Mohan Ram Jat

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Mohan Ram Jat was powerful and trusted Chief who headed the artillery of Army of Maharaja Suraj Mal in Bharatpur state. He was from Kamar village in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.

History

K. R. Qanungo writes that Thakur Badan Singh's greatest achievement was the establishment of the authority of his house over almost the whole of the Agra and Mathura districts, partly by posing as the protector of the Hindus against Muslim misrule, but mainly by clever matrimonial alliances with some powerful Jat families of those places. He married the daughter of a wealthy and influential Jat of Kamar,² Chaudhuri Maha Ram (चौधरी मोहनराम) and took another wife from the laird (Zamindar) of Sahar. These marriages made him virtually the master of the entire Mathura district.

Dr Girish Chandra Dwivedi writes....We know the names of two officers, Balram Jat and Mohan Ram, who headed the cavalry and the artillery respectively. Balram Jat was also the faujdar of the capital. This leads us to infer that there were other faujdars as well.

Maharaja Suraj Mal saw with alarm the rise of a strong party, headed by his most powerful chiefs, Balram Jat and Mohan Ram Jat and others, who were bent upon opposing with arms, if necessary, the succession of Jawahar Singh.

Jawahar Singh crushes the refractory chiefs

K.R. Qanungo mentions....After his return from the expedition against Delhi (March, 1765), Raja Jawahar Singh thought it high time to make himself master of his own household first, and to crush the enemies within, before he should indulge in the vision of foreign conquest. He suspected, not without reason, a secret connection between Malhar Rao and his discontented chiefs who had reluctantly accompanied him to Delhi, out of fear and shame. Two old chiefs, Balaram, commander of the cavalry, and Mohan Ram, general of the artillery had almost monopolised all power in the State: the treasure and army of Suraj Mal were in their hands and their relatives occupied all the important public offices. Besides the memory of old

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[p.104]: grievances, and their intrigue to set him aside from succession, the idea of getting enriched at one stroke by killing these golden geese entered his mind. The notorious German captain Somru, having quitted the banners of Shuja-ud-daula, sought service and safety in the Court of Bharatpur (April, 1765). Here was a man after Jawahar's heart, a capable soldier without a conscience, who would unhesitatingly carry out with skill and thoroughness any dark design of a good paymaster. The reputed wealth of Bharatpur attracted many veteran mercenaries discharged from the service of bankrupt princes. Having recruited a powerful corps of foreigners who could be trusted more than the Jats, Raja Jawahar Singh proceeded to chastise the inimical nobles (circa July, 1765).

"Fortified with these helps, he believed himself strong and secure enough to demand with much firmness, satisfaction from those of his kinsmen whom for a long time past he had desired to seize. It was probably with this design that he came to Agra where having summoned those whom he wished to seize, and commanded his foreign troops to guard well the roads, he caused to be arrested Balaram with the others in different places, and on the same day all persons appertaining [attached?] to them were seized.

Balaram and one other chief with him, full of hate and spite at what had happened to themselves, and probably to prevent a greater ignominy, cut their own throats with their swords shortly after, the one face to face with the other. The others were conveyed under strong guard as prisoners to Bharatpur where afterwards they ransomed themselves with the money which was demanded of them on the account of Suraj Mal whose affair they had had in their hands ... Certain [of the chiefs] let themselves be rather killed than give up money, although they had the reputation of having much wealth and were already convicted of malversation in the administration .... Not to speak of Balaram and his riches, Mohan Ram alone was estimated to possess nearly 80 lakhs in cash, without reckoning the property and other wealth that he was master of .... He let them cut his head off after many tortures and cruelties rather than deliver the least part of that which he in truth, owed, and which he could not fail to have very well guarded" (Fr. MS., 61-62). Thus

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[p.105]: Jawahar Singh revenged himself upon the old nobles of his father. This bloody affair proved a great mistake and a sorry failure as a means of recovering Suraj Mal's treasure. "He was very ill-advised, all spoiled by haste and harshness. A slow and pleasant method of extraction would have been more fruitful. All that Jawahar Singh could seize was not more than 15 or 20 lakhs" [ibid]. This was a political blunder too, which ultimately brought about the downfall of the house of Bharatpur. "This conduct of Jawahar Singh at the beginning of his reign sent", says Father Wendel, "consternation among his relatives and dismayed entirely the Jats in general, at the same time that it soured their spirits and removed totally their attachment to his person. And although for many reasons of State he was almost obliged to act in that fashion, it was, however, very hasty and unreasonable" [ibid, 62].

राजा बदनसिंह

ठाकुर देशराज लिखते हैं कि सवाई महाराज जयसिंह जी से इनका बड़ा मेल-जोल था। अधिकांश समय उनका जयपुर ही में बीतता था। जयपुर में उनके नाम से एक स्थान बदनपुरा भी है। संवत् 1775 में यह डीग के मालिक बने। डीग में उन्होंने अच्छी-अच्छी इमारतें बनवाई और कुम्हेर में सुदृढ़ दुर्ग का निर्माण कराया। राजा बदनसिंह लड़ाई-झगड़े की अपेक्षा राज्य-व्यवस्था में अधिक संलग्न रहे। फिर भी उन्होंने अठारह लाख की आमदनी का जयपुर का इलाका प्राप्त कर लिया और कुछ हिस्सा आगरे की ओर दबा लिया। कामर के सरदार चौधरी मोहनराम और सहार के रईस की लड़की से शादी करने के कारण इनका प्रभाव मथुरा जिले पर हो गया था। आपने अपने दूसरे पुत्र प्रतापसिंह को वैर का मालिक बनाया। महाराजा सूरजमल इनके सभी पुत्रों में श्रेष्ठ थे। अठारह लड़कों की संतानें कोठरी-बन्द के नाम से मशहूर हैं। आपको जयपुर के महारज जयसिंह सवाई ‘ब्रजराज’ कहा करते थे। राजा बदनसिंह जी का स्वर्गवास संवत् 1812 विक्रमी में हुआ था। उस समय श्री सुजानसिंह उपनाम सूरजमल जी 22 वर्ष के थे।

References

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