The Rathores of Marwar

After the battle of Giri-Sumel in 1544, the Afghan emperor Sher Shah Suri is reported to have said that he had nearly lost the empire of Hindustan "for a handful of millet" — a reference to the poor, dry land of Marwar and the fierce resistance of its ruler, Rao Maldeo. The remark captures something essential about the Rathores: rulers of a harsh desert land who repeatedly punched far above its weight.

Arrival in Marwar

Rathore tradition traces the family's arrival in Marwar to Rao Siha, who settled near Pali in the thirteenth century. Over the next century and a half, his descendants built up power in the region.

• Rao Chunda (late fourteenth century) took Mandore, the old Pratihara seat, and made it the Rathore capital.
• Rao Ranmal extended Rathore influence, including in Mewar, before being killed there.

Rao Jodha and the founding of Jodhpur

Rao Jodha recovered Mandore and, in 1459, founded a new capital on a rocky hill nearby: Jodhpur, with the great fort of Mehrangarh. Jodhpur became the heart of Marwar for the next five centuries.

Rao Bika and Bikaner

Jodha's son Rao Bika moved north into the Jangaldesh region and founded Bikaner in 1488, establishing a separate Rathore state. Bikaner later became one of the most important principalities of the desert.

Rao Maldeo (1532–1562): the peak of Marwar's power

Maldeo expanded Marwar to its greatest extent, taking territories such as Nagaur, Ajmer, Jalore and Merta, and at one point threatening Bikaner.

In 1544, Sher Shah Suri marched against him. At Giri-Sumel (near Jaitaran, in central Marwar), Maldeo's chiefs Jaita and Kumpa led a fierce attack, even though Maldeo himself had withdrawn, reportedly after Sher Shah planted forged letters suggesting his nobles were disloyal. The Rajputs fought to the death, and Sher Shah won — narrowly, and at heavy cost. Hence his famous remark.

Maldeo had earlier been approached by the fugitive Mughal emperor Humayun after his defeat by Sher Shah, but the two did not form an alliance.

Chandrasen: the forgotten resister

Maldeo's son Rao Chandrasen (ruled from 1562) refused to accept Mughal suzerainty and fought Akbar for years from the hills, long before Maharana Pratap's more famous struggle. He is sometimes called the "forgotten hero" or the "Pratap of Marwar". After his death, his brother Udai Singh ("Mota Raja") accepted Mughal service, and Marwar became a close Mughal ally.

Marwar and the Mughals

Under Mughal rule, Rathore rulers held high mansabs and served as generals across the empire. The relationship was generally close until Aurangzeb's reign.

• Jaswant Singh served the Mughals in many campaigns and died in 1678 at Jamrud in the north-west.
• Aurangzeb then tried to take direct control of Marwar and to bring Jaswant Singh's posthumous son Ajit Singh under his supervision.
• Durgadas Rathore smuggled the infant Ajit Singh out of Delhi and led a long Rathore rebellion (from 1679), allied at times with Mewar and even with Aurangzeb's rebel son Akbar. The struggle lasted about three decades, and Ajit Singh recovered Jodhpur after Aurangzeb's death in 1707.

Bikaner under the Mughals

• Rai Singh of Bikaner was a trusted Mughal general. The Junagarh fort was built in his reign (completed in the 1590s) under the supervision of his minister Karmachand (Bachhawat; sometimes written Karan Chand).
• Prithviraj Rathore ("Peethal"), Rai Singh's brother, was a noted poet at Akbar's court, author of Beli Krishan Rukmani Ri in Dingal.
• Later Bikaner rulers such as Anup Singh were patrons of learning; Bikaner's library and painting school flourished.

Legacy

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. Who founded Jodhpur, and in which year?
2. Who founded Bikaner?
3. Where was the battle between Maldeo's forces and Sher Shah fought?
4. Which Rathore ruler is called the "forgotten hero"?
5. Who protected the infant Ajit Singh and led the Rathore rebellion?

Mains-style (50 words): Why is Durgadas Rathore remembered?

Mains-style (100 words): Describe the relations between the Rathores of Marwar and the Mughals from Akbar to Aurangzeb.