.
