Mewar 23: The Rise ofthe Sikhs
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Mewar 23: The Rise ofthe Sikhs
The Rise ofthe Sikhs
The emperor was soon made to perceive the little support he had in future to expect from the Rajputs. Scarcely had he quashed the pretensions of Kambakhsh, his youngest brother, who proclaimed himself emperor in the Deccan, than he was forced to the north, in consequence of an insurrection 1 Rao Dalpat (Bundela), and Rao Ram Singh (Hara). 2 [Twenty miles south of Agra, June 1, 1707.] 3 [Nawab Bai, daughter of the Raja of Rajauri, Kashmir, who died in 1690 (Manucci ii. 57, note).] of the Sikhs of Lahore. This singular race, the disciples (sikhs) of a teacher called Nanak, were the descendants of the Scythic Getae,1 or Jat, of Transoxiana, who so early as the fifth century were established in the tract watered by the Ave arms {Punjab) of the Indus. Little more than a century has elapsed since their conversion from a spurious Hinduism to the doctrines of the sectarian Nanak, and their first attempt to separate themselves, in temporal as well as spiritual matters, from all control, and they are now the sole independent power within the limits [399 J of the Mogul monarchy. On this occasion 2 the princes of Amber and Marwar visited the emperor, but left his camp without permission, and, as the historian 3 adds, manifested a design to struggle for independence. Such was the change in their mutual circum stances that the Mogul sent the heir-apparent to conciliate and conduct thein to him ; but they came at the head of all their native bands, when " they were gratified with whatever their insolence demanded " : 4 a splenetic effusion of the historian, which well paints their altered position. From the royal urdu,5 or camp, they repaired to Rana Amra at Udaipur, where a triple league was formed, which once more united them to the head of their nation. This treaty of unity of interests against the common foe was solemnized by nuptial engagements, from which those princes had been excluded since the reigns of Akbar and Partap. To be readmitted to this honour was the basis of this triple alliance, in which they ratified on oath the renunciation of all connexion, domestic or political, with the empire. It was, moreover, stipulated that the sons of such marriage should be heirs, or if the issue were females, that they should never be dishonoured by being married to a Mogul.
Sacrifice ofthe Right of Primogeniture
But this remedy, as will be seen, originated a worse disease ; it was a sacrifice of the rights of primogeniture (chmg to by the Rajputs with extreme pertinacity), productive of the most injurious effects, which 1 See History of ike Tribes, article ' Jats,' p. 127. 2 A.D. 1709-10. 3 Memoirs of Iradat Khan, p. 58 [translated by Captain Jonathan Scott ; extracts from the work of Iradat Khan will be found in Elliot-Dowson vii. 534 f.] ; also autograph letters of all those princes, with files of the regular newspapers {akhbars) of the day, in my possession, dated from the emperor's camp. 4 Metiioirs of Iradat Khan. 5 Hence the corruption of horde. introduced domestic strife, and called upon the stage an umpire not less baneful than the power from whose iron grasp they were on the point of freeing themselves : for although this treaty laid prostrate the throne of Babur, it ultimately introduced the Mahrattas as partisans in their family disputes, who made the bone of contention their own.
The injudicious support afforded by the emperor to the apostate chief of Rampura first brought the triple federation into action. The Rana, upholding the cause of Himmat Singh, made an attack on Rampura, which the apostate usurper Ratan Singh, now Raj Muslim Khan, defeated, and was rewarded for [400] it by the emperor.1 But the same report conveyed to the king " that the Rana determined to lay waste his country, and retire to the hills," 2 which was speedily confirmed by the unwelcome intelligence that Sawaldas, an officer of the Rana's, had attacked Firoz Khan the governor of Pur Mandal, who was obliged to retreat with great loss to Ajmer ; 3 on which occasion this loyal descendant of the illustrious Jaimall lost his life.4 The brave Durgadas, who conveyed the rebellious Akbar through all opposi his own prince being unable to protect him, he had found a safe asylum at Udaipur, and had the sum of five hundred rupees a princely liberality. But the result of this combination was reserved for the following reigns, Shah Alam being carried off by poison,5 ere he could correct the disorders which were rapidly breaking up the empire from the Hindu-Kush to the ocean. Had his life been spared, his talents for business, his experience, and courteous manners might have retarded the ruin of the monarchy, which the utter unworthiness of his successor sunk beyond the power of man to redeem. Every 1 Newspaper, dated 3rd Rajab, Singh. (3rd year of his reign). 2 Newspapers, 10th Rajab, San. 3. 3 Newspapers, 5th Shavval, San. 3. 4 The following edict, which caused this action, I translated from the Archieves; it is addressed to the son of sawaldas:" Maharana Amra Singh To the Rathor Rao Singh Sawaldaost (race of Sawaldas)__Lay waste your Villages and the country around you___your families shall have other habita_ Tions to the dwell in__ for particulars consult Daulat Singh Chondawat : obey these." Asoj, S. 1764 (Dec. a.d. 1708). 5 [February 18] a.d. 1712. [The Musalraan authorities do not cor-- roborate the assertion that he was poisoned.]
subsequent succession was through blood ; and the sons of Shah Alam performed the part for which they had so many great examples. Two brothers,1 Sayyids, from the town of Barha in the Duab, were long the Warwicks of Hindustan, setting up and plucking down its puppet kings at their pleasure ; they had elevated Farrukhsiyar when the triumvirs of Rajasthan com menced their operations.
Farrukhsiyar, Emperor, a.d. 1712-19
Giving loose to long suppressed resentment, the Rajputs abandoned the spirit of toleration which it would have been criminal to preserve ; and profiting by the lessons of their tyrants, they overthrew the mosques built on the sites of their altars, and treated the civil and religious officers of the government with indignity. Of these every town in Rajasthan had its mulla to proclaim the name of branches of government [401] entirely wrested from the hands of the native princes, 2 abusing the name of independence. But for a moment it was redeemed, especially by the brave Rathors, who had made a noble resistance, contesting every foot of land since the death of .Jaswant Singh, and now his son Ajit entirely expelled the Moguls from jMarwar. On this occasion the native forces of the triple alliance met at the salt lake of Sambhar, which was made the common boundary of their territory, and its revenues were equally divided amongst them.
The pageant of an emperor, guided by the Sayyids, or those who intrigued to supplant their ministry, made an effort to oppose the threatening measures of the Rajputs ; and one of them, the Amiru-1-iunara,3 marched against Raja Ajit, who received private instructions from the emperor to resist his commander - in - chief, whose credit was strengthened by the means taken to weaken it, which engendered suspicions of treachery. Ajit leagued with the Sayyids, who held out to the Rathor an important share of power at court, and agreed to pay tribute and give a daughter in marriage to Farrukhsiyar.
1 Husain Ali and Abdu-lla Khan. 2 Next to kine-killing was the article inhibiting the introduction of the Adalat, or British courts of justice, into the Rajput States, in all their treaties with the British Government in a.d. 1817-18, the very name of which is abhorrent to a native. 3 The title of Husain Ah, ___ as Kutbu-1-mulk (the axis of the State), was that of his brother Abdu-lla.
Marriage of Farrukhsiyar : Grant to the British
This marriage yielded most important results, which were not confined to the Moguls or Rajputs, for to it may be ascribed the rise of the British power in India. A dangerous malady,1 rendering necessary a surgical operation upon Farrukhsiyar, to which the faculty of the court were unequal, retarded the celebration of the nuptials between the emperor and the Rajput princess of Marwar, and even threatened a fatal termination. A mission from the British merchants at Surat was at that time at court, and, as a last resource, the surgeon attached to it was called in, who cured the malady, and made the emperor happy in his bride. 2 His gratitude was displayed with oriental magnificence. The em peror desired Mr. Hamilton to name [402] his reward, and to the disinterested patriotism of this individual did the British owe the first royal grant or farman, conferring territorial possession and great commercial privileges. These were the objects of the mission, which till this occurrence had proved unsuccessful.
This gorgeous court ought to have been, and probably was, impressed with a high opinion of the virtuous self-denial of the inhabitants of Britain ; and if history has correctly preserved the transaction, some mark of public gratitude should have been forthcoming from those who so signally benefited thereby. But to borrow the phraseology of the Italian historian, " Obligations which do not admit of being fully discharged are often repaid with the coin of ingratitude " : the remains of this man rest in the churchyard of Calcutta, without even a stone to mark the spot ! 3
1 A white swelling or tumour on the back. 2 The ceremony is described, as it was celebrated, with true Asiatic pomp. " The Ameer-ool Omra conducted the festivities on the part of the bride, and the marriage was performed with a splendour and magnificence till then unseen among the princes of Hindust'han. Many pompous insignia were added to the royal cortege upon this occasion. The illuminations rivalled the planets, and seemed to upbraid the faint lustre of the stars. The nuptials were performed at the palace of the Ameer-ool Omra, whence the emperor conveyed his bride with the highest splendour of imperial pomp to the citadel, amidst the resoundings of musical instruments and the acclamations of the people " (Scott's History of Aurangzeb’s Successors, vol. i. p. 132. [For the cure of Farrukhsiyar by Surgeon W. Hamilton see C. R. Wilson, Early Annals of the English in Bengal, ii. 235.] 3 [There is a monument of Hamilton in St. John's Church, Calcutta {IGI, X. 280).]
The Jizya Reimposed
This marriage, which promised a renewal of interests with the Rajputs, was soon followed by the revival of the obnoxious jizya. The character of this tax, though much altered from its original imposition by Aurangzeb, when it was at once financial and religious, was held in vinmitigated abhorrence by the Hindus from the complex association ; and although it was revived chiefly to relieve pecuniary wants, it kindled a universal feeling of hatred amongst all classes, and quenched the little zeal which the recent marriage had inspired in the Rajputs of the desert. The mode and channel of its introduction evinced to them that there was no hope that the intolerant spirit which originally suggested it would ever be subdued. The weak Farrukhsiyar, desirous of snapping the leading-strings of the Sayyids, recalled to his court Inayatu-lla Khan, the minister of Aurangzeb, and restored to him his office of Diwan, who, to use \he words of the historian of the period, " did not consult the temper of the times, so very different from the reign of Aurangzeb, and the revival of the jizya came with him." Though by no means severe in its operation, not amount from which it nevertheless raised a general spirit of hostility, particularly from its retaining the insulting distinction of a ' tax on mfidels.' Resistance to taxation appears to be a universal feeling, in which even the Asiatic forgets the divine right of sovereignty, and which throws us back on the pervading spirit of selfishness which [403] governs human nature. The tamgha, 3 or stamp tax, which preceded the jizya, would appear to have been as unsatisfactory as it was general, from the solemnity of its renunciation by Babur on the field of battle after the victory over infidels, which gave him the crown of India ; and though we have no record of the jizya being its substitute, there are indications which authorize the inference.
1 [Inayatu-Ua Khan, a Persian of Naishapur, was tutor of Zebu-n-nissa Begam, daughter of Aurangzeb, and held high office in his reign and in that of Farrukhsiyar. He died in 172G (Beale, s.v.).] 2 13 rupees on every 2000 rupees. 3 [Altamgha, ' the red seal,' technically ' a royal grant. On its remission by Babur see Erskine, Hist, of India, i. 467. Elliot remarks that the altamgha as a tax was eniorced as early as the time of Alau-d-din and Flroz Shah (Elhot-Dowson iii. 36.5). For the use of the seal see Memoirs of Jalidiujlr, trans. Rogers-Beveridge, 23.]
Rana Amar Singh asserts Rajput Independence
Rana Amra was not an idle spectator of these occurrences ; and although the spurious thirst for distinction so early broke up the alliance by detaclung Ajit, he redoubled his efforts for personal independence, and with it that of the Rajput nation. An important document attests this solicitude, namely, a treaty 1 with the emperor, in which the second article stipulates emancipation from the galling jizya. It may be well to analyse this treaty, which attests the 1 " Memorandum of Bequests. " 1. The Mansab of 7000, the highest grade of rank. " 2. Farman of engagement under the panja private seal and sign that that it shall no longer be imposed on the Hindu nation ; at all events, that none of the Chagatai race shaU authorize it in Mewar. Let it be annulled. "3. The contingent of one thousand horse for service in the Deccau to be excused. " 4. ALL places of Hmdu faith to be rebuild, with perfect freedom of religious worship. " 5. If my uncles, brothers, or chiefs, repair to the Presence, to meet no encouragement. " 6. The Bhumias of DeoHa, Banswara, Dungarpur, and Sirohi, besides other zamindars over whom I am to have control, they shall not be admitted to the Presence. " 7. The forces I possess are my chiefs — what troops you may require for a given period, you must furnish with rations (peti), and when the service is over, their accounts will be settled. " 8. Of the Hakkdars, Zamindars, Mansabdars, who serve you with zeal and those who are not obedient I will punish ; but in effecting this no demand is to be made ioT-Faemali." * " List of the districts attached to the PwnjJmzari,] at present under Phuha, Mandalgarh, Badnor, Pur, Basar, Ghayaspur, Pardhar, Banswara, Dungarpur. Besides the 5000 of old, you had on ascending the throne granted an increase of 1000, and on account of the victory at Sinsuii 1000 more, of two and three horse." %
" Of three crores of dams \\ in gift {inam,), namely, two according to far man, and one for the payment of the contingent in the Deccan, and of which two are immediately required, you have given me in heu thereof Sirohi.
" Districts uov/ desired __ Idar, Kekri, Mandal, Jahazpur, Malpur (and another illegible)."
- Destruction of property, alluding to the crops which always suffered
in the movements of disorderly troops. + Mansab of 5000. + It was usual to allow two and thi-eo horses to each cavaher when favour was intended. II 40 dams to the rupee. altered condition of both parties. Its very title marks the subordination of the chief of the Rajputs ; but while this is headed a ' Memorandum of Requests,' the eighth article dis closes the effective means of the Rana, for there he assumes an air of protection towards the emperor. In the opening stipulation for the mansah of 7000, the [404] mind reverts to the great Amra, who preferred abdication to acknowledgment of a superior ; but opinion had undergone a change as great as the mutual relations of the Rajputs. In temporal dignities other States had risen to an equality with Mewar, and all had learned to look on the Mogul as the fountain of honour. The abolition of the jizya, freedom from religious restraint, control over the ancient feudatories of his house, and the restoration of all sequestrations, distinguish the other articles, and amply attest the improving attitude of Mewar, and the rapid decay of the Mogul empire. The Mahrattas imder Raja Sahu 1 were successfully prosecuting their peculiar system in the south, with the same feelings which characterized the early Gothic invaders of Italy ; strangers to settled govern ment, they imposed the taxes of chauth and desmukhi, 2 the fourth and tetith of all territorial income, in the countries they overran. The Jat tribes west of the Chambal likewise bearded their oppressors in this reign, by hoisting the standard of independence at the very threshold of their capital ; and from the siege of Sinsini (mentioned in this treaty) to the last storm of Bharatpur, they maintained the consequence thus assumed.
Death of Rana Amar Singh
This treaty was the last act of Rana Amra's life ; he died in a.d. 1716 [1710], leaving the reputa tion of an active and high-minded prince, who well upheld his station and the prosperity of his country, notwithstanding the anarchy of the period. His encouragement of agriculture and protection of manufactures are displayed in the edicts engraved on pillars, which will hand down his name to posterity. His memory is held in high veneration ; nor do the Rajputs admit the absolute degradation of ISIewar till the period of the second prince in succession to Amra [405]. 1 [Sahu, ' the honest, respectable man,' a title given by Aurangzeb to Sivaji, son of Sambhaji (Grant Duff, 184).] 2 [Des7nukhi from Sardesmukh, an officer exercising police and revenue jurisdiction under the Marathas. These taxes were confirmed in favour of Sivaji in 1665 {Ibid. 94).]
