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Sikh-Rajput Relations During the Eighteenth Century
- Balwant Singh Dhillon
Rajputana, the land of Rajputs, lies toward the south-west of Punjab –
the home of the Sikhs. Though, there were so many thikanas of Rajputs,
sprinkled all over Rajputana, yet the ruling houses of Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Kota and Bundi were the prominent ones in medieval
India. Except the Ranas of Udaipur, almost all the ruling houses of Rajputs had
joined the mansabdari system to serve the Mughal state. Since the times
of Emperor Akbar, Lakhi jungle, the south-western tract of Punjab had often
been held by the Bikaner house as a part of their jagir that they had
got in lieu of their services rendered to the Mughals.[1]
No doubt the Rajputs were the immediate neighbors of the Sikhs and vice-versa,
and they often came into contact with each other but very little is known about
the relations between these two great people. Interestingly, almost all the
historical works written so far are totally silent over this issue. The present
study is a preliminary attempt that looks into the nature of relations between
the Rajputs and the Sikhs, especially during the eighteenth century. It also
makes use of the contemporary Rajasthani source material which has remained
unnoticed so far.
Early
Contacts
In the Janamsakhi tradition there are
scores of references that during one of his sojourns in India, Guru Nanak, the
founder of Sikhism, visited the land of Bikaner or the country of Rajputs and
had a dialogue with the Vaishnavites there.[2] However,
all the places visited by Guru Nanak and the persons who came into contact with
him are still shrouded in mystery. There exists a Sikh religious center
commemorating Guru Nanak’s visit to Kolayat, an ancient town in the south-west
of Bikaner. It is equally note-worthy that sacred hymns of Guru Nanak had
traveled to Rajputana at an early stage, chiefly through the musicians who used
to perform kirtan at religious festivals. There are scores of Rajasthani
manuscripts dating back to the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century in
which the hymns of Guru Nanak are found recorded in Devnagari script.[3] It suggests that Guru Nanak’s Bani and its message
were not altogether unknown to the people of Rajputana.
On close examination of the Sikh literature one can discern that the
two prominent personalities of Bhakti tradition namely, Dhanna (Jat) and Pipa
(Rajput), both from Rajasthan, have been highly appreciated for their spiritual
perfection.[4] Their writings had found their way into
the early Sikh scriptural tradition. In 1604, these writings found acceptance
with Guru Arjan when he was preparing the canonical text of the Sikh Scripture.[5] Therefore the writings of these two
figures of Rajasthan have found permanent abode in the Sikh Scripture. It
exhibits the all-embracing nature of the message of the Sikh Scripture, which
was an open invitation to all races including the people of Rajputana that they
are welcome to fathom the wisdom of Sikh Gurus and their Bhaktas. It is an established fact
that after the war of succession in 1658, emperor Aurangzeb took keen interest
in the religious affairs of the Sikhs. In fact he desired to place a person of
his choice on the Guruship of Sikh Panth. Firstly, he kept Ram Rai, son of Guru
Har Rai as a hostage in the Mughal court. Later, when Guru Har Rai expelled Ram
Rai from the Sikh Panth for altering the Bani of Guru Nanak, Aurangzeb
guaranteed a jagir to Ram Rai in the Dehra Dun hills.[6] Obviously, to rehabilitate him, and to
use him to counter the growing influence of Sikhism. In pursuance of his policy
to interfere in the religious affairs of the Sikh community, Aurangzeb summoned
Guru Harkrishan to the Mughal court though he was a child and had committed no
offence. The Sikh sources describe that during his visit to Delhi, Guru
Harkrishan stayed in the mansion of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur. These
sources eulogize the Rani of Jaipur for looking after the Guru and providing
all the hospitality.[7] In November 1665,
Aurangzeb got Guru Tegh Bahadur arrested and brought him to Delhi. It is said,
Raja Ram Singh of Jaipur intervened on behalf of the Guru and got him released
from the Mughal custody on the condition that instead of going back to Punjab
he would preach his mission in the north-east.[8]
Subsequently, Guru Tegh Bahadur left for his sojourn in the north-east and his
missionary work in the provinces of Bihar, Bengal and Assam which is well known
to the students of history. Our sources confirm that during his tour in the
north-east, he remained for a short time in the company of Raja Ram Singh of
Jaipur who happened to be there on a military expedition against the Ahoms.[9] It is believed that Guru Tegh Bahadur
played a major role to boost the morale of Rajput soldiers to face the occult
powers of the Ahoms.[10] It is
said that Guru Tegh Bahadur was instrumental in bringing around the Ahoms for
negotiation which resulted in the ceasefire. After the creation of Khalsa
in 1699 Guru Gobind Singh came into clash with the hill chiefs, which turned
into a battle between Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughal subedars of
Punjab. Subsequently, on the promise of safe passage, in December 1705, the
tenth Guru vacated Anandpur Sahib. However, it turned out to be a breach of
faith on the part of the Mughals, which resulted in the martyrdom of the
Sahibzadas and hundreds of devout Sikhs. In order to apprise Aurangzeb of the
injustice done to him by his subedars, Guru wrote a letter of victory
(the Zafarnama), which was delivered to the Emperor who was at that time
in the Deccan. Guru Gobind Singh’s
Sojourn in Rajputana On the invitation of
Aurangzeb, in October 1707, Guru Gobind Singh left for Deccan with the sole
objective to discuss the injustice done to him. Although the Emperor had
directed the Mughal officials of Punjab to facilitate Guru Gobind Singh for his
onward journey to Deccan, yet instead of getting any help from the Mughals,
Guru Gobind Singh followed an unconventional path which passed through
Rajputana.[11] Obviously, the journey
through Rajputana was a bit hazardous but in Guru’s mind his safety and the
well being of his Sikhs were a top priority. For that he depended on the people
of Rajputana instead of believing the Mughals. We are told by Sikh sources that
during his journey towards Deccan, Guru Gobind Singh stayed at Nohar (district
Hanumangarh) and Sahawa (district Churu) where Gurudwaras have been built at
places sanctified by the tenth Guru. Even the footprints of the Guru’s party
and beast of burden are still preserved in gypsum on the banks of a pond in
Sahawa.[12] We are informed that Guru
Gobind Singh halted at Dudu, which was a prominent center of the Dadupanthis.
Here Dadupanthi saint Jait Ram played host to the Guru and his party and had a
dialogue over the issue of use of force.[13] Guru Gobind Singh explained to Jait Ram that
to always remain non-violent is not in the interest of mankind. Instead of
submission, evil forces must be resisted. Perhaps this dialogue between Guru
Gobind Singh and Jait Ram proved to be a turning point in the history of
Dadupanth. Ever since its origin, the Dadupanth had been a pacifist movement
observing the norms of Ahimsa but in the eighteenth century we observe
Dadupanthi disciples who had taken arms organized themselves into armed bands.[14] Significantly, it was during his
discourse with Jait Ram that Guru Gobind Singh came to know about the presence
of Madho Das in Nanded who later joined the ranks of Khalsa to serve the Panth as
Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.[15] During
his sojourn in Rajputana, Guru Gobind Singh also visited Pushkar, an ancient
pilgrimage center. A Gurdwara commemorating the visit of Guru has come up on
the banks of Pushkar Lake. Another Gurdwara in the memory of Guru’s journey
towards Deccan has also come up at Baghaur.[16]
Except the above-mentioned nothing is known about other places associated with
Guru Gobind Singh’s sojourn in Rajputana.[17]
According to Sikh sources, Guru Gobind Singh was at Baghaur when he heard the
news of Aurangzeb’s death at Aurangabad on Feb 20, 1707.[18] As Aurangzeb had divided his empire
among his sons therefore war of succession was very much imminent.
Consequently, the political situation at the Mughal court was quite fluid and
therefore for the Guru to continue his onward journey to Deccan was of no
avail. In these circumstances Guru Gobind Singh suspended his journey to Deccan
and set off for Delhi.[19] Shahzada Muhammad Muazzam
(later on Bahadur Shah) was at Jamrud in N.W.F.P. when he got the news of his
father, emperor Aurangzeb’s death. He immediately rushed back to Agra and en
route reached Delhi on June 1, 1707.[20]
In the meantime Guru Gobind Singh had also arrived at Delhi. According to Sikh
sources Bahadur Shah sought help from the Guru to ascend the Mughal throne of
Agra. It is said Guru Gobind Singh dispatched a party of his armed Sikhs to
support Bahadur Shah in his war of succession.[21]
On June 8, 1707 Bahadur Shah defeated his brother Azam Shah in the battle of
Jajau and captured the Mughal throne of Agra. The Mughal as well as the Sikh
chronicles inform that Guru Gobind Singh had a meeting with Bahadur Shah at
Agra. The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere and some gifts were
also exchanged.[22] It looks quite plausible
that during his meeting with Bahadur Shah, Guru Gobind Singh demanded
punishment to Mughal officials responsible for the injustice done to Sikhs and
his family. Though, Bahadur Shah had
occupied the throne, yet he was not fully secure on it. He was obliged to Wazir
Khan, the subedar of Sarhind and the chief culprit of the Guru, for
raising a huge amount to finance the war of succession.[23] Therefore to take action against Wazir
Khan and his associates for committing atrocities on the Guru and his family was
most unlikely. At the same time Bahadur Shah didn’t want to give impression to
Guru Gobind Singh that he was totally unconvinced and unconcerned of his demand
for justice. Instead of taking any instant decision, the Emperor decided to
engage the Guru in a prolonged dialogue, obviously to make a bid for time. In
the meantime the political scenario in Rajputana had changed. Rana Amar Singh
of Udaipur had not bothered to come personally and congratulate the new
Emperor. Mirza Raja Swai Jai Singh of Jaipur had espoused the cause of Azam
Shah before the battle of Jajau. A dispute between him and his younger brother,
Kanwar Bijai Singh had arisen over the issue of succession. It prompted Bahadur
Shah to annex the state of Jaipur to the Mughal Empire.[24] Obviously Mirza Raja Jai Singh was
looking for an opportunity to regain it. Significantly, the Rajputs of Jodhpur
under the lead of Raja Ajit Singh had ejected the Mughal officials from
Jodhpur.[25] All these factors suggest that
Rajputana was simmering with discontent. It compelled Bahadur Shah to nip the
Rajput revolt in the bud. Accordingly, he set off from Agra (November, 1707) to
arrive at Amber on January 20, 1708. While he was on his way to Ajmer, Bahadur
Shah got report from the Deccan that Muhammad Kam Bakhsh had declared himself
independent. “From this time he resolved as soon as he had dealt with the
Jodhpur to march into the Deccan to suppress Kam Bakhsh.”[26] As the matter of Muhammad Kam
Bakhsh who had claimed himself emperor in the Deccan, was more serious and
demanded urgent attention, instead of getting bogged down in the desert of
Rajputana, Bahadur Shah adopted conciliatory approach to strike peace with the
Rajputs. On April 2, 1708 Bahadur Shah left Ajmer for his onward journey to the
Deccan. Before leaving Ajmer, he made sure that Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur
and Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur should not be left behind to awake the crises
again. Therefore he took along with him both the Rajas. According to William
Irvine, “there acquiescence in the semi-captivity was apparently nothing but a
mask for further plans.”[27] Very
truly, when the royal entourage was in the vicinity of pargana
Mandeshwar of central Malwa that on April 30, 1708, Rajas were successful to
make good their escape to surface a month afterwards (May 30, 1708) at Udaipur.[28] Here the three Rajput chiefs- Rana Amar
Singh of Udaipur, Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur and Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur
entered into an agreement for joint resistance to the Mughals.[29] Now we must leave Bahadur Shah’s march
into the Deccan to resume our subject of enquiry to see what Guru Gobind Singh
had been doing after his meeting with Bahadur Shah at Agra in July 1707. A news in the Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla
of July 24, 1707 informs that “in response to the Emperor’s instructions
[Guru] Gobind [Singh], [the 9th] successor of Guru Nanak, came duly
armed and joined his company. The Guru made a nazar of one thousand gold
mohars to the Emperor and received in return a khillat, robe of
honour and a medal studded with precious jewels as a present and got his
leave.”[30] The above meeting finds mention in the hukamnamas
of Guru Gobind Singh written on October 2, 1707 to the sangats of
Dhaul and Khara wherein he refers to some “other things which were progressing
satisfactorily.”[31] On the basis of above
two documents we can safely infer that Guru Gobind Singh was pleased with the
interview, friendly negotiations were in progress and on the termination of it
he desired to see the whole of Khalsa assembled again in Kehloor. Khafi Khan, a
contemporary historian reports that during Bahadur Shah’s march to Deccan, Guru
Gobind Singh with two or three hundred spearmen, came to the Emperor and
accompanied him.[32] According to the author
of Tarikh-i-Bahadurshahi, “Guru Gobind Singh one of the descendants of
[Guru] Nanak had come into these districts to travel and accompanied the royal
camp. He was in the habit of constantly addressing assemblies of worldly
persons, religious fanatics and all sorts of people.”[33] On the basis of above evidence we can
say that Guru Gobind Singh accompanied Bahadur Shah to Rajputana. It means for
about six months (November 1707 to April 1708) Guru Gobind Singh remained in
Rajputana. As told by Khafi Khan Guru Gobind Singh occasionally separated
himself form the royal camp to preach his mission. It is most probably that the
Guru came into contact with Dadupanthi saint Jait Ram and taught him that
instead of submission evil must be resisted. As described earlier henceforth
Dadupanthi disciples took to arms and organized themselves into armed bands. It
can largely be attributed to the influence of Guru Gobind Singh. Khafi Khan
also informs that Guru Gobind Singh used to address assemblies of worldly
persons and all sort of people. It suggests that many of the Rajputs, a warrior
class had got fascinated to Guru Gobind Singh’s spirit of defiance. It is also
believed that the confederacy of the Rajput chiefs that they had formed at
Udaipur to fight the Mughals jointly, was also the outcome of Guru Gobind
Singh’s influence to which they might have been exposed while coming into
contact with him.[34] Attempts to Form Sikh–Rajput Alliance Since October 1707 Guru Gobind
Singh had been in the company of Bahadur Shah. He traveled with the Emperor to
Rajputana and then to Deccan solely for his own purpose. At last he realized
that the Emperor would not redress the wrongs done to him by the Mughal
officials of Punjab. Therefore in the beginning of September, 1708 Guru Gobind
Singh separated himself from the Emperor to encamp at Nander. Here he met Madho
Das, a bairagi and converted him into the order of Khalsa and renamed him Banda
Singh. Before his demise on October 7, 1708 at Nander, Guru Gobind Singh sent
Banda Singh to the Punjab to carry on the struggle against the Mughals. On the
other hand when Bahadur Shah was busy in the Deccan, Raja Ajit Singh had
expelled the Mughal faujdar from Jodhpur to reoccupy it. Similarly, in
August 1708 Raja Jai Singh had taken possession of Amber after driving away the
Mughal forces stationed there. The Mughal faujdars of Mewat, Narnaul and
Ajmer were unable to control the Rajput insurrection.[35] It compelled Bahadur Shah to make haste
to Rajputana. Accordingly, he crossed Narbada on December 25, 1709 to reach in
the vicinity of Ajmer on May 15, 1710. On the intercession of Shahzada
Azim-ush-Shan, Bahadur Shah again resorted to conciliatory approach to settle
the issue with the Rajputs.[36] When
the negotiations with the Rajputs were going on, the Sikhs under the leadership
of Banda Singh Bahadur had taken possession of Sarhind on May 22, 1710. Bahadur
Shah thought of to resolve the Rajput crisis at the earliest as uprising of the
Sikhs was more serious and of more far reaching consequences. The first news of the Sikh
outbreak was brought to Bahadur Shah on May 30, 1710 when he was approaching
Ajmer on his return march from the Deccan.[37]
On June 21, 1710 having patched up with the Rajputs, Bahadur Shah devoted his
full attention to the new trouble in Punjab. Our sources confirm that the Sikhs
had routed the army of Wazir Khan, the faujdar of Sarhind and were
successful to liberate a considerable area falling under the chakla of
Sarhind. Towards the end of 1710 the Sikhs had become virtually the master of a
large tract extending from Panipat to Pathankot. The Mughal commanders who were
assigned the military campaign to subdue the Sikhs, had very little or limited
success. It brought the Emperor to the battle scene in the Punjab to personally
supervise the campaign against Banda Singh Bahadur. The alacrity with which
Banda Singh Bahadur moved from one place to another coupled with his power to
strike the Mughal centers of power was a serious challenge to the Mughal
authority. Bahadur Shah was compelled to mobilize all the military power including
that of the Rajputs in order to subdue the Sikhs. Banda Singh Bahadur was not
only a military commander but a statesman also. To overthrow the Mughal empire
which had vast resources of men and material, was not an easy task. He knew his
ability and limitations as well. Exhibiting the qualities of a true statesman,
Banda Singh Bahadur worked out a strategy to get together all the forces that
were reeling under the atrocitious and unjust rule of the Mughals.[38] In the immediate neighborhood of
Punjab, Banda Singh Bahadur entered into tacit understanding with the hill
chiefs who were somewhat dissatisfied with the Mughals. “It was with his
tactfulness and statesmanship and the demonstration of use of force that Banda
Singh Bahadur made the hill chiefs his allies. It provided him easy excess to
the hills.”[39] In this manner he has no
cause to worry from the hill chiefs who ruled from Sirmour in the east to Jammu
in the north-west of Punjab. We observe when the exigency demanded Banda Singh
Bahadur often went into the hills to avoid open and protracted battles with the
Mughals. We have already seen how the dissatisfied Rajput chiefs had formed
triple alliance to fight against the Mughals.[40]
Though, Bahadur Shah had patched up with the Rajputs yet Banda Singh Bahadur
knew the fragility of peace in Rajputana. In this situation Banda Singh Bahadur
took initiative to form the Sikh Rajput alliance, which was of great
significance, and advantageous to both the parties.[41] Infact Banda Singh Bahadur aspired to
capitalize upon the discontent of Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh over their
fortunes under Bahadur Shah.[42] Our
sources confirm that as early as May 1710 i.e. before the take over of Sarhind
Banda Singh Bahadur had opened his communication channels with the Rajput
chiefs of Jaipur and Jodhpur.[43]
According to a news that appeared in the Darbar-i-Akhbar-i-Mualla of May
28, 1710 "it was brought to the notice of the Emperor that Raja Jai Singh
and Raja Ajit Singh had got the letters of Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] and their
replies had been dispatched to him".[44]
Though the contents of these letters are not known yet we can foresee that
Banda Singh Bahadur was very anxious to from a Sikh–Rajput alliance to
overthrow the unjust Mughal rule. In order to restore Mughal
rule in Punjab as well as to subdue the Sikhs towards the end of December 1710,
Bahadur Shah had encamped at Sadhaura.[45]
However Banda Singh Bahadur escaped into the Sirmour hills to appear in the
Bari Doab. Even Lahore, the provincial capital city was not safe from the
Sikhs.[46] In these circumstances the Emperor
haste into Lahore to remain there till his death in February 1712. From the
very beginning Bahadur Shah desired that Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh
must join the Mughal expedition against the Sikhs. From December 26, 1710
onward we come across numerous express orders of the Emperor asking the Rajas
to present themselves at the Mughal court.[47]
Instead of adhering to the Royal edicts, the Rajas followed the wait and watch
policy. There may be more than one reason for it. As Banda Singh Bahadur had
invited the Rajas to join him in his struggle against the Mughals, the Rajas
had not yet made up their mind either to join the proposed Sikh–Rajput alliance
or to support the Mughals against the Sikhs. Secondly, they wanted to extract
maximum benefit in the form of jagir from the Mughals. We observe that
their Vakils present at the Mughal court were working overtime to
extract as much as they can. Therefore the Rajas deliberately kept on
dilly-delaying their arrival at the Mugal court. On June 4, 1711 Mahabat Khan,
the third Bakshi, summoned the Vakil of Raja Jai Singh and told him that
due to the delay of the Rajas his position at the royal court has become
precarious and his rivals are leveling various types of charges.[48] In an another report of June 4, 1711
the Jaipur Vakil describes that at the Mughal courts the Rajas are
labeled as liars and impression is that they would never turn up and who knows
for what purpose they have got together.[49]
An arzdasht of June 9, 1711 from Jaipur Vakil to his master
unfolds that by the grace of God he is quite hopeful that for a few more days
Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] would not be captured so that the Emperor may remain
entangled in the Punjab.[50] A
letter of June 13, 1711 from his Vakil counsels Raja Jai Singh that the
negligence shown to the letter of Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] was not good on
our part as it has aggravated the situation very badly and in future we need to
be very careful.[51] It suggests that a letter
from Banda Singh Bahadur meant for Jaipur chief had fallen into the hands of
Mughals. In the Mughal court there was apprehension that Banda Singh Bahadur
may go to Ajmer via Lakhi Jungle[52],
obviously to join the Rajputs. A vakil report submitted on September 16,
1711 unfolds that there were strong apprehensions in the Mughal court that the
Rajas were in league with Banda Singh Bahadur.[53]
When Bahadur Shah was encamped at Lahore a report came that Banda Singh Bahadur
has appeared near Ropar and may again go to Sadhaura. Therefore the Emperor
devised a military strategy according to which the Rajas were asked to station
their forces at Ropar and whenever the situation demands they were to support
Muhammad Amin Khan to subdue the Sikhs.[54]
All these reports provide
significant insights into the proposed Sikh–Rajput alliance which was a cause
of serious concern for the Mughals. However, the alliance failed to take off,
chiefly because of the indecisiveness as well as selfish interest on the part
of Rajput chiefs. Instead of throwing away the Mughal yoke forever they were
satisfied if they are left in quite possession of their hereditary country
coupled with an increase in their jagir or mansab at the Mughal
court. At the same time the Mughal nobles especially Shahzada Azim-ush-Sham and
Muhabat Khan were constantly in touch with the Rajas. They promised the Rajas
to protect their interests and finally succeeded to persuade them to join the
Mughal expedition against the Sikhs. Our sources indicate that the Rajas
instead of entering into an alliance with the Sikhs decided to help the
Mughals. According to a report of September 21, 1711 Raja Jai Singh and Raja
Ajit Singh had reached in the vicinity of Delhi for their onward march to
Sadhaura.[55] Another dispatch of
October 9, 1711 describes that Bhup Parkash Raja of Nahan who was imprisoned in
Salimgarh sent his men with a request to the Rajput chiefs to intervene to get
him free from the prison. The Rajas wrote back, they were the servants of the
Mughal Emperor and are going to Sadhaura. They advised the chief of Nahan that
he should write to his men at Nahan that wherever the Sikhs were found they
must be made captive.[56] Though
the Rajas along with their forces had encircled Sadhaura, yet Banda Singh
Bahadur again offered to them to form an alliance with him. The Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla
of November 30, 1711 informs that “the rebel Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur]
wrote to Raja Ajit Singh and Raja Jai Singh that they should come to his
territory. They [the Sikhs] should be considered to have reached their
territory. The Rajas killed the spies of the rebels and told that they were the
servants of the Emperor. The rebels would be captured or killed soon.” It
further adds, "Muhammed Amin Khan wrote to Raja Ajit Singh and Raja Ajit
Singh if they jointly marched against the rebel leader they could capture or
kill him soon. The Rajas wrote in reply that the matter be reported to the
Emperor. In case the Mughals were attacked by the rebels they [Rajas] would
immediately reach there".[57] It seems as soon as Raja Jai
Singh and Raja Ajit Singh got new appointments as subedars of Ahmedabad
and Saurath respectively and other benefits of jagirs, they left the
battle front of Sadhaura. A news of January 12, 1711 of Akhbar-i- Darbar-i-Mualla
states that on December 25, 1711 the rebel Guru [Banda Singh Bahadur] came
to know that Raja Jai Singh and Raja Ajit Singh had departed for their country.
He [Banda Singh Bahadur] collected his men and raided on the thana where
the said Rajas were stationed.[58] The
Jaipur records confirm that before their return march to Rajputana, the Rajas
visited Haridwar to perform the piligrimage.[59]
Anyway, the main objective i.e. the subjugation of Banda Singh Bahadur, for
which the Rajas had been called to Sadhaura was far from accomplished. The
Mughals who entertained apprehensions that the Rajput Rajas were in league with
the Sikhs, had very tactfully prevented the Rajas to enter into any
understanding with the Sikhs. To recapitulate, we can say that when the Sikhs
under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur were fighting the Mughals to
establish their own rule, the Rajput chiefs were sitting on the fringe totally
unconcerned. They were satisfied to administer their hereditary possessions
under the suzerainty of the Mughals. Unfortunately, they spurned Banda Singh
Bahadur's proposal of Sikh–Rajput alliance which would have been a formidable
challenge to the Mughal empire at that time. Who knows if the proposed alliance
had become a reality then the downfall of the Mughal empire might have been
hastened and the geo-political scenario of the Indian sub-continent would have
been totally different. Sikhs in Rajputana During the governorship of
Zakariya Khan (1726-1745) and Mir Mannu (1748-1753), the Mughal government had
adopted strong measures to root out the Sikhs from Punjab. They were hunted
like wild animals, prices were fixed on their heads, tortured and beheaded in
the most barbaric manner at public places in Lahore. In the face of persecution
and extreme hardships, the Sikhs were compelled to seek shelter in the forests,
hills and deserts. According to the traditional Sikh sources, to avoid
persecution at the hands of Mughals and their allies in Punjab, some Sikh
warriors along with their families moved to Rajputana and even some of them
joined the services of Jaipur state.[60]
So far no independent source was available to corroborate the above tradition.
The Sikh presence in Rajputana in early eighteenth century has been a matter of
conjecture only. However, recently the author of this write up has come across
a number of Rajasthani documents which prove that Jaipur state had taken the
services of some Sikh leaders chiefly from military point of view. The Jaipur
records confirm that as early as 1739, S. Gurbakhsh Singh, a leader of the
Sikhs had come into contact with the Jaipur state. In 1740, the same S.
Gurbakhsh Singh was entrusted to employ 500 Sikh horsemen and 500 riflemen on
behalf of the Jaipur state.[61] The
expenditure incurred by the Jaipur state on the hospitality of S. Gurbakhsh
Singh is duly recorded in the Jaipur records. Similarly, another Sikh leader S.
Mir Singh, a jamiatdar along with his armed band was in Jaipur and was
honored with a siropao costing Rs.48.75 at that time.[62] It was the time when Marathas had made
inroads into northern India and had started levying tribute on the Rajput
states.[63] It seems Jaipur state in order to
supplement its armed forces has no inhibition to enroll the armed Sikhs into
its army. On the other hand, the Sikhs who had come under the onslaughts of
Mughal governors of Punjab, not only got safe refuse in Rajputana but also
livelihood to survive there. It was mutually beneficial to both the parties.
Thus it was the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between the Sikhs
and the Jaipur state. The defeat of Marathas by
Ahmed Shah Abdali in the battle of Panipat in April 1761 was a severe blow to
the Maratha expansion in northern India. On the other hand the Sikhs who had
suffered heavily in the running battle (Wada Ghallughara of 1762) at the
hands of Ahmed Shah Abdali, threw out all the Afghan faujdars from
Punjab. In January 1764 they had reoccupied Sarhind and in March 1765 had taken
possession of Lahore. The Sikhs had struck a coin at Lahore to declare themselves
sovereign rulers of the country from Indus to Jamuna. Having liberated the
Punjab, the Sikh misls fanned across the Jamuna into former Delhi Mughal
province to establish rakhi system. A close look at the Rajasthani
sources confirm that the Sikh incursions were not confined only to
Jamuna-Gangetic Doab but some parts of Rajputana had also come under their rakhi
system. In the Jaipur records,
especially Tozi Sikhs, Siyah Hazoor and Dastoor Kaumvar,
we come across numerous entries from 1765 onward which relate to the Sikh
leaders namely Kesar Singh, Khushhal Singh, Tara Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia,
Kahn Singh, Bakht Singh, Sham Singh, Jassa Singh Ramgharia, Dulcha Singh,
Baghel Singh, Dharam Singh, Kalyan Singh, Param Singh, Sardar Singh, Sahib Singh
etc. who were in Jaipur. Besides the Sikh leaders their vakils such as
Munshi Mitha Lal, Munshi Ram Kishan, Jai Kishan, Harjas Rai, Nar Singh Das,
Gujar Mal, Amolak Ram, Balak Ram, Munshi Mansab Rai, Diwan Desa Ram, Ram Dayal,
Roora Mal, Abhai Ram, Mahesh Das, Basant Rai etc. who visited Jaipur on behalf
of the Sikh leaders to discuss important matters also find mention in these
records. The expenditure incurred on the hospitality of the Sikh leaders and
the gifts presented to them and their vakils are dully recorded in the
above mentioned sources. The Sikh leaders and their vakils visited
Jaipur year after year. What exactly was the purpose of their visit and what
transpired between the Jaipur ruler and the Sikhs? For all these questions
thorough investigation of Jaipur records is required. The Sikh–Rajput
Alliance In November 1764, Jawahar
Singh, the Jat raja of Bharatpur in order to take revenge on the Ruhela chief
Najib Khan for the death of his father, Suraj Mal, had led an expedition on
Delhi. At that time he sought the help of Sikhs who were in the vicinity of
Delhi. In January 1765, about 12000-15000 Sikhs supported the Jat Raja and
saved him from the rout of this misadventure.[64]
In 1766, taking advantage of the dissentions in Bharatpur house, Maratha
Supremo, Malhar Rao marched on Bharatpur to take possession of Dholpur. Jawahar
Singh again requested the Sikhs and agreed to pay Rs.7 Lakh in order to deal
with the Maratha menace. Accordingly, in March 1766 about 20000-25000 Sikhs
went to Jawahar Singh’s succor and chased away the Marathas to expel them
beyond the river Chambal.[65] There
was a boundary the dispute between the Jaipur and Bharatpur state. In order to
browbeat the Jaipur army, Jawahar Singh engaged a corps of 20000-25000 Sikhs
who had come at that time to his country perhaps to collect the rakhi amount.[66] In Rajasthani there are a
number of kharitas (letters) which describe the Sikh incursions into
Bharatpur and Jaipur territories. A kharita written on February 21, 1768
by a Jaipur official informs that the Sikh army has crossed over Jamuna and the
Jat detachment holding its thana there, has fled away after setting fire
to two villages of the pargana. The Jaipur army having vacated Narnaul,
has encamped at Hindon. The author advises the officials in Jaipur to make
efforts to strengthen the fort of Swai Jaipur.[67]
Another kharita written by Sampati Ram Bankawat informs that the fort of
Kama and the area around it has come under the attack of joint army of the
Sikhs and the Jats.[68] Similarly,
another letter written on March 24, 1768 by Nathu Ram to Sanghi Jiv Raj of
Jaipur describes that the Jat army of 15000 swars under Rattan Singh and
Samru Firangi has reached Khohri and fought a severe battle with the army of
Jaipur. It further adds that the Sikh army has departed against the Deccanis
(Marathas).[69] All these documents
provide significant insights into the Jat–Sikh alliance which was a matter of
serious concern for the Jaipur ruler. With the help of Sikh army, Jawahar Singh
had not only prevented the Maratha onslaughts on the Jat dominions but was also
making inroads into the Jaipur territory. As discussed above in December 1767,
Jawahar Singh with his immense force and artillery forced his way into the
Jaipur territory to make pilgrimage to Pushkar. While he was on his return
journey, he was attacked by the Jaipur forces and was compelled to retreat in
haste. The Jaipur forces followed him upto Kama where in February 1768, a fresh
Sikh corps came into his rescue and Jaipur forces had to withdraw.[70] In the meantime, Jaipur ruler Swai
Madho Singh had died on March 5, 1768 and the throne passed on to his elder
son, Prithvi Singh, a boy of five. The regency was led by the widowed queen
with the help of her father Jaswant Singh Chundawat supported by three
ministers–Khushali Ram Bohra, Raj Singh Kachwaha and Firuz Khan.[71] The regency at Jaipur realized that to
prevent the Jat juggernaut and Maratha menace, it requires the support of a
formidable ally. The Mughal emperor’s authority was on the wane. Naturally,
they looked towards the Sikhs with whom they had some contacts since 1739.
Significantly, in the Jaipur records there is a Rajasthani document which
describes the parleys that led to the Sikh–Rajput alliance. The document in
question written by Ram Narayan, a Jaipur official on March 12, 1768 Saturday,
states that “ the report regarding the arrival of Sikh army has already been
submitted. Raj Singh has also received a dispatch signed by all the Sikh
leaders. In it they have expressed grief and deep sorrow at the demise of
Maharaja [Swai Madho Singh] who was foremost among the rulers of Hindustan. The
Sikhs have assured to abide by the terms already agreed upon. The Jaipur
officials namely Gokal Chand Katara, Nand Ram and Azmat Khan had advised Raj
Singh to from an alliance with the Sikhs that they would jointly invade the Jat
territory to levy tribute and the terms of agreement already enforce would be
acceptable to the Jaipur state.[72]” The
author further adds that “the Sikh leaders will meet tonight to take decision
on the above proposal.” Though, in the above document the names of Sikh leaders
holding the parleys are missing, yet another document informs that on March 13,
1768 the Sikh leaders namely S. Sham Singh and S. Bakhat Singh were present at
the investiture ceremony of new ruler (Prithvi Singh) of Jaipur.[73] A kharita written by
Gangadhar on April 25, 1768 makes clear that Jaipur state had won over the
Sikhs and had agreed to pay Rs.2 Lakh as rakhi. However, there was a
dispute over the distribution of amount and the Sikhs were divided into two
groups. Khushhal Singh, Jai Singh Kanhayia, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Tara
Singh led one group whereas Baghel Singh, Sham Singh and Jassa Singh Ahluwalia
led the second group.[74] An
another kharita written on April 26, 1768 states that the Jaipur had
deputed its vakils to see off the Sikh leaders who were on their return
journey. It states that both the groups along with their forces have reached
Badarpur via Tilpat Ghat.[75] An
undated kharita reports that Bhatt Ji and Rawat Ji have informed that
the Pathan had returned and died. Now the power of Sikhs is on the rise in the
month of Vaisakh, they will hold a grand assembly to decide about the future
action. The Sikhs intended to come (to Rajputana). The payment of Rs.1 Lakh has
to be made to them. It suggests maintaining good relations as it is in the
interest of Jaipur state.[76] A perusal of Jaipur records
confirms that the Rajput–Sikh alliance formed in March 1768 remained in force
for quite a long time. An entry in Siyah Hazoor and Tozi Sikhs as
well is very note-worthy in this respect. It states that on March 3, 1788
Monday, S. Baghel Singh came and had a meeting with Shri Hazoor (Swai Partap
Singh) who was camping in village Ladhuwas of pargana Riwari. They shook
hands and thereafter sat very closely on the same carpet. For one hour they
held discussions on important matters. After that the Maharaja send him off and
presented to him four bundles containing costly gifts. Interestingly, the gifts
included a sarpech and a kalghi (plume) as well.[77] It suggests that S. Baghel Singh was no
more a marauder or mercenary but a respectable leader of the Sikh Panth holding
equal status to any ruler of Hindustan. To close this discussion we would like
to quote another very important document which holds great merit to look into
the Rajput–Sikh alliance. The document in the from of a treaty signed on
January 25, 1787 is as under: (Mark of sword in saffron
colour) Ahadnama between Sarbat Khalsa Ji and Maharaja Swai Partap Singh That there exists
acknowledged friendship between Sarbat Khalsa Ji and Maharaja Dhiraj, Partap
Singh Bahadur. It has been agreed upon by both the parties that the friends and
foes of one party will be treated as friends and foes of the other. Sarbat Khalsa
Ji will act according to the wishes of the Maharaja and the Maharaja will act
according to the Sarbat Khalsa Ji. That any newly conquered territory in
the zila of Bagar will be divided between both the parties after
deducting the expenses of army. And the rakhi in the new territories
shall be of Sarbat Khalsa Ji. There is no discord whatsoever between
Khalsa Ji and Maharaja. And if the enemies of the Maharaja create disturbances,
Sarbat Khalsa Ji shall join him. The holy Guru is a witness to this agreement
and might sword is in between. Written on 5th Rabi-ul-Sani, 28th
regnal year of Shah Alam.[78] The above treaty bears the
seals of eight Sikh Sardars–Baghel Singh, Dulcha Singh, Rai Singh, Raja Diwan
Bahadur Singh, Nihal Singh, Gurdit Singh, Karam Singh Bahadur and Sada Singh.
On July 31, 1788 the Sikh leaders had proposed similar treaty to Maharaja Bijay
Singh of Jodhpur also.[79] Another
undated document dispatched by S. Baghel Singh reminds the Jaipur ruler to
abide by the treaty. According to it “the friendly relations of the Khalsa with
the family of Maharaja Swai Partap Singh will continue as before. The Khalsa
agrees to devastate the opponents of the Maharaja. The Maharaja should not act
against this agreement and pay off the army expenses as already settled.”[80]
Conclusion To sum up the foregoing
discussion we can safely state that the holy writings of Guru Nanak had
traveled to Rajasthan quite at an early stage. The musicians, who used to sing
devotional songs at religious festivals, were largely responsible for
transmitting the bani of Guru Nanak to the people of Rajputana.
Similarly, the devotional writings of Dhanna and Pipa, who belonged to
Rajputana, had found their way in to the Sikh scriptural tradition. All these
factors suggest that Sikh Scripture and its tenets were not unknown to the
people of Rajputana. The analysis of Sikh sources confirm that Sikh Gurus
enjoyed cordial relations with the Rajput chiefs, especially of the Jaipur
house. Guru Tegh Bahadur and Raja Ram Singh of Jaipur had come into personal
contact and lend helping hand to one another to solve the crisis they faced.
During his sojourns in Rajputana, Guru Gobind Singh came into contact with
religious and the ruling classes of Rajputana. It seems, a lot of Rajputs were
attracted to Guru Gobind Singh, chiefly because of his spirit of defiance and
struggle against the unjust rule of the Mughals. The triple league that the
chiefs of Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur had formed in 1708 to fight against the Mughals,
can largely be attributed to the influence of Guru Gobind Singh. Similarly,
Dadupanth's decision to arm their disciples was the direct outcome of a
discourse of Guru Gobind Singh that he had given to Mahant Jait Ram over the
issue of the use of force. Baba Banda
Singh Bahadur had opened his communication channels with the Rajput chiefs quite at an early stage of his struggle.
In May 1710, he had proposed a Sikh-Rajput alliance to Raja Jai Singh and Raja
Ajit Singh in order to wage a joint struggle against the Mughal empire. The
proposal of such an alliance was of far reaching consequences and it would have
been a formidable challenge to the Mughals, however, due to their selfish
interest the Rajas spurned the offer, which was a big reprieve to the declining
authority of the Mughal emperor. During the period of
persecution at the hands of Mughal subedars of Punjab, the Sikhs took
refuge in Rajputana and some of them joined the Jaipur army. We also observe
that during the last half of the eighteenth century, to guide the course of
Sikh-Rajput relations, Jats and
Marathas were major factors. Raja Jawahar Singh of Bharatpur enjoyed very good
relations with the Sikh leaders. With the Sikh support he was successful in
warding off Maratha inroads in to his dominion and aspired to occupy the fort
of Kama, which was a bone of contention between the Bharatpur and the Jaipur
states. At the same time the Marathas were expanding their hold on Rajputana
and had levied chauth (one fourth) on almost all the Rajput states.
After the demise of Swai Madho Singh in 1768, the regency at Jaipur was in dire
need to wriggle out of the crisis created by outside forces. The Sikhs at that
time had become the sovereign rulers of Punjab, and they had successfully
established their rakhi system in Jamuna-Gangetic Doab including the Jat
state of Bharatpur. Naturally, Jaipur looked towards the Sikhs, entered into a
Sikh-Rajput alliance and agreed to pay the rakhi. In this context Jaipur
preferred the Sikhs over the Marathas as the incidence of Sikh rakhi was
much less than the Maratha chauth. Consequently, the Rajput-Sikh
relations had come to a full circle. The Rajputs who were reluctant to join the alliance
proposed by Banda Singh Bahadur, were now very eager to sign the treaty with
the Sikhs. The treaty of January 25, 1787 signed between the Sikh leaders and
Swai Partap Singh bears testimony to the above fact. However, it requires an
in-depth analysis to look into the impact it had on the contemporary Indian
politics. Anyway, the study of Sikh-Rajput relations is a very fascinating
subject, which is awaiting the attention of scholars for quite a long time.
However, analysis of contemporary Rajasthani sources is full of promise and it
can shed light on the lesser known but significant facets of Sikh history. Notes and References 1. Farmans, Manshurs
and Nishans Addressed by the Imperial Mughals to the Princes of Rajasthan, Directorate
of Archives, Govt.of Rajasthan, Bikaner, 1962, pp.1, 6,25,36,71. 2. Miharban, Janamsakhi
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Sachkhand Pothi), ed. Kirpal Singh, Khalsa
College, Amritsar, 1962, pp. 331-356. 3. Winand M. Callewaert,
"Manuscripts, a Precious Goldmine," The Journal of Religious Studies", Panjabi
University, Patiala, XXII, 1993, pp. 158-173. 4. Varan Bhai Gurdas, 10:13, 23:15,
24.5. 5. Three hymns of Dhanna and one by Pipa
have been included in Guru Granth Sahib,
see pp. 487-88, 695. 6. Ganda Singh, A short History of the
Sikhs, Panjabi University, Patiala, 1989, p. 46. 7. Sarup Das Bhalla, Mahima Parkash, Bhasha Viibhag
Punjab, Patiala, 1971, pp. 642-45; Kesar Singh Chhibber, Bansawalinamma,
ed. Raijasbir Singh, Guru Nanak
Dev University, Amritsar, 2001, pp. 62-63; Giani Gian Singh Tawarikh Guru Khalsa, Bhasha Vibhag
Punjab, Patiala, 1970, p. 634. 8. S.K.Bhuyan, "Guru Tegh Bahadur in Assam," Panjab
Past and Present," April 1975,
pp. 125-129; Ali-ud-din,"Ibratnama", Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur: Farsi Sarot, ed. Piar Singh, Guru
Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 1976, p. 113. 9. Hukamname, ed. Ganda Singh, Panjabi University,
Patiala, 1967, pp. 13,15,16; Ganda Singh, Makhiz-i-Tawarikh-i-Sikhan,
Sikh History Society, Amritsar, 1949, p. 83. 10. S.K. Bhuyan, op.cit., p. 129.,
Sarup Das Bhalla, op.cit., pp. 727-32. 11. Sikh History from Persian Sources, ed. J.S. Grewal and
Irfan Habib, Tulika, New
Delhi, 2001, pp. 98-99; Sainapat, Gur Sobha, ed. Ganda Singh, Panjabi University, Patiala, 1980, p. 95.,
Sukha Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi Daswin, Bhasha
Vibhag Punjab, Patiala, 1989, p. 370. 12. The above information is based on the field work conducted in
December, 2000 by the author
in search of Rajasthani Sources of Sikh History which is an advanced stage of its publication. 13. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, Sri Guru Panth Parkash, ed.
Balwant Singh Dhillon, Singh
Brothers, Amritsar, 2004, pp. 71-72, Sukha Singh, op.cit., pp. 372-373. 14. Gopal Narayan Bahura and Chandarmani
Singh, Historical Documents in Kapad Dwara Jaipur, Jaigarh
Public Charitable Trust, Jaipur, 1988, pp. Vi, 163, 180. 15. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, op.cit.,
pp. 71-72. 16. Sainapat, op.cit.,
p. 99; Sukha Singh, op.cit., p. 378., the Gurudwara building is not very old but a recent construction. 17. In order to unravel the mystery
surrounding the places sanctified by Guru Gobind Singh in Rajputana, S. Piara
Singh Bains a retired Rajasthan Police Officer
now settled at Bikaner, is working extensively on this project. 18. Sainapat, op.cit., pp. 98-99., Sukha Singh, op.cit.,
pp. 378-79. 19. Sainapat., op.cit., p. 105. 20. William Irvine, The Later Mughals, Oriental Books, New
Delhi, 1971, pp. 19-20. 21. Sainapat, op.cit., p. 107; Sukha Singh, op.cit.,
pp. 385-87. 22. Hukamname,
p. 82., Sainapat, op.cit., p. 114., "Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla," Eng. Tr. and Ed. Bhagat Singh, The
Panjab Past and Present, Panjabi University, Patiala, Vol. XVIII-II, Oct., 1984, hereafter cited as Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla,
p. 24. 23. William Irvine, op.cit., p. 20. 24. Ibid., p. 46. 25. Ibid., p. 45. 26. Ibid., p. 47 27. Ibid., p. 67. 28. Ibid., pp.
49,67., see also Jadunath Sarkar, A History of Jaipur, Orient Longman, Bombay, 1984, p. 161. 29. William Irvine, op.cit., p. 67. 30. Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla, p. 24. 31. Hukamname, pp. 187, 189. 32. Elliot and Dowson, History
of India As Told by Its own Historians, Vol. VII, Kitab Mahal, Allahabad,
p. 413. 33. Ibid., p. 566. 34. The point of formation
of Triple League by the Rajput chiefs under the influence of Guru Gobind Singh, was brought forth by S.
Piara Singh Bains of Bikaner during his discussion with the author in Oct.,
2002 at Bikaner. 35. William Irvine, op.cit., pp. 67-70. 36. Ibid., p. 71-73. 37. Ibid., pp. 104-105. 38. The Rajput chiefs have
appointed their representative known as Vakils at the royal court. They used to send their
dispatches in the form of Vakil reports or Arzdashts. Such Vakil Reports and Arzdashts
submitted in Persian and Rajashtan to the Jaipur rulers are now in the
Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner. For
Banda Singh Bahadur's tacit understanding with the hill chiefs the readers are
referred to Vakil Report Rajasthani, No. 52 and Arzdasht Rajasthani,
No. 203. 39. Muzaffar Alam, The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North
India, OUP, Delhi, p. 161. 40. See above note 29 and 34. 41. One such letter of
Banda Singh Bahadur proposing the Sikh-Rajput alliance is in theJ.N. Sarkar's
transcripts, National Library, Calcutta. J.N. Sarkar has got its copy from Kapadwara
Collection when he was commissioned to write the History of Jaipur.
For the contents of proposed alliance, see Jeevan. Deol, "Eighteenth Century Khalsa
Identity: Discourse, Praxis and Narrative,"Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity, eds.
Christopher Shackle, Gurharpal Singh Arvindpal
Singh Mandair, Curzon, 2001, p. 44. 42. Muzaffar Alam, op.cit., p. 161. 43. Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla, p. 27. 44. Ibid. 45. Arzdasht Rajasthani, Rajasthan State Archives,
Bikaner, hereafter cited as Arzdasht
Rajasthani, No. 195. 46. Vakil Reports
Rajasthani, Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner, hereafter cited as Vakil Reports Rajasthani, No.
46,48, 311, 351. 47. Arzdasht Rajasthani , No. 195, also see Vakil
Reports Rajasthani, No. 37,44, 311. 48. Vakil Reports Rajasthani, No. 61. 49. Ibid., No. 60. 50. Arzdasht Rajasthani, No. 203. 51. In Rajasthan State
Archives there is another category of documents in Rajasthani which are
known as Kharitas. It originally means a bag in which a letter when sent
to a great person is enclosed. For the document in question see Kharita
Rajasthani, No. 73. 52. Ibid., also see Vakil Reports Rajasthani, No.
57,261. 53. Vakil Reports Rajasthani, No. 67 54. Vakil Reports Rajasthani,
No.67,72,75,76,77,81,83,106,118; also see Arzdasht Rajasthani, No. 212. 55. Akhbar-i-Darbar-i-Mualla, p. 85. 56. Ibid., pp. 87-88. 57. Ibid., pp. 94-95. 58. Ibid., pp. 97-98. 59. Vakil Reports Rajasthani, No. 121. 60. Rattan Singh Bhangoo, op.cit., p. 227. 61. In the Jaipur Records
there are loose sheets on which accounts relating to different persons of
different castes and religious denominations are recorded. These records have
been further copied into a multi-volume document known as Dastoor Kaumvar. In the Tozi (account) sheets there are hundred of entries which relate to the Sikhs. These
entries have been recorded under the name of different Sikh leaders. For the
entry in question, see Tozi Sikhs, No.4. 62. Ibid., No.6 63. Jadunath Sarkar, A History of Jaipur, p. 183. 64. Jean Deloche (ed.), Wendel's
Memoirs on the Origin, Growth and Present State of Jat Power in Hindustan (1768), Institute Francais
De Pondicherry, Pondicherry, 1991, pp. 84-85. 65. Ibid., pp.
93-94; also see Hari Ram Gupta, History of the Sikhs, Vol. III, Munshi Ram Manohar Lal, New Delhi,
1980, pp. 54-55. 66. Jean Deloche, op.cit, p. 98; Jadunath Sarkar, op.cit.,
p. 256. 67. Kharita Rajasthani, No. 368. 68. Ibid., No. 259. 69. Ibid., No. 362. 70. See above note 66. 71. Jadunath Sarkar, op.cit., p. 259. 72. Kharita Rajasthani, No. 380. 73. Tozi Sikhs, No.31 74. Kharita Rajasthani, No. 387. 75. Ibid., No. 372. 76. Ibid., No. 56. 77. Tozi Sikhs, No.54 78. Gopal Narayan Bahura
and Chandarmani Singh, Catalogue of Historical Documents in Kapad Dwara Jaipur, p. 46. Its facsimile
appears at No. 54 at the end of above work. 79. Bisheshwar Nath
Rue, "A Treaty Proposed by Sikh Leaders to Maharaja Bijay Singh of Jodhpur," Journal
of Indian History, Vol. XXVI, Part I, April 1948, serial No. 76, The
University of Travancore, Trivandrum, 1948, pp. 65-66. 80. Gopal Narayan Bhaura, op.cit., p. 44.