Kushal Singh of Auwa

Last updated

Kushal Singh Champawat
Kushal Singh of Auwa.jpg
Statue of Thakur Kushal Singh in Auwa
Born
Died1864
Movement Indian rebellion of 1857

Kushal Singh Rathore also known as Khushal Singh Champawat (died 1864) was the Thakur of a prominent Thikana of Auwa in Jodhpur State. During Indian rebellion of 1857, he defeated the British Army in the Battle of Bithoda and chelawas.

Contents

Role in Indian Rebellion of 1857

Kushal Singh, who was in open rebellion, invited the rebel soldiers of Jodhpur region to Auwa who were marching from Mount Abu to Delhi. The Thakurs of Asop, Bajawas, Gular and Alaniawas also joined Thakur Kushal Singh at Auwa to put combined effort. The Agent of Governor General of Rajputana General Lawrence when hearing of the news of the rebellion asked Maharaja of Jodhpur to collect an army and march towards Auwa. The Jodhpur state army half-heartedly marched, furious General Lawrence sent Lt. Heathcote to encourage the men to attack Auwa. [1] [2]

Battle of Bithoda {BITHAURA}

Kushaal Singh at the head of the rebel army marched to meet the state army near Bithoda, where a battle ensued and the state army fled along with Lt. Heathcote. The Auwa army became victorious.

Battle of Chelawas

Highly disappointed General Lawrence personally marched from Nasirabad to subdue Kushal Singh, Jodhpur Political Agent Captain Monck Mason also joined him from Jodhpur with his army. Combined army led of Lawrence and Mason laid siege to Auwa fort. [1] [2]

The besieged sallied from the fort and a battle ensued near Chelawas where Captain Monck Mason was killed and later his head was hanged at the gate of Fort of Auwa. General Lawrence, being defeated, retreated and fell back to Nasirabad. [2]

Rebels Marched Towards Delhi

In October 1857 men of Jodhpur Legion departed from Auwa and went towards Delhi. The thakurs of Gular, Asop and Alaniawas also marched towards Delhi along with the rebels of Jodhpur legion.

Siege of Auwa

Thakur Kushal Singh's strength got weakened after their departure. Governor-General sent an expeditionary force of 30.000 men under Brigadier Holmes which attacked and occupied Auwa after 5 days siege. Thakur Kushal Singh escaped with his men but the fort was destroyed and his Jagir confiscated along with Jagirs of the various chiefs who allied with him. [2]

Later life

After his escape from Auwa, he took shelter at Kotharia in neighbouring State. He was provided with monthly allowance of a thousand rupees by Maharana of Mewar. On 8 August 1860 , he surrendered himself in front of britisher at Neemuch Cantonment nearby area of Mewar. [3]

Legacy

A Panorama cum museum was built and inaugurated by Vasundhara Raje, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan in 2018 at Auwa showcasing history of Rebellion of 1857 and Rajasthan's role in it. The Panorama also includes a statue of Kushal Singh and a small temple of Sugali Mata, the Chief deity of Auwa thakur. The original idol was broken and taken to Ajmer after the sack of Auwa in 1857. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathore dynasty</span> North Indian dynasty

The Rathore dynasty or Rathor dynasty was an Indian dynasty belonging to the Rathore clan of Rajputs that has historically ruled over parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durgadas Rathore</span> Rajput General of the Kingdom of Marwar (1638–1718)

Durgadas Rathore was the Rathore Rajput General of the Kingdom of Marwar. He is credited with having preserved the rule of the Rathore dynasty over Marwar, India, following the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldeo Rathore</span> Rao of Marwar (1511–1562)

Rao Maldeo Rathore was a king of the Rathore dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Marwar in present day state of Rajasthan. Maldeo ascended the throne in 1531 CE, inheriting a small ancestral principality of Rathore's but after a long period of military actions against his neighbours, Maldeo swept significant territories which included parts of present day Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Sindh. He refused to ally with either the Sur Empire or the Mughal Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumbha of Mewar</span> Maharana of Mewar from 1433–1468

Kumbhkaran Singh (1417–1468), popularly known as Maharana Kumbha, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. It was during his reign that Mewar became one of the most powerful political powers in northern India. He is considered to be the most powerful ruler of his time in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panna Dhai</span> Nursemaid of Sisodias

Panna Dhai also known as Panna Dai was a 16th-century nursemaid to Udai Singh II, the fourth son of Rana Sanga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Mewar</span> Former kingdom in the Indian subcontinent

The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a major power in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dynasty followed by the Sisodiya Dynasty. The kingdom came to be known as the Udaipur State after it became a princely state in the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Marwar</span> Kingdom in Rajasthan, India, 1243 to 1818

Kingdom of Marwar also known as Jodhpur State during the modern era, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1243 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by Rao Siha, possibly a migrant Gahadavala noble, in 1243. His successors continued to struggle against regional powers for domination and 9 out of 15 rulers till 1438 died in combat. In 1395, its capital was changed to Mandore by Rao Chunda of Mandore and to Jodhpur in 1459 by Rao Jodha.

Kotharia is a town in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, which was the headquarters of the former 1st class jagir (estate) of the House of Kotharia, part of the Udaipur (Mewar) state, which was in Mewar Residency in Rajputana Agency.

Auwa is a village in the Marwar Junction tehsil of Pali district in Rajasthan, India. The village is situated 13 km from Marwar Junction railway station.

Thakur Kesari Singh Barhath was an Indian revolutionary leader, freedom fighter, and educator from the state of Rajasthan. He was the patriarch of the Barhath family, members of which participated in anti-British activities Barhath was also known as Rajasthan Kesari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mughal–Rajput wars</span> 1526–1779 conflicts in India

The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between the Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire. The conflicts originated with the invasion of northwestern India by the Mughal ruler Babur, to which the head of the Rajput confederacy, Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance. The conflicts went on since 1526 for over 200 years, with the Mughals having the upper hand until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, following which they entered a declining phase and the Rajputs gained the upper hand, with the last recorded conflict taking place in 1779.

The Battle of Dholpur in today's India occurred between the Kingdom of Mewar, led by Rana Sanga, and the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, commanded by Ibrahim Lodi, culminating in a victory for Mewar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Gagron</span> 1519 battle between Malwa Sultanate and Rajput Confederacy

The Battle of Gagron was fought in 1519 between Mahmud Khalji II of Malwa and Kingdom of Mewar Rana Sanga. The conflict took place in Gagron and resulted in Sanga's victory, with him taking Mahmud captive and annexing significant territory.

Fateh Karan Charan was an early 20th-century Indian revolutionary and poet from Rajasthan. He led the Bijolia Peasant Movement in its early stage in the Mewar region of British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathore rebellion (1679–1707)</span> War between Rajputs and Mughals

Described variously as the Rajput war, Rathore war of independence and Rathore rebellion, the conflict between Rajputs of Marwar and the Mughals started after the death of Jaswant Singh of Marwar, due to Aurangzeb's attempt to interfere in the succession of Marwar. The resistance to Mughal interference was started by the Rajput nobles under Durgadas Rathore and erupted into an all-out war between the Mughal empire and Rajputs of Marwar supported by Mewar Rajputs. It lasted for almost thirty years. The rebellion reached a climax after the death of Aurangzeb on 3 March 1707 and the capture of Jodhpur by the Rathores on 12 March 1707.

Chetavani ra Chungatya is a patriotic Dingal poem composed by Thakur Kesari Singh Barhath in 1903 and addressed to Maharana of Mewar, Fateh Singh, exhorting him to uphold the traditions of his lineage and to not attend the Delhi Durbar. The couplets had the desired effect on the Maharana who decided not to attend the durbar despite being present in Delhi. The work remains one of the great literary works produced during the freedom struggle. It consists of 13 stanzas or sortha (saurashtra-duha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mewar–Malwa conflicts</span> Military conflict between the Kingdoms of Mewar and Malwa

The Mewar–Malwa conflicts were a series of wars between the Kingdom of Mewar and the Sultanate of Malwa. The conflict erupted due to mutual territorial expansion triggered by both sides on each other. The war was fought in the modern-day regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Rana branch of the Guhilas, following their successful recovery of the Rajput stronghold of Chittorgarh and the entire region of Mewar alongside Rajputana after the Battle of Singoli, embarked on an ambitious expansion at the cost of their neighbouring kingdoms. On the other side, with the invasion of Timur, the Delhi Sultanate grew weak and many of its provinces gained independence which included Malwa, adjacent to Mewar.

The Kingdom of Mewar - Delhi Sultanate Conflict was a series of military engagements between the Kingdom of Mewar under the Sisodiya dynasty and the Delhi Sultanate from the regime of Tuqhlaq Dynasty to the succeeding ones. The conflict erupted when the Sisodiya dynasty took the reigon of Mewar from Delhi Sultanate's rule. The conflict was fought in what is today the Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

References

  1. 1 2 Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. p. 836. ISBN   978-81-291-0890-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Khadgawat, Nathu Ram (1957). Rajasthan's Role in the Struggle of 1857. General Administration Department, Government of Rajasthan. pp. 36–56.
  3. Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. pp. 836–837. ISBN   978-81-291-0890-6.
  4. Correspondent, dna (31 August 2018). "Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje restores Auwa idol, Rajput pride". DNA India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2021.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)