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Jaisal Singh

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Jaisal Singh (1113–1168) was the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, ruling from 1156 to 1168 CE. Singh was a Rajput chief of the Bhati clan who lived during the 12th century. A direct descendant of Rao Bhati, the 3rd-century Hindu monarch and the common ancestor of the Bhati Rajputs, Singh rose to power in 1143 by defeating his nephew, Rawal Bhojdeo of Lodhruva, in battle and seizing his nephew's position as Rawal.[1][2]

Jaisal Singh
Rawal of Jaisalmer
Portrait of Rawal Jaisal inside Jaisalmer Fort
Rawal of Jaisalmer
Reign1156 – 1168
PredecessorBhojraj as the Rawal of Lodhruva (1147-1152)
SuccessorSalbahan II as the Rawal of Jaisalmer (1168-1190)
Born1113
Died1168
Spouse
  • Sodhiji (Parmarji) of Thar Parkar
  • Pratiharji Udai Deiji of Nagaur
  • Chauhanji Vilay Deiji of Nimrana
  • Vagheliji of Pawagarh
  • Parmarji
Issue
  • Kalyan
  • Salbahan II, Rawal of Jaisalmer
  • Hemraj
  • Shyam Deiji
HouseBhati
FatherDusaj (1098-1122)
ReligionHinduism

In 1156, Singh founded the city of Jaisalmer and became the Rawal of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer.[3] Singh's descendants ruled Jaisalmer as Rawal, and later as Maharawal, until India's independence in 1947. Through his other descendants, Singh is the direct ancestor of the Phulkian dynasty and other notable families and individuals.[4][5]

Ancestry

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Jaisal Singh belonged to an ancient lineage.[3] Singh was a direct descendant of Rao Bhati, a 3rd-century Hindu monarch and the common ancestor of the Bhati Rajput clan.[1] The first monarch in Singh's ancestry to have the title of Rawal was Devraj of Derawar, his ancestor in the 9th century.[6] Devraj built the Derawar Fort in the modern-day Bahawalpur District, Punjab, in Pakistan.[6]

According to some historical claims, Singh's ancestor was claimed to be Shalivahana, a semi-legendary emperor.[7][8] Shalivahana, according to various historical accounts, defeated the Indo-Scythians in a battle near the modern-day city of Multan in 78 CE.[8] In commemoration of his victory, Shalivahana assumed the title 'Sakari', a title that meant 'foe of the Scythians'.[7][8]

Mythological ancestry

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Singh and his descendants also claim direct descent from Yadu, a mythological Hindu king who, according to Hindu mythological texts, founded the Yadu dynasty branch of the legendary Lunar dynasty.[9][1][10]

Early life and rise to power

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Jaisal Singh was born in 1113. His father Dusaj, was the Rawal of Lodhruva.[2] After Dusaj's death, his younger brother Bijai Rai II was appointed Rawal over Jaisal and his other elder brother.[2] Bijai Rai II married the daughter of King Jayasimha Siddharaja of the Chaulukya dynasty, and their son, Bhojdeo, succeeded his father as Rawal in 1143.[2] In the same year, Singh began to conspire against his nephew Bhojdeo; however, Bhojdeo's personal guard of 500 Chaulukya warriors made it impossible for Singh to attack his nephew.[2] Singh then allied with the Persianate Islamic Ghurid dynasty, who provided the forces Singh needed to attack Bhojdeo and his capital Lodhruva.[2] In 1143, Singh, with the help of the Ghurid dynasty forces, sacked Lodhruva, and Bhojdeo died in battle.[2]

Within the year of 1143, Singh had become the Rawal.[2] However, Singh would later move his capital from Lodhruva as he found the area ill-defended.[2]

Founding of Jaisalmer

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In 1156, Singh founded the city of Jaisalmer and Kingdom of Jaisalmer.[11] He also began the construction of Jaisalmer Fort in 1156.[11]

Building Jaisalmer Fort

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Jaisalmer Fort in 2005. Construction of the fort began in 1156 by Jaisal Singh, and was completed in 1171, three years after his death.

In 1156, Singh met a hermit named Eesaal, who told him a legend from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata.[12][13] Eesaal told Singh that the Hindu deity Krishna, during the Kurukshetra War, wandered the desert with the Pandava Arjuna and prophesied that a citadel would be founded by a descendant of the Yadu dynasty on top of Trikuta Hill, a triple-peaked desert hill in what is now the modern-day city of Jaisalmer.[12][13]

After hearing the legend, Singh decided to build a fort at that location and began the construction of Jaisalmer Fort in 1156.[12][13] The name of the city of Jaisalmer and its fort is a combination of Jaisal's name and Mount Meru, a sacred mountain in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology.[12] Singh also chose Trikuta Hill for the location of Jaisalmer Fort because it would provide protection from other Bhati Rajput rivals and Muslims who had begun to make inroads into the Thar Desert.[13] Jaisalmer Fort's construction was completed in 1171, three years after Singh's death.[13]

Death and succession

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Singh died in 1168 and was succeeded as Rawal by his son, Salbahan II (aka. Rawal Shalivahan Singh II).[14] The construction of Jaislamer Fort was completed under Salbahan II.[15]

Legacy

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Jaisal Singh was the founder of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, which in 1818, became Jaisalmer State, a princely state in British India.[6] Singh's descendants, who ruled the Kingdom of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer State, held the title of Rawal until 1661, after which the ruler's title became Maharawal.[6][16] His other direct descendants migrated to the region that became modern-day Punjab, Haryana, and Pakistan.[17] Through his descendants that migrated, Singh is the direct ancestor of the royal families of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala, and Faridkot.[4][5][18] Singh's descendants that had royal titles maintained them until 1971, when they were abolished in India by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

See also

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History of Jaisalmer

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bond, J. W.; Wright, Arnold (2006). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. p. 325. ISBN 978-81-206-1965-4. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Erskine, K. D. (1909). A Gazetteer Of The Jaisalmer State And Some Statistical Tables. Ajmer: Scottish Mission Industries. pp. 11–12.
  3. ^ a b Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures. Vol. 2 (3rd ed.). London: B. Quaritch. pp. 406–407.
  4. ^ a b Singh, Kirpal (2005). Baba Ala Singh: Founder of Patiala Kingdom (2nd ed.). Amritsar: Guru Nanak Dev University. pp. 113–120.
  5. ^ a b Singha, H. S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries). New Delhi: Hemkunt Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-81-7010-301-1. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Clogstown, H.C. (1912). Provinical Gazetteers Of India Rajputana Jaisalmer State. pp. 207–211.
  7. ^ a b Vadivelu, A. (1915). The ruling chiefs, nobles and zamindars of India. Madras: G. C. Loganadham Bros. p. 205.
  8. ^ a b c Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series: Rajputana. Vol. 23. Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing. 1908. pp. 208–209. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  9. ^ Todd, James (2008). Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 2 of 3 or the Central and Western Rajput States of India. Project Gutenberg. p. 1169. ISBN 978-8174365798.
  10. ^ Lethbridge, Sir Roper (1900). The Golden Book of India. A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. With an Appendix for Ceylon. London: S. Low, Marston & Company. p. 112.
  11. ^ a b Naravane, M. S. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-81-7648-118-2. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Elborough, Travis (16 January 2024). Atlas of Unexpected Places: Haphazard Discoveries, Chance Places and Unimaginable Destinations (Paperback ed.). London: Aurum. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7112-9083-9. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e Manchanda, Bindu (2001). Jaisalmer : the city of golden sands and strange spirits. New Delhi: New Delhi : HarperCollins Publishers India. p. 24. ISBN 978-81-7223-434-8 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ Kothiyal, Tanuja (14 March 2016). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-316-67389-8.
  15. ^ Hooja, Rima (2009). A History Of Rajasthan (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Rupa Publications.
  16. ^ Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-81-206-1066-8.
  17. ^ Singh, Khushwant (24 July 2016). "Punjabi by nature: Punjab's Game of Thrones". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  18. ^ Bond, J. W.; Wright, Arnold (2006). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 232–242. ISBN 978-81-206-1965-4. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.

Further reading

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  • Martinelli, Antonio; Michell, George (2005). The Palaces of Rajasthan. London: Frances Lincoln. p. 271 pages. ISBN 978-0-7112-2505-3.
  • Beny, Roland; Matheson, Sylvia A. (1984). Rajasthan - Land of Kings. London: Frederick Muller. p. 200 pages. ISBN 0-584-95061-6.
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