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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
{{cleanup|date=July 2024|reason=unsourced material and in need of copy editing; see [[Talk:Jaisalmer#Merging of History of Jaisalmer in Jaisalmer's History Section]]}}
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{| class="infobox" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="width:250px; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:95%;"
|-
| colspan="2" style="margin-left:inherit; background:pink; text-align:center; font-size:small;"|Princely State<br/>[[Jaisalmer]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |
[[File:Jaisalmer-1.jpg|250px]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Location'''
| western [[Rajasthan]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''19th-century [[flag]]'''
| [[File:Jaisalmer Flag.svg|50px]]
|-
|'''[[Flag]] Colour'''
|[[Yellow]]''(Pila)'' and [[Saffron (color)|Saffron]] ''(Kesariya)'' colour with [[Umbrella]]''([[Chhatri]])'' in its centre
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''State established:'''
| 1156 AD
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''[[Language]]'''
| [[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]], [[Hindi]], [[Sanskrit]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''[[Dynasty|Dynasties]]'''
| [[Bhati]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Historical [[Capital (political)|capitals]]'''
|[[Lahore]], [[Lodhruva]], [[Jaisalmer]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"

|}

'''Jaisalmer state''' (also called '''Jaisalmer Region''') is a [[list of regions in India|region]] of Western [[Rajasthan]] state in western [[India]]. It lies in the southern part of the [[Thar Desert]].

The region includes the present-day [[Jaisalmer District]], some parts of Jodhpur, and [[Bikaner District]]. It is bounded on the north by [[Jangladesh]] region, on the east by [[Marwar]] region.

==Ancient Jaisalmer==

From 1st century to 6th century the present [[Jaisalmer]] region was under rule of Raika, who came from [[Kutch]] and established three ancient villages namely Brahmsar, Kodumba and [[Lodhruva|Laudrava]].
''Lodhruva was a capital of Raika.''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQM9voN21ekC&dq=sidhu+patiala+claim+descent+from+bhatti&pg=PA134|title=Origins and History of Jats and Other Allied Nomadic Tribes of India|page=134|author=Bakshish Singh Nijjar|year=2008|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|isbn=9788126909087}}</ref>

Between Raika and [[Bhati]] rules this region was ruled by local Sindhi tribes.<ref>Dr M Riyasat Husain 'Caste and clan in Northern and Central Punjab and some patterns of shift: An analysis' in ''Journal of South Asian Study'' Vol 2, No 8, 1992, Lahore, pp. 21–46</ref>

Bhati came from [[Bhatner]] and took control of this region. The [[Maharaja|Maharajas]] of [[Jaisalmer]] trace their lineage back to Jaitsimha, a ruler of a [[Bhati]] clan, through Deoraj, a famous prince of the [[Bhati|Yaduvanshi Bhati]] [[Rajput]] ruler during the 9th century. With him the title of "Rawal" commenced.
''"Rawal" means "of the Royal house".''<ref>{{cite book |last=Judge |title=Mapping social exclusion in India: Caste, Religion, and Borderlands |date=13 March 2014 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107056091 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bNJkAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA176}}</ref>

According to legend, Deoraj was to marry the daughter of a neighbouring chief. Deoraj's father and 800 of his family and followers were surprised and massacred at the wedding. Deoraj escaped with the aid of a Brahmin yogi who disguised the prince as a fellow Brahmin. When confronted by the rival chief's followers hunting for Deoraj, the Brahmin convinced them that the man with him was another Brahmin by eating from the same dish, something no Brahmin holy man would do with someone of another caste. Deoraj and his remaining clan members were able to recover from the loss of so many such that later he built the stronghold of [[Derawar]].<ref name="Beny & Matheson. Page 51">Beny & Matheson, p. 51.</ref>
Deoraj later captured [[Lodhruva|Laudrava]] (located about 15 km to the south-east of Jaisalmer) from another Rajput clan and made it his capital.<ref name="Beny & Matheson. Page 51"/>

The major opponents of the Bhati were the [[Rathore (Rajput clan)|Rathor]] clans of [[Jodhpur]] and [[Bikaner]]. They used to fight battles for the possession of [[fort]]s and [[Depression (geology)|waterhole]]s as from early times the Jaisalmer region had been criss-crossed by camel caravan trade routes which connected northern India and central Asia with the ports of Gujarat on the Arabian Sea coast of India and hence on to [[Persia]] and Arabia and [[Egypt]]. Jaisalmer's location made it ideally located as a staging post and for imposing taxes on this trade.<ref name="Ganda_1990">{{cite book |author=Ganda Singh |title=Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f4ZHAAAAMAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=Punjabi University |pages=1–4 }}</ref>

==Bhati kingdom==

The [[Bhati]] rulers originally ruled parts of Afghanistan; their ancestor Rawal Gaj is believed to have founded the city of Gajni. According to James Tod, this city is present-day [[Ghazni]] in Afghanistan, while Cunningham identifies it as modern-day [[Rawalpindi]]. His descendant Rawal Salivahan is believed to have founded the city of [[Sialkot]] and made it his new capital. Salivahan defeated the [[Indo-Scythians]] in 78 CE at Kahror, assuming the title of Saka-ari (foe of the Sakas). Salivahan's grandson, [[Rao Bhatti|Rao Bhati]] conquered several neighbouring regions. It is from Rao Bhati that the Bhati clan derives its name.<ref name=":722">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Kirpal |url=http://archive.org/details/BabaAlaSingh |title=Baba Ala Singh: Founder of Patiala Kingdom |publisher=Guru Nanak Dev University |year=2005 |edition=2nd |location=Amritsar |pages=113–120}}</ref>

[[File:Rawal Jaisal Singh, the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer.jpg|thumb|Rawal Jaisal founder of main Bhati kingdom]]

===Derawar fort===

[[Derawar fort]] was first built in the 9th century CE by Maharaja of [[Parmar (Rajput clan)|Parmar]] [[Rajput|Rajputs]], which was admired by ''Rai Jajja Bhutta'', a [[Hindus|Hindu]] Rajput ruler of the [[Bhutto (clan)|Bhutta]] clan,<ref name="Khaliq2017">{{cite web |last1=Khaliq |first1=Fazal |title=Derawar Fort: a 9th century human marvel on the verge of collapse |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1311657 |publisher=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |language=en |date=1 February 2017|quote=The Derawar Fort was first built in the 9th century under the kingship of Rai Jajja Bhutta, a Hindu Rajput from Jaisalmir in India's Rajasthan state.}}</ref> and supported Rawal Deoraj Bhati the king of [[Jaisalmer]] and residents of [[Bahawalpur]].<ref name="dawn">{{citation|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/638006/derawar-fort-living-to-tell-the-tale|title=Derawar Fort – Living to tell the tale|date=20 June 2011|publisher=Dawn}}</ref><ref name="DeraRawal">[https://www.dawn.com/news/1076549 Dawn News]</ref> The fort was initially known as ''Dera Rawal'', and later referred to as ''Dera Rawar'', which with the passage of time came to be pronounced ''Derawar'', its present name.<ref name="DeraRawal"/>

[[File:Derawar Fort, Bahawalpur I.jpg|thumb|Derawar Fort built by Bhati ruler Rai Jajja Bhati in
9th century]]

The state of Jaisalmer had its foundations in what remains of the Empire ruled by the Bhati dynasty. Early Bhati rulers ruled over large empire stretching from [[Ghazni]]<ref name="tod_197198">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.114834 |title=Rajasthan or the Central and Western Rajpoot States, Volume 2, page 197-198 |publisher=Higginbotham And Co. Madras|date=14 August 2018}}</ref> in modern-day Afghanistan to [[Sialkot]], [[Lahore]] and [[Rawalpindi]] in modern-day Pakistan<ref name="IGI">{{cite web |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V21_278.gif |title=Imperial Gazetter of India, Volume 21, page 272 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library |publisher=Dsal.uchicago.edu |date=18 February 2013 |access-date=22 November 2013 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221359/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V21_278.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> to [[Bhatinda]], [[Sri Muktsar Sahib district|Muktsar]] & [[Hanumangarh]] in Modern day India.<ref name="Bh_gov1">{{cite web |url=http://bathinda.nic.in/html/district_at_a_glance.html#N10024 |title=Bhatinda Government: District at A glance- Origin |publisher=Bhatinda Government |date=14 August 2018 |access-date=14 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110050936/http://bathinda.nic.in/html/district_at_a_glance.html#N10024 |archive-date=10 January 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The empire crumbled over time because of continuous invasions from the central Asia. According to Satish Chandra, the Hindu Shahis of Afghanistan made an alliance with the Bhati rulers of Multhan, because they wanted to end the slave raids made by the Turkic ruler of Ghazni, however the alliance was defeated by Alp Tigin in 977 CE.<ref>Medieval India 1206-1526 part one, pg.17 by Satish Chandra</ref> Bhati dominions continued to be shifted towards the South as they ruled Multan, then finally got pushed into Cholistan and Jaisalmer where Rawal Devaraja built [[Derawar Fort|Dera Rawal / Derawar]].<ref name="RajGz">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.71381 |title=Provincial Gazetteers Of India: Rajputana |publisher=Government of India |date=14 August 2018}}</ref> Jaisalmer was the new capital founded in 1156 by [[Rawal Jaisal|Maharawal Jaisal Singh]] and the state took its name from the capital. On 11 December 1818 Jaisalmer became a [[British protectorate]] in the [[Rajputana Agency]].<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_A-J.html Princely States of India]</ref><ref name="RajGz" />

[[File:Bada-bagh.jpg|thumb|500px|[[Bada Bagh]] panorama]]

=== History ===
{{See also| Bhati | Jaisalmer| Rawal (title)}}

In the 12th century, [[Rawal Jaisal]] the eldest son of the Rawal of Deoraj was passed over in favour of a younger half-brother for the throne of [[Lodhruva|Laudrava]].<ref Name="Balfour">{{cite book
| last =Balfour
| first =Edward
| title =The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia
| publisher =B. Quaritch
| year =1885
| location =Original from Oxford University
| page =406
| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=3U0OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA406
}}</ref>

While checking out [[Trikuta]] a massive triangular rock rising more than 75 metres out of the surrounding sands as a more secure location for a new capital, [[Rawal Jaisal]] meet a sage called Eesul, who was staying on the rock. Upon learning that Jaisal was of yadhuvanshi descent, Eesul told him that according to ancient mythology [[Krishna]] and [[Bhima]] had come to this location for a ceremony, where Krishna had prophesied that a descendant of yadhuvanshi clan would one day establish a kingdom here Eesul showed him a spring which Krishna had created and his prophecy craved into a rock. Encouraged by this meeting Rawal decided to move his capital to this location despite Eesul predicting that it would be sacked two and a half times.<ref name="Crump and Toh. Page 208">Crump and Toh, p. 208.</ref>

In 1156, Rawal Jaisal established his new capital in the form of a mud fort and named it Jaisalmer after himself.
According to most historians, the [[Sikh]] Jats of [[Majha]] and Malwa Doab's and the rulers of [[Bhatti Rajputs of Kapurthala|Kapurthala state]] in Doaba in [[Punjab]] trace their direct lineage to [[Jaisalmer]] royal families over the centuries.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ibbetson |first1=Sir Denzil |title=Panjab Castes |date=2018 |publisher=Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2018 |location=Yorkshire |isbn=9780342747382 |pages=186–190}}</ref>

The first ''[[Jauhar]]'' of Jaisalmer occurred in 1294, during the reign of Turkic ruler of Delhi, [[Alauddin Khalji]]. It was provoked by Bhatis' raid on a massive treasure caravan being transported on 3000 horses and mules.<ref name="Crump and Toh. Page 208"/><ref>Beny & Matheson, p. 147.</ref>
Alauddin Khalji was so outraged that his army marched upon Jaisalmer. Rawal Jethsi sent the children, elderly and sick, together with some troops to refuge in the desert and applied a scorched earth policy to the countryside surrounding Jaisalmer while building up a massive store of food within the fort. According to local ballads, the Bhatis defended the fort for 8 years during which the forces left outside of the walls occupied themselves attacking the supply lines of the besiegers. During the siege Rawal Jethsi died and was succeeded by his son Mulraj II. By 1294 the besiegers had received sufficient reinforcements that they were able to impose a complete blockade of the fort which soon exhausted the Bhati's ammunition and food. The Bhatis, facing certain defeat, decided there was no alternative but to perform the rite of [[Jauhar]]. 24,000 women committed suicide, most on a funeral pyre though some were killed by the swords of their male relations when the pyre proved too small. The men 3,800, in number then threw open the gates of the fort and advanced to their death.<ref name="Beny & Matheson. Page 149">Beny & Matheson, p. 149.</ref>

In the late 14th century, [[Firuz Shah Tughluq]], a Turkic ruler of Delhi, also besieged Jaisalmer after a prince of Jaisalmer raided his camp at [[Anasagar]] Lake near [[Ajmer]] and carried away his prize steed. The siege led to the second [[jauhar]] of the prophecy, the suicide of 16,000 women and the death of Rawal Dudu and his son Tilaski together with 1,700 warriors.<ref name="Beny & Matheson. Page 149"/>

The "half jauhar" of the prophecy occurred in the 16th century when Amir Ali, an Afghan chieftain obtained Rawal Lunakaran's permission to let his wives visit the queens of Jaisalmer. Instead of a retinue of palanquins containing women they were full of armed warriors, which took the guards of the fort by surprise. When it seemed to the Rawal that he was fighting a losing battle he slaughtered his womenfolk with his own hands as there was insufficient time to arrange a funeral pyre.<ref name="Crump and Toh. Page 208"/>

==British Raj==
{{Main|Jaisalmer State}}
[[File:Jaisalmer Flag.svg|thumb|right|Flag of the princely state of Jaisalmer]]
In 1818, the Rawals of Jaisalmer signed a treaty with the British, and
was guaranteed the royal succession. Jaisalmer was one of the last rajput states to sign a treaty with the British, in whose documents the state was variously recorded under the spelling Jayulmir, Jessulmer, Jessumere. Jaisalmer was forced to invoke the provisions of the treaty and call on the services of the British in 1829 to avert a war with Bikaner and 10 years later in 1839 for the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]].<ref name="Martinelli and Michell, p. 239">Martinelli and Michell, p. 239.</ref>

On a clandestine mapping mission, great game maestro [[Alexander Burnes]] was one of the first Europeans to visit the royal castle, arriving on 8 January 1830. He described the fortress as 'commanding and magnificent' and found the Rawal Gaj Singh to be affable, most dignified if plainly dressed, rather stout but intelligent.<ref>p44-45 ''Sikunder Burnes'' by [[Craig Murray]]</ref>

During the [[British Raj]], Jaisalmer was the seat of a [[princely state]] of the same name, and was entitled to a 15 gun salute.
As traditionally, the main source of income for the kingdom was levies on [[Caravan (travellers)|caravan]]s . The economy was heavily affected when [[Bombay]] emerged as a major port and sea trade replaced the traditional land routes. Maharawals Ranjit Singh and Bairi Sal Singh attempted to turn around the decline but the dramatic reduction in trade impoverished the kingdom. A severe drought and resulting famine from 1895 to 1900 during the reign of Maharawal Shalivahan Singh only made matters worse by causing widespread loss of the livestock that the increasingly agriculturally based kingdom relied upon.

Maharawal Jawahir Singh's (1914–49) attempts at modernisation also failed to turn the kingdom's economy around and it remained isolated and backwards compared with other areas of Rajasthan.

==List of rulers==

=== Rawals ===

*[[Rawal Jaisal|Rawal Jaisal Singh]] (1153–1168), official founder of kingdom
*Rawal Shalivahan Singh II (1168–1200)
*Rawal Baijal Singh (1200–1200)
*Rawal Kailan Singh (1200–1219)
*Rawal Chachak Deo Singh (1219–1241)
*Rawal Karan Singh I (1241–1271)
*Rawal Lakhan Sen (1271–1275)
*Rawal Punpal Singh (1275–1276)
*Rawal Jaitsi Singh I (1276–1294)
*Rawal Mulraj Singh I (1294–1295)
*Rawal Durjan Sal (Duda) (1295–1306)
*Rawal Gharsi Singh (1306–1335)
*Rawal Kehar Singh II (1335–1402)
*Rawal Lachhman Singh (1402–1436)
*Rawal Bersi Singh (1436–1448)
*Rawal Chachak Deo Singh II (1448–1457)
*Rawal Devidas Singh (1457–1497)
*Rawal Jaitsi Singh II (1497–1530)
*Rawal Karan Singh II (1530–1530)
*Rawal Lunkaran Singh (1530–1551)
*Rawal Maldev Singh (1551–1562)
*Rawal Harraj Singh (1562–1578)
*Rawal Bhim Singh (1578–1624)
*Rawal Kalyan Singh (1624–1634)
*Rawal Manohar Das Singh (1634–1648)
*Rawal Ram-Chandra Singh (1648–1651)
*Rawal Sabal Singh (1651–1661)

=== Maharawals ===

*Maharawal Ammar Singh of Jaisalmer (1661–1702)
*Maharawal Jaswant Singh of Jaisalmer (1702–1708)
*Maharawal Budh Singh (1708–1722)
*Maharawal Akhil Singh (1722–1762)
*Maharawal Mulraj II (1762–1820)
*Maharawal Gaj Singh (1820–1846)
*Maharawal Ranjit Singh of Jaisalmer (1846–1864)
*[[Bairi Sal (ruler)|Maharawal Bairi Sal]] (1864–1891)
*Maharawal Shalivahan Singh III (1891 –1914)
*Maharawal Jawahir Singh (1914–1947)
* Girdhar Singh (1949–1950), last ruler of kingdom merge state with Rajasthan Union in 1949 CE.

=== Titular Kings ===

* [[Raghunath Singh of Jaisalmer|Raghunath Singh]] (1950–1982)
* [[Brijraj Singh Bhati|Brijraj Singh]] (1982–2020)
* [[Chaitanya Raj Singh]] (2020–)

=== Dewans ===

*List of [[Dewans]] (chief ministers)

# Mohata Nathmal (1885–1891)
# Mehta Jagjiwan (1890–1903)
# Thakur Kushal Singh (acting) (1890?–1900)
# Rawatmal Purohit Khetrapalia (acting) (1900–1909)
# Lakshmi Das Sapat (1909–1911)
# Mohammed Niyaz Ali Kazi (1911–1912)
# Murarji Rooji (1912–1930)
# M.L. Khosala
# Pandit Jamana Lal
# Munshi Nand Kishore
# Lala Rakhpat Raj
# P.K. Shurugula
# Brij Mohan Nath Zutshi
# Anand Swaroop
# Onkar Singh
# Lakhpat Rai Sikund (1940–1942)

== See also ==

* [[Jaisalmer]]
* [[History of Rajasthan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author1=Crump, Vivien |author2=Toh, Irene | title= Rajasthan| location=London| publisher=Everyman Guides| year=1996| isbn = 1-85715-887-3| pages = 400 }}
*{{cite book|author1=Martinelli, Antonio |author2=Michell, George | title=The Palaces of Rajasthan| year = 2005| publisher=Frances Lincoln| location=London| isbn = 978-0-7112-2505-3| pages = 271 }}
*{{cite book|author = Tod, James| title = Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (With a Preface by Douglas Sladen)| publisher = Oriental Books Reprint Corporation| location = 54, Jhansi Road, New Delhi-1100055}}
*{{cite book|author1=Beny, Roland |author2=Matheson, Sylvia A. | title=Rajasthan - Land of Kings| year = 1984| publisher=Frederick Muller| location=London| isbn = 0-584-95061-6| pages = 200}}

==External links==
*[http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/b/bikaner.html Bikaner Indian Princely States]

{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Jaisalmer}}
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Jaisalmer district]]
[[Category:Jaisalmer]]

History of Jaisalmer - Revision history

EssieYates77210 at 07:06, 29 April 2026