Battle Of Farukhnagar
The Battles Of Farukh Nagar took place at Farukh Nagar between Nawab Masawi Khan of Farukhnagar and Maharaja Suraj Mal on 24th December 1763. The war led to Death of Maharaja Suraj Mal.
The Battles Of Farukh Nagar
Ram Sarup Joon[1] writes that ... Suraj Mal always coveted the fertile lands of Haryana. Coincidence provided him with a suitable excuse. In July 1763, Nawab Masawi Khan of Farukhnagar, with a party, went out for hunting in his territory, near Village Surahti in Tehsil Jhajjar. He chanced to see a Jat girl who, with a group of girls, was cutting grass. The Nawab got instantly emotional by the beauty of the girl. When he asked for the name she rudely ticked him off. That further aggravated the vanity of the Nawab. He summoned her father and asked for her hand in marriage. The father asked for time before he could give his consent.
In the meantime he called the Panchayat and left the decision to them. The marriage was not acceptable to the Panchayat. They were in a quandary, acceptance was dishonorable, to refuse was hazardous. Emissaries were sent to Bharatpur. Suraj Mal, however declined to help giving the excuse that the village was not in his jurisdiction, the Nawab was
History of the Jats, End of Page-165
their ruler and he had the support of the Emperor. The Panchayat was disappointed. However the elder Kanwar (prince) Jawahar Singh promised to help and advised them to fix the date of marriage during the dark phase of the moon and let him know the date. On the appointed night, while the Nawab and his army were busy in merry-making, Jawahar Singh crept up to the fort in darkness with 200 volunteers. He killed a large number of them and then laid siege to the fort. At the same time, he sent a fast camel rider to Bharatpur. On hearing the news, Suraj Mal proceeded to Farukh Nagar and reinforced Jawahar Singh.
The author of "Ibrat Nama" writes that after a siege of two months, the Nawab opened the gate of the fort and surrendered. He was sent to Bharatpur. Suraj Mal then advanced towards Bhadurgarh. At the time Najib Uddaula, the grand vazir of Delhi was awaiting the return of Ahmad Shah Abdali who was having a sojourn with the Nawab of Oudh, probably in fear of Najib Uddaula. Suraj Mal besieged Delhi and demanded the area around Delhi. Simultaneously, he had sent Kanwar Nahar Singh across the Jamuna to keep an eye on the Rohillas and prevent them from joining the forces atDelhi.
On the 24th of December, 12,000 troops of the Royal Army came out engaged in battle with Suraj Mal's Army which numbered 6,000. The enemy suffered 1,000 casualties. But Suraj Mal was also killed in the encounter. His army recovered his headless body and retired to Bharatpur.
Death of Suraj Mal
Documents and tradition by no means agree as to the manner of Suraj Mal’s death. Father Wendel, writing within five years of this incident, says,
- “One day Suraj Mal getting news that a large body of the enemy was coming to pounce upon Nahar Singh ( his son and destined successor), who was in that expedition, marched in haste with a few thousand horsemen, to succour him. Unfortunately, in passing through a ditch (mullah) which the river Hindan had left there, he was surprised on both sides by a party of Ruhela infantry – who had been placed in ambush there. By a furious discharge of their muskets ... on the Jats still in disorder, they brought down Suraj Mal with all his retinue who lay there on the plain either slain or wounded“ [2]
Suraj Mal died on Sunday 25 December 1763 and the event was recorded in the Waqa only two days after its occurrence, i.e. Tuesday. Besides those quoted in the text it contains the following details:
- “ Sayyad Muhammad Khan Baloch cut off the head and hand from the body of the Jat, and brought and kept with himself for two days. After that these were taken to the presence of Nawab Najib-ud-daula. Then only could he believe that Suraj Mal was dead.” [3]
Qanungo has put a question mark on Suraj Mal’s falling into an ambush as father Wendel has said. He has suggested that it is quite likely that the surprise of the reconnoitring party under Suraj Mal by Najib Khan’s retreating troopes was taken as an ambuscade. But the versions of the father and the author of the Siyar do not tally with that of the Bayan and Waqa-i-Shah Alam Sani. The Bayan says that Suraj Mal led six thousand troops to attack; and according to the Waqa 1000 men died on both sides and Suraj Mal met his death in a rash charge upon enemy’s centre.[4]
External links
References
- ↑ History of the Jats/Chapter X,p. 165-166
- ↑ French MS., p. 50
- ↑ Ibid
- ↑ K.R. Qunungo, History of the Jats, Ed. Dr Vir Singh, Delhi, 2003, p. 202-205
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