History of Yug-Yugeen Yadava clan of Rajputs of Karauli Princely State–
Ancient Period History–
The proximity of the district to Bharatpur in the north it, to Alwar in the north and to Jaipur in the north-west lends the area the antiquity of the epic age. The region might have been included in the Marsya kingdom in the north-west and Surasena in the north-east. It might have formed part of one or the other or both(1). The Matsyas in the epic age lived to the west of Surasenas of Mathura Ray Chaudhary points(2) out that Matsya lay to the south of Kuras of Delhi and to the west of Surasenas of Mathura; southward it approached the Chambal, while westward it reached the forests skirting the river Sravasti. D. C. Sircar gives a larger territorial extent to Matsya when he says(3) that it comprised the modern Alwar, Jaipur (Sawai Madhopur was a part of the erstwhile Jaipur State) and Bharatpur (which has a common boundary with Sawai Madhopur district) States. To the east of Matsya was the kingdom of Surasena with Mathura as capital.
After the disintegration of the Mauryan empire and the end of the Greek invasion in the closing years of the first century B. C., the Malavas, Yaudhyas and Arjunayans established their tribal republics in various parts, the latter two emerged in the triangular region Delhi-Jaipur Agra (4).
It appears that early Kushana power had extended to this region. This is testified to by the discovery of a large number of Kushana records in the adjacent areas of the district. Kushana authority was supplanted by that of Saka Satrap after whose decline, subordinate ruling houses became independent or semi-independent. The Yaudhyas, during the middle of the 2nd century A.D. challenged the authority of the mighty Saka Satrap Rudradaman and became powerful during the 3rd century, only to be subdued by the Guptas whose dominations (5) in the adjacent territory is evidenced by the existence of their coins and sculptures. With the decline and fall of the Gupta empire, the Gurjara-Pratiharas came into prominence. In the later period of their supremacy about the second half of the 8th century A. D., the kingdom of the Pratihara Vatsaraj, included Malwa and east Rajputana(6).
About the first half of the eleventh century A. D. a Yadu family is found ruling on the borders of this district, at Bayana (Bharatpur district) with Vijayapala as the ruler. His successor was Tahanpala who, according to tradition, built the fort of Tahangarh (Tribhuvangiri) now within the borders of Sawai Madhopur ditsrict. When Muhammad Ghori attacked (1195 A. D.) Bayana, its chief, Kunwarpala, evacuated his capi tal and shut himself in the fort of Tahangarh(7 ) or Thangarh which he had surrender to after a short siege.
After the death of Qutb-ad-din Aibak, the Muslim hold over Bayana weakened due to the revival of the power of the dethroned rulers but Iltutmish again subdued them by storming Bayana and Tahangarh. The Yaduvanshi dynasty of Bayana and Tahangarh, being deprived of their strongholds and territories, migrated to other adjacent territories and it is not unlikely that a scion of this family established himself at Karkrala or Karkaralgiri .Later on his descendants came to be known as the Yadavas of Karauli(8).
Mediaeval Period History —
Like the Bhatis of Jaisalmer, the chiefs of Karauli also belonged to the Yadava clan of Rajputs This Yadava dynasty of Karauli began with Vijayapala, who is said to have migrated from Mathura and settled in the hilly region, where he laid the foundation of the fort and the capital of Vijayamandirgarh in 1040 AD. This fort later on came to be known as Bayana (now in Bharatpur). Tahanpala (1093-11591, son of Vijayapala, was a powerful king of this dynasty. In the course of a long and strong rule of sixty six years, he increased his power by constructing the fort of Tanangarh (the Thankir of Persian historians), 14 miles (22 km.) from Bayana, and by making fresh conquests. His extensive political power is evidenced by his title of Parambhattaraka maharaja dhiraja Parameshwaras (9). Tahan Pal was succeeded by his grand son Kunwar Pal. During his reign, Muhammad Ghori attacked Tahangarh and cap tured it. The government of Tahangarh was conferred (10) on Baha-ud-din Tughril. A short Sanskrit inscription dated Samvat 1244/1187 A. D. , on one of the pillars at the gateway of fortress refers to the fort that about 9 or 10 years before the Muhammadan conquest. the city of Tahangi was one of the great Shaivite centres (1 p.9).
After the fall of Tahangarh the Raj retired into the jungles. The two succeeding rulers, could not regain their patrimony . From 1196 to 1327 A .D., the chronology of this Iine is uncertain. It seems that this period was marked by disorder and decline of this dynasty (11).
Raja Arjunpala (1327-61 A.D) son of Gokuldeva of this dynasty, defeated Miyan Makkhan of Mandrail who was unpopular in the region. This gave him a foot-hold in his ancestral territory He further established his authority by suppressing neigbouring Minas and the Panwar Rajputs. One of his successors , Chandrapala (fifteenth in the line) was defeated by Mahmud Khalji of Malwa The raja retired to his capital after handing over Karauli to Khalji’s son Fidvi Khan .After being ousted, Chandrapala led the retired life of a devotee at Untagir. It seems that he and his successors retained their authority over a narrow strip of land around the place of their refuge, till one of his successors, Gopal Das, regained a portion of his territory during Akbar’s time(12).
The northern tower of the gateway of the fortress of Tahangarh has an inscription of three lines in very small writing giving the names of Ibrahim Lodi, Sikandar Lodi and Behlol Lodi with the date of A.H 925 A.H. /1519 A. D. and calling this a “place of rest” . This suggests that Tahangarh was an important place during the Lodi Sultanate of Delhi. The place appears to have slipped in the hands of Shershah as would be evident from an inscription, referring to Salim or Islam Shah son of Shershah (953 A.H./1547 A.D.) inside the fortress (1 pp.90-91).
During the reign of Akbar, Raja Gopaldas of Karauli was a mansabdar in the Mughal empire and subdued the refractory tribes of his principality and erected palaces at Masalpur and Zhiri and a fort at Bahadurpurs . He was succeeded by Dawarika Das, Mukand Das, Jagmal, Chatra, Dharam Pal II, Ratan Pal and Kunwar Pal II. Kunwar Pal II
(1691- 1724) helped Jaipur rulers Bishan Singh and Jai Singh II in suppressing the revolts of the Jats in the neighbouring areas. During the reign of Maharaja Tursam Pal (1757-1772) the Sikarwar Rajputs of Gwalior invaded and occupied Karauli. However, he ousted them and regained the territory.
On the decline of Mughal power, the Marathas started making inroads. The administration of the State during the reign of Gopal Singh II was in the hands of two able Brahman Ministers-Khanderai and Nawal Singh, who persuaded the Marathas to return on condition of payment of Khaundani of Rs. 13,000 per annum to them by the State. Maharaja Gopal Singh II subdued Muktawat and the Yadavas of Sar Mathura and extended his territory upto the hill of Sikarwar, a place 5 miles west of Gwalior. He was honoured with the insignia of Mahi Maratib by the Emperor Muhammad Shah in 1753. The next ruler Manakpal gave shelter to Rana Chhatar Singh of Gohad when Mahadji Sindhia seized his principality and ousted him in 1784 A. D. Mahadji Sindhia demanded his surrender but Manak Pal evaded it. Hence Sindhia sent a force against Karauli. There was a battle in which Rodji Sindhia was killed. But being hard pressed, Manak Pal had to surrender Rana Chhatar Singh to Sindhia. The Marathas under Sindhia took not only Sabalgarh but the entire Jadovati from Karauli and the Raja was compelled to pay tribute to the Marathas, which afterwards was commuted for the grant of Masalpur and its dependencies.
Modern period History–
In 1812, during the time of Maharaja Harbakshpal of Karauli, the Marathas invaded this principality to realise arrears of tribute. The Maharaja made peace with them by agreeing to pay Khaudani of Rs. 25,000 a year. This tribute was ceded to the British by the Marathas by the treaty of Poona (1817). The Maharaja had ceded the village of Masalpur and its dependencies to the Peshwa in lieu of the tribute, but as the arrangement was inconvenient for the British Government, the tribute was relinquished in November 1817 at the time of a conclusion of treaty by which the State of Karauli was taken under the protection of the British Government. In consideration of the relinquishment of the tribute, Maharaja Harbakshpal bound himself by this treaty to furnish troops at the requisition of the British Government, according to his means.
During the Regency Council at Jaipar, Prime Minister Jhotaram issued orders for increasing the troops of the garrison of the Khalsa forts.
This action caused a formidable out-break in the fort of Ranthambhor The fortress had a mixed garrison including, besides a limited number of Khalsa troops, a large number of contingents furnished by several chieftains. They showed definite signs of resistance to the orders. Jhotaram tried to carry out his scheme by a stratagem which, however, leaked out prematurely. The chiefs thereafter openly refused to admit more state troops in the fort. Those actually in it decided to defy the Jaipur ruler’s authority. As a retreat would have caused a disastrous foss of prestige to the Jaipur Government. Thotaram decided to us: force and collected large forces before the fort. This caused general uprising among the chiefs. They now demanded the expatsion of Jhotaram and his control over State affairs and threatened to march on Jaipur to enforce these terms. However they were prevented from carrying out their threat by a matching force that had been collected by Jhotaram who on the other hand found it impossible to dislodge them from their strongly entrenched position in the fort. To decide the issue two conferences were called by the British Government who told the rebels that they should obey the dowager Rani and co-operate with her or else the guarantee to protect them by the British Government would be withdrawn. This had the desired effect and the matter was settled peacefully.
Maharaja Harbakshpal of Karauli died in 1838. He was succeeded by Partap Pal, who died in 1848, leaving no male issue or a near male relative. During the rule of Partap Pal there were factional fights and British officers were on several occasions deputed to Karauli to mediate between the parties but without much success. Narsingh Pal, a minor, was adopted by the family as the successor of Partap Pal. Although there were many disputes regarding the guardianship of the boy, there was none regarding his selection. The Karauli State was at this time deeply in debt to the British Government and the recognition of the adoption of Narsingh Pal was withheld till the first instalment of debt was paid. This debt was originally due to the State of Bharatpur, which in its turn was in debt to the British Government. In arranging the liquidation of Bharatpur debts, the British Government gave credit for the amount due from Karauli and took upon itself the task of recovering it from Karauli In 1844, the Karauli debt amoanted to Rs. 1,54,312. Very advantageous terms were given to the ruler of Karauli. He was allowed 12 years to pay off the debt in instalments, and no interest was to be charged except on instalment remaining unpaid upto 1847 However, nothing had been paid by them and a further year and a half was allowed before the first instalment should be demanded. After some delay, Narsingh Pal offered payment of the first instalment, but as the offer was not made unconditional and the money was advanced by a speculator for employment in Karauli, it was not accepted. The factions at Karauli, however, were daily gaining strength and the British government, therefore, deemed it expedient to recognise the succession of Narsingh Pal, warning him at the same time that the payment of the debt would be exacted. As mediation between the factions had hitherto been unsuccessful, it was determined to send a British agent to Karauli to control the warrying factions and exercise direct control on the affairs.
Narsingh Pal died in 1852 having adopted on the day before his death a distant kinsman named Bharat Pal. It was first proposed to treat the State as having ,lapsed’ to the British government. The then Governor General Lord Dalhausie the author of the ‘doctrine of lapse’ recommended to the court of Directors that Karauli be merged into British India. But the Board of Control and the Board of Directors held that the rule could not apply to the Karauli State because it was a protectorate ally, not a protectorate state(13). So finally the adoption of Bharat Pal was recognised. In the meantime a strong party was formed in favour of Madan Pal, a nearer relative whose claim was supported by the rulers of Jaipur, Bharatpur, Alwar and Dhoipur(14). An inquiry was ordered, and it was ascertained that the adoption of Bharat Pal was in formal due to the minority of Narsingh Pal himself and the omission of certain necessary ceremonies. As Madan Pal was a nearer kin than Bharat Pal and was accepted by the Ranis, by nine of the most influential Tha kurs, by three-fourth of the minor feudal retainers of the State, and by the general feeling in the State, he was recognised in 1854 as the rightful successor of Narsingh Pal. The direct interference of the Political Agent in the internal administration was withdrawn and the Agency was removed in 1855, but Madan Pal was warned that in the event of his failing in the
regular payment of the annum instalment of the debt, then reduced to Rs. 83,312, one or more of his districts would be sequestrated till the entire debt was liquidated (14).
During the upheaval of 1857, a party of insurgents was captured(15) at Hindaun. They were despatched to the court of Joint Magistrate ar Agra for trial ; 17 of them were hanged, seven acquitted and one died while under trial. The Maharaja of Kota was besieged by the insurgents in his own palace at Kota. Maharaja Madan Pal sent a contingent to help him (16) . In consideration of the services rendered by the ruler of Karauli to the British during the upheaval of 1857, a sum of Rs. 1.17,000 due by him to the British Government was remitted and among other rewards a Khillat was conferred on him. In 1862, the ruler of Karauli received a Sanad of adoption and in 1867 was granted a permanent salute of 17 guns. In 1868 an extradition treaty was concluded with the Karauli State and the British Government for the mutual surrender of criminals in certain cases. This was modified in 1887 by an Agreement which provided that in the extradition of offenders from British India to Karauli, the procedure for the time being in force in British India should be followed.
Madan Pal died in 1869. His nephew, Rao Lachhman Pal was recognised as his successor: Lachhman Pal however died before his installation and the choice of the leading persons in the State fell upon Jai Singh Pal, a descendant of Kirat Pal, second son of Maharaja Dharam Pal. Jai Singh Pal was the nearest kin of Maharaja Madan Pal, with the exception of his own grand father, who was still alive, but who had voluntarily resigned the headship of Hadoti in favour of his grandsons (The Rao of Hadoti was looked upon as the next heir to the Karauli gaddi in the event of failure of direct heirs). The choice of Jai Singh Pal was confirmed by the British Government. He died in 1875 and the succession of Rao Arjunpal of Hadoti was recognised by the British Government.
Sujan Pal, second cousin of Maharaja Jai Singh Pal laid claim to the gaddi of Karauli and on the rejection of this claim, to the Raoship of Hadoti. A reference to the principal Thakurs resulted in their Unanimous decision that Bhom Pal was the rightful successor to the Raoship of Hadoti.
In 1877 at the Delhi Assemblage, the Government of India decided as a mark of favour, to remit the interest due on the debt then owed by the Karauli state.
In 1881, owing to the financial difficulties of the State, a tem- porary change was made in the administration by the transfer of the authority of the rulet to a council with fall powers to administer the State under the general control of the Political Agent. A simple code of law was also introduced in 1881-82 by the council.
In 1882, an Agreement was concluded with the Karauli ruler by the British for the suppression of manufacture of salt in the State. It stipulated prevention of the import and consumption of any salt, save that on which British duty had been levied, and the abolition of all stare duties thereon. The British Government in turn agreed to pay the ruler Rs. 5,000 a year and to deliver at Sambhar free of duty and cost, 50 maunds of salt for his personal use. The British Government subse quently agreed to pay Rs. 694-15-0 annually to certain jagirdars, as compensation. In 1884, the ruler abolished all transit duties, save on opium and intoxicating drugs throughout his state, and established a municipality at Karauli.
Arjun Pal died in 1886 and was succeeded by his nephew, Bhan war Pal, the Rao of Hadoti. The administration of Karauli State continued, however, to be carried on by the State council under the general supervision of the Political Agent, but in June 1887 the ruler was invested with greater powers, subject to certain conditions. The State cleared all debts in 1889 and Bhanwar Pal was given full powers.
In 1904 certain lands were ceded by the State of Karauli, free of charge to the British Government for the construction and working of the Nagda Mathura Railway (17). British currency was introduced in the State in 1906 in place of State coinage. In the same year the state again fell in debt and therefore, control over its finances was temporarily placed in the hands of the Political Agent of the Eastern Rajputana States. It extricated itself from the debt in 1913. On the outbreak of the great war (1914), the ruler placed all the resources of his State at the disposal of the British Government.
Maharaja Bhanwar Pal died in 1927 and left no heir direct or adopted and was succeeded by Bhom Pal Rao and later by Ganesh Pal who ruled till the merger of Karauli State in Rajasthan.
References–
1. Source: Office of the Director, Archaeology and Museums. Government of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
2. Ray Chaudhary, H.C.: Political History of Ancient India, Calcutta (1938), p. 137.
3. Sircar, D.C.:Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Mediaeval India, Delhi (1960). p. 105.
4. The History & Culture of the Indian People, Vol. II, Bombay (1960)p.166.
5-Imperial Gazetter of India , Vol.VII, Oxford (1901) ,p.137.
6.History and Culture of the Indian People , Vol.IV., Bombay (1955) ,p.22.
7-ibid.,Vol .V.(1957).,p.120.
8.Sharma, Dasharatha :Early Chauhan Dynasties ,Delhi (1959),p.105, fn.22
9-Archaeological Survey of India ,Calcutta ,Govt.press ,1885, Vol.20,p.39.,p.9, pp.90-91.
10.ibid.
11. Elliot & Dowson, Vol. V. p. 98; Jagdish Singh, Gahlot, History of Rajputana. (1937), pp. 601-2.
12. Comprehensive Hory of India (Delhi Sultanate, Chapter on Rajputana History, contributed by G, N. Sharma).
13. India Office Papers, 1853-54, National Archives of India, New Delhi.
14. Rajputana Agency Record, pp. 182, 231, 238, National Archives of India, New Delhi.
15. Foreign Consultation/S.C./April 30, 1858/149-150-A/NAL.
16. Mutiny Papers, 11 list, National Archives of India, New Delhi.
17.Aitchison, C. U.: A Collection of Treaties, Sanads and Engagements etc. Rajputan States, Treaty No. XII.
Author- Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hatharas ,Uttar Pradesh
Associate Prof in Agriculture
Shahid Captain Ripudaman Singh Govt.College ,Sawai madhopur ‘Rajasthan ,322001.