Bharatpur, former Princely State of India was situated in eastern Rajputana, lying to the south of Delhi and bordering on the Mathura and Agra districts of British India. It was ruled by the Sinsinwar clan of the Hindu Jats.
It was established in 1722 AD, remained an Absolute Monarchy till 1825 AD, and thereafter a Princely State from 1826 AD to 15 August 1947.
The Royal House of Bharatpur traces their history to the 11th century AD. They claim descent as Jadon Rajput, from Sind Pal, common ancestor with the house of Karauli.
The State of Bharatpur was established by Churaman and Badan Singh. Badan Singh (1722-1756 AD) is considered as the formal founder and Raja of Bharatpur State and was the nephew of Churaman.
The flag of Bharatpur
Coat of Arms of Bharatpur
The formation of the state was a result of revolts by the Jats living in the region, against the Imperial Mughals. Gokula, a local Jat zamindar of Mathura, led the first of such revolts in 1699 AD, but was crushed. Gokula was brutally killed in Agra. These uprisings, however continued. Raja Ram Jat (whose successor was Churaman) was the first chieftain of Sinsini who organized a rebellion against Aurangzeb in 1685AD, to avenge the death of Gokula.
The most prominent ruler of Bharatpur was Maharaja Suraj Mal (1756-1763 AD), the second Maharaja of Bharatpur.
He captured Agra, an important Mughal city on 12 June 1761. It is reliably reported and documented that he also melted the two silver doors of the famous Taj Mahal. The kingdom reached its zenith and covered present day capital Delhi, Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Bulandshahr, Dholpur, Etah, Etawa, Faridabad, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Hathrus, Jhajjar, Kanpur, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mewat, Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Palwal, Rewari and Rohtak.
However, the Jats were defeated by the Mughals in 1774 and Agra and Aligarh were recaptured along with other areas by the Mughals. In 1782, Maharaja Scindia seized what was left, but was persuaded by Suraj Mal's widow to restore 11 districts, to which 3 more were added which remained as Bharatpur.
In 1805, a war between the British and the Holkars broke out. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur agreed to help the Holkars and the two Maharajas fell back to Bharatpur fort. The British surrounded the Fort. A treaty was later signed and Bharatpur became a Princely State.
Maharaja Jashwant Singh of Bharatpur (1853-1893 AD) provided great support for the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and this aid was greatly acknowledged by the British. The young Maharaja was rewarded, and his personal gun salute was increased.
In 1947, the State acceded to the newly independent India. In 1948, it became part of the Matsya Union and in 1949, it was absorbed into the state of Rajasthan.
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