DHOLPUR
BRIEF HISTORY
Rana Sujan Deo, fifth in descent from Rana Ratan Pal, received Gohad from Raja Man Singh of Gwalior in 1505. His title to that state being later recognised by the Emperor Sikander Lodi. Thereafter, his descendants gradually extended and added to their territories, which eventually amounted to 56 mahals or districts, yielding revenues of Rs 66 lakhs per annum.
Rana Bhim Singh, the thirteenth ruler of Gohad, succeeded in seizing the historic fortress of Gwalior in 1761, but lost it to the Mahrattas within six years. Burning with resentment against the Scindia, his successor Chhatra Singh did everything to oppose them. Any enemy of Scindia became his friend and ally. He assisted the Emperor when he returned to Delhi in 1771, receiving titles and honours unknown to his house before. In 1779, he entered into treaty relations with the British and joined forces with them against Scindia. The treaty terms stipulated that, at the conclusion of peace between the English and Mahrattas, all the territories then in his possession should be guaranteed to him, and he would be protected from any future invasion by Scindia. This protection was subsequently withdrawn, the rana having been found guilty of treachery.
Chhatra Singh recovered Gwalior in 1780, then withstood a siege lasting nearly five months. Scindia finally succeeded in recapturing the fortress in 1783. He then concluded another treaty with the British, in which Gwalior was restored to him, but then lost it again to Scindia in 1784, who then crushed his Jat opponent by seizing the whole of Gohad. Chhatra Singh fled to the neighbouring Karauli, but was returned to Scindia as a state prisoner, confined at Gwalior fort, then quietly poisoned in 1788.
The Bamraolia clan had effectively been destroyed by the Scindia then spent the next twenty-years fighting each other in a bloody tussle for power. Eventually all the clan leaders resolved to settle their differences by choosing a single ruler in the person of Kirat Singh, a cousin of the deceased rana. Installed at Baghthurra Fortress in 1803, he at once revived the alliance with the British. They agreed to restore Gohad to him in return for his help in crushing the Maratha power. However, once hostilities ceased, Scindia opposed the restoration. The Rana then agreed to surrender Gohad in 1805, receiving Dholpur, Bari and Rajakhera as compensation in the following year. The ancient town of Dholpur became the capital of the new state, from which the state also took its name.
Maharaj Rana Kirat Singh died in 1835, leaving his throne to his minor and younger son. His elder son having pre-deceased him without leaving any issue, seventeen years earlier. The first few years of the new ruler, Maharaj Rana Bhagwat Singh's reign saw his sister-in-law actively involved in the administration. On his eventual assumption of full ruling powers, he proved to be a model ruler of his time. He showed his mettle during the Indian Mutiny when, despite the loss of territory to the mutineers, he extended his protection to European civilians, saving them from certain death. He also sent a force of 1,500 men for the defence of Agra. His services were recognised with the grant of additional titles, an increased gun-salute and additional territories. He died leaving his throne to his grandson, his own son having pre-deceased him very shortly before.
Succeeding as a minor in 1873, Maharaj Rana Nihal Singh proved himself every inch his grandfather's heir. He assisted the British during the Tirah expedition in 1882, becoming one of the first Indian rulers to secure a commission and to serve in person in a Royal regiment. A near thirty-year reign saw advances in almost every field of government endeavour. He modernised the administration, organised public works, restored monuments, built hospitals, dispensaries and tanks, and created an extensive road and rail network. At his death in 1901, Dholpur possessed one of the most modern infrastructures of any princely state.
Alas, Nihal Singh's successor, Maharaj Rana Ram Singh, proved something of a wastrel. Early in his term of office, he incurred the ire of Lord Curzon, for whom he could do nothing right. His early death in 1911 probably came as a relief to the Imperial authorities. Luckily for the state his younger brother and successor, Maharaj Rana Udai Bhan Singh, was cast in the same mettle as his forefathers. He enjoyed wide interests, military, administrative, political and sporting, which made him the ideal ruler in the eyes of the British. He maintained close connections with his fellow rulers, members of the British Royal Family, Viceroys and administrators alike. He did much to try to bridge the gap between the growing movement for independence with those of the traditional rulers and with the British. Sadly for him, events moved swiftly as a consequence of the Second World War. He soon accommodated himself to the new realities and built bridges with Pandit Nehru. After independence in 1947, he was instrumental in forming the Matsya Union a year later. He served as its Rajpramukh, or Head of State, during the brief period before it merged into the larger Rajasthan Union in 1949.
At the death of Udai Bhan Singh in 1954, the Maharaj Rana left no sons and no designated male heir. His widow then adopted their grandson, the second son of their only daughter who had married the Maharaja of Nabha. The Indian government then instituted a lengthy investigation that lasted two years, but eventually recognised Hemant Singh as Maharaj Rana. Sixteen years later and after completing his majority, he married the descendant of the old enemy, Maharajkumari Vasundhara Scindia of Gwalior. Sadly, they separated within a year of their marriage. The Maharani went on to build a formidable political career. She serves today as Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
CLAN:
The Bamrolia sept of the Deswali clan of Jats.
SALUTE:
15-guns.
ARMS:
Or, Hanuman passant bearing in dexter hand a hill proper, in sinister a mace of the field; on a chief azure a sabre hilted or between two towers of the first. Crest: A demi "Narsinghji" (lion-man) proper with nails dropping blood. Supporters: Jat warriors armed and mailed proper. Motto: "Mitra Mitra, Amitra Amitra" (sure friend, sure foe). Lambrequins: Or, and azure.
FLAG:
Cloth of gold with a Hanuman worked in red.
STYLES & TITLES:
The ruling prince: Rais ud-Daula, Sipahdar ul-Mulk, Saramad Rajha-i-Hind, Maharajadhiraj Sri Sawai Maharaja Rana (personal name) Lokendra Bahadur, Diler Jang, Jai Deo, Maharaj Rana of Dholpur, with the style of His Highness.
The consort of the ruling prince: Maharani (personal name) Devi Sahiba, with the style of Her Highness.
The Heir Apparent: Raja Shri (personal name) Singh Jai Deo Bahadur, Yuvraj Sahib of Dholpur.
The consort of the Heir Apparent: Yuvrani Shri (personal name) Sahiba.
The younger sons of the ruling prince, during the lifetime of their father: Maharajkumar Shri (personal name) Singh.
The younger sons of the ruling prince, after the death of their father: Raja Shri (personal name) Singh.
The consort of a younger son of the ruling prince: Rani Shri (personal name) Sahiba.
The daughters of the ruling prince: Maharajkumari Shri (personal name) Sahiba.
The sons of the Heir Apparent: Rajkumar Shri (personal name) Singh.
The daughters of the Heir Apparent: Rajkumari Shri (personal name) Sahiba.
The grandsons of a ruling prince and other male descendants in the male line*: Kumar (personal name) Singh.
The granddaughters of a ruling prince and other female descendants in the male line: Kumari (personal name) Sahiba.
* Some male descendants of former ruling princes enjoy the titles of Samant Rao or Lalu (Lala), but the exact rules for so doing are not available.
RULES OF SUCCESSION:
Male primogeniture, with the right of adoption by the recognised head of the family (or his widow), on the failure of legitimate male heirs.
SOURCES:
A Short History of the State of Dholpur. Rajput Anglo-Oriental Press, Agra, 1902.
Sir C.S. Bailey (compiler). Chiefs and Leading Families in Rajputana (The Ruling Princes, Chiefs and Leading Personages in Rajputana and Ajmer). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1894, 1903, 1912, 1916 and 1935.
Lieut-Col. Sir Thomas Dennehey, KCIE. Gazeteer of Dholpur. The Rajputana Gazeteer. Vol I. 1879.
Major H.E. Drake-Brockman, A Gazetteer of Eastern Rajputana, comprising the native states of Bharatpur, Dholpur, & Karauli. Scottish Mission Industries Co. Ltd., Ajmer, 1905.
Thomas Holbein Hendley, CIE, VD. The Rulers of India and the Chiefs of Rajputana 1550 to 1897. W. Griggs, London, 1897.
Kunwar Shri Vir Rajendra Singh v. Union of India & Ors. [1969] INSC 265; [1970] 2 SCR 631; [1969] 3 SCC 150; AIR 1970 SC 1946 (30 September 1969).
Report on the Administration of Dholpur State. State Press, Dholpur, 1910-1916.
Thacker's Indian Directory, Thacker's Press & Directories, Ltd., Caltutta 1863-1956.
A. Vadivelu, The Ruling Chiefs, Nobles & Zamindars of India. G.C. Loganadham Bros., Madras, 1915.
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
H.H. the late Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia of Gwalior.
Father Lawrence Ober, SJ.
I would be grateful to hear from anyone who may have changes, corrections or additions to contribute. If you do, please be kind enough to send me an e-mail using the contact details at: Copyright©Christopher Buyers
Copyright©Christopher Buyers, September 2006 - April 2020