Vir Singh Deo

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Raja Vir Singh Ju Deo
Raja of Orchha
Brooklyn Museum - Portrait of Rao Vir Singh.jpg
Reign1605-1626/7
PredecessorRam Shah
Successor Jhujhar Singh
SpouseParmarji Amrit Kunwari of Shahbad

Parmarji Guman Kunwari of Khairuwar

Parmarji Pancham Kunwari of Shahbad
Issue Jhujhar Singh

Pahad Singh

Narhar Das

Tulsi Das

Beni Das

Hardev (Hardaul)

Bhagwan Rao

Chandra Bhan

Kishan Singh

Bagh Raj

Madho Singh

Parmanand

Kunj Kunwari
House Bundela Rajput
FatherMadhukar Shah
MotherParmarji Ganesh Kunwariji
ReligionHinduism

Raja Vir Singh Ju Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha in the historic Bundelkhand region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He was a vassal of the imperial Mughal Empire [1] and ruled from 1605 until either 1626 [2] or 1627. [3]

Vir Singh Deo assassinated the Mughal chronicler and court historian Abul Fazl who was returning from Deccan in a plot contrived by the Mughal Prince Salim later Jahangir. [4] He is also credited to have built the Jhansi Fort .

Vir Singh Deo ki Chhatri, Orchha Vir Singh Deo ki Chhatri, Orchha 01.jpg
Vir Singh Deo ki Chhatri, Orchha
The Royal Chhatris of Orchha The Royal Chhatris of Orchha 01.jpg
The Royal Chhatris of Orchha

Deo was among the Rajput rulers of his era who sponsored temples in the Brajmandal area that comprised Vrindavan and Mathura. [5] In addition, the Phool Bagh gardens, and the Lakshmi temple were all built by Deo.[ citation needed ] His mausoleum is located in Orchha, and features both Hindu and Mughal architecture.[ citation needed ]

Vir Singh Deo was succeeded by Jhujhar Singh, the first-born son of the senior of his three queens. [6]

Deo was patron to the poet Keshavdas, who wrote the 1607 hagiographic work Virsimdevcarit (Deeds of Vir Singh Deo). [7]

References

  1. Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers. p. 105. ISBN   978-1-93270-554-6.
  2. Michael, Thomas (2009). Cuhaj, George S. (ed.). Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900 (6th ed.). Krause Publications. p. 728. ISBN   978-1-44022-801-8.
  3. "Fort and Palace at Orchha". British Library. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. Aruna (2002). Orchha Paintings. Sharada Pub. House. p. 6. ISBN   978-8-18561-669-8.
  5. Busch, Allison (2011). Poetry of Kings: The Classical Hindi Literature of Mughal India. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN   978-0-19976-592-8.
  6. Jain, Ravindra K. (2002). Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand. Orient Blackswan. p. 84. ISBN   978-8-12502-194-0.
  7. Busch, Allison (2011). Poetry of Kings: The Classical Hindi Literature of Mughal India. Oxford University Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-0-19976-592-8.