Battle of Sarai Sobhachand
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| Battle Sarai Sobhachand 1749-1750 | |||||||
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| Part of Mughal-Jat Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Raja Balram Singh of Ballabhgarh Raja Pratap Singh of Weir Thakur Suratram Singh of Khohra |
Mir Bakshi Sayyid Salabat Khan Zulfiqar Jang Hakim khan Kheshgi Ali Rustam Khan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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6,000 troops |
18,000 troops Imperial artillery of Delhi | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 military generals killed | |||||||
The Battle of Sarai-Sobhachand was fought between the Jat ruler of Bharatpur kingdom- Maharaja Surajmal and his rival Mughal empire's Mir Bakshi Salabat Jung in 1750.[1]
Background[edit]
Mir Bakshi (head of Military department in Mughal period) Salabat Jung was not marching towards Bharatpur, in real he was ordered to help the Rathore chief of Marwar Bhakt Singh. There was a throne succession war being in progress at that time in Marwar (Jodhpur). Mir Bakshi with a 18,000 force marched from Mewat which was under Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur kingdom. Mir Bakshi's plan was to first deal with the Jats and then proceed to reinforcement Bhakt Singh.[2]
Battle[edit]
Kunwar Natwar Singh notes:
The Mir Bakshi's progress was leisurely. He first stopped at Patuadi for ten days. Thereafter he ravaged Mewat and captured the mud fort of Nimrana in the Jat kingdom. This minor success made the Mir Bakshi overconfident and he haughtily dismissed an emissary from Suraj Mal and decided to teach Suraj Mal a lesson. Ajmer and Jodhpur were for the time being forgotten. Suraj Mal held his hand. He was watching and waiting. When the Mir Bakshi got to Sarai Sobhachand, the Jats descended on him. Suraj Mal with a mobile force of 6,000 surrounded the Mughals on New Year's Day 1750.[3]
Contemporary court poet has mentioned Maharaja Surajmal was accompanied by Jat chiefs like Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana of Gohad, Rao Gokala, Suratram singh (who was leading 500 horsemen) Raja Balram Singh of Ballabhgarh kingdom had 1,000 soldiers and Maharaja Surajmal's brother Raja Pratap Singh of Weir had 500 horsemen.[4] Mir Badshi was surrounded from all sides. He sent a message to Mughal court of Delhi which got delivered very late and the returning path was blocked by the Jat army. Surajmal's mounted gunners would come closer in small groups and without dismounting from their horses, would start firing their guns at the frightened Muslim soldiers of Mughas. Surajmal's mounted gunners had no chance of fighting the fast-moving army in the dark of night. The Jats attacked with great speed and determination and killed many men of Mughal army. Two prominent Mughal army's chiefs were killed – Ali Rustam Khan and Hakim Khan. Mir Bakshi Salabat Khan was now under the control of Surajmal.[5]
Girish Chandra Dwivedi writes- Next day (lst January, 1750) at midday hi men surrounded and harassed Salabat's troops under Fateh Ali (the same whom Suraj Mal had helped against Asad Khan, 1745) some 3 miles away from the Sarai. Ali Rustam Khan and Hakim Khan and HakimKhan Kheshgi led re-inforcements two hours-before sunset. But the Mughals could not cope with the mounted Jat matchlockmen. Pannic gripped the Bakhshi's camp. The Jats fired the volley of muskets causing heavy slaughter. Hakim Khan, the commander of the Bakhsni's right wing, was fighting on an elephant. Har Narain charged his horse upon the elephant and killed the Khan. Ali Rustam who led the vanguard was severely wounded. The Jats achieved a singular victory. They fell upon Salabat Khan's camp and plundered it for four "gharres". The Amrr-ul-Umra was so much struck with terror that it was only the vigilance of his commanders that prevented his cowardly flight. At last, after two or three days of strict confinement, the helpless Bakhshi sued for terms, He sent his Vakil (probably Fateh Ali) to Suraj Mal, offering to vacate the lands he had just recovered. Jawahar Singh was then sent to the Bakhshi to dictate peace.[6]
Aftermath[edit]
Salabat was forced to sue for peace, which was granted by the Jats on the following terms:
(i) the imperial Government would promise not to cut down pipal trees, (ii) nor to hinder the worship of it, while (iii) Surajmal undertook to collect 15 lakhs of Rupees from the Rajputs as the revenue of the province of Ajmir and pay it into the imperial Exchequer, provided that the Bakhshi took his advice and did not proceed beyond Narnol (present-day Mahendragarh, Haryana).[7]
References[edit]
- ^ Dua, J. C. (1992). British Historiography, Eighteenth Century Punjab: Their Understanding of the Sikh Struggle for Power and Role of Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. Radha Publications. ISBN 978-81-85484-43-3.
- ^ Dabas, Bal Kishan (2001). The Political and Social History of the Jats. Sanjay Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7453-045-5.
- ^ Singh, Ku Natavar (1958). Maharaja Soorajmal 1707-1763 Jeevan Aur Itihas.
- ^ Singh, Ku Natavar (1958). Maharaja Soorajmal 1707-1763 Jeevan Aur Itihas.
- ^ Singh, Ku Natavar (1958). Maharaja Soorajmal 1707-1763 Jeevan Aur Itihas.
- ^ Dwivedi, Girish Chandra; Prasad, Ishwari (1989). The Jats, Their Role in the Mughal Empire. Arnold Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7031-150-8.
- ^ Dabas, Bal Kishan (2001). The Political and Social History of the Jats. Sanjay Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7453-045-5.
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