Punyashlok ahilyabai holkar

Kingdom of Jaipur and Maratha part-4

Battle of Bagru

Overview

The Battle of Bagru was a military engagement fought between multiple Indian kingdoms in 1748 near the town of Bagru, Jaipur. The battle was fought during a succession crisis following the death of Jai Singh II, which left Jaipur without effective leadership.

Facts

Date : 20 August 1748- 26 August 1748

Location : Bagru near Jaipur, India

Result : Ishvari Singh lost about 20-25 km lands of Jaipur to Madho Singh I. He paid tribute to the Holkars.

Ishvari Singh (army) :

Belligerents : i) Kingdom of Jaipur
Reinforced by
ii) Kingdom of Bharatpur

Commanders and leaders :
i) Ishvari Singh
ii) Suraj Mal

Madho Singh I (army) :

Belligerents : i) Supporters of Madho Singh I
Reinforced by
ii) Holkar clan
iii) Kingdom of Bundi

Commanders and leaders :
i) Madho Singh I
ii) Malhar Rao Holkar
iii) Ummed Singh of Bundi

Battle

The two armies engaged each-other around the town of Bagru on 20 August 1748. The fighting lasted for 6 days; for much of the battle, a rainstorm blanketed the area. The first day resulted in heavy losses for both armies before the rain halted the fighting. On the second day, Suraj Mal personally led his forces in a fierce counter-attack that routed the Maratha contingent of Madho Singh I's army; however, the Marathas were able to spike many Jaipur cannons before they were forced back.
While the two armies fought at Bagru, 5000 men from Madho Singh I's army captured a Jaipur supply convoy and blocked the road between Bagru and Jaipur. With their supplies and line of retreat cut off, Ishvari Singh and Suraj Mal retreated into Bagru's fort, ending the battle.
Having lost the battle, Ishvari Singh chose to sue for peace. Rather than negotiate with the enemy army as a whole, he offered terms to each individual commander. He bribed an ally of Holkars to arrange for Holkar forces to withdraw and agreed to give his half-brother control over 5 parganas. He bribed the Maratha soldiers (and allowed them to keep the wealth they had looted), and agreed to surrender the town of Bundi to Ummed Singh. In return for his concessions, Ishvari Singh was allowed to return to Jaipur and continue his rule.

Aftermath

While Suraj Mal's actions during the Battle of Bagru won him praise for his martial skills, the defeat humiliated Ishvari Singh. Jaipur Raj descended into a state of paranoia, resulting in him arresting and executing a number of his officials. He attempted to regain his lost prestige by helping Kingdom of Marwar against the invading Mughal army, he won a minor victory at Battle of Raona against Mughal General Salabat Khan, but was soon bogged down in a stalemate and forced to withdraw. He also failed to repay Holkar his dues from his defeat at Bagru, Holkar invaded Jaipur with a large army. Ishvari Singh locked himself in his room for many days and refused to come out. The ministers of Jaipur urged Ishvari Singh to give them orders, but faced with his enemies approaching his capital, Ishvari Singh consumed poison on 12 December 1750 and his queen & concubines committed jauhar fearing loss of honour at the hands of Holkar. Madho Singh I was at Udaipur when his half-brother, Maharaja Sawai Ishvari Singh Kachwaha of Amber committed suicide. Following this, Madho Singh I was crowned as the King of Jaipur. Madho Singh I invited Jayappa Scindia who arrived in due time along with Malhar Rao Holkar to dinner where the Maratha sardars were served poisoned food which they detected and evaded in time. Next day on 10 January 1751, about 5000 Marathas marched through Jaipur and started exploring Jaipur's temples and monuments. Marathas seemed to have behaved towards Jaipur like city taken by storms. Suddenly, the pent up hatred of the Rajputs burst forth and a riot broke out at noon. The Rajputs massacred over 3,000 of them. Madho Singh I posted assassins along the escape route to kill off the Maratha envoys calling for aid.
Madho Singh I won several important battles against other kings and defeated the Jat Raja Jawahar Singh. He later reconciled with Marathas after rewarding Holkar for his help in gaining Jaipur throne by giving him the parganas of Rampura and Bhanpura in 1753.
Ahilyabai Holkar built :
i) Bhanpura : Nine temples and Dharmashala.
ii) Rampura : Four temples, Dharmashala, houses.

Death (Madho Singh I)

Madho Singh I died in 1768 after a rule of 17 years after contracting dysenery after a battle with Jawahar Singh. Madho Singh I's wife, Maharani Chundawat who belonged to Chundawat clan, was the daughter of Rawat Jaswant Singh of Deogarh, and ruled Jaipur following his death as his heir, Prithvi Singh II was only 5 years old at the time. Following Prithvi Singh II's death, her son Pratap Singh succeeded to the throne.