Rao Raja of Bundi

 Chhatrasal Singh Hada of Bundi (1632 to 1658)

Rao Raja Chhatrasal Singh Hada

Introduction

Raja Chhatrasal Hada, who is referred to in books often as Chattar Sal or Satr Sal, was the crown prince of Bundi when his grandfather, Rao Ratan Singh, enjoyed the highest Mansaab under Jehangir’s reign. Rao Ratan Singh, for his contribution to the wars and services to protect the interests of Emperor Jehangir, was given the honorary title of “Sarbuland Rai”. He also actively helped Shah Jahan during his rebellion against the emperor because of Nur Jahan's petticoat government. After his death, his second son, Madho Singh, was the rightful heir, but he nominated his grandson Chattarsal instead because he was the grandson of his first son, Gopinath, who died in an imperial war. The Rao Raja ascended the throne of Bundi at a ‘young’ age, as mentioned in the Shahjahan Nama. His date of birth remains unknown. His uncles were granted the Jagirs of Kota and Palaita, while he was accepted as the king in the areas of Bundi, Khathar and adjoining areas. The areas of his jagir are mentioned in the Badshahnama cited in the Veer Vinod. Princess Jahanara in her diary mentions his pedigree as a descendant of both Prithviraj Chauhan as well as the valiant Pratap Singh Sisodia.

 Life

Various Literature sources, mainly English and Persian, mention his name as one of the most trusted chiefs of Shah Jahan’s army and the aide of Prince Dara Shikoh. He is first mentioned in the Shah Jahan Nama on the fifth anniversary of Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign, where, upon the death of his grandfather, Rao Ratan Singh, he arrives at court as a representative of Bundi and congratulates the emperor on his fifth successful year. He had brought with him about 40 elephants, 18 of which were accepted as war elephants and 15 of which were kept for the Emperor’s personal harem. He had been given a respectful welcome with drum beats. Dara Shikoh, who was known to be inclined toward the Hindu chiefs, showed a special bond with the Rao of Bundi. It is mentioned in Rajput chronicles that he probably had two wives, of lesser significant clans, and from them had children. He was often respected for his chivalry, bravery and intelligence at the Mughal court. During his reign, Bundi faced no major events or turmoils. The Hada chiefs of Bundi enjoyed a greater position in the Mughal court than the Kota ones. He was known to have fought fifty-two successful wars in his life before he died in the battle of Samugarh while fighting from Dara’s side. James Todd mentions him as an aid to the Mughals, who died childless, which was not true. Some pages and books mention his coronation in the year 1648, which seems wrong as well.

 Children

Rao Raja had five known children, namely, Bharat Singh, who died young at the Battle of Dhamat, Rao Bhao Singh, his youngest son, Bhagwant Singh, who was granted the jagir of Mau, Ganga Kunwari, who was also known as Jaswanti Bai, who married Amar Singh II of Udaipur, and Rani Lakhman Kanwar, who was the fourth wife of Bahadur Singh of Khandela. Some chronicles call Bhagwant Singh one of his grandchildren as well. Rao Bhao Singh was made the Mansabdar of Aurangabad by Aurangzeb almost a decade after his father lost his life fighting against Aurangzeb. Jahanara’s diary mentions only Bharat Singh, who fought alongside his father, and Bhao Singh, who was the next ruler of Bundi.

   Major Wars

In the year 1632, at the siege of Daulatabad, Raja Chattar Sal was called upon to provide his service to the imperial army and prove his loyalty to the same. It was followed by the war at Paranda with the Khan E Khana or Prime Minister, Mahabat Khan, in 1634, where his bravery was praised by the senior officials, and he was rewarded by the Emperor. In his next expedition towards Gujarat, he was badly injured on 4^th April 1636 and returned to Bundi for some time. He was on campaign with Aurangzeb and Murad over a long period and provided the details of their movements to Jahanara Begum as ordered by the Emperor, who feared they were plotting against Dara. In the year 1647, he joined the important war at Balkh and was later shifted to Aurangzeb’s army between 1649 and 1652, to fight at Qandahar, which remained one of the turning points in the career of both Dara and Aurangzeb. He fought in 52-odd wars, big and small, and had immense respect and a cordial relationship with one of the Mughal enemies, Mewar, which was also the bordering state of his own kingdom. His last and most important war was when he united the Rajputs of the Mughal court under his leadership to support Dara’s right to the throne. In 1657, he visited Shah Jahan on his birthday and, along with gifts, assured him of his loyalty towards Dara. Around March 1658, when the armies of Murad and Aurangzeb were closing in, and Shah Jahan sent Suleiman Shikoh, Dara’s son, against his uncle Shuja, he was called to Agra with his troop to join the Imperial army. Alongside him, his nephew Ram Singh, Brother Kishor Singh and eldest son Bharat also joined the side.

Modern painting

Architecture

Rao Chattrasal had a palace in the Taragarh Fort in Bundi. The palace was initially built by his Grandfather, Rao Ratan Singh, and he attributes it to the Phool Mahal, Hathi Mahal and the Chattra Kaksh in it. We can see the verses of Ganesh Vandana in Devagiri, the Paintings of Radha and Krishna and the avatars of Vishnu still on the walls. The Hathi Mahal had pillars of Ivory that were stolen and later replaced by stone in the now-abandoned fort. His grandson, Rao Anirudh, is famous for the Rani ki Baori. (You can see pictures of Bundi in my travel blog on the same page)

 Relationship with Mughals

Chattar Sal enjoyed a powerful and influential position in the court of Shah Jahan. In him, the emperor found a loyal man with a lot of good values and political intelligence. Unlike most people of his time, he never misused his position and was there to advise Prince Dara on what would be best suited in all situations. Dara, who was too engrossed in religion and literature, was kept away from warfare by his overprotective father and lacked a basic sense of leadership. In many of his successful and failed policies and campaigns, Chattar Sal backed him with his intelligence and experience. Dara, in turn, honoured and respected him. As for the other brothers, Murad and Aurangzeb were united against Dara and Hindus, but on his expeditions with the Mughal army against common enemies, Chattar Sal had guarded the princes as his duty. They never were on the same page, but his position in the eyes of their father made them keep up cordially with the Rao Raja of Bundi.

As quoted in Inayat Khan's Shah Jahan Nama about his first appearance as king in 1632, " Among the occurrences at court was the following, Rao Satr Sal, grandson of Rao Ratan who was one of His Majesty's principal nobles having come to court after the death of the latter, paid his respects and presented an offering of 40 elephants bequeathed to him by his deceased ancestor. Only 18 of these, which were estimated to be worth 2 lacs and 50000 rupees, were accepted and added to the Royal stables; of these, eight were reserved for his Majesty's special use. Many tokens of regard were lavished on the young Rao, who was further exalted by the grant of a standard and drum."

In another book called Rajput Polity by Sethia Madhu Tandon, it is mentioned that "Rao Ratan Singh rose up to the Mansab of 5000/5000 and was granted the title of Sarbuland Rai by Jahangir. After his death, his son Madho Singh, uncle to Chattrasal, was given the jagir of Kota and Palaita, while his grandson Chattrasal was accepted as his successor and was given Bundi, Khatkar, and other Parganas of his Watan Un Jagir with a Mansab of 3000/2000 as per Maasin Ul Umza's Badshahnama. Shah Jahan also promoted Madho Singh to a Mansab of 2500/1500. The Hada chiefs of Bundi, namely Chattrasal, his son Bhao Singh and grandson Aniruddh Singh, enjoyed higher Mansabs than Madho Singh, his son Kishore Singh or grandson Ram Singh. The title Rao, along with Raja, was also attributed to the Bundi Rajas by the Mughals."

Dara in a Bundi Painting

  Relationship with Jahanara

Jahanara Begum, the Padishah Begum in the court of Shah Jahan, his eldest daughter from Mumtaz, played a huge role in Chattarsal's political impact on the court. In her journals, she addresses him as her rakhi-bound warrior brother and describes his intelligence and experience. It is believed that she had made her father and brother Dara use the Rao Raja in a manner most efficient in the war and strategy making of the court. Under her influence, Shah Jahan sends him to all major wars as one of the leaders. Jahanara, in her diary, also hints at what could have been a personal relationship between her and the Rao Raja, while no official documents hold any proof of that. It was, however, clear that he and his thinking had a deep impact on the princess.

Mughal Princess identified as young Jahanara.

 The Battle of Samugarh

I will quote here the exact lines from Sir Jadunath Sircar’s ‘ History of Aurangzeb’ about Chattar Sal’s role and death in the battle that took place 10 km away from Agra between Agra and Kota. His description states:

Bravest among so many brave men was Rao Chhatrasal Hada, the chieftain of Bundi and the hero of fifty-two fights. With his Hada clan in their saffron robes, the ensigns of death or victory, the Bundi Prince formed a vanguard for Dara. Cheering on his men, he mounted on his elephant, but whilst encouraging them by his voice, and for example, a cannonball hit his elephant, the animal turned and fled. Chhatrasal leapt from its back and called for his steed, exclaiming, “My elephant may turn his back on the enemy, but never shall his master”

A terrible war was waged on Aurangzeb’s left. Rajputs of the imperial vanguard, under Chhatrasal, slipped through the interval between Zulfiqar’s artillery and Murad’s division and fell upon the prince with fierce valour. Murad was separated from Aurangzeb’s army. Aurangzeb entered to save his younger brother after the rider of his elephant was killed. The Rajput fought on.

…mounting on his horse and forming his men into a dense mass, he led them to the charge against Prince Murad, whom he singled out and had his lance balanced for the issue when a ball pierced his forehead …

Chhatrasal was the first to fall. Dara was at the other end, and he turned to the right wing to back the troops of Chhatrasal against Aurangzeb. But this movement from one end to another was too late.

R.C. Majumder, in his book ‘Mughal Empire’, describes that the Rajputs had adorned the Saffron attires of Saka, and the Rao had a red turban with strings of pearl on his headdress and neck. He criticised Dara for mounting his elephant, then leaving it to mount his horse and reach for backup late, on the advice of his general. If Dara arrived on time with a backup for the Rajputs, there was a possibility of a turn of events. After his brave soldiers fell one by one, Dara had no choice but to run. He reached Agra around 9PM and left with his family in the odd hours of the night.

Jahanara Begum’s diary mentions the news of Chattarsal’s death arriving for her father, in her presence, and she is understandably moved. On the 10^th of June, after a siege of Agra, she met the now-crowned Alamgir. On her way back, she encountered an injured Bundi soldier who had handed her a blood-soaked pearl necklace sent by the Rao. He also informs her that Najabat Khan killed him.

  Character

If we check history books, they only mention how brave or valiant a warrior was, or how politically diplomatic a king was. Chattar Sal was both. Apart from that, Princess Jahanara’s diary reflects how deeply he knew the history and geography of the land and foresaw things. He was in favour of uniting all forces against the common enemy and often provided Rajput tales to prove his point. A worshipper of the Maharana against Akbar’s ways, he was very outspoken about the flaws the Mughals showed. He was saddened by how the Rajputs fought among themselves and even drew inspiration from Ashoka and Prithviraj Chauhan. Being a valiant warrior, he fought each war like his last and was also a very religious man. In the conversations put forward by Jahanara, he appears very calm, composed and knowledgeable, and  Jahanara also describes his writings as poetic. The only painting of his that is found has a Devagiri inscription and shows a man of middle age, with a fair, stout figure and a thin, twisted moustache. While reading Jahanara’s diary, I was more mesmerised by his understanding of the world than hers.

Samugarh

    Parting words

I have been searching frantically for information about his life and relationships beyond politics, and I came across very few sources mentioning his children and character. His wife's name is not found, although she is believed to be a princess of Mewar like his mother was, and neither is his age nor birth year. Jahanara’s narration makes us assume he was a few years older than her, but that is all we know. No fiction on Jahanara mentions him anywhere, and he is lost in history as one of the martyrs of Samugarh. Sadly, there have been many more inspiring characters like his who lost their lives for Hind, and we probably do not even know their names. All said and done, thanks to Begum Sahib’s priceless ‘ A Life of a Mogul Princess’, I came across a character with such self-esteem and bravery as the Rao Raja Chhatrasal Singh Hada of Bundi.

Sources: 

• Tuzk I Jehangir,
• Shah Jahan Nama, 
• A Life of a Mogul Princess by Jahanara Begum, 
• Rajput Polity by Madhu Tandon Sethia
• Hada Relations with Mughals by R.S. Sharma 
• Mughal chieftains under Shah Jahan 
• Mughal Empire by R C Majumder
• History of Aurangzib by J.N. Sircar.