Sawai Jai Singh
On the 31st of December 1699, Mirza Raja Bishan Singh died. His son Jai Singh was only eleven years old when he inherited the throne of Amber. The kingdom possessed barely enough gold to fund a cavalry force of one thousand men. This financial ruin had festered for ninety-six years under the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb. Jaipur kings had long chosen diplomacy over warfare because their lands sat so close to Mughal power centers in Delhi and Agra.
Six months after taking power, Aurangzeb ordered Jai Singh to join the Deccan Wars. He delayed his response by about one year. One reason was that the emperor demanded a massive army larger than what his rank required. Another delay came from his marriage to Udit Singh's daughter in March 1701. He reached Burhanpur on the 3rd of August 1701 but could not advance due to heavy monsoon rains.
The situation worsened quickly. On the 13th of September 1701, officials cut his military rank by five hundred positions and reduced his pay. His victory at the siege of Khelna Fort in 1702 earned him back only his former rank. Aurangzeb bestowed upon him the title Sawai, meaning one and a quarter times superior to others. Later appointments to govern Malwa were revoked by the angry emperor.
Jai Singh transformed Amber into a formidable military state through strategic expansion and technological adaptation. He annexed Shekhawati, gaining access to skilled recruits for his rapidly growing army. Estimates suggest his regular force never exceeded forty thousand men, costing roughly sixty lakhs annually. The true strength lay in artillery reserves and munitions stockpiles maintained with extreme care.
He replaced traditional Rajput swords and shields with matchlocks for foot soldiers. This decision recognized the shift firearms had brought to Indian warfare decades before other rulers adopted similar tactics. In 1732, as governor of Malwa, he commanded thirty thousand soldiers split evenly between horsemen and musketeers. This number excluded garrisons stationed in Agra or Ajmer.
His experimental weapon Jaivana remains the largest wheeled cannon ever built. Jai Singh increased territorial holdings by paying money or waging war against Mughal rebels. These acquisitions provided resources to sustain a large standing army capable of projecting power across northern India.
The political landscape shifted dramatically during Jai Singh's three terms governing Malwa between 1714 and 1737. Isolated Maratha bands entering from the south were initially defeated and repulsed by his forces. By 1728, Peshwa Baji Rao defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad under the Treaty of Shevgaon signed in March that year.
Marathas gained free passage through Berar and Khandesh after an agreement allowed them to bypass the Nizam's domains. Following Chimaji Appa's victory over Girdhar Bahadur on the 29th of November 1728, they established permanent camps beyond Malwa's southern frontier. The rebellion led by Chhatra Sal with Maratha support convulsed regions north and south of the Narmada River.
During his second appointment to Malwa from 1729 to 1730, Jai Singh recognized the complete change in political dynamics. Imperial power had weakened due to rebellions while Maratha forces grew stronger. He successfully petitioned Shahu to return the fortress of Mandu on the 19th of March 1730. Later appointments ended when he was removed from office in 1737 following the Treaty of Duraha on the 7th of January 1738.
Construction of Jaipur began as early as 1725 though the foundation stone was laid ceremonially only in 1727. By 1733, this new capital officially replaced Amber for the Kachwaha dynasty. Vidyadhar Bhattacharya designed the city using ancient Sanskrit manuals on architecture known as silpa-sutras. Merchants from across India settled within its thick protective walls.
The planned city followed an ancient Hindu grid pattern found in ruins dating back three thousand years BCE. A garrison of seventeen thousand men including artillery units guarded the settlement. The British later nicknamed it the pink city by the early twentieth century. The Sanskrit epic Ishvar Vilas Mahakavya details events surrounding the city's construction written by Kavikalanidhi Devarshi Shrikrishna Bhatt.
Jaipur became a model of town planning and architectural innovation during the eighteenth century. Its establishment allowed Jai Singh to assert sovereignty away from Mughal influence while maintaining administrative control over his expanding kingdom.
He translated Euclid's Elements of Geometry into Sanskrit along with works on trigonometry and logarithms by John Napier. Instruments included Ram Yantra, a cylindrical structure with a central pillar, and Samrat Yantra, a massive equinoctial dial. The Digamsha Yantra featured pillars surrounded by circular walls while Narivalaya Yantra served as another cylindrical measuring device.
The Samrat Yantra could estimate local time within half a minute accuracy or locate the Pole Star. Rama Yantra measured altitude and azimuth of stars while Shanku Yantra determined latitude. These facilities predicted eclipses and other events using techniques superior to those employed by Jesuit astronomers invited to his courts. Only the Delhi observatory ceased functioning today while others remain operational.
Expenditures associated with Rajput weddings were reduced significantly under his direction. In 1720 Emperor Muhammad Shah abolished the hated jaziya tax imposed on Hindus since 1679 following Jai Singh's persistent lobbying efforts. Two years later he persuaded the emperor to
withdraw pilgrimage taxes levied at Gaya.
His death occurred two years after the Battle of Gangwana which marked his final significant military engagement. He died on the 21st of September 1743 and was cremated at Gaitore north of Jaipur. His son Ishwari Singh succeeded him to the throne. Jai Singh remains remembered as one of India's most enlightened rulers of the eighteenth century.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Sawai Jai Singh die and where was he cremated?
Sawai Jai Singh died on the 21st of September 1743. He was cremated at Gaitore north of Jaipur.
How old was Sawai Jai Singh when he inherited the throne of Amber?
Sawai Jai Singh was only eleven years old when he inherited the throne of Amber on the 31st of December 1699. The kingdom possessed barely enough gold to fund a cavalry force of one thousand men at that time.
What is the significance of the Samrat Yantra built by Sawai Jai Singh?
The Samrat Yantra could estimate local time within half a minute accuracy or locate the Pole Star. It served as a massive equinoctial dial alongside other instruments like the Ram Yantra and Digamsha Yantra.
Why did Aurangzeb reduce the military rank of Sawai Jai Singh in 1701?
Aurangzeb reduced the military rank of Sawai Jai Singh by five hundred positions and cut his pay on the 13th of September 1701. This punishment followed delays in joining the Deccan Wars due to monsoon rains and marriage arrangements.
When was the foundation stone for Jaipur laid by Sawai Jai Singh?
The foundation stone for Jaipur was laid ceremonially in 1727 though construction began as early as 1725. By 1733 this new capital officially replaced Amber for the Kachwaha dynasty.