Raj Singh I

Maharana Raj Singh I (24 September 1629 – 22 October 1680) was the Maharana of Mewar Kingdom (r. 1652–1680) and eldest son of Maharana Jagat Singh I. He fought against the Mughal Empire and annexed many Mughal territories. He participated in Rajput-Mughal War (1679–1707) and defeated the Mughals.

Early campaigns During the Mughal war of succession, all the Mughal princes including Aurangzeb requested him to send contingents in their support but Maharana remained aloof. Raj Singh ignored repeated demands for assistance from Aurangzeb.

Raj Singh in 1659 attacked Dungarpur, Banswara and Devaliya who were originally under Mewar rule but later became independent states under Mughal suzerainty. These rulers accepted the suzerainty of Mewar. Raj Singh opposed Aurangzeb multiple times, once to save the Kishangarh princess Charumati from the Mughals and once by denouncing the Jizya tax levied by Aurangzeb. Chatrapati Shivaji had once taunted Aurangzeb through a letter by challenging him to ask the Rana of Mewar, who is the head of the Hindus, for Jizya instead of terrorising unarmed citizens.

Rajput War (1679–1707) The Rana gave aid to Durgadas Rathore during the Rajput War (1679–1707) and fought many battles against Aurangzeb as he was a relative of Ajit Singh of Marwar, The conflict was started after the death of Jaswant Singh of Marwar due to Aurangzeb's attempt to interfere in the succession of Marwar. The resistance to Mughal interference was mainly started by the Rajput nobles under Durgadas Rathore and erupted into an all-out war between the Mughal Empire and Rajputs of Marwar supported by Rana Raj Singh. It lasted for almost thirty years. The rebellion reached a climax after the death of Aurangzeb on 3 March 1707 and the capture of Jodhpur by the Rathores on 12 March 1707.

Cultural activities Rana Raj Singh is also known for giving protection to the Hindu priests and the Shrinathji idol of Mathura from Mughals; he placed it in Nathdwara. The lake built by Raj Singh is also known as Rajsamudra.

The lake provided sufficient water to farmers thus increasing productivity and giving relief to famine-stricken areas.

Death and succession

Rana was eventually poisoned by his own men who were bribed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He died on 22 October 1680 at Oda village in Rajsamand. He was poisoned by certain nobles influenced by the Mughal court. Along with him, his loyal confidant and warrior-poet Charan Askaran Dadhivadia(son of Khemraj), who was the Jagirdar of Oda, also consumed the poisoned food and died alongside the Maharana. Their memorial cenotaphs (chhatris) are still located at Oda village. He was succeeded by his son Jai Singh.