Shekhawati- grooming up for the reign of the British

Article Summary by: bhadauria99

Original Author: Ankur Bhadauria

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¤ Shekhawati- grooming up for the reign of the British
By the early 19th century, life was becoming increasingly

difficult for the princes of Rajasthan. Lack of funds weakened the authority of the rajas, which encouraged individual chieftains to ignore their decrees. Shekhawati, however, had its successful cross-desert caravan trade going on, thanks to the industrious marwaris of the region. But over all, the time was ripe for the British. The efficacy of the European infantry had long been recognized, and now the demand for a central authority was felt more than ever. The whole of India was grooming up for the reign of the British and Shekhawati was no exception.
In 1808, Mountstuart Elphinstone, who later became known as one of British India’s greatest administrators, led an embassy through Shekhawati and Churu on his way to Afghanistan. When he reached Bikaner, the raja there, Surat Singh, tried to present him with the keys to the fort. Hard pressed by enemies from all sides, Surat saw in the British the ultimate saviour. But Elphinstone politely refused, only to sign a treaty in 1818. This was the result of Bikaner’s series of conflicts with Churu. The thakur of Churu, Sheo singh (not to be confused with the Sheo Singh of Sikar who lived about a century back), was acting with increasing independence. He was the senior most thakur in the Bikaner State, and Surat was scared that his sector of the kingdom might be lost. Anyway, the new bond that was singed with the British pledged "perpetual friendship, alliance and unity of interests." This naturally amounted to accepting British paramountcy in the long run. In other places, bonds were signed against marauding parties like the Pindaris and Pathans. Jaipur was also among those to shake hands with the British. The raja’s treasury was almost empty and his thakurs rebellious.
Back home in Shekhawati, only Sikar and Khetri had managed to keep themselves intact because the rulers didn’t have too many heirs who would break up the estate into tiny bits! Elsewhere the land had been divided into many, many small holdings. Anarchy reigned. A century after Sardul had taken Jhunjhunu, there were no fewer than 169 surviving male heirs to his sons! and of these, 102 owed their descent to Zorawar Singh alone! This, combined with rampant activities of dacoits, made Shekhawati quite a mess. Complaints came in bagfuls, both from neighbouring Bikaner and within and without Shekhawati. It was the handiwork of a band of robbers from Shyam Singh’s Bissau which was the last straw. The British came and based their Shekhawati Brigade in Jhunjhunu in the 1830s. The brigade was funded by the rulers of Jaipur and Bikaner as well as by some of the local thakurs. It was a small body of local cavalry under the command of Major Forster. Forster became quite a popular figure with the people of Jhunjhunu.