Khangarot

The ruling dynasty of the Jaipur state heads the Kachwaha clan, and is a part of the Suryavanshi lineage of the Sun dynasty. The Khangarot clan emerged out of this tradition.

Rajputs, or “sons of kings”, are a identifiable strand of the warrior Kshatriya caste in Vedic tradition. The 36 Rajput clans claim descent through three lineages from the gods Surya, Chandra and Agni, or Sun, Moon and Fire. The clans are further sub-divided according to region and tradition. In the 17th and 18ths century, a number of khyats, or chronicles, were compiled based on mythological oral traditions. These tales illustrated the great battles, alliances and accomplishments, and painted vivid portraits of the important traditions and characteristics within the clans. Although clan history can be more accurately verified through contemporary methods of archeological and historical analysis, the khyats remain a strong part of the Rajput consciousness and an essential part of defining their character. Even in contemporary times, Rajputs engage in spirited exchanges testing each other’s knowledge of their traditional khyats., And they are a forerunner as the desired bedtime tales for children across India.

Ram is the legendary King of Ayodhya in ancient India, and is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu. Surya, as the visible form of god that one can see every day, is birthed from Vishnu who is ever present and prevailing. Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama, literally “the Perfect Man”, and his wife Sita is considered to be the embodiment of perfect womanhood. The majority of the details about Ram come from the Ramayana, which is one of the two great epics of India of which the great sage Valmiki is regarded the author. The Kachhawas trace their lineage from Kush, one of the twin sons of Ram and Sita who were educated and trained in military skills under the care of Valmiki.From January 17, 1503 until November 4, 1527 Raja Pritviraj I ruled Amer, the capital of the Kachhawa dynasty which would later shift to Jaipur. He married nine women from different clans, and had a total of eighteen sons and three daughters. Prithviraj made his mark in Kachhawa history by supporting his father-in-law Maharana Rana Sanga of the Rathore state of Mewar at the Battle of Khanua. This battle in 1527, during which they were defeated by Babur, is acknowledged as the second of the three significant battles which led to the establishment of the Mughal Empire. Pritvi Raj strengthened his kingdom by organizing his family into the Bara Kothris, or noble houses, of Amer. These chambers are the twelve patrilineal branches of the Kachhawa clan, and form the highest aristocracy of Jaipur. Jagmal was the sixth of Pritviraj’s sons, and he received the land holding of Diggi.

Though also accomplished in military arts, Jagmal earned a reputation as a great lover of wine, song and adventure. Though he always maintained good relations with his brothers, his lifestyle is reputed to have been the cause of two great quarrels with his father and the reason he left the family homelands. He settled temporarily in Amarkot, where he married the Sodhi Princess Neta Kunwari and they had five sons. While Jagmal continued his pursuit of adventure, the children were raised by their mother and maternal grandfather, Pahar Singh. Jagmal lived out his years in exile from his Kachhawa homelands until his death in 1549.

After Jagmal’s death, Khangar took the initiative to make retribution for his father’s mistakes and began the move to reunite his family back to their rightful lands inside the Amer kingdom. When they crossed to the other side of the Sambhar region, they faced their first confrontation in the form of an unsettled family feud over the land holding of Boraj and Jobner. Though Khangar won in this battle1554, he lost his youngest of the brother Sarangdeo in the fight. A banyan tree known as Sarang still stands on the spot in memory. Khangar went on to capture Kalkah in 1555, and shortly after commanded the last stronghold of the region, Jobner. Between his strength on the battlefield and his important heritage in the Bara Kothris, Khangar had become a force to be reckoned with.

Khangar’s early career followed a power struggle for the rule of Amer that began with the death of his grandfather, Raja Pritviraj, in 1527. Pritviraj had named his second son Puranmal as his successor to the throne, most likely because he favored the boy’s mother. Though Puranmal’s only had a short reign that ended when in died in battle in 1534, the strength of the family was already damaged. This unconventional appointment had caused several of the brothers to fight for the throne, weakened the unity of the kingdom, and consequently invited outside exploitation. Internal power struggles ensued until 1548 when Raja Bharmal took the throne for a long successful reign until 1574. Ascending at 50 years old, he possessed the maturity and diplomacy that his younger power-hungry relatives had not.

Akbar, ruling from 1542-1605 and widely considered the greatest of the Mughal Emperors, was known for his diplomatic religious tolerance and courtship of Rajput power. Khangar’s strategic maneuvers rewarded him with recognition and a high status with and alongside Raja Bharmal of Amar.

Although Amer was complying with Mughal suzerainty, Khangar recognized the value of having a strong unified Rajput political and military presence in the region. Using this sharp political instinct, he initiated strengthening the power of the Bara Kothris. With the exception of the loyalty of his cousin Suja, the son of Raja Puranmal, he was successful. Suja was bitter because he had been denied the throne when his father died because he was too young. He already had an alliance with Mirza Muhammad Sahrif-ud-din Hussain, the Mughal Governor of Mewat and a brother-in-law of Emperor Akbar. However, even in his role as custodian of the region, Mirza Sharif-ud-din was showing signs of rebelling against the Imperial powers. Instigated by Suja’s desire for revenge, Mirza Sharif-ud-din led a tyrannical campaign against the Bara Kotris and the Kachhawa people. And in 1563 Sharif-ud-din captured Khangar along with two other sons of the chambers. Sharif-ud-din kept Khangar in harsh captivity for over a year while he subjugated the Kachhawa people.

At the same time Akbar was traveling through the region, though he remained uninformed of the activities of Sharif-ud-din. Akbar was baffled as to why the Kachhawa people fled from him – innocent to the fact that they believed he had ordered the capture of their leaders. When Akbar finally learned the truth about the situation, he ordered the release of the prisoners and sent a message of assurance to Raja Bharmal in Amer. Through this action Akbar authenticated the Kachhawas heritage and rule, and elevated their status as guardians in his court. To this day, landmarks through the Agra-Diggi-Ajmer path mark the places where the Emperor camped while he solved this dilemma.

After his release, Khangar became a lieutenant in Delhi for Raja Bharmal, where he was significant force in the defense of the city against Mirza Ibraham Hussain. From the mid-1570s until the end of the century Raja Man Singh of Amer defended the Afghan North-West Frontier, Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and the Deccan. The victories of Amer in Bengal are the source of great fame and wealth for Amer, and the place where Khangar’s greatest military accomplishments took place. Khangar made his mark in the victory of Man Singh in the famous battle of Haldighat in 1576, which is considered to be the first major breakthrough of the Rajputs against the Empire. And bardic tale also places him at the head of the siege against the rebellious Duda of Bundi in 1577. During this battle Khangar snatched a kettledrum and flag from his enemy. Akbar later gifted them to Khangar, and these historic relics remain a part of the family heirlooms.

Like all his contemporaries Khangar made a number of political marriage alliances, and four chatris in the Nariana Mahal in Jaipur testify the sati of his wives. Of his thirteen sons, ten became great warriors and established their own princely states. He died in 1584, either while fighting either in Bengal, or in Purmandal lands near Chitor that had been gifted by Akbar. Khangar is recognized as the first father of the Kaccahwa- Khangarot clan.

As often happens in peaceful times, recorded history over the next century is vague for the Khangarots. Khangar’s eighth son, Bhakar Singh of Sakhun, carried the rule. He married ten wives, and had eight sons who also founded new princely states. Bhakar Singh’s death is recognized in 1633 by the sati records of one of his wives. His son, Dwarkadas of Tilorna married two wives and had five sons. Three of these sons, including Ajab Singh, continued the family tradition of establishing princely states. Two of Ajab Singh’s sons, Hari Singh and Bijai Singh distinguished themselves in the Amer courts of Maharaja Ram Singh and Maharaja Bishan Singh, and in the records of the continuity of the Khangarot clan.

Hari Singh was born around 1630, and died in 1695 the most coveted death of a Kshatriya warrior on the front line of battle. The Kachhawas honor him as the “legendary knight of Lamba”. He was a strong and wise commander of the feudal lands surrounding Lamba and Malpura, an accomplished warrior in the Afghan territory around the Khyber pass and took on the vital role as guardian of the crown prince Bishan Singh of Amer both before and after his ascension to the throne. In addition to his strong ties with Amer, Hari Singh also maintained direct correspondence with the Empire - which was highly unusual for Rajput aristocracy during the suzerain times of the Rajput rulers under the Mughal Empire. He was a great soldier and leader; who fought corruption and built the administrative machinery for the rule of Raja Bishan Singh, and maintained himself with dignity for the Mughal Empire. He not only maintained the Khangarot ascendancy, but was honored with the distinction of the sub-clan by the name of “Harisinghghots”.

The great ancestry of the Kachhawa Khangarots lives today, and continues to maintain their heritage lands in Diggi. They weave a rich history as fierce warriors and defenders as one of the living twelve Bara Kothris from the Kachhawa clan of the Royal House of Amer. The Khangarots embody the most valiant characteristics of the Rajputs of India; brave, courageous heroic and loyal, yet not shy of their extravagant inclinations.

References

Reference: Qanungo, Kalida Ranjan. 1997. History of the House of Diggi. Center for Rajasthan Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

Tod, J. 1978. Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, or The Central and Western Rajput States of India. Reprinted in 2 Volumes, M. N. Publishers (1st Edition 1829-32), New Delhi.