Bihari Mal
| Bhar Mal | |
|---|---|
| Raja | |
| Reign | 1 June 1548 – 27 January 1574 |
| Predecessor | Askaran |
| Successor | Raja Bhagwant Das |
| Born |
c. 1498 Amer Kingdom, Rajputana |
| Died |
27 January 1574 (aged 75–76) Lahore |
| Burial | Amer Fort |
| Spouse |
Rani Mainwati Padmavati Dayawati |
| Issue |
|
| Father | Raja Prithviraj Singh I |
| Mother | Rani Apoorva Devi |
Raja Bharmal, also known as Bihari Mal, Bhagmal and Bihar Mal, (c. 1498 – 27 January 1574) was a Rajput ruler of Amer, which was later known as Jaipur, in the present-day Rajasthan state of India.
Bihari Mal was the father of Jodha Bai (also called Harkha Bai or Hira Kunwari), who was married to the Mughal Emperor Akbar in Feb, 1562 and became mother to the emperor Jahangir. This was a significant event in Hindu-Muslim relations at the time. He was killed during the battle of Lahore.
Ancestry and accession
Bihari Mal was born around 1498. He was the fourth son of Raja Prithviraj or Prithvi Singh I of Amer (r. 17 January 1503 – 4 November 1527) and Rani Apoorva Devi or Bala Bai of the Rathore clan, the daughter of Rao Lunkaranji of the Bikaner royal family.[1]
After the death of Prithviraj in 1527, Raja Puran Mal (r. 5 November 1527 – 19 January 1534), his eldest son by Tanwar queen succeeded him. He died at the Battle of Mandrail on 19 January 1534, while helping Mughal Emperor Humayun to recapture the fort of Bayana. He had a son named Sujamal. But Sujamal could not succeed his father as he was a minor at that time.
Puranmal was succeeded by his younger brother Bhim Singh (r.1534 - 22 July 1537), the next eldest son of Rani Apoorva Devi. The dispossessed Sujamal took shelter in the Tanwar royal family. Bhim singh was succeeded by his eldest son Ratan Singh (r. 1537 - 15 May 1548). He was killed by his step- brother Askaran, who became the king next day. But the nobles of Amber joined to depose him and on 1 June 1548, aged around 50, Bihari Mal became the ruler of Amer.[1]
Situation at the beginning of the reign
When Bihari Mal's eldest brother Puranmal succeeded the throne in 1527, the political scenario was very uncertain. The Rajput confederacy led by Rana Sanga suffered great loss in the battle of Khanua. The Mughal power was not firmly established in India. There were other Muslim rulers, who were gaining power to oust Humayun, the son of Babur out of India. Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and Sher Khan (later Sher Shah Suri) were prominent among them.
Puranmal was the first person to realize that Mughals were trustworthy. They were not like the old stock of Muslim rulers. It was Puranmal who first offered services of Rajputs to Mughals. Thus, Kachwahas became the first allies of Mughals in Rajputana. Bihari Mal's policy towards Mughals was an extension of his brother's policy.
Bahadur Shah was pursuing a policy of expansion. He helped and sent Tatar Khan Lodi to occupy the fort of Bayana. He occupied the fort of Bayana which was under Mughal occupation since the time of Babur. Humayun sent his brothers Askari Mirza and Hindal Mirza to recapture the fort. Puranmal, then Raja of Amer, fought in the battle called the Battle of Mandrail in favour of Mughals in 1534.
Next year, Bahadur Shah of Gujrat besieged the fort of Chittor, upon which Humayun himself started to fight against him. Rani Karmawati the widow of Rana Sanga was ruling Chittor as regent. She also tried to be friendly with Mughals and sent a Rakhi to Humayun, but Humayun did not arrive in time either due to his belief or slackness. If he would have arrived in time and helped Karmawati, perhaps it would have been Sisodias as their close allies. As a result, Chittor was crushed and all the women in the fort committed Jauhar and the men died in the war.
Reign
It appears from the recorded history that he did not inherit his father as principles laid down by Manu. Instead he was a collective choice from all the Kachwahas, dominated at that time by Bara Kotris. The wise emperor Akbar pursued a liberal policy towards his Hindu subjects and Raja Bihari Mal's descendants offered their services to Mughals which became a strong empire, due to Kachwaha support. The Dhundhar region of Rajputana never faced a war until Aurangzeb's reign.
Akbar and Bihari Mal
In 1556, Bihari Mal helped Majnun Khan Qaqshal, a Mughal commandant, which Majnun Khan later narrated to Akbar. Akbar subsequently invited Bihari Mal to the court of Delhi and rewarded him. In 1562, the situation became critical for the Kachwahas when Mirza Muhammad Sharaf-ud-din Hussain was appointed Mughal governor of Mewat. Sujamal reached his court and received his support for winning the throne of Amer. Mirza led a large army to Amber and Bihari Mal was in no position to resist. He forced the Kachwahas to leave Amber and live in forests and hills. Bihari Mal promised a fixed tribute to Mirza and handed over his own son Jagannath and his nephews Raj Singh and Khangar Singh as hostages for its due payment.[2]
When Sharaf-ud-din was preparing to invade Amber again, Bihari Mal met Akbar's courtier Chaghtai Khan. Luckily for the Raja of Amer, Akbar was at Karavali (a village near Agra) on his way from Agra to Ajmer (on a pilgrimage to the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti), Chaghtai Khan pleaded on behalf of Bihari Mal for his protection, which he agreed and summoned Raja Bihari Mal to his court. Accordingly Bihari Mal's brother Rupsi Bairagi and his son Jaimal met Akbar at Dausa and Raja Bihari Mal himself met Akbar at his camp at Sanganer on 20 January 1562.
Chaghtai Khan introduced Bihari Mal and his relatives to Akbar and Bihari Mal proposed to give his eldest daughter Hira Kunwari in marriage to Akbar. Akbar consented and ordered Chaghtai Khan to make the necessary arrangements. Upon Akbar's arrival in Sambhar on his return journey from Ajmer, Mirza surrendered his hostages Jagannath, Raj Singh and Khangar to Akbar. Bihari Mal also reached Sambhar and on 6 February 1562, his daughter was married to Akbar.
On 10 February 1562 Akbar's new Kachwaha relatives again came to his camp at Ratanpura to take formal leave from him. Here, Man Singh was presented to him. From there, Bhagwant Das, Man Singh and a number of their relatives accompanied Akbar to Agra[2]
Succession
Raja Bihari Mal was succeeded by his eldest son Raja Bhagwant Das after his death.
Notes
- 1 2 Sarkar, J. N. (1994) [1984]. A History of Jaipur (Reprinted ed.). Orient Longman. pp. 31–34. ISBN 81-250-0333-9.
- 1 2 Sarkar, J.N. (1984, reprint 1994). A History of Jaipur, New Delhi: Orient Longman, ISBN 81-250-0333-9, pp.34-7