Suraj Mal
| Suraj Mal | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Bharatpur | |
 Maharaja Surajmal
| |
| Maharaja of Bharatpur | |
| Reign | r. 1755 – 1763 AD |
| Coronation | Deeg, 23 May 1755 |
| Predecessor | Badan Singh |
| Successor | Jawahar Singh |
| Born | 13 February 1707 Bharatpur |
| Died | 25 December 1763 (aged 56) near Delhi |
| Wives |
Maharani Kishori Rani Gauri |
| Issue |
Jawahar Singh Nahar Singh Ratan Singh Nawal Singh Ranjit Singh |
| House | Sinsinwar Jat Dynasty |
| Father | Badan Singh Jat |
| Mother | Maharani Devki |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Suraj Mal (13 February 1707 – 25 December 1763) was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in present-day state of Rajasthan. Under him, the Jat rule covered the present-day districts of Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Etawa, Hathras, Mainpuri, Meerut, Mathura, and Rohtak.
A contemporary historian had described him as "the Plato of the Jat tribe" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his "political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision." The people, under Suraj Mal, overran the Mughal garrison at Agra. In addition to the troops stationed at his forts, he had an army of more than 75,000 infantry and more than 38,000 cavalry.
Early life
Suraj Mal was born on 13 February 1707, to Badan Singh and Rani Devki into a Hindu Jat family of Sinsinwar clan in Bharatpur, Mughal India (present-day Rajasthan, India). Suraj Mal was the founder of the Kingdom of Bharatpur. The Hindu Kingdom reached its zenith under Suraj Mal.
Military career
Plunder of old Delhi
The Mughal Emperor had taken back the domain of Awadh and Allahabad from Safdar Jang, wazir of Oudh State, and to avenge his humiliation, Safdar Jang rebelled and attacked Delhi. Suraj Mal also fought under Safdar Jang against the Mughals. On Suraj's advice, Safdar Jang reacted by appointing Akbar Ādilshāh as emperor. On 14 May the supporters of Suraj Mal sacked Chārbāg, Bāg-e-kultāt and Hakīm Munīm Bridge; the next day, Jaisinghpura went on to burn several areas. On 16 May Suraj Mal under Safdar Jang attacked Delhi and defeated Sādil Khan and Raja Devidatta in battle.
Battle of Kumher
Mughal Emperor Alamgir II and his rebellious courtier Siraj ud-Daulah were having a factional feud. Suraj Mal had sided with Siraj. Alamgir sought the help of the Holkar Marathas of Indore. Khanderao Holkar, son of the Maharaja of Indore, Malhar Rao Holkar, laid siege on Suraj Mal's town of Kumher in 1754. While inspecting the troops on an open palanquin in the battle of Kumher, Khanderao was hit and killed by a cannonball from the Bharatpur army. The siege was lifted and a treaty was signed between Suraj Mal and the Marathas, which later proved helpful for Suraj Mal in consolidating his rule.
Suraj Mal and Abdali
After his victory over Dattaji on 10 January 1760, Durrani came to Delhi, and called upon Suraj Mal to pay him tribute and join his camp. On such occasions Suraj Mal invariably played a humble role, pleading that he was a petty zamindar. He informed the Shah that he would readily pay his share to the lawful ruler of Delhi at a fixed time. If Durrani stayed in India and assumed sovereignty, he would obey him as his legal master. At the time of the demand he possessed no money as his country had been ruined by the constant movements and pillage of the Marathas and Afghans. It was not in Durrani's nature to tolerate such defiance. He besieged Suraj Mal's fort of Dig on 6 February 1760. Later, he realized that it would require a long time to reduce the strongly fortified, largely garrisoned and heavily provisioned fortress. In such cases he did not make it a matter of prestige. He quietly raised the siege, and marched in pursuit of Malhar Rao Holkar.
Having routed the Maratha chief at Sikandarabad on 4 March 1760, Durrani marched upon Koil (modern Aligarh) which was ruled by Suraj Mal, and he invested the fort of Ramgarh which was commanded by Durjansal. The fort was well-garrisoned and fortified, and large stocks of provisions had been stored therein. The fort could have resisted for long; but the qiladar was disheartened at the occupation of the entire upper Ganga Doab by the Afghans, and to save himself from a massacre, he capitulated in a fortnight or so.
Capture of Alwar Fort
Madho Singh of Jaipur had occupied Alwar Fort by paying Rupees 50 thousand as bribe to its custodian and sending 500 men. When Suraj Mal heard of it, he despatched a strong force of 5,000 under Rup Ram Katari and the siege of the fort was taken up. Soon after Jawahar Singh also joined him. In the ensuing fight there, the Jats easily gained the day and thus wrested the fort from the Rajputs (c. 23 March 1756). The Jaipur ruler, though visibly mortified by the reverse, held back as he felt himself powerless in ejecting the Jats. This shows that Suraj Mal annexed Alwar by humbling Rajput occupiers, and not "by composition with its custodian."
Capture of Agra Fort
Suraj Mal decided to capture Agra Fort (which was closeby to the rich town of Agra) to re-establish his influence in Doaba region. On 3 May 1761 the army of Suraj Mal with 4,000 soldiers reached Agra under the command of Balram and gave the message of Suraj Mal to the kiledar (in charge) of Agra Fort that the army wanted to cross the Yamuna and required a place to camp, which the kiledar gave his sanction. Meanwhile, the army entered the fort, but was resisted by the guards, this resulted in 200 lives lost. The army started war from the Jama Masjid. During this period, Suraj Mal stayed at Mathura to observe the situation. On 24 May 1761 Suraj Mal along with Imād and Gangadhar Tantya moved from Mathura, crossed the Yamuna and reached Aligarh. From Aligarh his army moved and captured the areas of the ruler of Koīl and Jalesar. They reached Agra to help his army at Agra in the first week of June. Suraj Mal arrested the family members of the guards staying in Agra town and pressured the guards of the fort to surrender. At last the kiledar agreed to surrender by receiving a bribe of Rs 1 lakh and a jagir of five villages. Thus after a siege of one month, Suraj Mal captured Agra Fort on 12 June 1761.
Death
The Rohilla under Najib-ud-daula had now been encircled which made war inevitable. The Rohilla alongside Sayyidu Muhammad Khan, Afzal Khan and Zaibita Khan had mobilized their troops; though these were smaller in number and had inferior weaponry against Suraj Mal's army. The latter's army was then mobilized and with its superior numbers could have decimated the Rohilla in two days, but an ambush by Sayyidu near the Hindon river took Suraj Mal by surprise. Outnumbered, Suraj Mal attained martyrdom on the night of 25 December 1763. It is manifest that Suraj Mal was slain by a contingent led most probably by Sayyidu.
Legacy
His large cenotaph is located in Kusum Sarovar, Govardhan, Uttar Pradesh. His imposing chattri is flanked on either side by two smaller chattris of his two wives, "Hansiya" and "Kishori". These memorial chattris were built by his son and successor Jawahar Singh. The architecture and carving is in the pierced stone style and the ceiling of cenotaphs are adorned with paintings of the life of Krishna and Suraj Mal. His court poet Sūdan recorded his biography in Sujān Charitra.
Notable institutes named after him include Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology, Maharaja Surajmal Brij University, Bharatpur and Surajmal Stadium metro station.
In popular culture
- In 2019 Hindi film Panipat, Suraj Mal's character was portrayed by Manoj Bakshi.
- In 1994 Hindi TV series The Great Maratha, Suraj Mal's character was portrayed by Arun Mathur.