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 Ranbir 222 Ranoji dynasties of India, par excellence the head, without a rival and free from stain. It is true that the independence of the " great Ranas of Chittour" was assailed by the Moguls, and that they succumhed to circumstances ; but they never acknowledged a superior in birth or descent. The family dates back upwards of a thousand years. It was in 1614 A. D., in the reign of the emperor Jahangir, that the house was first compelled by force of arms to surrender that complete independence it had then main- tained for eight hundred years, and to acknowledge fealty to the throne of Dehli. In 1512 we first hear of the renowned Eana Sanga of Chittour. His army con- sisted of 80,000 horse, supported by 500 war elephants. Seven Rajas of the highest rank, and a hundred and thirteen of inferior note attended his stirrup in the field. The Rajas of Jaipur and Marwar served under his ban- ner, and he was the acknowledged head of all the Rajput tribes. In 1527 A. D. he espoused the cause of the dethroned dynasty of Dehli. All the princes of Rajputana ranged themselves under his banner, and he advanced with 100,000 men to drive Babar across the Indus. The first conflict took place at Biana where the advanced guard of the Moguls was totally routed by the Rajputs. In 1668 A. D. Udai Singh, the son of Rana Sanga, came under the displeasure of Akbar. He fled and left the defence of his capital Chittour to Raja Jaimal who was killed by Akbar himself. His death deprived the garrison of all con- fidence, and they determined to sell their lives as dear as possible. The women threw themselves on the funeral pile of the Raja, and the men rushed frantically on the weapons of the Moguls and perished to the number of 8000. In 1614 Partap Singh reigned and recovered the greater portion of his dominion before Akbar died. In 1678 A. D., Aurangzfb marched against Udaipur and suc- ceeded in subjugating it, but the alienation of the Rajputs from the Moguls was now complete, and never changed. The great boast of the chiefs of Udaipur is, that their house never gave a daughter to the Mogul zanana. Jaipvir and Jodhpur did, and gloried in these imperial alliances as conferring additional dignity on their fa- milies. List of the Rands of Udaipur, A. D. Eana Sank& died 1528 „ Udai Singh, son of Rana Sanka. . ., ,, „ Partap Singh, son of Udai Singh „ 1594 „ Amar Singh,- son of Partap Singh .... „ 1619 „ Karan, son of Amar Singh, embel- lished Udaipur Jagat Singh, son of Rana Karan, tributary to Shah Jahan,, 1652 „ Raj Singh, son of Jagat Singh 1680 „ Jai Singh, son of Raj Singh. „ Amar Singh II. „ Sangram Singh. „ Jagat II pays chouth to the Marhattas. Ranbir Singli, Maharaja, ^^^j^i^j the present independent ruler of Kashmir, is the son of Maharaja Gulab Singh whom he succeeded about the month of July or August, 1857 A. D. Ranchhor Das, u-'-i JJ^^J, a learned Kayeth of Jaunpur, and author of a work on the art of writing prose and poetry, entitled " Dakaek-ul-Insha," which he wrote in the year 1732 A. D., 1145 A. H. Randhir Singh, ^^^--'^i^'^ij, the JatRajd of Bhartptir, was the eldest son of Ranjit Singh whom he succeeded. After his death, his brother Baldeo Singh ascended the Masnad of Bhartpur. Randhir Singh, Raja, ^^'^J, of Kapurthalla, is the son of the Aluwala chieftain near Jalandhar, in the Panjab who claimed equal rank with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, but whose fortune diminished as that of his rival increased. During the disturbances of 1857 A. D., he ren- dered excellent service to the State in and around Jalandhar, for which he has been rewarded, though with no very liberal hand. Rana of Jhansi, tS^'M^ vide Ganga Baf. Rangin, iyi^J> takhallus of Sa'adat Yar Khan, who is the author of a poem called " Mehr-wa-Mah," a story of the Sayyad's son, and the jeweller's daughter who lived at Dehli in the reign of Jahangir. He is also the author of several Diwans and also a curious Diwan in Urdu rather indecent, in which he has brought in all the phrases of the women of the seraglio of Dehli and Lakhnau. He died in October, 1835 A. D., Jumada II, 1251 A. H., aged 80 years. Ranjit Singh, '^^J, the Jat Raja of Bhartpur, was the son of Kehrf Singh, the brother of Ratan Singh and Jawahir Singh, the sons of Surajmal Jat, the founder of the principality. He succeeded his uncle Raja Nawab Singh in 1776 A. D., 1190 A H. He was despatched by Scindhia to raise the siege of Agrah, near which a bloody battle was fought on the 16th of June, 1788 A. D., 12th Eamazan, 1202 A. H., in which Isma'il Beg was com- pletely defeated, with the loss of all his cannon, baggage, and stores. He was succeeded by his son Randhir Singh. Ranjit Singh, Maharaja, "^i^j the Sikh ruler of the Panjab and faithful and highly-valued ally of the British Government, was the son of Maha Singh, born 1780 A. D., 1255 A. H., and established ^ Labor mdependency in 1 805 A. D. At his death which hap- pened on the 27th June, 1839, minute-guns to the number ' of 60 corresponding with the years of the deceased were fired from the ramparts 'of the forts of Dehli, Agrah, Alla- habad and all the principal stations of the army. Four of his Ranis and seven slave girls burnt themselves with his corpse. He was succeeded in the Raj by his eldest son Kharag Singh. The following are the names of his successors. Kharag Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, died 5th November, Nounihal Singh, son of Kharag Singh", 'died 17 th November A. D. 1840 1840 Rani Chanda Kunwar, widow of Kharag Singh. Sher Singh, brother of Kharag Singh,. . murdered 1843 Dalip Singh, a son of Ranjit Singh in whose time the Panjab was annexed to the British Government 1846 A. D. _ He was baptized 8th March, 1853 A. D., and in now living in England. Ranoji Scindhia, •i^^'^i*. the founder of the Scindhia family of Gwaliar was bom at Patili near Puna, and served first under a chief, who commanded the body- guard of Baji Eao the first Peshwa. From this inferior station he gradually rose, and afterwards accompanied the Peishwa m the expedition which was undertaken at the close of the reign of Raja Sahiiji against the province of Malwa. This province was afterwards divided into three parts, of which the first was allotted to Baji Rao the Peshwa ; the second to the Raja of Sitara, the third to the family of Holkar. As a reward for the services which Ranoji rendered in the expedition against Malwa, the Peshwa granted a considerable portion of the shares belonging to himself and to the Raja of Sitara to Ranoji ; which grant was afterwards confii-med in jagir to his descendants, now the Rajas of Gwaliar. He died in 1750 A. D., and left five sons, viz., Jiapa, Jotiba, Dattaj^