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| Mat Prakash | |
|---|---|
| Raja of Nahan | |
| Raja of Sirmaur State | |
| Reign | 1684 – 1704 |
| Predecessor | Budh Chand Prakash (father) |
| Successor | Hari Prakash (brother) |
| Born | Jog Raj |
| Died | 1704 |
Mat Prakash, also known as Medini Prakash [1] , was a king of Sirmur State in present-day Himachal Pradesh, India. He ruled from 1684 until his death in 1704. [2]
He was born as Jog Raj and was the son of Budh Chand Prakash. [3] He had a brother named Hari Prakash. [3]
In 1685 he invited Guru Gobind Singh to live in his realm. [4] [1] The reason for him doing so has been attributing either to him being highly reverent of the Guru, whose life was endangered in Anandpur due to hostile rajas seeking to eliminate him or as a realpolitik move to ally himself to the Guru to prevent any possible attacks on his state by rival kingdoms. [1] Mat Prakash did not join Bhim Chand (Kahlur) and the other local rajas in their wars against the Sikhs. [1]
Two mandirs were built in Shepri (Shivpuri) during his reign dedicated to Bankhadi Mahadev and Maharani Kartika Kalratri. [5]
He died without issue in 1704. [3] Since he had no issue, he was succeeded to the throne by Hari Prakash, his brother. [3]
Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last human Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs after his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb. His four biological sons died during his lifetime – two in battle and two executed by the Mughal governor Wazir Khan.
Bilaspur State or Kahlur State, sometimes Kahloor Riyasat, was a kingdom (697–1849) and later princely state (1849–1948) in the Punjab Province ruled by a separate branch of Chandravanshi Chandel dynasty. Raja Bir Chand 697–730 was the founder of the state but it was named Kahlur only after the Construction of Kahlur Fort by Raja Kahal Chand around 890–930CE and Raja Anand Chand the 44th Raja was the last ruler.
Bhai Mani Singh was an 18th-century Sikh scholar and martyr. He was a childhood companion of Guru Gobind Singh and took the vows of Sikhism when the Guru inaugurated the Khalsa in March 1699. Soon after that, the Guru sent him to Amritsar to take charge of Harmandir Sahib, which had been without a custodian since 1696. He took control and steered the course of Sikh destiny at a critical stage in Sikh history.
Paonta Sahib is an industrial town of Himachal Pradesh in India. It is located in the south of Sirmaur district, on National Highway 72. Paonta Sahib is an important place of worship for Sikhs, hosting a large Gurdwara named Gurudwara Paonta Sahib, on the banks of the river Yamuna. The river is the boundary between the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Nada Sahib is a Sikh gurudwara in the Panchkula district of the Indian state of Haryana. Situated on the banks of the Ghaggar-Hakra River in the Sivalik Hills of Panchkula, it is the site where Guru Gobind Singh Ji halted while travelling from Paonta Sahib to Anandpur Sahib after the Battle of Bhangani in 1688.
Sirmur was an independent kingdom in India, founded in 1616, located in the region that is now the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The state was also known as Nahan, after its main city, Nahan. The state ranked predominant amongst the Punjab hill States. It had an area of 4,039 km2 and a revenue of 300,000 rupees in 1891.
Fateh Shah was the Hindu Rajput king of Garhwal, a small kingdom in North India, from 1684 to 1716.
The Battle of Bhangani was fought between Guru Gobind Singh's army and Bhim Chand (Kahlur) of Bilaspur on 18 September 1686 or 1688, at Bhangani near Paonta Sahib. An alliance of Rajput Rajas of the Shivalik Hills participated in the engagement on behalf of Bhim Chand of Bilaspur State's side, including the states of Garhwal and Kangra. It was the first battle Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, fought at the age of 19.
The Battle of Nadaun, alternatively known as the Hussaini Yudh, was fought at Nadaun, between Raja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur (Kahlur) and the Mughals under Alif Khan. Bhim Chand was supported by Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughals were supported by other hill chieftains, notably Kirpal Chand from Kangra and Dayal Chand from Bijharwal. Bhim Chand and some hill chieftains, after conclusion of Battle of Bhangani had refused to pay tribute to the Mughal emperor which led to the battle at Nadaun. The battle resulted in the victory of Bilaspur State and Sikh alliance.
Banda Singh Bahadur, was a Sikh warrior and a commander of the Khalsa army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery at Nānded, on the bank of the river Godāvarī. In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation to meet Bahadur Shah I in southern India, he visited Banda Singh Bahadur in 1708. Banda became disciple of Guru Gobind Singh and was given a new name, Gurbaksh Singh(as written in Mahan Kosh), after the baptism ceremony. He is popularly known as Banda Singh Bahadur. He was given five arrows by the Guru as a blessing for the battles ahead. He came to Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force and led the struggle against the Mughal Empire.
Lohgarh is a historic town in Bilaspur tehsil of Yamunanagar district of Haryana in India. It was the capital of the Sikh state under Baba Banda Singh Bahadur from 1710 to 1716.
The Nepal–Sikh War was a large scale military conflict in 1809 between the forces of the Kingdom of Nepal under Amar Singh Thapa and the Sikh Empire under general Dewan Mokham Chand.
The Battle of Guler was fought between forces led by Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and Mughal forces, aided by the Rajas of the Sivalik Hills.
Bhim Chand was the Rajput King of Bilaspur state and Anandpur Sahib fell under his territorial area. He launched his first expedition against Guru Gobind Singh in 1682. In 1686 he conflicted with the armies of Guru Gobind Singh and his disciples in Battle of Bhangani. In 1692, Bhim Chand fought Battle of Nadaun against Mughals and came out victorious.
The Hill States–Sikh Wars, also known as the Sikh–Pahari Raja Wars, was a set of battles and conflicts fought by the Sikhs and the Rajas of the Hill States located in the Sivalik Hills.
Alam Singh Nachna, also called Alim Singh, was a warrior in the army of Guru Gobind Singh, and was a Rajput Sikh. Sarup Das Bhalla of Mahima Prakash describes him as one of Guru Gobind Singh's constant and closest companions. He is also known for killing a lion single handedly.
The Battle of Anandpur (1685) was fought between the Sikhs and an allied force of rajas of the Hill States of the Sivalik range, specifically Kahlur, Kangra, and Guler.
The Rajputs in Himachal Pradesh are members of the Rajput community living in the North Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. They ruled a majority of kingdoms of the region and even dominate in Himachal Pradesh politics. The kingdoms of the Hill States of India were mostly in the present day state of Himachal Pradesh, and mostly had Rajput rulers. All of the Chief Ministers who served Himachal Pradesh except for Shanta Kumar belong to the Rajput caste. The Rajputs of Himachal Pradesh fought battles with Tughlaq, Mughal, and Sikh forces, most notable being the Battle of Bhangani, when the Hill States made an alliance against the Sikhs. While some Rajput kingdoms and clans have a long history in Himachal Pradesh, others were established due to the Rajput migrations to the hill regions mostly due to the Islamic invasions.
Uday Singh was a Sikh warrior during the period of Guru Gobind Singh.
One hill raja who had always been favourably inclined towards the guru was Raja Medini Prakash of Sirmaur (Nahan). Ever since the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur he had felt himself being drawn to the Sikh faith and to the Sikh guru. Now, hearing of the plotting and scheming amongst the hill rajas, which seemed to be directed solely against the guru, he was concerned about the guru's welfare. It was true that the guru had won a quick victory against Bhim Chand in a lightning battle. But it was also true that the guru had neither the experience nor the military strength to conduct an extended war against the combined armies of the rajas. He took the only step he could take to ensure the guru's safety; he invited the guru on an extended stay in his kingdom. The climate of Sirmaur was cool and salubrious, he said, and his forests were teeming with wildlife of every kind, which would give the guru ample opportunity to indulge in one of his favourite pastimes - hunting. Besides the scenic beauty of the area along the Jamuna was just the kind of inspiration that would provide an impulse to the guru's creative genius. There are some historians who assign a less generous motive to Medini Prakash' invitation: Sirmaur and Garhwal were neighbouring states who had been engaged in hostilities for many generations. This hostility continued between the present rulers: Medini Prakash of Sirmaur and Fateh Shah of Garhwal. After his victory against Bhim Chand the guru was now looked upon as a powerful military force. By inviting him to stay with him in Nahan, Medini Prakash hoped to send a message to Fateh Shah that the guru and his army were now his allies and so persuade Fateh Shah to suspend any designs that he might have against Sirmaur.
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