Raja Anup Rai (Singh Dalan) was a

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

nobleman of

Bargujar The Badgujar (also spelt as Bargujar and Badgurjar) is a clan of Rajputs. They are also a distinct caste in Maharashtra. History and Origin Similar to several other Rajput clans, the Badgujars also claim descent from the ancient Suryavanshi ...

ancestry in seventeenth century

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and a courtier of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

emperor,

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

. He was also known as ''Singh Dalan'' (''lion crusher'') for intercepting a lion that was on verge of attacking the emperor during a

royal hunt Royal Hunt is a Danish progressive metal band. The band was founded in 1989 by keyboardist André Andersen in order to combine basic values of classic rock with progressive, current musical elements. The name originated from a painting seen in ...

The lion hunt

The royal party went on a hunt on or around January 6, 1611. Jahangir dismounted from his horse and fired his musket at a lion during the hunt, but only wounded the animal. The lion began to advance on Jahangir, but Rai confronted the animal instead, armed with nothing but a stick. He "''manfully faced him and struck him twice with both hands on the head''." When the lion still made for the emperor, Anup Rai used his bare arms against the maw of the animal, which grabbed both of Anup Rai's arms in his mouth and dragged him down to his knees. The crown prince, Khurram, and another member of the hunting party, Raja Ram Das, attacked the lion with swords. Prince Khurram struck at the lion's haunches and Raja Ram Das at the shoulder. Somehow Anup Rai managed to free his arms, which had been bitten through, and "''struck him two or three times on the cheek with his fist''." Had Rai not intervened, the emperor would likely have been killed. Jahangir was grateful. Rai received thirty-two wounds, which the emperor bound himself, taking him in the emperor's own

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

. He was made a captain of five-thousand horsemen.

Khusrau Mirza's captor

In 1616, Jahangir asked Rai to keep Prince

Khusrau Mirza Khusrau Mirza (16 August 1587 – 26 January 1622) was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum. Being Jahangir's eldest son, he was the heir-apparent to his father but Jahangir favoured his son Khurram Mi ...

(Jahangir's oldest son, whom Roe called ''Corsoronne'') under confinement.

Sir Thomas Roe Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Emp ...

, the first English ambassador in India, records that General Asaf Khan and Prince Eteman Daulat waited until Jahangir was drunk one night and tricked the inebriated emperor into agreeing to release Khusrau into the prince's hands. General Asif Khan immediately went to Rai with an armed guard and demanded Khusrau's delivery to him. The Raja refused, saying that "''he had receiued the Prince his brother from the handes of the king and to no other would deliver him (sic)''." The next morning, Rai went to the emperor, and "''the king replyed: you haue done honestly, faythfully''."Khusrau was left in Rai's custodianship for the immediate period.

Founder of Anupshahr

The town of Anupshahr in

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bulandsh ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

state was founded by raja Anup singh badgujar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Anup Year of birth missing Year of death missing 17th-century Mughal Empire people Mughal nobility 17th-century nobility