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Raja Jaswant Singh I
Raja Jaswant Singh I
Maharaja of Marwar
	Jaswant Singh Rathore of Marwar
Ruler of Marwar
Reign	6 May 1638 – 28 December 1678
Coronation	25 May 1638
Predecessor	Gaj Singh
Successor	Ajit Singh
Born	26 December 1626; Burhanpur, Deccan
Died	28 December 1678 (aged 52); Jamrud, Khyber Pass
Spouses	Bhatiyaniji Ram Kanwarji of Jaisalmer; Maharani Hadi Jasvant Deviji; and others;
Issue	Ajit Singh; Others (who did not survive to maturity);
House	Rathore
Father	Maharaja Gaj Singh
Mother	Sisodiniji Pratap Deiji; – daughter of Rawat Bhan Singh and granddaughter of Kunwar Shakti Singh of Mewar;
Religion	Hinduism

Raja Jaswant Singh I (26 December 1626^[1] – c. 28 December 1678)^[a] was the Rathore Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Marwar in the western part of Rajputana modern day Rajasthan. He was a distinguished man of letters and author of noted literary works like Siddhant-Bodh, Anand Vilas and Bhasha-Bhushan.

Early life

Born on 26 December 1626 at Burhanpur, Jaswant Singh was the youngest son of Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar. His mother, Sisodini Pratap Deviji, was the favorite wife of his father and was the daughter Bhan Sisodia, eldest son of Shakti Singh Sisodia.^[4]

Reign

Jaswant Singh succeeded his father on his death by special decree of the Emperor Shah Jahan, in accordance with his father's wishes, on 6 May 1638.^[5] He was invested by Imperial authority and inherited the parganas of Jodhpur, Siwana, Merta, Sojat, Phalodi and Pokharan (Satalmer) in jagir.

He was installed on the gaddi at Sringar Chowki, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur, on 25 May 1638. He was granted the personal title of Maharaja by the Emperor Shah Jahan, on 6 January 1654.

Battle of Dharmatpur

Jaswant Singh was appointed by Shah Jahan to stop the advance of the rebel prince Aurangzeb and prince Murad. Army of Jaswant Singh and combined army of both the princes met at Dharmatpur, fifteen miles from Ujjain. The battle was fought on 15 April 1658. Jaswant Singh's advisers suggested a night raid to destroy Aurangzeb's artillery and gunpowder as the Rajput army was almost entirely made up of light cavalry, while Aurangzeb had a well equipped army of heavy cavalry, Artillery and Muskets. However Jaswant Singh replied by saying "It is inconsistent with the manliness of the Rajputs or usage, to employ stratagems or make a night attack".^[6] Jaswant Singh was defeated and lost 6,000 of his soldiers including his Rajpurohit Dalpat Singh sevad(father of Akheraj Singh) of Tinwari, who was just 22 years old.^[7] Ratan Singh Rathore, Maharaja of Ratlam and Mokand Das Hada, Rao of Kota were amongst others slain in the battle.^[8]^[9]

Death and succession

Prithviraj Singh was Jaswant Singh's son. It is chronicled in Marwar 'khyats' that Aurangzeb presented Prithviraj Singh a dress which was poisoned. On wearing the dress Prithviraj died on 8 May 1667 in great pain at Delhi. Prithviraj was a good leader and a brave prince. Jaswant could not get over the shock of his son's death. He was very saddened because he had no male heir who could seek revenge.

Jaswant's reign lasted until his death at Jamrud, near Peshawar, on the Vikram Samvat calendar date of 10 Pausha of 1735, equivalent to 28 December 1678 on the Gregorian calendar.^[2] However, another scholar lists 10 Pausha 1735 V.S. as having been on 28 November 1678.^[3]

At the time of his death two of his wives were pregnant, and both would later bear sons. This led to a war in which there were attempts to install Jaswant Singh's elder surviving son Ajit Singh Rathore as ruler of Marwar.^[10]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Jaswant Singh of Marwar

8. Udai Singh, Raja of Marwar

4. Sur Singh, Raja of Marwar

9. Manrang Devi

2. Gaj Singh, Raja of Marwar

10. Kachwaha Durjan Sal of Amarsar

5. Sobhag Devi

1. Jaswant Singh

11. Shakti Singh, Maharaj of Bohera

6. Bhan Sisodia, Maharaj of Bohera

12. Harkunwar Parmar

3. Pratap Devi

13. Keso das of Merta

7. A daughter

Gallery

Farman (royal decree) of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb issued 15 February 1662, conveying an order to Jaswant Singh. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur listening to music. Jodhpur, c. 1660. National Gallery of Victoria

Notes

^ Jaswant Singh's date of death is either 28 November or 28 December 1678, with sources differing.^[2]^[3]

References

^ Saran, Richard О.; Ziegler, Norman Р., eds. (2001). The Meṛtīyo Rāṭhoṛs of Meṛto, Rājasthān: Select translations bearing on the history of a Rajpūt family, 1462–1660. Vol. 2: Biographical Notes with Introduction and Glossary. Translated and annotated by Richard О. Saran and Norman Р. Ziegler. Ann Arbor, MI (US): The Centers for South and Southeast Asian Studies, The University of Michigan. p. 60. ISBN 0-89148-085-4. Free to download from the OPAEN Foundation.
^ ^a ^b "Jodhpur tradition puts the date of his death as 10 Paush Badi, 1735 on Thursday which is equivalent to 28 December 1678", Sri Ram Sharma, Maharana Raj Singh and His Times (Motilal Banarsidass, 1971) p. 56
^ ^a ^b "The correct date is Thursday, Paush Vidi 10, 1735 V.S., i.e., November 28, 1678", R.K. Gupta, S.R. Bakshi, Rajasthan Through the Ages (Sarup & Sons, 2008) p. 81
^ Chandra, Satish. Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals. p. 303.
^ John F. Richards. The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughal Empire (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993) p. 180-181
^ The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan By M. S. Naravane pg.85
^ War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849 By Kaushik Roy pg.33
^ Madhya Pradesh District Gazetter: Ratlam pg.366
^ Stuart Cary Welch (1987). The Emperors' Album: Images of Mughal India. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-87099-499-9.
^ John F. Richards. The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughal Empire (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993) p. 180-181