Raja Sitaram Deede

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Raja Sitaram Deede was a Jat ruler born in the Deede Jat Family of Kotban, Mathura. Danshahi was the elder son of Raja Sitaram Deede of Kotban. His daughter Acchan Kaur was married to Maharaja Nawal Singh son of Maharaja Suraj Mal.

Variants of name

Genealogy

Sita Ram given Jagir in 1713

G.C.Dwivedi^[1] mentios....[p.65]: The new governor of Agra, Khan-i-Dauran, knew that to crush Churaman by force of arms was an extremely difficult task. By temperament also he was more a man of diplomacy than of war.³⁸ Hence, he sought recourse to conciliation and diplomacy rather than force in dealing with the Jat problem. He sent several letters to Churaman asking him to present himself before the Emperor. Churaman agreed and on 25th September, 1713 (16th Ramzan, 1125 A.H.), arrived at Barahpula. Raja Bahadur Rathora, son of Azimush-Shan's maternal uncle, was sent to receive him. On 20th October, he marched in at the head of 3000 to 4000 sawars . Khan-i-Dauran advanced in person to receive and conduct him to Diwan-i-Khas. The Jat leader presented 21 mohars and two horses to the Emperor. Farrukh Siyar granted him the title of 'Rao Bahadur Khan' along with a khilat and an elephant. His mansab was also increased. Three others (presumably including Khem Karan Sogaria) accompanying him, were also given the khilats. The charge of the royal highway from Barahpula (Delhi) to the Chambal was given to Churaman.³⁹ It is said that at the request of the Mir Bakhshi he was also granted five parganas, Baroda Meo (Nagar), Kathumar, Akhaigrgarh (Nadbai), Au and Helak, as jagir. Khem Karan Jat was given the title of "Bahadur Khan" and assigned the jagir consisting of the parganas Rupbas, Bharatpur, Malah, Aghapur, Barah and Ikran.⁴⁰

38. Roznamcha, 136. Siyar quoted by Satish Chandra, Parties and Politics, 211- 212, footnote.

39. Akhbarat, 11, 15, Ramzan (20, 24 September), II, Shawwal (20 October); Roznamcha, 136; Kamwar, II, 399; Irvine, Later Mughals, I,223; Satish Chandra, Parties and Politics, 123; U.N. Sharma, Itihas, 237-239.

40. Muttra Gazetteer, 197; cf. Tarikh-i-Bharatpur, 4a; Baldeo Singh, Tawarikh-i-Bharatpur, 18 and others quoted by U.N. Sharma, Itihas, 239, 243. Quoting Deshraj, Jat Itihas, 568, 556, 557 as his principal source U.N. Sharma (Itihas, 242-243) concludes that on the appeals of Churaman the Sayyids procured the jagir of Tuksan, Sara, Simdhari, Chhotua, Kotapatti etc. for Thenua Jat chief Bhure Singh. He also believes in that Khuntaile Jat chieftains (Hathi Singh of Sonkh, Fauda Singh of Arig and Sita Ram of Pathena) were given the titles of 'Faujdar', jagirs and lands on ijara. He claims further that the other kith and kins of Churaman received numerous villages and pattis on ijara.

History

Kanungo^[2] writes....It is said that in an assault upon Harasaru, Suraj Mal's elephant, urged against the huge wooden gate of the fort turned back exhausted and unsuccessful. Sardar Sitaram, the Jat Ajax, seeing this, rushed forward with an axe and hewed down the gate with great intrepidity. This is one of his numerous feats of strength remembered by his descendants, still in the ruined castle of his, Kotman.

Kanungo^[3] describing the Battle of Barsana writes....Nawal Singh had fled from Barsana towards Deeg. Abdul Ahad Khan and the Emperor heard the news of thegreat victory at Barsan with misgiving and apprehension. [p.154]: They sent letters to Nawal Singh encouraging him to fight the Amir-ul-umra. Some of these letters were captured by Najaf Khan's soldiers. Najaf Khan gave several days rest to his army at Barsana. He sent Rahim Dad to besiege the fort of Kotman,²¹ held by Sitaram, the father-in-law of Nawal Singh. After defending his fort for several days (18 days as local tradition says) Sitaram one night escaped with the garrison.

Dr Vir Singh in History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo^[4] adds at f.n.21..... Kotman (in the Mathura district) is also known as Kotban. It lies on the Delhi-Agra Trunk Road a furlong or two beyond the boundary line of the Gurgaon district. I have visited this ruined fort in the course of my historical tour. Only the mahal (harem), and Kachhari (Court-room) which is now the Choupad or village Common-hall, stand intact. These lie within the brick-built inner fort of which only the big gate, about 50 yards away from the Kachhari still remains. There is also a large pucca tank outside the gate. The descendants of Sitaram still live there as humble peasants. I met some of them; I was told that the fort had an outer wall of mud 18 cubits high and 16 cubits broad, with a ditch around. One Giribar Prasad, a tall, fair and blue-eyed peasant nearing 50 told me the story he had heard from his grandfather, how the Jats were surprised by the troops of Najaf Khan when they were preparing roti, how they came to Kotman and next went to Barsana, where they fought a battle for 18 days; in short a tradition exactly coinciding with written history. Harcharan says that Kotman was defended for nineteen days by the Jats.

कोटबान-कोटमान

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर^[5] ने लेख किया है ...कोटबान = कोटमान (AS, p.230), जिला मथुरा, उ.प्र. में दिल्ली-आगरा सड़क पर स्थित है. 18 वीं सदी में जाटों का एक मुख्य दुर्ग था. इस दुर्ग की बाहरी दीवार मिट्टी की थी और मुख्य किला ईटों का बना था. अब यह खंडहर हो गया है और भीतरी संरचना का केवल एक द्वार ही अवशिष्ट है. भरतपुर के प्रसिद्ध जाट राजा सूरजमल ने कोटमान के एक जाट सरदार सीता राम की पुत्री के साथ अपने पुत्र नवल सिंह का विवाह किया था. सीता राम ने सूरजमल की कई युद्धों में सहायता की.

जाट इतिहास

ठाकुर देशराज^[6] ने लिखा है: ....महाराजा सूरजमल ने हरयाणे के प्रदेश पर जहां कि जाटों की अधिक आबादी थी और अनेक छोटे-छोटे मुसलमान जागीरदार राज्य कर रहे थे, को विजय करने के लिए जवाहरसिंह की अध्यक्षता में सेना भेजी। छोटे लड़के नाहरसिंह की अध्यक्षता में द्वाबा में अधिकार स्थापित करने और पूर्वी रुहेला सरदारों की चाल का निरीक्षण करने के लिए दूसरी सेना भेजी। जवाहरसिंह ने फर्रुखनगर पर जो कि एक बिलोची सरदार मुसाबीखां के अधिकार में था, चढ़ाई की। यह किला बड़ा मजबूत था, इसलिए महाराज स्वयं तोपखाना लेकर जवाहरसिंह की सहायता को पहुंचे। दो महीने के घेरे के पश्चात् मुसाबीखां ने किले को खाली कर दिया। उसे कैद करके भरतपुर भेज दिया गया। फर्रुखनगर जाट-राज्य में मिला लिया गया। रेवाड़ी, गढ़ी-हरसरू और रोहतक तो पहले ही जाटों के अधिकार में आ चुके थे और वे नवलसिंह तक उनके अधिकार में रहे थे। कहा जाता है कि गढ़ी हरसरू की चढ़ाई में सूरजमल का हाथी जो कि किले के बड़े फाटक को तोड़ने के लिए जुटाया गया था, थककर बिना फाटक तोड़े लौट आया। तब सरदार सीता राम ने जो कि जाट (Ajaz) था, यह देखा तो कुल्हाड़ी लेकर बाहर आया और बड़ी वीरतापूर्वक फाटक को काट डाला। इसके बाद सूरजमल ने दूसरे सरदार बहादुरखां के किले पर चढ़ाई कर दी। इसी समय जाट सेना का एक दूसरा भाग नाहरसिंह और बलरामसिंह तथा अन्य प्रसिद्ध सेनानायकों की अध्यक्षता में मुगल सरकार के अफसरों के हाथ से अनेक स्थानों को जीतते हुए जल्दी से जल्दी नजीबुद्दौला से भिडने के लिए तैयार हो रहा था । लेकिन नजीबुद्दौला इस मौके को टालना चाहता था और सूरजमल इस मौके से लाभ उठाना चाहते थे। इससे पहले सूरजमल के अधिकार में इतना प्रदेश आ गया था कि पूर्व में उनके राज्य की सीमा रुहेला राज्य तक पहुंच गई थी। कोल, जलसेर, एटा के जिले उन्ही के राज्य में थे। जमुना के इस किनारे पर देहली के फाटकों से लेकर चम्बल तक उनके सिवाय और किसी का राज्य नहीं था और गंगा की ओर भी करीब-करीब यही हालत थी।.....

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कोटवन राजस्थान

References

↑ G.C.Dwivedi: The Jats - Their Role in the Mughal Empire/Chapter III,p.65
↑ History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo,p.87 fn-2
↑ History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo/Regency of Nawal Singh,p.153-154
↑ History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo/Regency of Nawal Singh,p.154,f.n.21
↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.230
↑ जाट इतिहास:ठाकुर देशराज (पृष्ठ-647)

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[1] G.C.Dwivedi: The Jats - Their Role in the Mughal Empire/Chapter III,p.65

[2] History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo,p.87 fn-2

[3] History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo/Regency of Nawal Singh,p.153-154

[4] History of the Jats:Dr Kanungo/Regency of Nawal Singh,p.154,f.n.21

[5] Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.230

[6] जाट इतिहास:ठाकुर देशराज (पृष्ठ-647)

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