Udai Singh of Marwar

Udai Singh (13 January 1538 – 10 July 1595), also known by the sobriquet Mota Raja (the fat king), was the Rathore ruler (reigned 1583–95) of Marwar, which was later known as Jodhpur (in the present-day Rajasthan state of India).

Udai Singh
Raja
Ruler of Marwar
Reignc. 1583 – c. 1595
Coronation4 August 1583
PredecessorChandrasen Rathore
SuccessorSur Singh
Born13 January 1538
Jodhpur, India
Died10 July 1595(1595-07-10) (aged 57)
Lahore, Mughal Empire
Spouse27 wives
Issueseveral children including
Sur Singh
Jagat Gosain
Kishan Chand (Founded Kishangarh State)
Dalpat Singh (Ancestor of Ratlam Royal Family)
Full name
Udai Singh
DynastyRathore
FatherMaldeo Rathore
MotherSwarup Devi of Khairawa[1]
ReligionHinduism

Life

After the death of his father Rao Maldeo on 7 November 1562 a fratricidal war for succession started and his younger brother Rao Chandra Sen crowned himself in the capital Jodhpur. However Chandrasen had no allies and all of his brothers and fellow rajput chieftains (apart from Mewar) stood against him. Chandrasen was left completely isolated in the war with the Mughal empire. Akbar's army occupied Merta in the same year and the capital in 1564. After Chandrasens death in 1581, the Marwar kingdom was broken and given to several Rajput chieftains who had helped Mughals against Chandrasen.[2] The Raja of Bikaner was made the governor of Marwar, while the sons of Maldev were cast aside. Udai Singh later gained the favour of the Emperor and was made the Raja of Marwar in 1583.[2] Most of the core territories of Marwar were given back, while other districts were given to the rajas of Amber and Bikaner for their loyalty. Unlike his predecessors, Udai Singh submitted to the Mughal emperor Akbar and joined in his service. He also had his daughter Jagat Gosain married to the Mughal crown prince Jehangir. He did not find the marriage to be degrading as Jehangir had Rajput blood in him from his mothers side.[2]

Kalyandas Rathore

Historian Norman P. Ziegler relates two accounts of the death of Kalyandas Rathore. The version from the Rathore genealogy says Kalyandas took offence at Udai Singh giving his daughter, Jagat Gosain, to Jahangir in marriage, and threatened to kill both men. According to Ziegler, if this is true, the most likely explanation for Kalyandas' opposition is that the marriage implied a subservience that violated the Rajput code of honor. In this version of events, when news of Kalyandas's threats reached Akbar, the emperor ordered Udai Singh to kill Kalyandas. Whatever the cause of the break between Kalyandas and the Mughals, he fled to fort Siwana. Udai Singh pursued him and captured the fort in 1589. Kalyandas died in the fighting.[3]

Death

Udai Singh died in Lahore, Punjab on 10 July 1595.[4] He was succeeded by his son Sur Singh.

See also

Notes
  1. Rajvi Amar Singh, Mediaeval History of Rajasthan: Western Rajasthan (1992), p.38
  2. Sarkar, J.N. (1984, reprint 1994). A History of Jaipur, New Delhi: Orient Longman, ISBN 81-250-0333-9, p.41
  3. Ziegler, Norman P. (1998). "Some Notes on Rājpūt Loyalties During the Mugẖal Period". In Alam, Muzaffar; Subrahmanyam, Sanjay (eds.). The Mughal State, 1526–1750. Oxford University Press. pp. 180–181, 198. ISBN 978-0-19-565225-3.
  4. Beveridge, H. (tr.) (1939, reprint 2000). The Akbarnama of Abu'l Fazl, Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, ISBN 81-7236-094-0, pp.1027-28
Preceded by
Rao Chandra Sen		 Ruler of Marwar
1583–1595		 Succeeded by
Sur Singh


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