Jai Singh I.
Jai Singh I. (born July 15, 1611 in Amber , † August 28, 1667 in Burhanpur ) was an Indian ruler. He became Raja of Amber at the age of 10 . Later he was - as a Hindu - military leader under the Islamic Mughal rulers Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) and Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707).
biography
Jai Singh was the son of Raja Maha Singh and his wife Damayanti , a Mewar princess. His ascent began in 1627, when he - together with the army of the heir to the throne Shah Jahan - was able to destroy rebellious parts of the army under the leadership of Khan Jahan Lodi after the death of the Grand Mogul Jahangir . From the Mughals he received the military rank of commander of 4,000, later of 5,000. Around the middle of the 17th century he took part in several campaigns by Shah Jahan to conquer Kandahar in what is now Afghanistan. During the succession disputes between the sons of the ailing Shah Jahan in 1657, Dara Shikoh raised him to the rank of commander of 6000, which put him in a suspicious light with Aurangzeb , the winner of the battle for the throne. Since he had only a weak power base and was dependent on the help of others, he promoted Jai Singh to commander of 7000. In 1659, Aurangzeb, who held his father prisoner in the fort of Agra until his death (1666) , left Dara Shikoh execute.
Since the 1650s, Jai Singh commanded the Mughal army on the Deccan , where he became involved in the clashes between the expanding Mughal empire and the independent Deccan sultanates and additionally had to deal with the rising power of the Marathas under their leader Shivaji . In the years 1665/66 he tried - together with Shivaji's army units - to conquer Bijapur , which he did not succeed despite a long siege. Shivaji later escaped house arrest in Agra, where he was guarded by Ram Singh, son of Jai Sing, in an unexplained manner. For the costly campaign on the Deccan, Aurangzeb only reimbursed 3 million rupees instead of the actual costs of over 10 million pre-financed by Jai Singh. Jai Singh increasingly fell into political sideline and died under unexplained circumstances (possibly as a result of a poison attack on behalf of the Great Mogul) on August 28, 1667 in Burhanpur.
Tomb
Aurangzeb had his military leader Jai Singh, who bore the honorary title Mirza Raja , erect an elaborately designed memorial building at his cremation site outside the gates of the city of Burhanpur , which has become known as Raja Ki Chhatri . This differs from the other tombs of the time by the complete lack of outer walls and its all-round open construction, supported only by columns, which is reminiscent of an audience hall.
literature
- Haft Anjuman (Ed.): Correspondence of Mirza Raja Jai Singh compiled by his secretary Ugrasen.
- Jadunath Sarkar : A History of Jaipur. 1984
- Jadunath Sarkar: A History of Aurangzib . 1912-1924
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jai Singh I. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Indian ruler, Raja of Amber |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 15, 1611 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Amber |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 1667 |
| Place of death | Burhanpur |