Rathore Dynasty of Rajasthan: Marwar, Bikaner & Kishangarh

From a small chiefdom at Pali, the Rathores grew into the largest Rajput power of western Rajasthan. This part follows the clan from Rao Siha to the merger of 1949: the rise of Marwar under Chunda and Jodha, Maldeo’s contest with Sher Shah, the Mughal and Maratha years, and the Bikaner, Kishangarh and Barmer branches.

The Rathore states at a glance

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State	Founder and period	Capital	Notes
Marwar (Jodhpur)	Rao Siha, c. 1243, at Pali. Made great by Chunda and Jodha	Pali, then Mandore (1395), then Jodhpur (1459)	Main line of the clan. Largest state of Rajputana by area
Bikaner	Rao Bika, son of Jodha. Conquests from 1465, city founded 1488	Bikaner	Built in the Jangladesh among Jat clans
Kishangarh	Kishan Singh, son of Mota Raja Udai Singh, 1609	Kishangarh	Home of the Kishangarh school of painting
Barmer (Mallani)	Mallinath, 14th century	Tilwara and Malani, later Barmer	The Mahecha branch

Origin of the Rathores

The origin of the Rathores is as disputed as that of the Rajputs generally.

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View	Held by	Basis
Rashtrakuta descent	Most modern scholars	Rathor is read as a form of Rashtrakuta. The clan’s kuldevi, Nagnechiya (Chakreshwari), was brought from Karnataka, the old Rashtrakuta country
Kannauj and Gahadavala descent	Muhnot Nainsi and the later Marwar chronicles	Siha, a grandson of Jaichand of Kannauj, came west after the disaster of Chandawar (1194)
Solar descent (Suryavanshi)	James Tod and Dayaldas’s khyat	Genealogies tracing the clan to the sun. Dayaldas also names a Brahmin ancestor, Bhallarava
Other claims	Jodh Rajya ki Khyat and some scholars	Descent from king Vishvutman’s son Brihadbal, or from Hiranyakashyapa

The Kannauj story rests on events that are well known. After the Pratiharas, Kannauj passed to the Gahadavalas, founded by Chandradeva around 1090. His descendant Jaichand was defeated and killed by Muhammad of Ghor at Chandawar in 1194, and the kingdom was destroyed. Marwar tradition says that Siha, a grandson of Jaichand, came to Marwar on a pilgrimage to Dwarka and stayed at Pali, where he protected the Brahmins of the town. The Bithu inscription (Pali) of 1273 gives the date of Siha’s death and names his father as Seta, but it does not mention Kannauj or the Gahadavalas. That silence is one reason historians treat the Kannauj descent with caution.

From Pali to Mandore: Siha to Chunda

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Ruler	Period	Key points
Rao Siha	died c. 1273	First Rathore chief in Marwar, settled at Pali. Died fighting raiders, as recorded at Bithu
Rao Asthan	1273–1291	Took Khed from the Guhilas and Idar from the Bhils. Made Gundoch his centre. Killed in 1291 in battle against the army of Jalaluddin Khalji
Rao Dhuhad	1291–1309	Brought the idol of Nagnechiya Mata from Karnataka and installed it at Nagana (Balotra)
Rao Viram Dev	died c. 1383	Father of Chunda. Killed fighting the Johiyas
Rao Chunda	c. 1383–1423	True founder of Rathore power in Marwar. See below

Rao Chunda (c. 1383–1423)

Chunda was a child when his father Viram Dev was killed. His uncle Mallinath sheltered him and gave him the thana of Salodi. Chunda grew into a strong chief, and the Inda branch of the Pratiharas, then holding Mandore and pressed by the Tughluq governors, gave him a princess in marriage and Mandore as dowry in 1394–95. Mandore became the capital, and Chunda drove back a Gujarat army under Zafar Khan in 1396.

• Expansion. He took Khatu, Didwana, Sambhar, Ajmer and Nadol, and Marwar rose to a place of eminence.
• Death. In 1423 he was killed by treachery at the hands of the Bhatis of Pugal.
• The succession. Chunda passed over his eldest son Ranmal and named Kanha. Ranmal left Marwar and went to Mewar, which set off one of the most important entanglements of the 15th century.

Ranmal and the Mewar entanglement (1427–1438)

Ranmal’s sister Hansa Bai had married Rana Lakha of Mewar. She was meant for Lakha’s son, but Lakha married her himself on the condition that her son would inherit Mewar. Lakha’s eldest son, also named Chunda, gave up his claim and is remembered as the Bhishma of Mewar. He must not be confused with Rao Chunda of Marwar.

When Mokal, Hansa Bai’s son, became Rana as a minor, Ranmal gained great influence at the Mewar court. He also took the throne of Marwar around 1427. In 1438, the Mewar nobles, resentful of his power, had him killed at Chittor. His son Jodha fled, lived in hiding in the Jangal country for years, and gathered his forces.

Rao Jodha (1438–1489): the founder of Jodhpur

Gaurishankar Ojha regards Jodha as the first eminent ruler of Jodhpur. His reign settled the shape of Marwar.

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Event	Details
Recovery of Mandore (1453)	Jodha retook Mandore from Mewar’s garrison, helped by the Rathore nobles. Tradition credits the blessing of Karni Mata and the help of Rao Nara, whom he later made Diwan
Awal-Babal treaty	Peace with Mewar. The boundary between the two states was fixed, with Soja (Sojat) in Pali as its centre. Jodha’s daughter Shringar De was married to Raimal, son of Rana Kumbha
Founding of Jodhpur (12 May 1459)	On the rocky hill of Bhakurcheeria (Chidiya Tunk), 9 km from Mandore. The fort is Mehrangarh. Tradition says Karni Mata laid the foundation stone, and a man of the Meghwal community, Raja Ram, was buried in the foundation. The royal family still presents a gift to his descendants every year
Wars	Repulsed a force of Bahlol Lodi. Took Chapar-Dronpur from the Mohils and Fatehpur from the Pathans

Jodha’s family

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Son or daughter	Role
Satal	Succeeded Jodha. Founded Satalmer
Suja	Succeeded Satal
Bika	Founded Bikaner (1465–1488)
Bida	Founded Bidasar
Duda	Founded the Merta line, the Mertia Rathores
Shringar De	Married Raimal of Mewar

From Satal to Ganga (1489–1531)

• Rao Satal (1489–1492) died after the Battle of Pipar (1492). Tradition says he fought Ghudla Khan to recover women abducted from the village during a festival, and Ghudla Khan was killed.
• Rao Suja (1492–1515) held the state together after Satal.
• Rao Ganga (1515–1531) allied Marwar with Mewar under Rana Sanga. He sent troops for Sanga’s Gujarat expedition (1517) and a contingent under his son Maldeo to the Battle of Khanwa (1527) against Babur. In 1529 he and Maldeo defeated the rebel Rathore Shekha and Daulat Khan of Nagaur. He raised a paid cavalry, the Chindhars, stationed at Sojat.

Rao Maldeo (1531–1562)

Maldeo made Marwar the strongest state in northern India for a time. The Persian chronicler Ferishta called him the most potent ruler of Hindustan.

Conquests

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Year	Event
1536	Married Uma De, daughter of Rawal Lunakaran of Jaisalmer. Strained relations earned her the name Roothi Rani (the sulking queen)
1537	Laid siege to Jaisalmer
1541–42	Attacked Bikaner. Rao Jaitsi fell at Sohaba (Pahewa), and Maldeo took Bikaner. He also attacked Biram Deo of Merta and brought Merta under his control
Years of conquest	Marwar extended over Nagaur, Merta, Ajmer, Jalore and Siwana, and traditional accounts carry his influence into parts of present Haryana, Gujarat and Sindh

Humayun and Sher Shah

After his defeats at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540), Humayun wandered in Rajputana. Maldeo first offered him help, then withdrew, fearing that Sher Shah would turn on Marwar after finishing Humayun. Humayun went on to Amarkot, where Akbar was born in 1542. Sher Shah, who had learned of Maldeo’s strength, marched on Marwar.

Battle of Giri-Sumel (Sammel), January 1544.

• The standoff. Sher Shah advanced with a very large army and fortified his camp at every step. A month later his supplies were short.
• The trick. He had forged letters planted in Maldeo’s camp, suggesting that some Rathore commanders were ready to help him. Maldeo, mistrusting his own men, left the field for Jodhpur.
• The stand. His commanders Jaita and Kumpa refused to withdraw and charged Sher Shah’s centre with a small force. They died fighting.
• The result. Sher Shah won at heavy cost, and is said to have remarked that he had nearly lost the empire of Hindustan for a handful of millet. His general Khawas Khan took Jodhpur, and the Afghans held Marwar from Ajmer to Mount Abu.

Maldeo retreated to Siwana. After Sher Shah’s death in 1545 he recovered Jodhpur, Pokaran, Falaudi, Barmer, Kotada, Jalore and Merta.

The last years

The Mughals pressed Marwar after the Afghans fell. By 1562, Merta and Ajmer had passed to Akbar’s officers. Maldeo died on 7 November 1562, leaving a divided house. He had nominated his third son, Chandrasen, as successor, passing over Ram Singh and Udai Singh.

Marwar and the Mughals (1562–1638)

Rao Chandrasen (1562–1581)

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Event	Details
Succession quarrel	Ram Singh went to Akbar for help. In 1564 Akbar’s general Hussain Quli Khan occupied Jodhpur
Retreat	Chandrasen fell back to Bhadrajun, then Siwana, and later wandered through Sirohi, Dungarpur and Banswara pursued by Mughal forces
Nagaur Darbar (1570)	He attended Akbar’s court, saw that Akbar favoured his brothers, and left. Akbar placed Jodhpur in the charge of Rai Singh of Bikaner
Death (1581)	He never accepted Mughal suzerainty. Vishveshwarnath Reu calls him the Pratap of Marwar

Marwar was held as imperial (khalsa) land from 1581 to 1583.

Mota Raja Udai Singh (1583–1595)

Akbar restored Marwar to Mota Raja Udai Singh, a son of Maldeo, under Mughal suzerainty. He was the first ruler of Marwar to accept a Mughal alliance fully. His daughter Jodhabai (Jagat Gosain) married Jahangir, and her son was Khurram (Shah Jahan). Udai Singh received a mansab of 1000 on the occasion. His son Kishan Singh founded Kishangarh (1609).

Sur Singh and Gaj Singh I

• Sawai Raja Sur Singh (1595–1619) served Akbar and Jahangir in Gujarat and the Deccan and earned the title Sawai Raja.
• Gaj Singh I (1619–1638) served in the Deccan, in the pursuit of the rebel prince Khurram (1623) and against Bijapur (1631). He set aside his eldest son Amar Singh in favour of Jaswant Singh. He died at Agra in 1638.

Amar Singh Rathore (1613–1644)

Amar Singh, set aside at home, served Shah Jahan and held Nagaur. In July 1644, when the emperor’s Bakshi Salabat Khan demanded a fine from him for an unauthorised absence, Amar Singh killed him in the royal court at Agra Fort. His retainers, led by Ballu Champawat, fought the Mughal guards to recover his body, and the Rajasthani folk ballads still sing of the episode. The Amar Singh Gate of Agra Fort carries his name, and Jaswant Singh later built a chhatri at Agra for Amar Singh’s wife, Rani Hada.

Maharaja Jaswant Singh I (1638–1678)

Jaswant Singh was born at Burhanpur in 1628 and succeeded at the age of ten or eleven. Shah Jahan conferred on him the title Maharaja and a mansab of 4000. His minister at first was Raj Singh Kumpawat of Asop.

• Early service. He was put in charge of Agra in 1645 and sent to the Kandahar campaign in 1648.
• War of succession. He fought for Shah Jahan and Dara Shikoh against Aurangzeb and Murad at Dharmat (April 1658) and lost. Aurangzeb named the field Fatehabad. A traditional account says that when he returned, his queen refused to open the fort gates to a defeated husband and relented only on the persuasion of the queen mother. Historians do not give the story credence.
• Khajwa (January 1659). He withdrew from Aurangzeb’s army without fighting. Later, Mirza Raja Jai Singh mediated, and Aurangzeb restored him and made him subedar of Gujarat.
• Later years. He joined Shaista Khan against the Marathas in 1662 without success, was sent to Kabul in 1673, and died at Jamrud in the Khyber on 28 November 1678.
• Scholar-ruler. He wrote Bhasha Bhushan, Anand Vilas and Siddhant Bodh. His minister Muhnot Nainsi wrote Nainsi ri Khyat and Marwar ra Pargana ri Vigat, the latter an early survey of the districts of Marwar. Nainsi is often called the Abul Fazl of Rajasthan.

The Rathore rebellion (1679–1707)

Jaswant Singh died without a living heir, but two of his queens were pregnant. Ajit Singh was born at Lahore on 19 February 1679, and the other child died soon after. Aurangzeb took Marwar into imperial hands and gave it to Indra Singh of Nagaur, a grandson of Amar Singh, for a large payment. A Rathore delegation under Durgadas Rathore pleaded for Ajit Singh, and Aurangzeb is said to have demanded that the child be raised in the imperial household.

• The rescue. Durgadas and his companions got Ajit Singh and the queens out of Delhi. Tradition names the child’s foster mother, Gora Dhai, as part of the plan. Aurangzeb produced another boy as the true heir.
• Mewar joins. Rana Raj Singh I sheltered Ajit Singh and made the cause his own. Aurangzeb’s armies reached Mewar in 1679–80, the beginning of a long conflict.
• Prince Akbar. In 1681 Aurangzeb’s son Akbar rebelled and Durgadas helped him reach the Deccan. Durgadas later looked after the prince’s children and returned them to Aurangzeb, who honoured him with a mansab and the jagirs of Merta and Dhandhuka.
• Years of guerrilla war. Durgadas returned to Marwar in 1687, and with Ajit Singh now a youth, the Rathores won a number of victories.
• Victory (1707). Aurangzeb died on 3 March 1707, and the Rathores took Jodhpur on 12 March 1707.

Ajit Singh (1679–1724) after the war

• The Udaipur alliance (1708). Ajit Singh and Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber allied with Rana Amar Singh II of Mewar to restore their thrones. Jai Singh’s marriage to the Mewar princess Chandrakunwar followed.
• Mughal politics. When Farrukhsiyar posted him to Thatta, he refused and took Ajmer. After a settlement in 1715 his daughter Indira Kanwar was married to Farrukhsiyar. He later joined the Sayyid brothers in the fall of Farrukhsiyar.
• Durgadas’s end. Ajit Singh grew suspicious of Durgadas and drove him out. Durgadas lived for a time in Mewar and died at Ujjain on 22 November 1718, where his chhatri stands on the bank of the Shipra.
• Ajit Singh’s death. He was killed in June 1724. His sons Abhai Singh and Bakht Singh were held responsible, and the Persian chronicles name Bakht Singh as the assassin.

Abhai Singh (1724–1749)

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Event	Details
Gujarat	Defeated Sarbuland Khan at Ahmedabad and was made governor of Gujarat
Khejarli (1730)	The Bishnoi sacrifice. See below
Bikaner and Gangwana	Abhai Singh and his brother Bakht Singh of Nagaur attacked Bikaner in 1739. Bikaner appealed to Jai Singh II, and the Rathores defeated Jaipur at Gangwana (1741)

The Khejarli massacre (1730)

In September 1730, Abhai Singh’s minister Giridhar Bhandari went to the Bishnoi village of Khejarli, near Jodhpur, to cut khejri trees for the lime kilns and palace construction. The Bishnoi faith forbids cutting green trees. Amrita Devi Bishnoi refused and hugged a tree, and was killed with it. Her three daughters and then villagers from the surrounding Bishnoi villages followed, and 363 Bishnois were killed. When Abhai Singh learned of it, he stopped the felling and issued a copper-plate decree banning the cutting of trees and the hunting of animals in Bishnoi villages.

The sacrifice is seen as a forerunner of the Chipko movement. A fair is held at Khejarli every year on Bhadrapad Shukla Dashami, and 11 September is observed as National Forest Martyrs Day.

Marwar between the succession wars and the Marathas (1749–1803)

Abhai Singh’s son Ram Singh (1749–1751) was defeated at Luniawas (1750) by his uncle Bakht Singh, who took Jodhpur and ruled for a short time. Bakht Singh died on 21 September 1752. Ram Singh went to Jaipur and sought Maratha help, which opened Marwar to the Marathas.

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Year	Event
1752	Jayappa Scindia, called in by Ram Singh, sacked Ajmer
1755	Jayappa Scindia was killed at Nagaur on 25 July by two men sent by Vijay Singh
1756	Treaty. See below
1787	Battle of Tunga (28 July) near Lalsot. Mahadji Scindia faced the combined Rathore and Kachhwaha armies of Vijay Singh and Pratap Singh and withdrew
1790	Patan (20 June). Mahadji’s French general Benoît de Boigne defeated the Rajput armies. Merta (10 September). Vijay Singh was defeated again and ceded Ajmer to the Marathas

The treaty of 1756 ended the first Maratha war in Marwar:

1. Ajmer and Garhbeetli (Taragarh) stayed with the Marathas.
2. Ram Singh was given a share of Marwar including Sambhar, Sojat and Parbatsar. Vijay Singh kept Jodhpur, Nagaur and Merta.
3. Vijay Singh agreed to pay 50 lakh rupees as war indemnity.
4. Ram Singh paid 5 lakh rupees for the Maratha help.
5. Jodhpur paid an annual tribute of 1.5 lakh rupees to the Marathas.
6. Vijay Singh could act against Ram Singh if he crossed his boundary.

Vijay Singh (1752–1793) is also remembered for Gulab Sagar, the lake that bears the name of his favourite consort Gulab Rai. His successor was Bhim Singh (1793–1803).

Maharaja Man Singh (1803–1843) and the Krishna Kumari dispute

In 1803 the Mewar princess Krishna Kumari, daughter of Maharana Bhim Singh, had been betrothed to the Jodhpur ruler Bhim Singh, who died before the marriage. Man Singh claimed her as the successor. The Maharana instead promised her to Jagat Singh II of Jaipur, and the dispute drew in Marwar, Jaipur, Mewar, Bikaner and the Pindaris.

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Year	Event
1807	Battle of Gingoli (Parbatsar). Jagat Singh’s army, with Bikaner’s Surat Singh on his side, defeated Man Singh and besieged Jodhpur
1807–1808	The Pindari leader Amir Khan changed sides for money and joined Man Singh. His threat to Jaipur forced Jagat Singh to lift the siege
1810	Amir Khan attacked Udaipur. Krishna Kumari agreed to be poisoned to end the war. She died on 21 July 1810

• Nath influence. Man Singh was a devotee of the Nath sect and built the Mahamandir. His spiritual adviser, Ayas Dev Nath, was murdered in 1815 at the instigation of Amir Khan, who had grown jealous of his influence. The Man Singh Pustak Prakash library at Mehrangarh preserves his collection.
• British treaty. Amir Khan was expelled in 1818 and made Nawab of Tonk. Man Singh signed a treaty with the East India Company on 6 January 1818.

Marwar under British paramountcy

Takht Singh and 1857

Man Singh died without an heir, and Takht Singh (1843–1873), from Ahmednagar in Gujarat, was brought in. In 1857 he supported the British.

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Date	Event
21 August 1857	The Jodhpur Legion revolted at Erinpura
8 September 1857	Battle of Bithoda. Thakur Kushal Singh Champawat of Auwa, with the rebels, defeated the Jodhpur army
18 September 1857	Battle of Chelawas. The Political Agent Monck Mason was killed, and his head was hung at the gate of Auwa fort
1860	Kushal Singh surrendered

Later rulers

• Jaswant Singh II (1873–1895). Received the Kaisar-i-Hind medal. Swami Dayanand Saraswati visited Jodhpur in 1883 and fell gravely ill after leaving. He died at Ajmer on 30 October 1883, and tradition holds that he was poisoned through the court dancer Nanhi Jaan. The memorial Jaswant Thada was raised in 1899 by his son.
• Sardar Singh (1895–1911) and Sumer Singh (1911–1918).
• Umaid Singh (1918–1947). Built the Umaid Bhawan Palace (also called the Chittar Palace), begun in 1929 and finished in 1943.
• Hanwant Singh (1947–). Acceded to India in August 1947. Jodhpur merged into Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949.

The Rathores of Bikaner

Rao Bika and the founding

Rao Bika (1465–1504), a son of Jodha, left Jodhpur after a taunt from his father and moved into the Jangladesh with a band of followers and his uncle’s support. The region was held by Jat clans, among them the Sihag, Punia, Godara, Saran, Beniwal, Johiya and Kaswan. Bika used their rivalries to build a state.

• Karni Mata. Bika sought the blessing of Karni Mata at Deshnok, who became the family’s kuldevi. Her intervention led to Bika’s marriage into the Bhati family of Rao Shekha of Pugal, which ended the old Rathore–Bhati quarrel and brought him strength.
• The city. He built a small fort at Rati Ghati (about 1485) and founded Bikaner in 1488. The name comes from Bika and Ner (place). Tradition adds that the site was the birthright of a Jat, Nera.
• Karni Mata temple. Bika built the first temple of Karni Mata.

From Lunakaran to Kalyanmal

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Ruler	Period	Key points
Rao Lunakaran	1505–1526	Defeated the ruler of Nagaur. Called the Karna of Kaliyuga for his charity. Built Lunkaransar lake. Killed at Dhosi (1526) fighting Abimira of Narnaul
Rao Jaitsi	1526–1541	Defeated Kamran, Humayun’s brother, who attacked Bhatner and Bikaner (c. 1534), as told in Bithu Suja‘s Dingal poem Rao Jaitsi ro Chhand. Killed by Maldeo at Sohaba (1541)
Rao Kalyanmal	1541–1574	Fled to Sher Shah, fought on his side at Giri-Sumel (1544), and regained Bikaner. Attended Akbar’s Nagaur Darbar (1570) and was the first Rathore ruler to accept Mughal suzerainty

Kalyanmal’s younger son Prithviraj Rathore was a court poet of Akbar and the author of the Dingal classic Beli Krishan Rukmani ri.

Under the Mughals

• Raja Rai Singh (1574–1612). Took the title Maharajadhiraj. He had joined Akbar at Nagaur in 1570 and rose to a high mansab. Akbar made him administrator of Jodhpur in 1572, and he served in the Gujarat and Kandahar campaigns. He built Junagarh Fort (1589–1594) under his minister Karan Chand and placed statues of Jaimal and Patta, the defenders of Chittor, at its gate. The Rai Singh Prashasti is inscribed on the fort. He spent heavily on famine relief and is called the Karna of Rajputana.
• Karan Singh (1631–1669). Called Jangaldhar Badshah. He fought the Matire ri Raad against Amar Singh Rathore of Nagaur over the border village of Jakhaniya. He built Karan Mahal. His court scholar Gangananda Maithil wrote Karnabhushana and Kavya Dakini.
• Anup Singh (1669–1698). Served Aurangzeb in the Deccan at Bijapur and Golconda and received the title Maharaja. A scholar and patron, he founded the Anup Sanskrit Library and built Anup Mahal at Junagarh.

Later Bikaner

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Ruler	Key points
Sujan Singh (1700–1735)	Invited merchants to settle at Sujangarh
Gaj Singh (1746–1787)	Obtained the right to mint coins from Emperor Alamgir II
Surat Singh (1787–1828)	Took Bhatner from the Bhattis in 1805, on a Tuesday, and renamed it Hanumangarh. Joined Jaipur against Jodhpur in 1807. Signed the treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British on 9 March 1818
Sardar Singh (1851–1872)	Marched in person to help the British in 1857
Dungar Singh (1872–1887)	Built a modern police, hospital and administration

Maharaja Ganga Singh (1887–1943)

Ganga Singh succeeded his brother Dungar Singh as a child and took full powers in 1898. He is the most celebrated Rajasthan ruler of the modern age.

• Gang Canal. Brought the waters of the Sutlej from Ferozepur to the Bikaner desert. It was opened by Viceroy Lord Irwin in 1927, and the town of Ganganagar is named for him.
• War and diplomacy. He raised the Ganga Risala camel corps, which served in China (1901) and Somaliland (1903), and served in the First World War in France and Egypt. He represented India at the Imperial War Conference and Cabinet (1917) and signed the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919 as a representative of India.
• Chamber of Princes. The first Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes (1921), he upheld the rights of the princes and argued for a federal India.
• Buildings. Lalgarh Palace (1902–1926), designed by Sir Swinton Jacob, and the Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum.

Sadul Singh (1943–1950) signed the instrument of accession on 7 August 1947. Bikaner merged into Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949. His son Karni Singh was a Lok Sabha member and a champion shooter.

Smaller Rathore branches

Kishangarh

Kishan Singh, a son of Mota Raja Udai Singh of Marwar, founded Kishangarh in 1609.

• Sawant Singh (1748–1757). A devotee of Krishna who wrote poetry as Nagari Das. He abdicated in 1757 and went to Vrindavan. His son Sardar Singh ruled the new state of Roopnagar after the partition of Kishangarh.
• Kishangarh school of painting. Developed at his court under the painter Nihal Chand. Its hallmark is the elongated face with sharp features, almond eyes and pastel colours. The best-known work, Bani Thani (about 1750), is thought to have been modelled on Savant Singh’s consort and singer, and is called the Mona Lisa of India.
• British treaty. Kishangarh signed with the British on 26 March 1818.

Barmer (Mallani)

Mallinath, a son of Rao Salkha of Khed and the uncle who sheltered Chunda, founded the Mahecha branch of the Rathores. The land along the Luni was called Malani after him, and he is worshipped as a folk deity. The Tilwara fair is held in his honour. The old name of Barmer was Bahadamer, after the Parmar ruler Bahada Rao of the 13th century, and the present city was founded by Rawat Bhima in the 16th century.

Cultural contributions

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Work or figure	Details
Jaswant Singh I	Bhasha Bhushan, Anand Vilas, Siddhant Bodh
Muhnot Nainsi	Nainsi ri Khyat, Marwar ra Pargana ri Vigat
Prithviraj Rathore (Bikaner)	Beli Krishan Rukmani ri
Bithu Suja	Rao Jaitsi ro Chhand
Anup Singh	Anup Sanskrit Library, Bikaner
Forts and palaces	Mehrangarh (Jodha), Junagarh (Rai Singh), Umaid Bhawan and Lalgarh

Timeline at a glance

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Date	Event
1194 CE	Jaichand of Kannauj falls at Chandawar
c. 1273 CE	Death of Rao Siha, recorded at Bithu
1394–95 CE	Rao Chunda gets Mandore in dowry
1423 CE	Chunda killed by the Bhatis of Pugal
1438 CE	Ranmal killed at Chittor
1453 CE	Jodha retakes Mandore. Awal-Babal treaty
12 May 1459	Jodhpur and Mehrangarh founded
1488 CE	Bikaner founded by Rao Bika
1527 CE	Marwar contingent at Khanwa
1541 CE	Jaitsi killed at Sohaba, Bikaner taken
January 1544	Battle of Giri-Sumel
1570 CE	Nagaur Darbar
1609 CE	Kishangarh founded
1644 CE	Amar Singh Rathore kills Salabat Khan
April 1658	Battle of Dharmat
28 November 1678	Death of Jaswant Singh at Jamrud
1679–1707	Rathore rebellion
1730 CE	Khejarli massacre
1755 CE	Jayappa Scindia killed at Nagaur
1787 CE	Battle of Tunga
1790 CE	Patan and Merta. Ajmer lost
1807–1810	Gingoli and the Krishna Kumari affair
1818 CE	British treaties: Jodhpur (6 Jan), Bikaner (9 Mar), Kishangarh (26 Mar)
1857 CE	Auwa rebellion, Bithoda and Chelawas
1927 CE	Gang Canal opened
30 March 1949	Jodhpur and Bikaner merge into Greater Rajasthan

Conclusion

The Rathores reached Marwar as small chiefs and rose through marriage, patience and war. Chunda gave them Mandore, Jodha gave them a capital and a boundary with Mewar, and Maldeo took them to the front rank of north India before Sher Shah’s stratagem at Giri-Sumel broke the advance. Under the Mughals the house split between those who served the empire, such as Udai Singh and Rai Singh of Bikaner, and those who resisted it, such as Chandrasen and Durgadas. The thirty years of the Rathore rebellion gave Marwar its sense of a cause, and the Khejarli sacrifice gave it a moral memory. The Marathas, Pindaris and the Krishna Kumari affair wore the state down until the British treaties of 1818 offered protection at the cost of independence. Bikaner, founded by Jodha’s son, rose from the Jangladesh and, under Ganga Singh, turned a desert state into a canal-fed one. Kishangarh added art and Barmer a folk saint. Jodhpur and Bikaner merged into Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949.

Practice questions

Q1. Consider the following statements about the early Rathores of Marwar.

1. The Bithu inscription of 1273 records the death of Rao Siha.
2. Rao Chunda received Mandore in dowry from the Inda branch of the Pratiharas.
3. Rao Chunda founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 2 and 3 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a). Jodhpur was founded by Rao Jodha in 1459.

Q2. Assertion (A): The Awal-Babal treaty brought peace between Marwar and Mewar in the reign of Rao Jodha.

Reason (R): It fixed the boundary between the two states and was sealed by the marriage of Jodha’s daughter Shringar De to Raimal, son of Rana Kumbha.

• (a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
• (b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
• (c) A is true, but R is false
• (d) A is false, but R is true

Answer: (a)

Q3. Match the battle with the opponent of the Rajput or Rathore side.

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Battle	Opponent
A. Giri-Sumel (1544)	1. Sher Shah Suri
B. Dharmat (1658)	2. Aurangzeb
C. Tunga (1787)	3. Mahadji Scindia
D. Merta (1790)	4. Benoît de Boigne

• (a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• (b) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
• (c) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• (d) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

Answer: (a)

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Khejarli massacre.

1. It took place in 1730 in the reign of Abhai Singh of Marwar.
2. Amrita Devi Bishnoi led the villagers, and 363 Bishnois were killed.
3. The tree-felling was ordered by Maharaja Ajit Singh for the construction of Mehrangarh.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 2 and 3 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a). The felling party was led by Abhai Singh’s minister Giridhar Bhandari. Ajit Singh had died in 1724.

Q5. Consider the following statements about the Rathore rebellion (1679–1707).

1. Ajit Singh was born after the death of Jaswant Singh in 1678.
2. Durgadas Rathore died at Ujjain in 1718.
3. Aurangzeb at once recognised Ajit Singh as the ruler of Marwar.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 2 and 3 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a). Aurangzeb gave Marwar to Indra Singh of Nagaur and held it as imperial land.

Q6. Arrange the following events in chronological order.

1. Battle of Giri-Sumel
2. Founding of Bikaner
3. Battle of Tunga
4. Founding of Jodhpur

• (a) 4, 2, 1, 3
• (b) 2, 4, 1, 3
• (c) 4, 2, 3, 1
• (d) 2, 4, 3, 1

Answer: (a)

Q7. Which of the following statements about Bikaner is NOT correct?

• (a) Rao Bika founded the city of Bikaner in 1488.
• (b) Junagarh Fort was built in the reign of Raja Rai Singh.
• (c) The Gang Canal was opened in 1927 in the reign of Maharaja Ganga Singh.
• (d) Rao Lunakaran was killed at Sohaba by the forces of Maldeo.

Answer: (d). It was Rao Jaitsi who fell at Sohaba (1541). Lunakaran died at Dhosi in 1526.

Q8. Match the work with its author.

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Work	Author
A. Bhasha Bhushan	1. Jaswant Singh I
B. Marwar ra Pargana ri Vigat	2. Muhnot Nainsi
C. Beli Krishan Rukmani ri	3. Prithviraj Rathore of Bikaner
D. Rao Jaitsi ro Chhand	4. Bithu Suja

• (a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• (b) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
• (c) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• (d) A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1

Answer: (a)

Q9. Examine the role of Durgadas Rathore and the Rathore rebellion of 1679–1707 in the history of Marwar. (250 words)

Answer pointers: Jaswant Singh’s death at Jamrud and the succession crisis; Indra Singh and Mughal annexation; rescue of the infant Ajit Singh and the part of Gora Dhai; the Rathore–Sisodia alliance and Aurangzeb’s Mewar campaign; Durgadas and Prince Akbar; guerrilla war; recovery of Jodhpur on 12 March 1707; the Udaipur alliance of 1708; Durgadas’s break with Ajit Singh and his death at Ujjain.

Q10. Assess the reign of Rao Maldeo as the high point of Marwar. (250 words)

Answer pointers: extent of conquests including Bikaner, Merta, Nagaur and Jalore; Ferishta’s tribute; Humayun’s flight and Maldeo’s withdrawal; Sher Shah’s forged letters; Giri-Sumel and the stand of Jaita and Kumpa; loss of Jodhpur and recovery in 1545; Mughal gains at Merta and Ajmer; the succession dispute among his sons.

Q11. How did the Marathas and the Krishna Kumari dispute weaken Marwar between 1750 and 1810? (150 words)

Answer pointers: Ram Singh’s invitation to Jayappa Scindia; the killing at Nagaur in 1755 and the treaty of 1756; Tunga, Patan and Merta and the loss of Ajmer; the Krishna Kumari dispute with Jaipur and Mewar; Gingoli; Amir Khan Pindari and the poisoning of Krishna Kumari in 1810; the search for British protection in 1818.

Q12. Explain the contribution of Maharaja Ganga Singh to Bikaner and to the Indian princely order. (150 words)

Answer pointers: accession and reforms from 1898; the Gang Canal of 1927 and Ganganagar; the Ganga Risala and war service; the Imperial War Conference and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles; the Chamber of Princes and his plea for federation; Lalgarh Palace and public buildings.