Zalim Singh
Zalim Singh (1739-1824), sometimes refer as Zalim Singh Jhala or Zalim Singh of Kotah, a Jhala rajput, was an administrator, reformer and army commander of Kota state. He was the de facto ruler of Kota State from 1770 to until his death in 1824.
Birth
[edit]He was born in 1739 to Prithvi Singh and later adopted by his paternal uncle, Himmat Singh.[1][2]
Early career
[edit]Upon Himmat Singh's death in 1758, he at the age of eighteen succeeded him in his jagir of Nanta and as Faujdar, or Commander, of the state troops of Kota State.[1][2][3] Three years later, he was instrumental in leading the Kota troops to a decisive victory over the Jaipur army at Bhatwara, where seventeen elephants, 1,800 horses, 73 pieces of cannon, and a state flag of Jaipur fell into the hands of the Kota troops.[1][3][4] Following the battle, Maharao Raja Shatru Sal of Kota welcomed him with great honor in an open durbar to celebrate the victory and acknowledged the valuable services he had rendered.[1]
Musahib-i-Ala of Kota
[edit]Sometime after Guman Singh became Maharao Raja of Kota, he appointed him as Musahib-i-Ala, or the Diwan, on 28 December 1764.[1][5]
Leaving Kota
[edit]Later, the relationship between him and Guman Singh became tense due to their rivalry over a woman whom the Guman intended to bring into his zenana.[1][2][3] He left Kota and went to Udaipur, where he was received by Raj Rana of Bari Sadri, who introduced him to the Maharana Ari Singh, who quickly took him into his service.[1] Maharana granted him the jagir of Cheeta Khera and Kirpapur, the title of Raj Rana,[3] and married him to the daughter of his cousin.[1] When attempts were made to dethrone the Maharana, he garnered the support of the nobility of Mewar and the Rajadhiraj of Shahpura, and secured military aid from Peshwa officers in favor of the Maharana.[1] He fought alongside Maharana and his troops in 1769 against Mahadaji Shinde on the banks of the Shipra, where they emerged victorious.[1][6] However, the situation soon turned unfavorable due to the rash abandonment of the Rajputs.[1] Mahadji used this to his advantage and defeated them.[1] Zalim Singh's horse was killed on the battlefield, and he was seriously wounded and taken prisoner by the Marathas.[1][6] He was held at Gugor Fort and released in 1769 due to the intervention of his old friend, Ambaji Ingle.[1] Ambaji asked his wife, a rakhi sister of Mahadji Shinde, to request Zalim Singh's release on Raksha Bandhan after tying rakhi to Mahadji.[1] When she made the request, Mahadji granted it.[1]
Recalled to Kota
[edit]In 1771, when Guman Singh was on his deathbed, he summoned Zalim Singh back to Kota.[2][3] Upon his return, he reinstated him as the Faujdar and allocated a part of Garh Palace for his residence, where Zalim constructed Jhala ki Haveli.[1][7] Guman Singh also entrusted his son Umed Singh and the state to Zalim's care.[2]
De facto ruler of Kota
[edit]Upon Guman Singh's death in 1771, he became the de facto ruler of Kota.[2][8] For more than fifty years, he played a significant role directly in Kota and indirectly in the neighboring states of Rajputana.[8] His foreign policy, except for Udaipur, was highly successful, allowing him to elevate Kota to a position of great prosperity.[8] In 1804, he first interacted with the British when the Kota troops assisted Colonel Manson during his disastrous retreat from Yashwantrao Holkar.[8] He cooperated with John Malcolm in operations against the Pindaris.[8] In 1817, he made a treaty with the British government, placing Kota under British protection.[3] In 1818, a supplementary article was added to this treaty, which vested the entire administration of Kota in him and his heirs, in regular succession and perpetuity.[2][3][8]
Death
[edit]He died in 1824, and his son Madho Singh succeeded him as the Musahib-i-Ala of Kota.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q R. P. Shastri. Jhala Zalim Singh. pp. 1, 35, 44–45, 49, 50–52, 54–60.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana. Public Resource. New Delhi : Asian Educational Services. p. 85. ISBN 978-81-206-1066-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g Purushotam Vishram Mawjee (1911). (1911) Imperial durbar album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars, Vol. I. p. 104.
- ^ Vadivelu, A. (1915). The Ruling Chiefs, Nobles and Zamindars of India. G.C. Loganadham. p. 295.
- ^ Relia, Anil; Soni, Sonika (12 February 2016). The Indian Portrait - 8: Rajputana Nayak | Paintings from the Royal courts of Rajasthan. Archer Art Gallery. p. 48. ISBN 978-81-931718-0-6.
- ^ a b Mehta, Pratap Singh (13 September 2017). Guns and Glories: Rajputana Chronicles. Notion Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-93-5206-601-8.
- ^ Rookmaaker, Kees (30 April 2024). The Rhinoceros of South Asia. BRILL. p. 181. ISBN 978-90-04-69154-4.
- ^ a b c d e f Not Available (1933). Memoranda On The Indian States 1930. pp. 138, 141.
- ^ Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures. B. Quaritch. p. 605.
Sources
[edit]- Shastri, R. P. (1971). Jhala Zalim Singh (1730-1823), the De-facto Ruler of Kota: Who Also Dominated Bundi and Udaipur, Shrewd Politician, Administrator, and Reformer. Printed at Raj Printing Works.
- Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. pp. 85–90. ISBN 81-206-1066-0. OCLC 60392358.
- Shastri, R. P. (1951). "Zalim Singh and the Marathas from 1761 to 1818". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 14: 322–326. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44303991.
Further reading
[edit]- Tod, James (1994). Tod's annals of Rajasthan : the annals of Mewar. C. H. Payne. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0350-8. OCLC 85822131.