How a Rajput succession plan impacted the Battle of Panipat in 1761

History is intriguing in how an insignificant looking event can have enormous significance many decades later.

The Rajputs in India had been the first Hindu rulers to resist the Mughals. Apart from the religious differences, it was the geographical location of the Rajput kingdoms that was responsible for their resistance. The rajputs controlled areas touching Delhi and stretching from Sind to Malwa region of central India, they initially gave resistance to the Mughal invasions but with Akbar as the emperor, things changed.

Akbar initiated a policy of matrimonial alliances with Rajput houses, marrying many of the rajput princesses and aligning the rajputs to Mughal dominion. The exception to this was the House of Udaipur, which never accepted wedding proposals from mughal emperors for their daughters. One should remember that the Udaipur kings were direct descendants of the Mewar royal family. When the first Mughal king, Babar entered India in 1527, it was the Rana (King) of Mewar, Rana Sanga who combined the rajput forces and fought Babar at the battle of Khanwa.

The next 3 generations of Mewar kings continued to fight the Mughals against all odds even though the rest of rajputs were joining the Mughals. Rana Udai Singh, who established Udaipur as the new capital of Mewar, was the son of Rana Sanga and father to Maharana Pratap.

( Portrait of Maharana Pratap )

Thus in the eyes of rajputs, the Maharana of Udaipur held a pre-eminent position. In 1710, when mughal emperor Aurangzeb died, the Rajput princes met at Pushkar and decided never to give their daughters in marriage to the mughals. It was decided that the son of a Udaipur princess would always inherit the throne even if he was the younger son of a deceased Rajput king.

It was 30 years later that this agreement would come into highlight. In 1743, the king of Jaipur died, and his younger son Madho Singh (from a Udaipur princess) claimed eligibility for the throne instead of Ishwari Singh, the eldest of the king's son. Being the son of a Udaipur princess, he quoted the agreement to get the support of other neighbouring kings as well as the Udaipur family. While Ishwari was well respected, Madho was known for his devious ways of working.

At this time, the Maratha kingdom was at its zenith, controlling almost entire central and northern India. Though the rajputs were still feudatories to Marathas, their powerful position ensured everyone needed their support. Madho Singh requested the maratha subedar of Indore, Malhar Rao Holkar for help in obtaining the throne against a huge payment, while Ishwari Singh requested maratha subedar of Gwalior, Jayappa Scindia for help. The Holkar and Scindia were the 2 most (and only) powerful maratha subedars in northern India. This entanglement at Jaipur brought them on opposite sides.

In the engagements that followed, the scindia and holkar armies often had skirmishes against each other. Even the Peshwa court at the maratha capital Pune was unable to resolve the dispute. Ultimately Ishwari Singh was defeated and Madho Singh was made king in 1750. When the Holkars demanded their share of the kingdom for helping him, Madho Singh made a plan to invite both Holkar and Scindia to Jaipur for meal and poison their food. Scindia refused to come for the meal and the plan fell through but in a sequence of events, the maratha soldiers camping in Jaipur were massacred on orders of Madho Singh. Jayappa Scindia was later murdered by an assassin sent by Madho Singh. Though Holkar had no role in Jayappa's murder, the Scindia family believed Holkar was aware of the plan.

This had great implications on the political situation then:-

1) The Maratha, who had earlier enjoyed great relations with the Jaipur Rajputs suddenly became bitter enemies of each other due to Madho Singh.
2) The 2 most powerful Maratha subedars in northern India became foes of each other, and over the subsequent years would continue to plot against each other, even though they served the same ruler.

11 years later, at the battle of Panipat in 1761, when the maratha forces met afghan forces of Abdali, they were without the support of the rajput forces. Madho Singh refused to support the marathas and as the willy king, preferred to wait and watch. None of the other rajput forces joined the marathas.
The Holkar, though on the side of the Marathas would not easily abide to decisions with the Scindias.

Had the throne of Jaipur passed to the eldest son Ishwari Singh, things may have been very different. One should note that at the battle of Panipat, the forces of afghans and marathas were equally matched in numbers. Had the rajputs joined forces with marathas, their numerical superiority over afghans would have been 2 is to 1 as well as the excellent artillery guns that the Jaipur army possessed.

- Suyash Nigam