352:
flanks. One historian asserts that
Jaswant had deliberately poured water on 200 yards of ground in front of him and trodden it into mud, evidently to arrest the enemy's charge. His position was also surrounded by trenches thrown up during the previous day, as the usual precaution against night attacks. In short, the imperial army seemed to be standing on an island, ready for a siege. He failed to send timely succour to the divisions that needed it most, and the battle once begun, he lost control over his forces as if he were a mere divisional leader and not the supreme commander of all. Lastly he made the fatal mistake of despising artillery. It is said that one of the chiefs under Jaswant, Askarandas advised him to fall on the European gunners who manned the artillery pieces of Aurangzeb in a night raid so as to avoid annihilation of the Rajputs but Jaswant Singh refused as he thought that it was below the dignity of a Rajput to attack the foe when they are unarmed.
300:. However, as a contrast to both Shuja and Murad, Aurangzeb did not take the irrevocable step of crowning himself. Instead, he engaged in a busy secret correspondence with Murad, and, to a lesser extent, with Shuja. Letters written in cipher encased in bamboo tubes passed from runner to runner over special relay posts newly established between Ahmadabad and Aurangabad. Both of them agreed to a joint action against their brothers. As a result, they decided to divide the ruling Mughal land amongst themselves.(But this wasn't so as Aurangzeb was only seeking his brother's support for claiming the throne for himself and he would later execute Murad, typical of the Mughal fratricidal wars for the throne).
404:
in front, right, and left, and cut off from their rear, the
Rajputs were slaughtered. Aurangzeb's gunners, with their pieces mounted on high ground, concentrated their fire on the enemy's centre under Jaswant himself. At the sight of the annihilation of their brave vanguard and a triumphant forward movement on the part of Aurangzeb, desertion appeared in the Maharajah's ranks. Kai Singh Sisodia from the right flank of the Centre, and Sujan Singh Bundela and Amar Singh Chandrawat from the van, left the battlefield with their clansmen and returned home.
320:
taking a detour around
Karchraud and joined Aurangzeb. When the Raja realised that Aurangzeb was already in Malwa, he was at his wit's end. Aurangzeb sent a Brahmin envoy, Kavi Rai to advise him to desist from battle and allow him to go Delhi to just see his father. Jaswant tried to parley with Aurangzeb as he thought that the enormous strength of the imperial forces was enough to dissuade both princes. He thought that they will stop their rebellion and return to their domains.
200:
145:
138:
131:
122:
113:
104:
391:
aid to their Rajput comrades now struggling hard with
Aurangzeb's Van, they were suspected of collusion with the enemy or of antipathy to the Rajputs. The charge of Jaswant's vanguard was not followed up. Aurangzeb's troops, who had parted before the rushing tide, closed again behind them, and thus cut off their retreat. Jaswant, too, was not the cool wise commander to keep watch on all the field and send reinforcements and the new development made his position untenable.
160:
169:
183:
375:"they fell on the enemy like tigers, casting away ail plan." The flood of Rajput charge first burst on Aurangzeb's artillery. The guns and muskets fired at point-blank range, woefully thinned their ranks, but so impetuous was their onset that it bore down all opposition. Murshid Quli Khan, the Chief of Artillery, was slain after a heroic resistance and his division was shaken; but the guns were not damaged.
999:
383:, Najabat Khan, and other commanders of the Van, on their elephants kept their ground like hills, while the flood of Rajput charge raged round and round them in eddies. Here the most stubborn and decisive fighting of the day took place. The close combat was so heavy that "The ground was dyed crimson with blood like a tulip-bed."
422:
fought valiantly for 4 hours even though he was wounded, his voice was a constant encouragement to his Rajput troops. According to
Ishwardas, he chose the option of charging with his horse towards the strong fresh troops to get slain, but he was persuaded by Maheshdas and Askarandas to desist from it
403:
Without support or reinforcement arriving from their own army, the
Rajputs were disheartened and checked. Mukund Singh Hada, their gallant leader, received an arrow through his eye and fell down dead. All the six Rajput chieftains engaged in the charge were slain. Hopelessly outnumbered now, assailed
390:
The
Maharajah had chosen his position so badly that many of the imperialists standing on the uneven ground could not join in the fight, and many others could not charge by reason of their being cramped within a narrow space. Half the imperial Van, viz., the Mughal troops under Qasim Khan, rendered no
365:
It was a little over two hours from sunrise, on 15 April 1658, when the rival hosts sighted each other. The battle began with the usual discharge of artillery, rockets, and muskets at long range. The distance gradually decreased, as
Aurangzeb's army advanced slowly, keeping its regular formation. The
468:
The deserted camp of the imperialists close to the field, contained booty beyond imagination. Hither the victors flocked. The entire camp of
Jaswant and Qasim Khan with all their artillery, tents, and elephants, as well as a vast amount of treasure, became the victorious princes' spoil, while their
370:
were soon engaged in a close hand-to-hand combat. The
Rajputs densely packed within their narrow position, were severely galled by the barqandazes and archers of the princes’ army from front and flank, without being able to manoeuvre freely and give an effective reply. Their losses began to mount up
399:
By this time the watchful eye of Aurangzib had taken note of the situation his advanced reserve had been pushed up to reinforce the van, and he himself moved forward with the centre to form a wall of support and refuge close behind them. Above all, Shaikh Mir and Saf Shikan Khan with the right and
386:
The Rajputs, being divided into many mutually antagonistic clans, could not charge in one compact mass; they were broken up into six or seven bodies, each under its own chieftain and each choosing its own point of attack. Thus the force of their impact was divided and weakened as soon as it struck
319:
The Imperial forces under Raja Jaswant Singh of Marwar had reached Malwa at the orders of Dara Shikoh by February 1658 but the Raja was still in the dark about the movements of Aurangzeb. At first his army blocked Karchraud near Ujjain to give battle to Murad but Murad avoided battle by prudently
351:
Many contemporaries blame Jaswant Singh for being inept and inexperienced. He chose his ground badly and so cramped his men that the horsemen could not manoeuvre freely nor gather momentum for a charge; The ground where Jaswant took his stand was narrow and uneven, with ditches and swamps on its
337:
At all times, a subject opposing two princes of the blood, a servant fighting for a distant master against two chiefs who acknowledge no higher authority than their own will, is severely handicapped. In Jaswant's case the natural inferiority of his position was aggravated by the commands he had
348:, Jaswant was not the commander to humour and manage them, and make all obey the will of one common head. Then, again, there was the standing aloofness between Hindus and Musalmans. It had been found next to impossible to brigade these creeds together for a campaign under one general.
378:
For one point of time the Rajput charge was seeming to overwhelm Aurengzeb's vanguard but his van was composed of his most picked troops, "eight thousand mail-clad warriors," many of them hereditary fighters of the Afghan tribe, and their generals were reliable men.
490:
down from a position of immense superiority to one of equality with his own, or even lower. The hero of the Deccan wars and the victor of Dharmat faced the world not only without loss but with his military reputation rendered absolutely unrivalled in
485:
But far greater than all these material gains was the moral prestige secured by Aurangzeb. Dharmat became the omen of his future success in the opinion of his followers and of the people at large throughout the empire. At one blow he had brought
287:
were physically allowed to see him. The stage was set for the transition of power. Even though Shah Jahan was able to recover completely from his illness, it would still prove costly for him. Seizing the opportunity to claim the throne, Prince
456:
The soldiers had been under arms for more than eight hours of a hot April day. Victor and vanquished alike were worn out by the strife. So, Aurangzeb mercifully forbid pursuit, saying that this sparing of human life was his offering
371:
every minute. The Rajput leaders of the Van,— Mukund Singh Hada, Ratan Singh Rathor, Dayal Singh Jhala, Arjun Singh Gaur, Sujan Singh Sisodia and others, with their choicest clansmen, galloped forward. Shouting their war- cry of
469:
soldiers looted the property equipment and baggage of the vanquished array. Long strings of camels and mules, laden with various articles, were seized as prize or pillaged by the common soldiers and camp followers.
323:
Shah Jahan's orders to Jaswant was to take every possible step to induce the two princes to retire. If they declined to listen, they were to be stopped by force. Truly in this case Jaswant Singh was caught
344:
Moreover, his army, too, was an ill-knit group of discordant elements. The various Rajput clans were often divided from each other by hereditary feuds and quarrels about dignity and precedence. Unlike
947:
927:
465:. The Muslim prisoners of Jaswant Singhs army were treated with respect, however the Hindus were all slaughtered, even though Aurangzeb himself had several thousand Hindus fighting for him.
774:
712:
692:
754:
283:
and the shops were closed in the bazaars around Delhi. There were rumours rife whether the emperor was dead or held hostage by his son Dara. Only some physicians, Dara and his sister
311:. On April 13 he learns that Murad was just near him and Aurangzeb summoned him to come fast and on the next day they camped at Dharmat by the western bank of the Gambhira River.
263:. The battle was fought on the open plain of Dharmat on the hot Summer day of 15 April 1658 in which Aurangzeb won a decisive victory due to advantage in artillery and tactics.
855:
875:
830:
672:
303:
On February 5, 1658, Aurengzeb left Aurangabad to contest the Mughal Throne. He proclaimed himself ruler and bestowed titles on his children. By April 3 he crossed the
895:
563:
794:
814:
543:
325:
1089:
411:, ready to live or to die with their chieftain, besides many other Rajput and Mughal auxiliaries; and they offered a stubborn opposition.
982:
400:
left wings of the centre struck the Rajputs in the waist from the two flanks, while they were engaged with Aurangzib's van in front.
30:
622:
739:
961:
941:
909:
889:
869:
849:
824:
808:
788:
768:
726:
706:
648:
577:
557:
434:
With the retreat of Jaswant Singh from the battlefield, the battle was already lost, however the war was continued by
1039:
664:
603:
418:
With the Vanguard of Iftikhar Khan overwhelmed and the Mughal force under Qasim Khan kept aloof during the battle,
380:
125:
438:
which would eventually end after his death. Due to his sacrifice, Ratan Singh was immortalized by the people of
591:
686:
1079:
1050:
747:
289:
644:
412:
419:
407:
Even though the imperialists were close to defeat, there stood 2,000 Rathors under the banner of
256:
163:
1084:
1074:
837:
835:
833:
426:
Jagmal Khadiya, a Charan from Marwar, died fighting on Jaswant Singh's side in the battle.
8:
435:
186:
532:
498:
451:
1035:
1015:
988:
660:
599:
1027:
497:
Followed by the victory at Dharmat, Aurangzeb marched towards Agra, culminating in
280:
190:
173:
149:
292:, who was the viceroy of Bengal and Orissa rebelled against his father and prince
978:
477:
329:
239:
284:
58:
1068:
1019:
1003:
199:
144:
137:
130:
121:
112:
103:
992:
618:
487:
345:
293:
260:
116:
89:
536:
415:, who bravely fought the reserves with his depleted forces, was slain.
272:
631:
The History and culture of the Indian People Vol 7- The Mughal Empire
473:
439:
276:
252:
107:
83:
53:
Fatehabad near the village of Dharmat, located close to the city of
168:
332:
aptly summarises the dilemma faced by Jaswant Singh in his words:
159:
1002:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
367:
304:
182:
408:
308:
54:
596:
War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849
251:
was fought during the Mughal war of succession (1658–1659) by
462:
458:
297:
523:
Karuna Joshi (1998). "New Light on the Battle of Dharmat".
472:
But the only question that remains is what advantage did
915:
18:
Battle during the Mughal war of Succession (1658–1659)
1051:""The Position of Charans in Medieval Rajasthan""
476:really got from this battle ?. As Historian
429:
1066:
394:
750:, Oxford University press, p. 254, 1907
522:
360:
525:Proceedings of the Indian History Congress
423:and took the reins of the horse from him.
1048:
921:
1026:
678:
617:
1067:
977:
958:Aurengzeb Thanks Allah for his victory
953:
938:Aurengzeb Thanks Allah for his victory
933:
881:
861:
841:
820:
780:
760:
718:
698:
569:
259:who was allied with the Mughal prince
238:At least 6000 Rajputs (as computed by
1012:Futuhāt-I-Alamgiri of Ishwardas Nagar
1009:
901:
800:
643:
633:, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, p. 215
549:
387:the dense mass of Aurangzib's Van.
598:, Taylor & Francis, p. 33,
518:
516:
514:
279:and constipation. He failed to hold
31:Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)
1090:Battles involving the Mughal Empire
590:Roy, Kaushik, ed. (30 March 2011),
589:
13:
14:
1101:
511:
216:22,272 armymen along with cavalry
1014:. Idarāh-I-Adabiyā-I-Dilli Ltd.
997:
198:
181:
167:
158:
143:
136:
129:
120:
111:
102:
1049:Upadhyaya, Rashmi, ed. (2010).
971:
732:
657:The Wonder that was India Vol 2
326:between a rock and a hard place
1034:. Cambridge University Press.
637:
611:
583:
430:Last stand of the imperialists
314:
296:crowned himself as emperor at
1:
785:Aurengzeb contests the Throne
765:Aurengzeb contests the Throne
723:Aurengzeb contests the Throne
703:Aurengzeb contests the Throne
504:
271:On 6 September 1657, Emperor
266:
1010:Ahmad, Tasneem, ed. (1978).
984:History of Aurengzeb Vol 1,2
659:, Rupa&Co, p. 128,
445:
395:Heavy losses for the Rajputs
7:
10:
1106:
1058:Rajasthan History Congress
987:. Orient Longman Limited.
823:, 'Battle of Dharmat' pp.
449:
361:The charge of the Rajputs
355:
275:suddenly fell ill due to
222:
207:
96:
77:
36:
28:
23:
338:received from Shah Jahan
172:Mukund Singh Hada
148:Murshid Quli Khan
495:
342:
97:Commanders and leaders
744:Storia Do Mogor Vol 1
683:The War of Succession
482:
334:
257:Jaswant Singh Rathore
249:The battle of Dharmat
223:Casualties and losses
164:Jaswant Singh Rathore
866:Rajputs Slaughtered
436:Ratan Singh Rathore
187:Ratan Singh Rathore
69:Aurangzeb's victory
499:Battle of Samugarh
452:Battle of Samugarh
1080:Conflicts in 1658
1032:The Mughal Empire
846:Battle of Dharmat
493:–Jadunath Sarkar
340:—Jadunath Sarkar
246:
245:
73:
72:
24:Battle of Dharmat
1097:
1061:
1055:
1045:
1028:Richards, John F
1023:
1001:
1000:
996:
979:Sarkar, Jadunath
965:
951:
945:
931:
925:
919:
913:
899:
893:
886:Stiff Opposition
879:
873:
859:
853:
839:
828:
818:
812:
798:
792:
778:
772:
758:
752:
751:
746:, translated by
736:
730:
716:
710:
696:
690:
676:
670:
669:
641:
635:
634:
615:
609:
608:
587:
581:
567:
561:
547:
541:
540:
520:
281:Jharokha Darshan
231:4000 Mansabdārs
202:
195:
185:
178:
171:
162:
154:
147:
140:
133:
124:
115:
106:
38:
37:
21:
20:
1105:
1104:
1100:
1099:
1098:
1096:
1095:
1094:
1065:
1064:
1053:
1042:
998:
981:, ed. (1973) .
974:
969:
968:
952:
948:
932:
928:
920:
916:
900:
896:
880:
876:
860:
856:
840:
831:
819:
815:
799:
795:
779:
775:
759:
755:
738:
737:
733:
717:
713:
697:
693:
677:
673:
667:
642:
638:
616:
612:
606:
588:
584:
568:
564:
548:
544:
521:
512:
507:
478:Jadunath Sarkar
454:
448:
432:
397:
381:Muhammad Sultan
363:
358:
330:Jadunath Sarkar
317:
269:
240:Jadunath Sarkar
232:
230:
218:266 Mansabdārs
217:
197:
191:
180:
174:
166:
150:
142:
135:
128:
126:Muhammad Sultan
119:
110:
61:
19:
12:
11:
5:
1103:
1093:
1092:
1087:
1082:
1077:
1063:
1062:
1046:
1040:
1030:, ed. (1993).
1024:
1007:
973:
970:
967:
966:
946:
926:
922:Upadhyaya 2010
914:
894:
874:
854:
829:
813:
793:
773:
753:
748:William Irvine
731:
711:
691:
671:
665:
647:, ed. (1987),
645:Rizvi, Saiyyad
636:
621:, ed. (1974),
610:
604:
582:
562:
542:
509:
508:
506:
503:
501:against Dara.
447:
444:
431:
428:
396:
393:
362:
359:
357:
354:
316:
313:
307:river towards
268:
265:
244:
243:
236:
229:7000 Horsemen
225:
224:
220:
219:
214:
210:
209:
205:
204:
156:
134:Multafat Khan
99:
98:
94:
93:
87:
80:
79:
75:
74:
71:
70:
67:
63:
62:
59:Madhya Pradesh
52:
50:
46:
45:
42:
34:
33:
26:
25:
17:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1102:
1091:
1088:
1086:
1085:Jaswant Singh
1083:
1081:
1078:
1076:
1075:1658 in India
1073:
1072:
1070:
1059:
1052:
1047:
1043:
1041:9780511584060
1037:
1033:
1029:
1025:
1021:
1017:
1013:
1008:
1005:
1004:public domain
994:
990:
986:
985:
980:
976:
975:
963:
959:
955:
950:
943:
939:
935:
930:
924:, p. 38.
923:
918:
911:
907:
906:Jaswant Singh
903:
898:
891:
887:
883:
878:
871:
867:
863:
858:
851:
847:
843:
838:
836:
834:
826:
822:
817:
810:
806:
802:
797:
790:
786:
782:
777:
770:
766:
762:
757:
749:
745:
741:
735:
728:
724:
720:
715:
708:
704:
700:
695:
688:
684:
680:
679:Richards 1993
675:
668:
666:9780283994586
662:
658:
654:
652:
646:
640:
632:
628:
626:
620:
619:Majumdar, R.C
614:
607:
605:9781136790874
601:
597:
593:
586:
579:
575:
571:
566:
559:
555:
551:
546:
538:
534:
530:
526:
519:
517:
515:
510:
502:
500:
494:
492:
489:
481:
479:
475:
470:
466:
464:
460:
453:
443:
441:
437:
427:
424:
421:
420:Jaswant Singh
416:
414:
413:Iftikhar Khan
410:
405:
401:
392:
388:
384:
382:
376:
374:
369:
353:
349:
347:
341:
339:
333:
331:
327:
321:
312:
310:
306:
301:
299:
295:
291:
286:
282:
278:
274:
264:
262:
258:
254:
250:
241:
237:
234:
227:
226:
221:
215:
212:
211:
206:
201:
196:
194:
188:
184:
179:
177:
170:
165:
161:
157:
155:
153:
146:
139:
132:
127:
123:
118:
114:
109:
105:
101:
100:
95:
91:
88:
85:
82:
81:
76:
68:
65:
64:
60:
56:
51:
48:
47:
44:15 April 1658
43:
40:
39:
35:
32:
27:
22:
16:
1057:
1031:
1011:
983:
972:Bibliography
957:
949:
937:
929:
917:
905:
897:
885:
877:
865:
857:
845:
816:
804:
796:
784:
776:
764:
756:
743:
740:"Shah Jahan"
734:
722:
714:
702:
694:
682:
674:
656:
650:
639:
630:
624:
613:
595:
585:
573:
565:
553:
545:
528:
524:
496:
484:
483:
471:
467:
455:
433:
425:
417:
406:
402:
398:
389:
385:
377:
372:
364:
350:
343:
336:
335:
322:
318:
302:
270:
248:
247:
235:Total 11,100
233:100 Nobles
228:
192:
175:
151:
141:Najabat Khan
78:Belligerents
15:
954:Sarkar 1973
934:Sarkar 1973
882:Sarkar 1973
862:Sarkar 1973
842:Sarkar 1973
821:Sarkar 1973
781:Sarkar 1973
761:Sarkar 1973
719:Sarkar 1973
699:Sarkar 1973
570:Sarkar 1973
531:: 427–433.
315:Preparation
294:Murad Baksh
261:Dara Shikoh
117:Murad Baksh
90:Dara Shikoh
1069:Categories
902:Ahmad 1978
805:Askarandas
801:Ahmad 1978
574:Casualties
554:Casualties
550:Ahmad 1978
505:References
480:comments:
450:See also:
290:Shah Shuja
273:Shah Jahan
267:Background
203:Qasim Khan
1020:313077940
592:"Dharmat"
474:Aurangzeb
446:Aftermath
440:Rajasthan
346:Jai Singh
277:strangury
253:Aurangzeb
108:Aurangzeb
92:'s forces
86:'s Forces
84:Aurangzeb
537:44147010
285:Jahanara
255:against
208:Strength
49:Location
29:Part of
993:1223182
789:221–223
727:219–220
707:213-215
687:158-159
651:Dharmat
625:Dharmat
373:Ram Ram
368:Rajputs
305:Narmada
213:30,000
193:†
176:†
152:†
1038:
1018:
991:
663:
602:
535:
491:India.
409:Marwar
356:Battle
309:Ujjain
189:
66:Result
55:Ujjain
1054:(PDF)
533:JSTOR
463:Allah
461:) to
459:zakat
298:Surat
1036:ISBN
1016:OCLC
989:OCLC
960:pp.
940:pp.
908:pp.
888:pp.
868:pp.
848:pp.
807:pp.
787:pp.
767:pp.
725:pp.
705:pp.
661:ISBN
600:ISBN
576:pp.
556:pp.
488:Dara
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