View source for Mewar 24: Rana Sangram

==Anecdotes ofRana Sangram Singh II==

Tradition has preserved 
many anecdotes of Sangram, which aid our estimate of Rajput 
character, whether in the capacity of legislators or the more 
retired sphere of domestic manners. They uniformly represent 
this Rana as a patriarchal ruler, wise, just, and inflexible,1  steady 
in his application to business, regulating public and private 
1 In the dialect, chhari mazbut thi, his rod was strong ___a familiar 
a long rod with an iron spike 
on it, often placed before the gaddi, or throne. 
expenditure, and even the sumptuary laws, which were rigidly 
adhered to, and on which the people still expatiate, giving homely 
illustrations of the contrast between them and the existing 
profusion. The Chauhan of Kotharia, one of the highest class 
of chieftains, had recommended an addition to the folds of the 
court robe, and as courtesy forbids all personal denial, his Avish 
was assented to, and he retired to his estate pluming himself on 
his sovereign's acquiescence. But the Rana, sending for the 
minister, commanded the sequestration of two villages of Kotharia, 
which speedily reaching the ears of the chief, he repaired to court, 
and begged to know the fault which had drawn upon him this 
mark of displeasure. " None, Raoji ; but on a minute calcula
tion I find the revenue of these two villages will just cover the 
expense of the superfluity of garment which obedience to your 
wishes will occasion me, and as every iota of my own income is 
ajipropriated, I had no other mode of innovating on our ancient 
costume than by making you bear the charge attending a compli
ance with your suggestion." It will readily be believed, that the 
Chauhan prayed the [411] revocation of this edict, and that he 
was careful for the future of violating the sumptuary laws of his 
sovereign. 

On another occasion, from lapse of memory or want of con
sideration, he broke the laws he had established, and alienated a 
village attached to the household. Each branch had its appro
priate fund, whether for the kitchen, the wardrobe, the privy 
purse, the queens ; these lands were called thiia, and each had 
its officer, or thuadar, all of whom were made accountable for 
their trust to the prime minister ; it was one of these he had 
alienated. Seated with his chiefs in the rasora, or banqueting
hall, there was no sugar forthcoming for the curds, which has a 
place in the dinner carte of all Rajputs, and he chid the superin
tendent for the omission. " Anndata " (giver of food), replied 
the officer, " the minister says you have given away the village 

" Just," replied the Rana, and finished his 
repast without further remark, and without sugar to his curds. 
Another anecdote will show his inflexibility of character, and 
his resistance to that species of interference in state affairs which 
is the bane of Asiatic governments. Sangram had recently 
emancipated himself from the trammels of a tedious minority, 
during which his mother, according to custom, acted a con
spicuotis part in the guardianship of her son and the State. The 
chieftain of Dariawad had his estate confiscated : but as the 
Rana never punished from passion or pardoned from weakness, 
none dared to plead his cause, and he remained proscribed from 
court during two years, when he ventured a petition to the queen
mother through the Bhandarins,1  for the reversion of the decree, 
accompanied -with a note for two lakhs of rupees, 2  and a liberal 
donation to the fair mediators. It was the daily habit of the 
Rana to pay his respects to his mother before dinner, and on one 
of these visits she introduced the Ranawat's request, and begged 
the restoration of the estate. It was customary, on the issue of 
every grant, that eight days should elapse from the mandate to 
the promulgation of the edict, to which eight official seals 3  were 
attached ; but on the present occasion the Rana commanded 
the execution of the deed at once, and to have it ere he left the 
Rawala. On its being brought, he [412] placed it respectfully in 
his mother's hands, begging her to return the note to the Rana
wat ; having made this sacrifice to duty, he bowed and retired. 
The next day he commanded dinner an hour earlier, without the 
usual visit to the Rawala : all were surprised, but none so much 
still no 
visit, -and to a confidential message, she received a ceremonious 
reply. Alarmed for the loss of her son's affections, she pondered 
she entreated 
the minister's interference ; he respectfully intimated that he 
was interdicted from the discussion of State affairs but with his 
she had recourse to other expedients, which proving 
alike fruitless, she became sullen, punished her damsels without 
cause, and refused food : Sangram still remained obdurate. She 
talked of a pilgrimage to the Ganges, and befitting equipage and 
the moment of departure 
was at hand, and yet he would not see her. She repaired by 
Amber on her route to M'athura, to worship the Apollo of Vraj,4  
when the great Raja Jai Singh (married to the Rana's sister) 5  

1 the dames attendant on the queens,__the lady Mashams of the every  
female court in Rajasthan.     
2  £25,000.
3  There were eight ministers ; from this the Mahrattas had their aslit 
pardJians, the number which formed the ministry of Rama. 
4  [Krishna.] 
5  I discovered the following letter from one of the princesses of Amber to 
Rana Sangram, written at this period ; it is not evident in what relation 
advanced, and conducted her to his new city of Jaipur, and to 
evince his respect " put his shoulder to the travelhng htter or 
palki," and promised to return with her and be a supphant to his 
brother-in-law for the restoration of his regard. She made a 
tour of the sacred places, and on return accepted the escort of 
the Prince of Amber. The laws of hospitality amongst the 
Rajputs are rigid : the Rana could not refuse to his guest the 
request for which he had left his capital : but averse to owing 
reconciliation to external intercession, and having done enough 
for the suppression of intrigue, he advanced to meet the cortege 
when within one march of Udaipur, as if to receive the Amber 
prince ; but proceeding direct to his [413] mother's tents, he 
asked her blessing, and having escorted her to the palace, returned 
to greet and conduct his brother prince ; all the allusion he made 
to the subject was in the simple but pithy expression, " family 
quarrels should be kept in the family." 

Another anecdote shows him as the vigilant shepherd watching 
over the safety of his flock. As he sat down to dinner, tidings 
arrived of an invasion of the Malwa Pathans, who had rifled several 
villages at Mandasor, carrying the inhabitants into captivity. 
Pushing the platter from him, he ordered his armour, and the 
nakkara to beat the assemblage of his chieftains. With all speed 
a gallant band formed on the terrace below, but they prevailed 
on the Rana to leave the punishment of the desultory aggression 
to them, as imworthy of his personal interference. They de
she stood to hira, but I think she must have been his wife, and the sister of 
Jai Singh : 

" To Siddh Sri Sangrara Singh, happiness ! the Kachhwaha Rani (queen) 
writes, read her asis * (blessing). Here all is well ; the welfare of the Sri 
Diwanji is desired. You are very dear to me ; you are great, the sun of 
Hindustan ; if you do not thus act, who else can ? the action is worthy of 
you ; with your house is my entire friendship. From ancient times we are 
the Rajputs of your house, from which both Rajas f have had their conse
quence increased, and I belong to it of old, and expect always to be fostered 
by it, nor will the Sri Diwanji disappoint us. My intention was to proceed 
to the feet of the Sri Diwanji, but the wet weather has prevented me ; but 
I shall soon make my appearance." S. 1778 (a.d. 1722). 
* Asis is benediction, which only ladies and holy men employ in epistolary 
writing or in verbal coraphment. 

+ Amber and Marwar ; this expression denotes the letter to have been 
written on intermarriage with the Rana's house, and shows her sense of sucli 
honour. 
parted : several hours after, the chief of Kanor arrived, having 
left a sick-bed, and with a tertian come in obedience to his sove
reign's summons. Vain was his prince's dissuasion to keep him 
back, and he joined the band as they came up with the invaders. 
The foe was defeated and put to flight, but the sick chieftain fell 
in the charge, and his son was severely wounded by his side. On 
the young chief repairing to court he was honoured with a bira 1  
from the Rana's own hand, a distinction which he held to be an 
ample reward for his wounds, and testimonial of the worth of his 
father. The existence of such sentiments are the strongest tests 
of character. 

On another occasion, some parasite had insinuated suspicions 
against the chief of the nobles, the Rawat of Salumbar, who had 
just returned victorious in action with the royal forces at Malwa, 
and had asked permission to visit his family on his way to court. 
The Rana spurned the suspicion, and to show his reliance on the 
chief, he dispatched a messenger for Salumbar to wait his arrival 
and summon him to the presence. He had reached his domain, 
given leave to his vassals as they passed their respective abodes, 
dismounted, and reached the door of the Rawala, when the 
herald called aloud, " The Rana salutes you, Rawatji, and 
commands this letter." With his hand on the door where his 
wife and children awaited him, he demanded his horse, and simply 
leaving his ' duty for his mother,' he [414] mounted, with half 
a dozen attendants, nor loosed the rein until he reached the 
capital. It was midnight : his house empty ; no servants ; no 
dinner ; but his sovereign had foreseen and provided, and when 
his arrival was announced, provender for his cattle, and vessels 
of provision prepared in the royal kitchen, were immediately sent 
to his abode. Next morning Salumbar attended the court. The 
Rana was unusually gracious, and not only presented him with 
the usual tokens of regard, a horse and jewels, but moreover a 
grant of land. With surprise he asked what service he had 
performed to merit such distinction, and from a sentiment becom
ing the descendant of Chonda solemnly refused to accept it ; 
observing, that even if he had lost his head, the reward was 

1  The bira is the betel or pan-leaf folded up, containing aromatic spices, 
and presented on taking leave. The Kanor chieftain, being of the second 
grade of nobles, was not entitled to the distinction of having it from the 
sovereign's own hand. 
excessive ; but if his prince would admit of his preferring a 
request, it would be, that in remembrance of his sovereign's 
favour, when he, or his, in after times, should on the summons 
come from their estate to the capital, the same number of dishes 
from the royal kitchen should be sent to his abode : it was 
granted, and to this day his descendants enjoy the distinction. 
These anecdotes paint the character of Sangram far more forcibly 
than any laboured effort. His reign was as honourable to himself 
as it was beneficial to his country, in whose defence he had fought 
eighteen actions ; but though his policy was too circumscribed, 
and his country would have benefited more by a surrender of 
some of those antique prejudices which kept her back in the 
general scramble for portions of the dilapidated monarchy of the 
Moguls, yet he was respected abroad, as he was beloved by his 
subjects, of whose welfare he was ever watchful, and to whose 
wants ever indulgent. Rana Sangram was the last prince who 
upheld the dignity of the gaddi of Bappa Rawal ; with his death 
commenced Mahratta ascendancy, and with this we shall open 
the reign of his son and successor.