Shardul Singh

Last updated October 25, 2024

Maharao Shardul Singh ji Shekhawat (1681-1742)^[1] was the Shekhawat ruler of Jhunjhunu (in present-day Rajasthan, India). During his reign, the Shekhawats are considered to have reached the height of their powers.^[1] After his death the estate was divided equally among his surviving five sons, whose descendants continued to rule over it until India achieved independence.^[2]

To commemorate the memory of their father, his sons made a monumental dome (known as Chhatri ) with a fresco at Parasrampura, the capital of Jhunjhunu.^[3] All five sons were very brave, capable, and efficient rulers. They raised many new villages, towns, forts and palaces, encouraged the Seths (merchants) for trade. As a result, they grew rich and made many havelies.^{[ clarification needed ]} The fresco-paintings of these havelies speak about that period and prosperity. Moreover, the rich merchants made the wells, ponds, bawries (step well), temples and inns at various places. They are the examples of industrial architectural excellence. The fresco-painting probably came into existence in the 18th century. It was during the period of Shardual Singh ji that fresco painting was in much vogue.

Personal life

Singh had three marriages. His first marriage was in 1698 to Thukrani Sahaj Kanwar Biki Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Manroop Singh Bika of Nathasar. His second marriage was to Thukrani Sirey Kanwar Biki Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Mukal Singh Bika of Nathasar. The third marriage was to Thukrani Bakhat Kanwar Mertani Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Devi Singh Mertiya of Poonglota (Marwar), near Degana and had children.

Children

He had six sons:

Thakur Zorawar Singh, (by 1st wife), born at Kant, married and had children. He died in 1745. He built Jorawargarh fort, ancestor of the families of Chowkari, Taen, Kalipahari, Malsisar, Gangiyasar, Mandrella , Sultana etc.
Thakur Kishan Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1709, ancestor of the families of Khetri, Heerwa, Arooka, Seegra, Alsisar, etc.
Kunwar Bahadur Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1712 and died in 1732.
Thakur Akhay Singh, (by 3rd wife), born 1713, built Akhegarh Fort. Died without children in 1750.
Thakur Nawal Singh Bahadur (by 3rd wife), born in 1715, ancestor of the families of Nawalgarh, Mahensar, Dorasar, Mukundgarh, Balonda, Jhunjhunu (pilani) ,Narsinghani, and Mandawa. He died on 24 February 1780.
Thakur Keshri Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1728, ancestor of the families of Dundlod, Surajgarh, and Bissau. He was the 6th and youngest son and he died in 1768.

Death

Shardul Singh died on 25 April 1742. Prior to his demise, Singh made a groundbreaking decision that deviated from the traditional Rajput inheritance practice of primogeniture.^[2] In an act that was unparalleled in Rajput history, he declared that Jhunjhunu would be equally distributed among his sons. His son Bahadur Singh had died in his lifetime at an early age. As a result, his estate was divided into five equal shares. The administration by his five sons was cumulatively known as Panchpana (five divisions).^[2]

Related Research Articles

Maharao Shekhaji (1433–1488) was a Rajput ruler in 15th-century India. He is the namesake of the Shekhawati region, comprising the districts of Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu in the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. His descendants are known as the Shekhawat.

Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Neem Ka Thana, Jhunjhunu, Sikar that lies to the west of the Aravalis and Churu. It is bounded on the northwest by the Bagar region, on the northeast by Haryana, on the east by Mewat, on the southeast by Dhundhar, on the south by Ajmer, and on the southwest by the Marwar region. Its area is 13,784 square kilometers.

Nawalgarh is a heritage city in Jhunjhunu district of Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Shekhawati region and is midway between Jhunjhunu and Sikar. It is 31.5 km from Sikar and 39.2 km from Jhunjhunu. Nawalgarh is famous for its fresco and havelis and considered as Golden City of Rajasthan. It is also the motherland of some great business families of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chhatri</span> Elevated, dome-shaped pavilions in Indian architecture

Chhatri are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round.

Shekhawat is a clan of Rajputs found mainly in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Shekhawats are descendants of Maharao Shekha of Amarsar. The Shekhawat Rajputs trace their lineage to Shekha Rao, a prominent Rajput chieftain from the 15th century. Shekha Rao was a descendant of Rao Kalyan Singh, who belonged to the Kachwaha Rajput clan. Rao Shekha established his own principality in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, which includes parts of present-day Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu districts. His leadership helped consolidate Rajput power in this region. Over time, the Shekhawat Rajputs expanded their territories and established several forts and palaces. The Shekhawat Rajputs established their dominance in the Shekhawati region in the 15th century, specifically starting around the time of Shekha Rao's rise to prominence in the early 1400s. They played a significant role in regional politics and were known for their martial prowess and resistance against Mughal expansion. Their rule continued until the mid-20th century when the princely states were integrated into the Indian Union. Thus, the Shekhawat Rajputs governed the Shekhawati region for approximately 500 years, from the early 15th century until the 1940s and 1950s, when princely states were absorbed into independent India. Shekhawat is a very common surname in the Indian defence forces.

Parasrampura is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. It is located 43 km south east of Mandawa and has the distinction of having the best-preserved and oldest fresco paintings in the Shekhawati region. A magnificent cenotaph (Chhatri) was erected in Maharao Shardul Singh's memory at Parasrampura by his heirs. Parasrampura was conquered by Maharao Shardul Singh before invading Jhunjhunu. After that Thakur Bhawani Singh (Grand son of Rawal Nawal Singh ji of Nawalgarh and great grand son of Maharao Shardul Singh set their Thikana as Parasrampura.

Jakhal is a village located in the Nawalgarh tehsil of Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India. It is located in shekhawati region, approx. 35 km south of Jhunjhunu city and 20 km east of Nawalgarh. Jakhal was founded by Salehadi Singh Shekhawat on 9 August 1732. Although hundreds of Jakhal's residents serve in the armed forces, the village's main occupation is farming. In the monsoon seasons, the main crops are bajara, moth, and guar, but in winter, the main crops are wheat, barley, sarson, and chana (chickpeas). The major part of the population belongs to Jat community with Moond, Khedar and garhwal Jat gotras.

General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh,, was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present in the Palace of Versailles during The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors.

Jhajhar is a village, situated in the erstwhile province of Shekhawati of Rajasthan, India. It is located in the Jhunjhunu District, approximately 7 km from Nawalgarh. Formally it was the part of Pentalisa of Bhojyana.

Thakur Shri Nawal Singh Shekhawat Ji Saheb Bahadur (1742—1780) was the ruler of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, born in 1715, he was fifth son of Thakur Shardul Singh of Jhunjhunu, and his third wife, Thakurani Bakhat Kanwar, he was granted the title of Bahadur and a mansab of 3000 zat and 2000 sawars in 1775, built Bala Kila Fort and Fatehgarh Fort both in Nawalgarh, built Dalelgarh Fort in Dalelgarh, later renamed Pilani, he also built Mandawa Fort in Mandawa.

Raja Raisal, reigned 1584 to 1614, He married Chauhan Rajput Princess Kisnavati Nirban, the only daughter of Raja Peetha Nirban of Khandela and thus, was also the 1st Shekhawat Raja of Khandela. Son of Maharao Suja of Amarsar, was granted the estate (jagir) of 7 villages in Lamiya on death of his father, thereupon he joined Imperial Service at Delhi where he was granted the title of "Raja" also a title of "Darbari" and a Mansab of 1250 sawars which was later raised to 3000 by Emperor Akbar. He died about 1614 in South India. He was great-grandson of MahaRao Shekha, King of Amarsar and he belonged to the Kachwaha Clan of Amber/Jaipur Royal Family. The Shekhawats ruled over the Shekhawati region for over 500 years and are honoured with the hereditary title of "Tazimi Sirdars", whom the Maharaja of Jaipur receives by rising from his seat.

Tain is a village in the Jhunjhunu district, India. It is part of the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan.

Kalipahari village is a big community of Shekhawat Rajputs in the Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan. It is situated 5 km south of Bagar, Jhunjhunu. The village is famous for the frescos on its grand havelis.

Mandela is a town in the Shekhawati region and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan state in India.

Panchpana were the combined territories and thikanas ruled by the successors of Maharao Shardul Singh of Jhunjhunu, who belonged to the Bhojraj Ji Ka clan of Shekhawats. The Bhojraj Ji Ka Shekhawats ruled over two territories; Pentalisa and Panchpana. The Bhojraj Ji Ka clan of Shekhawats were the most prominent among the Shekhawat Rajputs. They built many magnificent forts in their thikanas. Panchpana thakurs ruled over highest number of thikanas in Shekhawati. Many thikanas had their own flags and emblems.

Maukala is a city in Merta Taluk, Nagaur District of the State of Rajasthan in India embellished with temples and palaces. It is also referred to as Mokala or Myokal in some texts. Merta City is bounded by Mokala in the west. Ajmer and Jodhpur are easily accessible from Mokala via roadways. The nearest airport is at Jodhpur. The prime attractions include Meera Bai Temples, Pushkar and palaces in the region.

Balonda is a village in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Its mandal is Surajgarh and district is Jhunjhunu. It is located 17.7 kilometres (11.0 mi) from Surajgarh, 54.2 kilometres (33.7 mi) from Jhunjhunu, and 157 kilometres (98 mi) from Jaipur.

Rao Shri Bhojraj Singh Ji Saheb, was born in 1567, Rao Bhojraj Ji was the ruler of Udaipurwati from 1621 to 1640. (Barau)

Sujrai State was a princely state in British India. In legend it formed part of the mythological land of Braj ruled by Krishna.

References

Citations

1 2 Belli Bose 2015, p. 122.
1 2 3 Belli Bose 2015, pp. 122–123.
↑ Belli Bose 2015, p. 123.

Bibliography

Belli Bose, Melia (2015). "Chapter 2: Keeping Up with the Kachhwahas:The Chatrīs of the Narukas of Alwar, the Dadu Panthis, and the Shekhawati Merchants". Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-30054-5.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FOOTNOTEBelli_Bose2015122-1] 1 2 Belli Bose 2015, p. 122.

[FOOTNOTEBelli_Bose2015122–123-2] 1 2 3 Belli Bose 2015, pp. 122–123.

[FOOTNOTEBelli_Bose2015123-3] Belli Bose 2015, p. 123.

[1]

[2]

[3]