Raja Braj Dev

Raja Braj Raj Dev was a ruler of the Deva dynasty of Jammu, Jamwal Dogras, who ruled from 1782 to 1787. He was a ruler, but failed to stop Sikh invasions in Jammu. In 1785, the Sikhs occupied Basholi, Jasrota, and Ramnagar. The Battle of Jammu was fought between him and Ranjit Dev.

Rise to power

Braj Dev was the son of Raja Ranjit Dev of Jammu, he had a younger brother named Dalel Singh and a sister named Bua Bodhan (who married the Raja of Nurpur). Raja Ranjit Dev did not believe Raj Dev to be fit to succeed him and instead supported his younger son Dalel Singh to succeed him as the next Jammuite ruler. Enraged, Braj Dev decided to fight for the throne, making allies with Charat Singh Sukerchakia and Jai Singh Kanhaiya. Meanwhile, Raja Ranjit Dev was allied with the Jhanda Singh Bhangi of the Bhangi Misl and the fellow Pahari polities of Chamba, Nurpur, and Basohli. The faction of Braj Dev prevailed and he was installed as the next ruler of Jammu. Braj Dev tried to maintain Jammu's independence from the ascendant Sikhs but ended up becoming a tributary state, paying an annual tribute of 30,000 rupees.

Death In 1787, Raja Braj Dev tried to recover his territories from the Sikhs, but he was killed in the Battle of Rumal, with the combined forces of Sikhs sardars of the Sukerchakia Misl and Bhangi Misl. He was succeeded by Raja Sampuran Singh, who surrendered to the Sikhs.