VictoriaCoward4 at 18:19, 13 March 2026

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{{Short description|Indian rebel leader of Tilpat (died 1670)}}
{{for-multi|the village|Gokul|the 2009 Indian Kannada-language film|Gokula (film)}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Veer
| name = Gokula Jat
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name = गोकुल जाट
| native_name_lang = hi
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Tilpat]], [[Mughal Empire]] ({{smaller|present-day [[Tilpat]], [[Haryana]], [[India]]}})
| death_date = 1 January 1670
| death_place = [[Agra Subah]], [[Mughal Empire]] ({{smaller|present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]]}})
| death_cause = [[Dismemberment]]
| birth_name = Gokul Dev
| known_for = Leading the Jat uprising of 1669 against the Mughals
| relations =
}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}

'''Gokula Jat''' (died 1 January 1670), also known as '''Gokul Dev''', was a [[zamindar]] and [[Tribal chief|chieftain]] who led a rebellion against the [[Mughal Empire]] during the reign of emperor [[Aurangzeb]] in the late 17th century. Gokula emerged as a symbol of resistance against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] oppression, particularly their discriminatory religious and economic policies.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Khari |first=Rahul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lGgAAAAMAAJ&q=gokula+jat |title=Jats and Gujars: Origin, History and Culture |date=2007 |publisher=Reference Press |isbn=978-81-8405-031-8 |language=en |quote=Gokula , the Zamindar of Tilpat assumed the leadership of the Jats in 1669. An independent Jat state of Bharatpur was established in the early 18th Century . Gokula collected an army of 20,000 youths to organize the Jats}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Books |first=L. L. C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jPuxSgAACAAJ |title=Bharatpur: History of Bharatpur, Jat History, 1669 Jat Uprising, Maharani Kishori, Bharatpur, India, Deeg, Battle of Bharatpur, D |date=2010 |publisher=General Books LLC |isbn=978-1-157-78118-9 |language=en |quote=The rise of Jat power in India, which started at the 1669 Jat uprising as a resistance against narrow and over-centralised despotic regime of Aurangzeb under the leadership of Gokula, resulted ultimately into the formation of Jat State in Bharatpur.}}</ref> His leadership in the uprising of 1669 marked one of the earliest organised revolts against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rule]] in India, influencing later rebellions and the rise of the [[Kingdom of Bharatpur]].<ref>[[R. C. Majumdar]], H.C. Raychaudhari, Kalikinkar Datta: [[An Advanced History of India]], 2006, p.490</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=K. Natwar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZ_PwAEACAAJ |title=Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-1763: His Life and Times |date=2001 |publisher=Rupa & Company |isbn=978-81-7167-510-4 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1669, Gokula rallied approximately 20,000 [[Jats]] and other local farmers to resist oppressive [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] taxation and religious policies.<ref name=":0" /> His forces achieved early successes, defeating and killing the Mughal [[Faujdar]] Abdul Nabi Khan at the [[Battle of Tilpat (1669)|Battle of Tilpat]] and destroying the [[Sadabad, India|Sadabad]] cantonment.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Pickthall |first1=Marmaduke William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYJCAAAAYAAJ&q=gokula+jat+killed+abdul+nabi+khan |title=Islamic Culture |last2=Asad |first2=Muhammad |date=1990 |publisher=Islamic Culture Board |language=en |quote=Abd al - Nabi, the fawjdar of Mathura, was killed in an encounter and the rebellion became serious. It spread to Agra district and Awrangzib himself marched to Mathura in November. Gokula jat was taken prisoner and executed}}</ref> However, the rebellion was crushed following the Tilpat's siege, where Gokula was captured after a four-day battle. Gokula was executed by [[dismemberment]] in [[Agra]] on 1 January 1670.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rathee |first=Ravindra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9r-EAAAQBAJ&dq=gokula+jat+executed&pg=PT50 |title=True to Their Salt: Indian Soldiers and the British Empire |date=2022-08-15 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-3981-1426-5 |language=en |quote=The peasant rebellion of Jats in the north was crushed by heavy artillery, personally commanded by Aurangzeb in 1669. The captured Jat rebel leader Gokula Singh was publicly tortured and executed in Agra}}</ref>

==Early life==
Gokula (originally ''Ola'' or ''Gokul Dev'') was born in a [[Hindu Jat]] family of [[Tilpat]] region (of Haga/Agre/Agha gotra) to Madu Haga and was the second of the family's four sons.<ref name="Narendra Singh Verma 1986, p. 5">Narendra Singh Verma: Virvar Amar Jyoti Gokul Singh (Hindi), Sankalp Prakashan, Agra, 1986, p. 5</ref>

== Background ==
In the mid-17th century, the [[Mughal Empire]] under [[Aurangzeb]] faced growing discontent among its subjects, particularly in rural areas. The [[Jats]], a predominantly [[Agrarian society|agrarian]] community in the [[Mathura]] region (present-day [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Haryana]]), bore the brunt of heavy land revenue demands, often exceeding 50% of their produce. Aurangzeb’s reimposition of the [[jizya]] (a tax on non-Muslims) in 1669, coupled with forced [[Islam]]ic conversions, destruction of [[Hindu temple]]s and prohibition on [[Hindu festivals]],<ref>''Mirat-i-Ahmedi'' by Ali Muhammad Khan, (trans. by M.R. Lokhandwala Gaekwad Oriental Series, No. 146, 223; Manucei tStona, II, 144), “however, claims that Holi was stopped altogether.”</ref> deepened the sentiments among [[Hindus|Hindu]] communities, mostly the [[Jats]], who revered [[Mathura]] as a sacred center of lord [[Krishna]] worship. The spark for rebellion came in 1669 when mughal Abdul Nabi’s oppressive measures, including excessive tax collection and interference in local religious practices, pushed the [[Jats]] to the breaking point.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-wIN0QEACAAJ |title=Maasir-I-Alamgiri - a History of the Emperor Aurangezib-Alamgir (reign 1658-1707 AD) of Saqi Must'AD Khan |date=2024-11-20 |publisher=Manohar Publications |isbn=978-93-94262-02-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dwivedi |first=Girish Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=apdLQwAACAAJ |title=The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire |date=2003 |publisher=Originals |isbn=978-81-88629-11-4 |language=en}}</ref>

== Rebellion ==
In early 1669, Gokula, as the [[Tribal chief|chieftain]] of [[Tilpat]], emerged as the leader of a peasant uprising against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] oppression. The rebellion was sparked by Abdul Nabi’s excesses and the burdensome tax regime. Gokula mobilised approximately 20,000 [[Jats|Jat]] farmers, along with [[Gurjar|Gujjars]] and [[Ahir]]s. In May 1669, the rebels attacked Mughal outposts. An early victory came at the ''Battle of Sahora'', where Gokula’s forces killed Abdul Nabi, while he attempted to capture the village. The rebels destroyed the Mughal cantonment at [[Sadabad, India|Sadabad]], sacking regions around [[Mathura]] and disrupting Mughal control.This inspired the [[Hindus]] to fight against the Mughal rulers, who were there to destroy all Hindu rebels and this fight continued for five months.<ref>Narendra Singh Verma: Virvar Amar Jyoti Gokul Singh (Hindi), Sankalp Prakashan, Agra, 1986, p. 34</ref><ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |page=188}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Reddy |first=Krishna |title=Indian History |date=1960 |publisher=McGraw Hill |isbn=978-0-07-132923-1}}</ref>

==1st Battle of Tilpat (1669)==
{{Main|Battle of Tilpat (1669)}}

The [[Battle of Tilpat (1669)|Battle of Tilpat]] was fought between [[Hindus|Hindu]] [[Jats]] and the [[Mughal Empire]] in 1669.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jahan|first=Dr.Ishrat|publisher= Lulu.com|isbn=978-0-359-22280-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZiCDwAAQBAJ&dq=Battle+of+tilpat&pg=PA52|title=Socio-Cultural life in Medieval History|date=29 December 2018 |page=52}}</ref> Under [[Aurangzeb]]'s rule, Mughal [[Subahdar]]s (governors) imposed heavy taxes ([[jizya]]) on the non-Muslim farmers of this region due to [[Decline of the Mughal Empire|unhealthy financial conditions]] of the empire resulting from the continuous military expansion in the southern regions of the [[indian subcontinent|subcontinent]]. Due to the imposition of heavy taxation and restriction on Hindu religious practices, dissatisfaction and anger arose among the Jats and it took the form of rebellion against the [[Mughal Empire]] during [[Aurangzeb]]'s reign. In an effort to suppress the rebellion, [[Aurangzeb]] sent his commander Hasan Ali Khan with a large army contingent of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] soldiers as a reinforcement to the [[Sadabad, India|Sadabad]] cantonment commanded by Abdul Nabi Khan, who would later be killed by the Jats. Gokula Jat, son of [[Tilpat]] Zamindar Madu Singh, led the rebellion of farmers along with his uncle Uday Singh Jat. The first confrontations of the rebellion continued for 4 days with the seizing of [[Tilpat]] and the farmers' counterattacks. Gokula's leadership in the Jat uprising of 1669 marked one of the earliest organised revolts against [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rule]] in India by [[Hindus]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nagar |first=Ishwardas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yWSmb4AKKMYC&q=battle+of+tilpat |title=Ishwardas Nagar's Futuhat-i-Alamgiri |publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli |year=1978 |editor=Tasneem Ahmad |page=83}}</ref>

== 2<small>nd</small> Battle of Tilpat ==
In 1669, Gokula Dev, with 20,000 [[Jats|Jat]] farmers, fought the Mughals, about 20 miles from [[Tilpat]]. Abdul Nabi Khan, a Mughal [[faujdar]], attacked them. While Khan was initially successful, he was killed by the Jats on 12 May 1669 (21st [[Dhu al-Hijja|Dhu al Hijja]], 1079 A.H.).<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|last1=Sarkar|first1=Jadunath|title=Maasir-i-Alamgiri A history of emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir|url=https://archive.org/stream/Maasir-i-alamgiriAHistoryOfEmporerAurangzebAlamgir/Maasir-i-alamgiriAHistoryOfEmporerAurangzebAlamgir_djvu.txt|website=AhleSunnah Library|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111095728/http://archive.org/stream/Maasir-i-alamgiriAHistoryOfEmporerAurangzebAlamgir/Maasir-i-alamgiriAHistoryOfEmporerAurangzebAlamgir_djvu.txt|archive-date=11 November 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfUvAQAAIAAJ&q=Jat+women+committed+Jauhar.+Gokula+offered+pardon+if+he+accepted+Islam. |publisher=Anmol |year=1996 |isbn= 978-81-7041-859-7|page=121 |language=hi |title=जाट महिलाओं ने जौहर किया। गोकुला ने इस्लाम स्वीकारने से मना कर दिया |trans-title=Jat women committed Jauhar. Gokula refused to accept Islam }}</ref> Gokula Dev and his followers then retreated to Tilpat, where Hasan Ali Khan, an [[Aurangzeb]]-appointed Mughal officer, followed and besieged them with reinforcements of 10,000 musketeers, 5,000 [[Mysorean rockets|rocketmen]], and 250 artillery pieces. Amanulla, the [[Faujdar]] of the environs of [[Agra]], was also sent to reinforce Hasan Ali Khan.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sharmaji|first1=Gautama|title=Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army|date=1990|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-140-0|pages=152–153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLrTzZd0j1kC&q=aurangzeb+Tilpat&pg=PA152|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> Gokula and his followers were captured alive and taken first to [[Delhi]], and then to [[Agra]], where Gokula was executed by [[Aurangzeb|Emperor Aurangzeb]]'s decree.

==Death==
Gokula was brought to [[Agra]], following his capture by the Mughal forces at the Battle of Tilpat. He was executed by having his [[dismemberment|limbs cut off]], one by one, on a public platform in [[Agra]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Pratap |first=Bhanu |date=18 December 2019 |title=औरंगजेब ने जहां वीर गोकुला जाट का अंग-अग कटवाया था, उसे आज फव्वारा कहते हैं {{!}} |url=https://www.patrika.com/agra-news/story-of-veer-gokula-jaat-ancestor-of-maharaja-surajmal-5522992 |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=[[Rajasthan Patrika]] |language= |quote=आगरा किले में औरंगजेब ने वीर गोकुला जाट ते सामने शर्त रखी कि जान की सलामती चाहते तो इस्लाम धर्म स्वीकार कर लो। गोकुल सिंह ने वीरतापूर्वक इनकार कर दिया। फिर एक जवनरी, 1670 को गोकुल सिंह, उनके चाचा उदय सिंह और अन्य को बंदी बनाकर कोतवाली के चबूतरे पर लाया गया। गोकुल सिंह को जंजीरों में जकड़ा हुआ था। उनके शरीर का एक-एक अंग काटा गया।}}</ref> Gokula's son and daughter were forcibly converted to [[Islam]] by the Mughal authorities under [[Aurangzeb]]. These conversions were not voluntary and were part of the broader context of Mughal policies toward non-Muslim rebels during [[Aurangzeb|Aurangzeb’s]] reign. In addition, Gokula's followers were imprisoned. Meanwhile, innocent people involved in the fighting were released after proper inquiries, and the elderly and children were handed over to a court [[eunuch]] for care.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Sir Jadunath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5pI8BfpOYcC&q=Sarkar,+Jadunath+(1928).+History+of+Aurangzib:+Volume+III+%E2%80%93+Northern+India,+1668-1681 |title=History of Aurangzib: Northern India, 1658-1681. 3d ed. rev., and corr. 1928 |date=1928 |publisher=M. C. Sarkar |language=en |quote=The Jat leader’s limbs were hacked off one by one on the platform of the police office of Agra, his family was forcibly converted to Islam, and his followers were kept in prison in charge of the provost of the imperial camp.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfUvAQAAIAAJ |title=Encyclopaedia Indica: Princely states in colonial India-I |date=1996 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=978-81-7041-859-7 |page=121 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Collier Great Mughals">{{cite book |last1=Collier |first1=Dirk |title=The Great Mughals and Their India |year=2016 |publisher=Hay House |isbn=978-93-84544-98-0}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
A [[Rajasthani people|Rajasthani]] poet, Balveer Singh Karuna, in his book ''Samarveer Gokula'' wrote that:<ref name=":1" />
{{Blockquote|text=Slowly the water of self-respect started to awaken,
I decided to rebel by refusing to pay taxes.
You die only once in one birth
And wait in the graves till the doomsday
But we are immortal forever, the soul will not die
Only it will change its body and clothes again and again|author=Balveer Singh Karuna|title=Samarveer Gokula|source=<ref name="y248">{{cite book | last1=Karuṇa | first1=Balavīrasiṃha | title=Samaravīra Gokulā: Prabandha kāvya | website=Google | date=2008 | publisher=Amr̥ta Prakāśana | isbn=978-81-8280-064-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2qnPgAACAAJ | access-date=31 May 2025}}</ref>}}

==See also==
* [[Rajaram of Sinsini]]
* [[Churaman]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:17th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:People executed by dismemberment]]
[[Category:Rebels from the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:1670 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Jat]]
[[Category:Indian rebels]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:People from the Agra Subah]]

Gokula Jat - Revision history

VictoriaCoward4 at 18:19, 13 March 2026