Background to the Rise of Raja Ram: It was January 1st 1670 A.D a significant but largely a forgotten day in Hindu history, on this fateful day two brave men were brought out onto the platform of Agra Kotwali (Agra Police Office) by Mughal soldiers and were hacked to death piece by piece because of their rebellion against the Mughal empire and for their refusal to accept Islam, the two men were Veer Gokul Singh and his uncle Veer Uday Singh. The martyrdom of Veer Gokul Singh thus ended a chapter of the continuing Jat resistance, but the Jats would soon rise again and this time under a capable leader who would avenge the death of Gokula and who would spell terror in the Mughal camps near Agra. The man was none other than Veer Raja Ram Jat to whose sacrifice this article is dedicated. After the brutal suppression of the earlier freedom fighters, the Jats soon rose up under the leadership of Brij Raj of Sinsini (16 miles northwest of Bharatpur), under his leadership the people of Agra refused to pay taxes to the tyrannical Mughals, soon Aurangzeb himself sent Multafat Khan to force them to pay the taxes, Mulafat Khan was soon in retreat after Brij Raj’s force defeated him soundly in a battle and he died soon after from the wounds he suffered in the battle. Within a year of Mulafat Khan’s death, a Mughal force soon pursued Brij Raj to Sinsini and according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “The Jat chief somehow succeeded in sending away his women from the fortress but was himself killed along with his son, Bhao Singh, while defending it. Sinsini fell into the hands of the enemy.” [1], thus ended another chapter of the resistance in which both Brij Raj and his son Bhao Singh were martyred while fighting Mughal tyranny. Origins and the Rise of Raja Ram: Veer Raja Ram under whose leadership the Jats would soon rise to prominence was born into the family of Bhajja Singh (also called as Bhagwat Singh) who was the brother of Brij Raj. By this time the Jats of the area were again seething with discontent and rage against the Mughals because of the Mughal atrocities, according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “The Jats had seen their houses and religious places being demolished, their property plundered, their women molested and males tortured by the Mughal soldiers. Stubborn and warlike as they were, they could not accept all this meekly. So when they got their opportunity they paid their enemies in the same coin.” [2], It was under these circumstances that Raja Ram rose to prominence and he soon organized the Jats of different clans and Hindus of other communities who were willing to fight into a united force under his own leadership and he soon created a small army with different regiments and strengthened the defenses of his forts (the lack of which contributed to the defeat of Gokula in 1669 A.D), having thus secured his position he soon began to raid caravans and travelers and plundered them. The Jats under his leadership before long became powerful enough that they soon overwhelmed Safi Khan the Agra Suabadar and besieged him in his fort and according to Girish Chandra Dwivedi “they practically closed the roads for normal traffic between Dholpur and Delhi, and Agra and Ajmer via Hindaun and Bayana.” [3] Raid On Akbar's Mausoleum: The success they tasted encouraged Raja Ram and he soon attacked Akbar's Mausoleum at Sikandara and tried to ransack it but he did not succeed due to the strong resistance of Mir Abul Fazl, a local Mughal faujdar. The skirmish with Abul Fazl caused some serious loss of troops on both sides, so Raja Ram soon retreated to Ratanpur after he captured some loot from Shikarpur to make up for his losses. Efforts to suppress Raja Ram: Aurangzeb soon selected Khan – i – Jahan Bahadur Zafarjang Kokaltash and entrusted him with the job of suppressing Raja Ram but Khan – i – Jahan could not succeed in any appreciable measure and he was beaten back badly. Once again in 1687 A.D a similar expedition was sent for the purpose, this time under the leadership of Bidar Bakht, which also failed to produce results, thus ended the matter for the time being. Attack on Agar Khan: After the repeated failure of the Mughals Raja Ram soon made a much more daring attack, this time he attacked Agar Khan the Mughal commander who was going to Bijapur from Kabul near Dholpur and according to R S Joon the Jats “carried away a large number of horses, carts and muslim women.” [4], Agar Khan soon began to chase them but was killed along with his son in law, the Mughals lost about 80 men along with Agar Khan and his son in law. Attack on Mahabat Khan: A short while later in 1688 A.D he soon assailed Mahabat Khan but was repulsed with a loss of about 400 men but he also inflicted heavy casualties on Mahabat Khan who lost about 190 men, 150 of whom were killed and another 40 who were injured. Raja Ram avenges Gokula’s death: In the same year Raja Ram soon attacked Akbar’s Mausoleum again and plundered it taking advantage of the delayed arrival of Shaista Khan, the Jats hauled out Akbar’s bones from his Mausoleum and threw them angrily into the fire and burnt them and they also damaged villages set aside for supporting the Taj Mahal and captured some local Mughal officers at Palwal [5], thus Gokula’s death was finally avenged by Veer Raja Ram Jat on Febraury 27, 1688 [6]. Martyrdom of Veer Raja Ram: Around this time there was a bitter dispute between the Rajput clans of the Chauhans and Shekhawats over a piece of disputed land. The Mughals under faujdar Murtaza Khan of Mewat and Bilar Bakht and the Rajputs under Rao Raja Anirudh Singh of Bundi and Maharao Kishor Singh Hada joined the Shekhawats and supported them. The Chauhans on the other hand enlisted the support of Raja Ram Jat who by now had acquired considerable power and influence, soon a fierce battle ensued between the two forces and in the words of Girish Chandra Dwivedi “Opposite Raja Ram was the Hada Chief upon whom he inflicted a crushing defeat. Anirudh Singh himself could not stand before the Jat onset. He became nervous and fled along with his troops. When the battle was in its full fury the gallant Raja Ram led a fierce charge against the centre, consisting of the Mughals.” [7], while this was going on a Mughal musketeer hid himself behind a tree and shot at Raja Ram’s chest which caused him to pass away immediately. The death of Raja Ram demoralized his troops and the Shekhawat coalition took advantage of this soon and turned a certain defeat into victory, the battle was a key loss but the death of Raja Ram was an even bigger loss, had he lived longer he may have achieved much bigger things and in all probability would have destroyed the Mughal authority in the areas under his influence, after his death the leadership of Jats would soon pass on to Chuhraman Jat who would increase their power and who would ultimately found the famed kingdom of Bharatpur. Thus Veer Raja Ram Jat who fought Mughal tyranny till the end of his life and who infused a sense of pride and rebellion into the Hindus of the area was martyred on Wednesday 4th July of 1688 A.D [8] and the sacrifices of people like him should be remembered and honored by all Hindus of the present and future generations. Jai Durga Ma.
