Chapter 11 — Annals of Mewar

Kurran succeeded the last independent king of Mewar in 1621. Henceforth we shall have to exhibit these princely "children of the sun" with diminished lustre, moving as satelites round the primary planet. Unaccustomed to the laws of its attraction, they frequently deviated from the orbit prescribed, and in the eccentricity of their movements occasionally displayed their unborrowed effulgence. For fifteen hundred years we have traced each alteration in the fortunes of the Sesodias — their establishment in Surashtra and expulsion therefrom by the Parthians, the acquisition and loss of Idar, the conquest and surrender of Chitor, the rise of Udaipur, and, finally, the abasement of the red flag to Tahangi'r. The remaining, and by no means least important, portion of their history will conclude with the unity of their interests with those of Great Britain. Kurran was deficient neither in courage nor military skill; of both he had given a decided proof when, to relieve the pecuniary difficulties of his father, he passed through the midst of his foes, surprised and plundered Siirat, and carried off a booty which was the means of postponing the subjugation of his country. But, for the exercise of the chief virtue of the Rajput, he had little opportunity throughout his reign, and fortunately for Mewar the powerful esteem which Jahangir and Prince Khuram evinced for his house enabled him to put forth the talents he possessed to repair her distress. He fortified the heights round the capital, which he strengthened with a wall and a ditch, enlarged the noble dam which retains the waters of the Peshola, and built that entire portion of the palace called the rdwula still set apart for the ladies of the court. When Rana Amra made terms with Jahangir, he obtained for his successors exemption from all personal attendance at the court, and confined the extent of homage to their receiving, on each lapse of the crown, the firman or imperial decree in token of subordination, which, more strongly to mark their dependent position, the Rana was to accept without the walls of the capital. Hence, though the princes of Mewar attended the emperor whilst heirs-apparent, they never did so as Ranas. The Sesodia chieftains were soon distinguished amongst the Rajput vassals of the Mogul, and had a full share of power. Of these Bhim, the younger brother of Kurran, and leader of the Mewar contingent, was conspicuous, and became the chief adviser and friend of Khuram, who well knew his intrepidity. At his son's solicitation, the emperor conferred upon him the title of Raja, and assigned a small estate on the banks of the Banas for his residence. Ambitious of perpetuating his name, he erected a new city and palace which he named Rajmahal, and which remained in the possession of his descendants for many generations. The ruins of Rajmahal bear testimony to the architectural taste of this son of Mewar, as do the fallen fortunes of his house to the instability of power. Notwithstanding these favours, Jahangir soon had a specimen of the insubordinate spirit of Bhim. Being desirous to separate him from Prince Khuram, who aspired to the crown, to the prejudice of his elder brother Parvez, he appointed him to the government of Gujarat, but Bhim boldly declined to accept the post. He detested Parvez, who, it will be remembered, had invaded Mewar, and advised Khuram, if he aspired to reign, to throw off the mask. The result was that Parvez was slain, and Khuram manifested his guilt by taking to arms. He was secretly supported by a strong party of the Rajput interest, at the head of which was Gaj Singh of Marwar, his maternal uncle, who, pending the development of events, assumed an attitude of neutrality. Jahangir advanced to crush the incipient revolt ; but, distrusting Gaj Singh, he gave the command to Jaipur, and the former furled his banner and decided to be a spectator. The armies approached and were joining action when the impetuous Bhim sent a message to the Rahtor, either to aid or oppose them. The insult provoked him to the latter course, and Bhim's party was destroyed, himself slain, and Khuram and Muhabbat Khan compelled to take refuge in Udaipur. In this asylum the Mogul prince remained undisturbed. Apartments in the palace were assigned to him ; but, his followers showed so little respect for Rajput prejudices that he took up his abode on the island, on which a sumptuous residence was raised, adorned with a lofty dome and crowned with a crescent. The interior was decorated with onyx, cornelean, jasper, and agates, and the floors were covered with rich Turkey carpets. Here Khuram resided, every wish anticipated, till a short time before the death of his father, when he retired to Persia. Such was Rajput gratitude to a prince who, when the chances of war made him victor over them, had sought unceasingly to mitigate the misery attendant on the loss of independence ; and, though two centuries have fled, during which Mewar has suffered every variety of woe, pillaged by Mogul, Pathan, and Mahratta, yet the turban of prince Khuram, the symbol of fraternity,1 has been preserved, and remains in the same folds as when transferred from the head of the Mogul to that of the Rajput prince. Rana Kurran had enjoyed eight years of complete tranquillity when he was gathered to his fathers. The sanctuary he gave Prince Khuram had no apparent effect on Jahangir, who, doubtless, believed that the Rana disapproved of the conduct of his son Bhim. He was succeeded by Jaggat Singh in 1628. Jahangir died shortly after Jaggat's accession, and while Khuram was in exile. This event was announced to the latter by the Rana, who sent his brother and a band of Rajputs to Siirat to form the escort of the new emperor, who repaired directly to Udaipur ; and it was in the Badal Mahal of his island palace that he was first saluted by the title Shah Jahan. On taking leave, he restored to Mewar five alienated districts, and presented the Rana with a ruby of inestimable value, giving him also permission to reconstruct the fortifications of Chitor. The twenty-six years during which Jaggat Singh occupied the throne passed in uninterrupted peace — a state unfruitful to the bard, who flourishes only amidst agitation and strife. This period was devoted to the cultivation of the peaceful arts, and especially architecture; and to Jaggat Singh Udaipur is indebted for those magnificent works which bear his name, and excite our astonishment at the resources he found to accomplish them. The palace on the lake, called the Jagnewas, which covers four acres, is entirely his work, as well as the Jagmandar palace and many other buildings on the same island. Nothing but marble enters into their composition ; columns, baths, reservoirs, fountains, all are of this material, often inlaid with mosaics, the uniformity pleasingly diversified by the light passing through coloured glass. The walls, both here and in the grand palace, contain many medallions in gypsum, portraying the chief events in the history of the family. Orange and lemon groves, and parterres of flowers intervene to dispel the monotony of the buildings, while on every side the tamarind and the cocoa-nut palm spread their welcome shade. Jaggat Singh was a highly respected prince, and did much to efface the remembrance of the rude visitations of the Moguls. The dignity of his character, his benevolence of address and personal demeanour, secured the homage of all who had access to him, and are alike attested by the pen of the emperor, the ambassador of England, and the chroniclers of Mewar. He had the proud satisfaction of redeeming the ancient capital from ruin, rebuilding the Chaplet bastion which had been blown up by Akbar, restoring the portals, and replacing the pinnacles on the temple of Chattarkot. By a princess of Mewar he left two sons, the elder of whom succeeded him. This son, Raj Singh, the " royal lion," mounted the throne in 1654. Various causes, over which he had no control, combined, together with his personal character, to break the long repose his country had enjoyed. The emperor of the Moguls had reached extreme old age, and the ambition of his sons to usurp his authority involved every Rajput in support of their individual pretensions. The Rana inclined to Dara, the legitimate heir to the throne, as did nearly the whole Rajput race. But the battle of Fatehabad gave the lead to Aurangzeb, and he maintained it by the sacrifice of every thing that opposed his ambition. His father, his brothers, nay, his own offspring, were in turn victims to that thirst for power which eventually destroyed the monarchy of the Moguls. The policy introduced by their founder, from which Jahangir and Shah Jahan had reaped so many advantages, was unwisely abandoned by Aurangzeb who had more powerful reasons than either of the former for maintaining those ties which bound the Rajput princes to his throne. His Tartar blood brought no Rajput sympathies to his aid ; on the contrary, every family shed its best blood in withstanding his accession, and in the defence of the rights of Shah Jahan, so long as there was any hope of success. Aurangzeb was not blind to this defect, and he tried to remedy it in his successor, for both his declared heir, Shah Alam, as well as Azim, and his favourite grandson, were the offspring of Rajpiitnis. But, uninfluenced himself by such predilections, he allowed his bigotry to outweigh his policy, and he visited the Rajputs with unrelenting persecution. It has seldom occurred that so many distinguished princes were contemporary with one another as during the reign of Aurangzeb. Every Rajput principality had a head above mediocrity in courage and ability. Jai Singh of Ambar, Jaswant Singh of Marwar, the Haras of Bundi and Kotah, the Rahtors of Bikanir, Orcha, and Dattia, were all men who, had their prejudices been properly consulted, would have rendered the Mogul power indissoluble. But the emperor had but one measure of contumely for all, which not only withdrew every sentiment of support from the princes of Rajasthan, but stirred the heart of Sivaji to strike for the freedom of Maharashtra. In subtlety and the most specious hypocrisy, in that concentration of resolve which confides its deep purpose to none, in every qualification of the warrior and, we may add, the scholar, Aurangzeb had no equal amongst the many distinguished men of his race ; but that sin by which fell the angels, steeped him in an ocean of guilt, and not only neutralised his natural capacities, but converted the means for unlimited power into an engine of destruction. " This hypocrisy," says the eloquent Orme, " increased with his power, and in order to palliate to his Muhammadan subjects the crimes by which he had become their sovereign, he determined to enforce the conversion of the Hindus by the severest penalties, and even by the sword ; as if the blood of his subjects were to wash away the stains from his hands, already encrimsoned with that of his family. Labour left the field and industry the loom, until the decrease of the revenues induced Aurangzeb to substitute a capitation tax as the balance of account between the two religions." The same historian justly characterises this enactment as one so contrary to all notions of sound policy, as well as of the feelings of humanity, that " reflection seeks the motive with amazement." In this amazement we might remain, nor seek to develop the motive, did not the ample page of history in all nations disclose that, in the name of religion, more blood has been shed, and more atrocity committed, than by the united action of the whole catalogue of the passions. Raj Singh had signalised his accession by the revival of warlike tika-doury and plundered Malpura, which, though on the Ajmir frontier, Shah Jahan refrained from avenging, replying to those who advised him to such a course, that "it was only a folly of his nephew." Later on, the impetuous prince threw down the gauntlet to Aurangzeb in the plenitude of his power, and the valour of the Sesodias again burst forth in all the splendour of the days of Partap, the contest closing with a series of brilliant victories, and the narrow escape from captivity of the Xerxes of Hindustan. The Mogul demanded the hand of the princess of Rupnagar, a junior branch of the Marwar house, and sent with the demand, compliance with which was regarded as certain, a cortege of 2000 horse to escort the fair to court. But the haughty Rajputni rejected with disdain the proffered alliance, and entrusted her cause to the arm of the chief of the Rajput race, offering herself as the reward for protection. The family priest, her preceptor, deemed his office honoured by being chosen the messenger of her wishes, and the letter he carried is incorporated in the annals of Mewar. "Is the swan to be the mate of the stork? A Rajputni, pure in blood to be wife to the monkey-faced barbarian?" So wrote the princess, concluding with a threat of self-destruction if not saved from dishonour. This appeal was seized on with avidity by the Rana as a pretext for throwing away the scabbard, and embarking on a warfare in which he determined to put all to the hazard in defence of his country and his faith. The first step was an omen of success to his warlike and superstitious vassalage. With a chosen band he rapidly passed the foot of the Aravalli and appeared before Riipnagar, cut up the imperial guards, and bore off the prize to his capital. This daring act was applauded by all who bore the name of Rajput, and his chiefs with joy gathered their retainers round the red standard to protect the queen so gallantly rescued. For a space the Mogul delayed his vengeance ; and it was not until the deaths of Jaswant Singh of Marwar and Jai Singh of Ambar, both poisoned by his own command, that he deemed himself strong enough to put forth the full extent of his longcherished design, the imposition of the jeziay or capitation tax, on the whole Hindu race. But he miscalculated his measures ; and the murder of these two princes, far from advancing his aim, recoiled with vengeance on his head. The mother of Aji't, the infant heir of Marwar, a woman of the most determined character, was a princess of Mewar ; and she threw herself upon the protection of the Rana as the natural guardian of her child during the dangers of his minority. The child was sent to reside at Kailwa under the safeguard of the brave Durga Das, while the mother returned to Marwar to foster the spirit of resistance amongst the Rahtor clans. A unity of interests was thus cemented between these two powerful states such as had never existed between them before ; and, but for the repeated instances of humanity on the part of the Rana, the throne of the Moguls might have been completely overturned. On the promulgation of the jezia, the Rana remonstrated by letter with the emperor — a letter which for the grace and dignity of its style, and the lofty yet temperate resolution which characterises its tone, deserves to be quoted in full. The following is the translation of Sir W. B. Rouse : — Letter from Rana Raj Sing to Arungzeb. All due praise be rendered to the glory of the Almighty, and the munificence of your majesty, which is conspicuous as the sun and moon. Although I, your well-wisher, have separated myself from your sublime presence, I am nevertheless zealous in the performance of every bounden act of obedience and loyalty. My ardent wishes and strenuous services are employed to promote the prosperity of the Kings, Nobles, Mirzas, Rajahs, and Roys, of the provinces of Hindostan, and the chiefs of AEraun, Turaun, Room, and Shawn, the inhabitants of the seven climates, and all persons travelling by land and by water. This my inclination is notorious, nor can your royal wisdom entertain a doubt thereof. Reflecting therefore on my former services, and your majesty's condescension, I presume to solicit the royal attention to some circumstances, in which the public as well as private welfare is greatly interested. I have been informed, that enormous sums have been dissipated in the prosecution of the designs formed against me, your well-wisher ; and that you have ordered a tribute to be levied to satisfy the exigencies of your exhausted treasury. May it please your majesty, your royal ancestor Mahomed Jelaul ul Deen Akbar, whose throne is now in heaven, conducted the affairs of this empire in equity and firm security for the space of fifty-two years, preserving every tribe of men in ease and happiness, whether they were followers of Jesus, or of Moses, of David, or Mahomed; were they Brahmins, were they of the sect of Dharians, which denies the eternity of matter, or of that which ascribes the existence of the world to chance, they all equally enjoyed his countenance and favour; in so much that his people, in gratitude for the indiscriminate protection he afforded them, distinguished him by the appellation oijuggut Gooroo (Guardian of Mankind). His majesty Mahomed Noor ul Deen Jehangheer, likewise, whose dwelling is now in paradise, extended, for a period of twenty-two years, the shadow of his protection over the heads of his people; successful by a constant fidelity to his allies, and a vigorous exertion of his arm in business. Nor less did the illustrious Shah Jehan, by a propitious reign of thirty-two years, acquire to himself immortal reputation, the glorious reward of clemency and virtue. Such were the benevolent inclinations of your ancestors. Whilst they pursued these great and generous principles, wheresoever they directed their steps, conquest and prosperity went before them; and then they reduced many countries and fortresses to their obedience. During your majesty's reign, many have been alienated from the empire, and farther loss of territory must necessarily follow, since devastation and rapine now universally prevail without restraint. Your subjects are trampled under foot, and every province of your empire is impoverished; depopulation spreads, and difficulties accumulate. When indigence has reached the habitation of the sovereign and his princes, what can be the condition of the nobles? As to the soldiery, they are in murmurs; the merchants complaining, the Mahomedans discontented, the Hindoos destitute, and multitudes of people, wretched even to the want of their nightly meal, are beating their heads throughout the day in rage and desperation. How can the dignity of the sovereign be preserved, who employs his power in exacting heavy tributes from a people thus miserably reduced? At this juncture it is told from east to west, that the emperor of Hindostan, jealous of the poor Hindoo devotee, will exact a tribute from Brahmins, Sanorahs, Joghies, Berawghies, Sanyasees; that, regardless of the illustrious honour of his Timurean race, he condescends to exercise his power over the solitary inoffensive anchoret. If your majesty places any faith in those books, by distinction called divine, you will there be instructed, that God is the God of all mankind, not the God of Mahomedans alone, The Pagan and the Mussulman are equally in His presence. Distinctions of colour are of His ordination. It is He who gives existence. In your temples, to His name the voice is raised in prayer; in a house of images, where the bell is shaken, still He is the object of adoration. To vilify the religion or customs of other men, is to set at naught the pleasure of the Almighty. When we deface a picture, we naturally incur the resentment of the painter ; and justly has the poet said, presume not to arraign or scrutinize the various works of power divine. In fine, the tribute you demand from the Hindoos is repugnant to justice : it is equally foreign from good policy, as it must impoverish the country : moreover, it is an innovation and an infringement of the laws of Hindostan. But if zeal for your own religion hath induced you to determine upon this measure, the demand ought, by the rules of equity, to have been made first upon Ramsing, who is esteemed the principal amongst the Hindoos. Then let your well-wisher be called upon, with whom you will have less difficulty to encounter; but to torment ants and flies is unworthy of an heroic or generous mind. It is wonderful that the ministers of your government should have neglected to instruct your majesty in the rules of rectitude and honour.

Chapter 11 — Jaggat Singh & Raj Singh