Raja Jagat Singh

Raja Jagat Singh Pathania (1618–1646) succeeded Suraj Mal (his elder brother) as the king of Dhameri (now Nurpur) in present-day Himachal, India. He was the second son of another former king, Basu Dev. The golden period of Pathania rule in Dhameri came under the reign of Jagat Singh. Under him the state reached her pinnacle.

In 1618, while Dhameri was still ruled by Suraj Mal, Jagat Singh was in charge of a mansabdar (Mughal army detachment) in Bengal. The rebellious and fiercely independent attitude of Suraj Mal was a source of constant annoyance to the Mughals and caused their emperor, Jahangir, to exile him to Chamba and place Jagat Singh on the gaddi'’ (throne).

Jagat Singh exploited his proximity to the Mughals in expanding the boundaries of his state. He ruthlessly pursued the interests of Dhameri and as a result was on bad terms with the neighbouring states of Chamba, Basoli, Guler, Mandi and Suket. His forces conquered Basoli and Chamba and on 6 November 1620 they captured the Kangra Fort.

Soon after the capture of Kangra Fort, Jahangir and Nur Jahan visited Dhameri. To commemorate their visit, Jagat Singh renamed Dhameri as Nurpur. Nur Jahan was so fascinated by the beauty of the place that she ordered construction of a palace for her at Nurpur. This did not appeal to Jagat Singh who considered the palace a hindrance to his newfound freedom. Therefore, to dissuade Nur Jahan, he perpetrated the idea that the place did not have good weather and locals were prone to contracting the disease Goitre. It is believed that Jagat Singh enjoyed a special confidence of Nur Jahan and that, according to the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, after his rebellion against the Mughals during 1640-1642, he was not only granted condonation on 10 April 1642 but was also restored the honour of ‘favourite of Mughals’, at her behest.

Jagat Singh was a formidable warrior. He distinguished himself at Kabul by capturing Karim Dadh S/o Jalala Tariki who had rebelled against the Mughals. He assisted Mughal forces in Kandahar and conquered Zamin-i-Dawar and Bust. All this gave him great influence in the Mughal court and he was presented with gifts and honours by the emperor. However, he had different designs in his mind and was restless for total sovereignty.

In 1640, Jagat Singh rebelled against the Mughal domination of Shah Jahan. He had been secretly planning this for considerable time and had fortified three forts of Mau, Nurpur and Taragarh. By December 1641 the Mau fort had fallen to the combined forces of Mughals and rulers of Guler and Chamba. The detailed account of siege of these forts by Mughals exists in ‘Badshahnamah’ (Mughal records). Taragarh was the last fort to fall and most fortified. Mughals lost several of their commanders to Jagat Singh's men, including Khusru Beg and Asaf Khan. According to '‘Badshahnamah’', it appears that siege of Taragarh fort commenced in December 1641 (after fall of Mau and Nurpur forts) and was over by April 1642 when Jagat Singh and his sons surrendered on mutually-agreed terms. The Mughals, who were normally ruthless towards rebels and did not even spare their kith and kin, in this instance restored Jagat Singh he and his sons to all their previous status and kingdom. The emperor knew that Jagat Singh could not be brow-beaten and that his services could be of use elsewhere, so perhaps he had agreed for surrender on mutual terms.There was also still a closeness between Jagat Singh and Nur Jahan: he was not only a great warrior but a shrewd politician.

Jagat Singh ruled till 1644 and during his remaining reign rendered assistance to Mughal forces in Khandahar, Kabul. He was immortalized by the poet Gambhir Rai, who wrote of Jagat Singh's exploits four years after he had died:

“Uthapan, Uthapan Naresh Tu Paithan Path, Jako dae Badshahi panch sath pave, Dandath udandi nokhandat akhandi, Panch Sath dweep kirth, yash ghave, Uthal-Vithal aur udal ujal jath, Sangi gaey suk jath, bhojan na khave, Kaith Gambhir sur spath Ashok Raja, Sanj lo salam karan Khan yahan aave”

(Hey Lord, You are the glory of Pathania clan. Only few are bestowed upon such greatness in this world. Your lordship punishes the defaulters. Your valour conquered nine parts and consolidated to form single kingdom. Several islands sing your glory. In battle our forces could not take food. And yet the Khan came to salute you O lord. Ghambir speaks the truth that you in your glory equal the king Ashoka)

Folklore associated with siege of Taragarh Fort (Revolt against Mughal from 1640 to 1642)

The Taragarh Fort was so well fortified by Jagat Singh and his sons that according to local folklores it took huge Mughal army 12 years (period seems an exaggeration) to annex it. It is said that Mughal forces surrounding the fort had planted Mango saplings which fruited in the course of siege and soldiers enjoyed their fruits (this place near Taragarh fort is to-day called ‘Amb ka Bagh’ literally meaning ‘Mango Orchard’). The sons and men of Jagat Singh were forced to eat vermin inside the fort as their rations finished. However, to fool enemy surrounding the fort one day the men of Jagat Singh prepared the kheer (milk pudding) from female dog’s milk (which used to feed at surrounding Mughal forces camp but had given litter inside the fort). They then threw this pudding out of fort. Mughal soldiers saw this pudding and reported to the commander of cordoning forces who could not believe his eyes and died of shock. When this news reached the Mughal emperor that despite such a long siege the Raja and his men are still feasting on milk pudding he decided to negotiate with Jagat Singh who eventually opened the gates of Fort on his terms.

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