Page:The Imperial Durbar Album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars.djvu/152

 Narsingarh.

THE State of Narsingarh is one of the mediatised • and guaranteed chiefships of the Central India Agency urider' the Political' Agent in Bhopal, lying in the livision of Malyva known as Umatwara. It is bounded on the north by Rajgarh, Khilachipur and Indore, on- the south by Gwalior and Bhopal, on the east by Maksudangarh (Gwalior) and Bhopal, and oh the west by Gwalior and Dewas.

The Chiefs of Narsingarh" like those of Rajgarh are Umat Rajputs, descended from Umar Singh or Umaji. They belong to the Parmar or Pawar branch of Agnikul Rajputl Udaji and; Dudaji were two brothers who .flourishd in the time of the Emperor Akbar. They were celebrated warriors and had shown their courage and bravery to the Mogul count. .Dudaji, dne, younger brother, had joined the Delhi Imperial Service in the invasion of the fort of Gagron; and his services were greatly appreciated by the Emperor, who* conferred upon him the title of Diwan and granted him a sanad. From that time Rawat, Udaji <and Diwan Dudaji ruled conjointly. 0udaji used to attend the Imperial <2ourt at Delhi and had an access to the Emperor, Rawat Udaji died in 1638, A.D. while Dudaji was & Delhi. He was followed by Chhatar Singh, his nephew, on the gadi. Dudaji -with -the permission of the Emperor Shah Jahan proceeded to his capital,, and took possession' of the -State, and gave a fixed allowance to Chhatar -Singh. Dudaji was^ killed in a battle at Ujjain and was succeeded by ^ate Sing, and after* him, by his 1 " son, Ajabf Singh, who lost his life in the battle of Nalkhera in 1668 A.D. '-His son, Parashram, succeeded him at Patan. Chhatar Singh, who was the rightful owner of half of .the estate, soon after died, leaving a son, Rawat Mohan Singh, who transferred his capital to Rajgarh. Parashram, the decendant of Dudaji, and Mohaa* Singh, the descendant of Udaji, both were powerful and influential persons in the ^time bf -the Emperor Aurangzeb, who recognised both as joint rulers of the State and granted a sanad in their names. But they did not pull on .Well, and in 1681 A.D. Rawat Mohan Singh requested Parashram to divide trje State in equal parts, which was accordingly done. Parashram thus became the chief of Narsingarh, and Mohan Singh became the ruler of Rajgarh. The rulers of Narsingarh being descended from Dudaji are called "Dadawats," and those of Rajgarh being descended from Udaji are Known as "Udawats".

Sobhag Singh, the sixth in descent from Parashram, was the ruler of Narsingarh during the settlement of Malwa by Sir John, Malcolm. He was, succeeded by Hanmant Singh in 1827 A.D. H. H. Raja Hanmant Singh's grandson, Raja Pratap Singh, went to England in 1887 A.D. and there had the honour of an audience with Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, Empress of India. The University of Edinburgh honoured him by conferring upon him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He died in 1890 A.D. and was succeeded by his uncle, Mehtab Singh, who "was an energetic ruler. He died in 1895 A.D. and was succeeded by Raja Arjun Singh.

H. H. Raja Arjun Singhji Saheb Bahadur, the present Ruler, was born on the 1st day of Magh Samvat 1943 corresponding with January 1 0th, 1887, and succeeded the late Raja Mehtab Singh Saheb in 1896 A.D. being formally installed on the gadi on the 6th January 1897 A.D. by the jHon'ble Colonel Sir David Barr, the then Agent to