Kushalgarh Thikana

Kushalgarh Thikana कुशलगढ़ ठिकाना
1670–1947
Capital	Kushalgarh
Establishment	1670
History
• Established	1670
• Accession to the Dominion of India	1947
Area
1901	881 km2 (340 sq mi)
Population
• 1901	16,222 (1,901)
Today part of	Rajasthan, India

Kushalgarh Thikana was a Rajput princely thikana (feudal estate) in present-day Banswara district of Rajasthan, India. It was historically part of the Rajputana Agency during the British colonial period and was ruled by the Ramawat Rathores, a branch of the Rathore dynasty. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

History

According to traditional accounts, Kushalgarh was founded in the 16th century. There are two main narratives regarding its origin:

• The Banswara version claims that the territory was conquered from the Bhils by Kushal Singh of Banswara and granted to Akhai Raj for his service. ^[4]

• The local Kushalgarh account holds that Akhai Raj himself defeated the Bhils and their chief Kushla, after which the territory was named Kushalgarh in his memory. ^{[5] [6]}

Although initially under the suzerainty of Banswara State, Kushalgarh gradually acquired a degree of autonomy while maintaining tribute and ceremonial obligations. ^{[7] [8]}

Geography and Administration

As of 1901, Kushalgarh Thikana spanned about 881 square kilometers and included 60 villages. The population was 16,222, and the estate earned an estimated annual revenue of ₹16,000. ^[9] The estate’s capital was the town of Kushalgarh, near the present-day border with Madhya Pradesh. ^[10]

Ruling Family

Kushalgarh was ruled by the Ramawat Rathores of the Barsinghot sub-clan, descended from Rao Barsingh of the Rathore lineage. ^[11] The estate followed customary Rajput norms of hereditary rule.

List of Rulers

It was established in 1671 when Thakur Akhairaj, a descendant of the Mertia Rathore clan, was granted the jagir of Kushalgarh. The Mertia Rathores trace their lineage back to Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur. ^[12]

• Thakur Akhairaj – Granted the jagir of Kushalgarh in 1671.

• Thakur Ajab Singh – Son of Akhairaj.

• Thakur Kirat Singh – Son of Ajab Singh.

• Thakur Achal Singh – Son of Kirat Singh.

• Thakur Bhagwat Singh – Son of Achal Singh.

• Rao Zalim Singh – Son of Bhagwat Singh; received the title of "Rao" from Maharana Bhim Singhji of Udaipur.

• Rao Hamir Singh – Adopted son of Zalim Singh; originally the son of Kunwar Salam Singh.

• Rao Zorawar Singh – Son of Hamir Singh; ruled until 1891.

• Rao Udai Singh – Son of Zorawar Singh; ruled from 1891 to 1916.

• Rao Ranjit Singhji – Son of Udai Singh; born on 2 May 1882, succeeded in 1916. ^{[13] [14]}

• Rao Harendra Singhji – Son of Ranjit Singhji; born on 11 May 1924, ruled until 1967.

Post-Independence

After India gained independence in 1947, Kushalgarh was merged into the Indian Union. Like other princely and jagirdari estates, it lost its political privileges with the implementation of land reforms and the abolition of feudal tenures in the early 1950s.

Present Day

Today, Kushalgarh is a town and municipality in Banswara district. According to the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 10,096. ^[15] The region is primarily inhabited by Bhil tribal communities, and the main languages spoken are Vagdi and Hindi.

A notable religious site is the Andeshwar Parshwanath Jain Temple, located atop a hill in Kushalgarh tehsil. The temple features 10th-century inscriptions and houses a black stone idol of Parshwanath dating to the 12th or 13th century. ^[16] An annual fair is held here on Kartik Purnima.

References

1. Census of India, 1991: Dungarpur (in Hindi). General Administration Department, Government of Rajasthan. 1994.
2. Bayley, C. S. (2004). Chiefs and Leading Families in Rajputana. Asian Educational Services. ISBN   978-81-206-1066-8.
3. Ajmer-Merwara (India) (1902). Report on the Administration of Ajmer-Merwara.
4. James Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol II. Oxford University Press, 1920, pp. 472–475.
5. Dasharatha Sharma, Rajasthan Through the Ages, Vol. III: Feudal Polity. Rajasthan State Archives, 1990, p. 15
6. Gupta, G. P. (1992). Socio-cultural Environment of Tribal Landscapes. Arihant Publishers. ISBN   978-81-7230-010-4.
7. Provincial Series: Central Provinces. Superintendent of Gevernment Printing. 1908.
8. India (1940). Memoranda on the Indian States, 1940 (corrected Up to the 1st January 1940). Manager of Publications.
9. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. 15. Clarendon Press, 1908, p. 154.
10. Office, Great Britain India (1902). East India (famine): Papers Regarding Famine and Relief Operations in India. 1899-1900. H.M. Stationery Office.
11. Rathore, Abhinay (2 February 2013). "Kushalgarh (Princely State)". Rajput Provinces of India. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
12. Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. ISBN   978-81-291-0890-6.
13. Sherring, Herbert (1897). The Mayo College, "the Eton of India": A Record of Twenty Years, 1875-1895. Thacker, Spink and Company.
14. Rajputana (Agency) (1938). List of Ruling Princes, Chiefs and Leading Personages. Manager of Publications.
15. Census of India 2011, District Census Handbook: Banswara, Government of India.
16. Kailash Chand Jain, Ancient Cities and Towns of Rajasthan: A Study of Culture and Civilization, Motilal Banarsidass, 1972, p. 243.