Ramsingh I
Encyclopedia
Mirza Raja Ram Singh I was the elder son Mirza Raja Jai Singh I
and was ruler of Amber, and head of the Kachwaha
Rajput clan, from 1667 to 1688.
and by 1654 had acquired a rank of commander of 3000 (cavalry) in the Mughal
nobility. His first independent campaign was in 1660, after the accession of Aurangzeb
as emperor, when he led an army against the hill-state of Srinagar(Uttarakhand
). Jai Singh took his younger son Kirat Singh on his last campaign to the Deccan (1664–67) leaving Ram Singh to be his representative at the Mughal court. When Jai Singh sent the Maratha
hero Shivaji, to meet Aurangzeb (1666), he took an oath to be responsible for his safety at the Mughal court, and made Ram Singh Shivaji's caretaker.
and other officials and servants, was received by Kanvar Ram Singh at his military camp in the suburbs of Agra
city (12 May 1666). Ram Singh escorted them to meet the emperor at the Diwan-e-khas (hall of special audience) in Agra fort. Here they gave a customary present (nazara) of 1,500 gold pieces (mohurs) at which, Aurangzeb cried out, "Come up Shivaji Raja!"
Shivaji was taken to his place among the nobles who stood in two parallel columns in front of the throne. Shivaji didn't receive any gift or honor from the emperor nor had there been any serious negotiations for his position.
It happened to be the emperor's birthday and robes of honor were given to the high ranked nobles like the prime minister Jafer Khan and Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur
(commander of 6000. But the highest ranking Mughal noble was Raja Jai Singh I, a commander of 7000). All this while Shivaji had been forgotten. Shivaji was deliberately made a commander of 5000 by Aurangzeb and was made to stand behind mansabdārs (military commanders) of his court. Moreover, the noble in front of him was Rai Singh, also a commander of 5000 but of a higher grade. The nobles in front of Shivaji were the ones whom Shivaji had comprehensively defeated in the past. Shivaji Maharaj took offense at this seeming insult. His loud voice and angry gestures caused a minor commotion...Ram Singh came to him and tried to calm him down but the Maratha king couldn't be pacified. Shivaji stormed out of the court and was promptly placed under house arrest in Ram Singh's camp, under the watch of Fulād Khān, Kotwal of Agra.
For the next three days Shivaji refused to appear in court and returned the rank of nobility. Aurangzeb decided to kill or at least imprison him——whereupon Ram Singh told the emperor to first kill him and his Rajput soldiers, who were honor-bound by his father's oath to Shivaji, before even a hair of the Maratha king's head was touched. Aurangzeb allowed Ram Singh to keep him in his care but only after the Rajput
prince signed a bond (15 May) taking full responsibility for the Maratha king.
For the next few months Shivaji lived in Ram Singh's camp, guarded by Rajput warriors, but also regularly watched by Mughal soldiers. When further negotiations proved futile Shivaji decided on escape— in August he feigned illness and began sending out baskets of sweets as charity. On August 17, 1666 Shivaji and his son hid themselves in such baskets and escaped from Agra.
Meanwhile, in the south, his father Jai Singh was also harshly punished for the failure of his Bijapur invasion——unlike the Muslim generals who had also failed but were always in Aurangzeb's favor. Weighed down by these losses and the removal of his son from an influential post, Raja Jai Singh breathed his last on August 18, 1667. Ram Singh became the next Raja of Amber (10 September) with Aurangzeb putting the tika (paint mark) on his forehead. (This was the last occasion that this ceremony, started by Akbar as a means of honoring the leading Hindu Rajas, was performed. Aurangzeb eventually stopped this ceremony as a Hindu practice in his Islamic state.)
Within a few months (on December 27, 1767), Raja Ram Singh was sent to Assam. In the Battle of Saraighat
, at the head of a massive force, that was vastly superior to the Assam forces, Ram Singh pursued the Assam forces from the western boundary at Manas river to Guwahati
where he laid siege. The Assam forces, under Lachit Borphukan
, unable to match the Mughals on land, were able to win a decisive battle on the Brahmaputra river
which led to a mughal loss. In fact, with the removal of the influential Jai Singh, Aurangzeb had decided not to appoint Rajputs to any administrative post——and the reason soon became clear.
With the leading Rajput chiefs away on military campaigns, Aurangzeb in 1669 ordered the provincial Muslim governors to enforce his decree to destroy newly-built temples and places of religious instruction of the "infidel" Hindus.
tribes. But on the petering out of that conflict a bigger storm arose, which was destined to overthrow the Mughal Empire. In 1679, taking advantage of Maharaja Jaswant Singh's death in Afghanistan
, Aurangzeb occupied his Kingdom of Marwar
and simultaneously imposed the jaziya tax on the non-Muslims on April 2, 1679. The earlier decree of 1669 on temple destruction was now openly enforced and extended into the Rajput territories like Marwar, Mewar
, Shekhawati
, Bundelkhand
, and Malwa.
However an alliance of the Rajput clans, and the desertion of Aurangzeb's son Sultan Muhammad Akbar
to the Rajputs and Marathas, completely altered the situation. The insurrection spread among the Bhatis, Hadas, Gaurs, and there was a danger that the Amber Kachwahas could join their subordinate clansmen the Shekhawats. So before leaving for the Deccan in 1681 Aurangzeb appointed Ram Singh and his clansmen to a military outpost in Afghanistan so that they couldn't influence events in Rajputana.
In any case Ram Singh did not have the influence among the Mughal nobility that the accomplished Jai Singh had always commanded. Any progress in his career had been marred by the machinations of the bigoted Aurangzeb, a Muslim fanatic, who had first punished him unjustly and then denied him the full resources to fight in Assam
.
Barely had Ram Singh recovered from this shock when Aurangzeb now demanded that his grandson Bishan Singh be sent to the Deccan. Ram Singh, remembering the fate of his son and other Hindu princes, evaded this order for years. The angry Aurangzeb deprived him of his post in 1686, demoted him in rank, and sent him to Kohat where he died (April 1688) mourning for the fate of his dynasty at the hands of the bigoted Mughal emperor.
He was succeeded on the Amber throne by his grandson Bishan Singh.
Jai 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...
and was ruler of Amber, and head of the Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
Rajput clan, from 1667 to 1688.
Career as prince
Kunwar Ram Singh had served in the campaigns of his great father Jai Singh IJai 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...
and by 1654 had acquired a rank of commander of 3000 (cavalry) in the Mughal
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...
nobility. His first independent campaign was in 1660, after the accession 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...
as emperor, when he led an army against the hill-state of Srinagar(Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
). Jai Singh took his younger son Kirat Singh on his last campaign to the Deccan (1664–67) leaving Ram Singh to be his representative at the Mughal court. When Jai Singh sent the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
hero Shivaji, to meet Aurangzeb (1666), he took an oath to be responsible for his safety at the Mughal court, and made Ram Singh Shivaji's caretaker.
Shivaji and Ram Singh
Shivaji, accomapanied by his son SambhajiSambhaji
Sambhaji Raje Bhosle was the eldest son and successor to Emporer Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire.- Early life :...
and other officials and servants, was received by Kanvar Ram Singh at his military camp in the suburbs of 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...
city (12 May 1666). Ram Singh escorted them to meet the emperor at the Diwan-e-khas (hall of special audience) in Agra fort. Here they gave a customary present (nazara) of 1,500 gold pieces (mohurs) at which, Aurangzeb cried out, "Come up Shivaji Raja!"
Shivaji was taken to his place among the nobles who stood in two parallel columns in front of the throne. Shivaji didn't receive any gift or honor from the emperor nor had there been any serious negotiations for his position.
It happened to be the emperor's birthday and robes of honor were given to the high ranked nobles like the prime minister Jafer Khan and Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
(commander of 6000. But the highest ranking Mughal noble was Raja Jai Singh I, a commander of 7000). All this while Shivaji had been forgotten. Shivaji was deliberately made a commander of 5000 by Aurangzeb and was made to stand behind mansabdārs (military commanders) of his court. Moreover, the noble in front of him was Rai Singh, also a commander of 5000 but of a higher grade. The nobles in front of Shivaji were the ones whom Shivaji had comprehensively defeated in the past. Shivaji Maharaj took offense at this seeming insult. His loud voice and angry gestures caused a minor commotion...Ram Singh came to him and tried to calm him down but the Maratha king couldn't be pacified. Shivaji stormed out of the court and was promptly placed under house arrest in Ram Singh's camp, under the watch of Fulād Khān, Kotwal of Agra.
For the next three days Shivaji refused to appear in court and returned the rank of nobility. Aurangzeb decided to kill or at least imprison him——whereupon Ram Singh told the emperor to first kill him and his Rajput soldiers, who were honor-bound by his father's oath to Shivaji, before even a hair of the Maratha king's head was touched. Aurangzeb allowed Ram Singh to keep him in his care but only after the Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
prince signed a bond (15 May) taking full responsibility for the Maratha king.
For the next few months Shivaji lived in Ram Singh's camp, guarded by Rajput warriors, but also regularly watched by Mughal soldiers. When further negotiations proved futile Shivaji decided on escape— in August he feigned illness and began sending out baskets of sweets as charity. On August 17, 1666 Shivaji and his son hid themselves in such baskets and escaped from Agra.
Ram Singh in Assam and the decree of 1669
Since Shivaji had escaped from the midst of Ram Singh's camp, Aurangzeb's suspicion naturally fell on Ram Singh for the feat. Some Maratha Brahmins confessed under torture that Ram Singh had connived at Shivaji's escape to honor the oath taken by his father. Ram Singh's rank was reduced by 1000, his estates were taken away, and he was banished from the Mughal court. Nearly a year later the Kachwaha prince was permitted to enter the court and his estates were restored (March 1667).Meanwhile, in the south, his father Jai Singh was also harshly punished for the failure of his Bijapur invasion——unlike the Muslim generals who had also failed but were always in Aurangzeb's favor. Weighed down by these losses and the removal of his son from an influential post, Raja Jai Singh breathed his last on August 18, 1667. Ram Singh became the next Raja of Amber (10 September) with Aurangzeb putting the tika (paint mark) on his forehead. (This was the last occasion that this ceremony, started by Akbar as a means of honoring the leading Hindu Rajas, was performed. Aurangzeb eventually stopped this ceremony as a Hindu practice in his Islamic state.)
Within a few months (on December 27, 1767), Raja Ram Singh was sent to Assam. In the Battle of Saraighat
Battle of Saraighat
The Battle of Saraighat was fought in 1671 between the Mughal empire , and the Ahom Kingdom on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in Guwahati...
, at the head of a massive force, that was vastly superior to the Assam forces, Ram Singh pursued the Assam forces from the western boundary at Manas river to Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
where he laid siege. The Assam forces, under Lachit Borphukan
Lachit Borphukan
Lachit Borphukan was a commander and Borphukan in the Ahom kingdom known for his leadership in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat that thwarted a drawn out attempt by Mughal forces under the command of Ramsingh I to take back Kamrup...
, unable to match the Mughals on land, were able to win a decisive battle on the Brahmaputra river
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
which led to a mughal loss. In fact, with the removal of the influential Jai Singh, Aurangzeb had decided not to appoint Rajputs to any administrative post——and the reason soon became clear.
With the leading Rajput chiefs away on military campaigns, Aurangzeb in 1669 ordered the provincial Muslim governors to enforce his decree to destroy newly-built temples and places of religious instruction of the "infidel" Hindus.
Ram Singh and the Rajput War
When in 1676 Ram Singh returned to Agra as commander of 5000, Aurangzeb was engrossed in the frontier wars with the PashtunPashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribes. But on the petering out of that conflict a bigger storm arose, which was destined to overthrow the Mughal Empire. In 1679, taking advantage of Maharaja Jaswant Singh's death in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Aurangzeb occupied his Kingdom of Marwar
Marwar
Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...
and simultaneously imposed the jaziya tax on the non-Muslims on April 2, 1679. The earlier decree of 1669 on temple destruction was now openly enforced and extended into the Rajput territories like Marwar, Mewar
Mewar
Mewar is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Pratapgarh, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later...
, Shekhawati
Shekhawati
Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India got its name from Shekhawat Rajputs....
, Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
, and Malwa.
However an alliance of the Rajput clans, and the desertion of Aurangzeb's son Sultan Muhammad Akbar
Sultan Muhammad Akbar
Muhammad Akbar was the fourth son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He led a rebellion against his father and fled the Deccan after the failure of that venture. He later went into exile to Persia, where he died...
to the Rajputs and Marathas, completely altered the situation. The insurrection spread among the Bhatis, Hadas, Gaurs, and there was a danger that the Amber Kachwahas could join their subordinate clansmen the Shekhawats. So before leaving for the Deccan in 1681 Aurangzeb appointed Ram Singh and his clansmen to a military outpost in Afghanistan so that they couldn't influence events in Rajputana.
In any case Ram Singh did not have the influence among the Mughal nobility that the accomplished Jai Singh had always commanded. Any progress in his career had been marred by the machinations of the bigoted Aurangzeb, a Muslim fanatic, who had first punished him unjustly and then denied him the full resources to fight in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
.
Ram Singh in Afghanistan
The Kachawaha chief was posted at Jamrud to keep the frontier roads open and to subdue the Pashtun tribes through force and the payment of subsidies. But the treacherous Aurangzeb took away his only son Kunwar Kishan Singh to serve in the Deccan Wars, where the unfortunate prince met the fate of other Rajput chiefs who had been removed by poison and intrigue by Aurangzeb. Kishan Singh was killed on April 11, 1682, ostensibly in the course of a quarrel with his Afghan servant.Barely had Ram Singh recovered from this shock when Aurangzeb now demanded that his grandson Bishan Singh be sent to the Deccan. Ram Singh, remembering the fate of his son and other Hindu princes, evaded this order for years. The angry Aurangzeb deprived him of his post in 1686, demoted him in rank, and sent him to Kohat where he died (April 1688) mourning for the fate of his dynasty at the hands of the bigoted Mughal emperor.
He was succeeded on the Amber throne by his grandson Bishan Singh.