Maharana Ari Singh II (after 27 July 1724 – 9 March 1773) was the

Maharana The Maharana ("Great Rana") is a variation on the Indian royal title Rana. Maharana denotes ' great king' or ' high king', similar to the word " Maharaja". The term derives from the Sanskrit title "Mahārāṇaka". Usage at the time of independ ...

of the

Kingdom of Mewar The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent Hindu kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a dominant state in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dynasty, foll ...

. His accession to the throne was controversial as he was alleged to have made his way clear and unopposed by killing Kunwar Ratan Singh, the only child of his nephew and predecessor Maharana Raj Singh II (born 1743, ). The younger brother of Maharana Pratap Singh II, Ari Singh II came to the throne on the death of Pratap's son and heir, Raj Singh II, who had succeeded his father at the age of 11, reigning for seven years. Ari Singh acceded in 1762, reigning for eleven years, until his assassination by Maharao Ajit Singhji of

Bundi Bundi is a town in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. Climate The climate is hot semi arid (BSh), not having enough rainfall to qualify as a tropical savanna climate (Aw). The climate is quite warm, and most of the ra ...

on 9 March 1773; in turn, Ajit Singhji lived only a few months after the killing of Ari Singh. Ari Singh was said to have an uncontrollable temper, which caused chieftains and nobles of Mewar to distance themselves from Ari Singh. This added to the decline of power of Mewar. The nobles who left the Mewar court formed a group. This group planned to kill Ari Singh and place the

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

son of his predecessor, Ratna Singh as the ruler. Though Ratna Singh succeeded in temporarily occupying

Kumbhalgarh Kumbhalgarh (lit. "Kumbhal fort"), also known as the Great Wall of India, is a fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills in Kumbhalgarh in the Rajsamand district of the Rajasthan state in India. Situated approximately from Rajsamand c ...

, he was later defeated. During Ari Singh's reign, the Marathas were weakened throughout India, but

Mahadaji Scindia Mahadaji Shinde (23 December 1730 – 13 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Scindia, was a Maratha statesman and general who served as the Maharaja of Gwalior from 1768 to 1794. He was the fifth and the youngest son o ...

restored Maratha power in the North. He formed an alliance with the Maratha against the Mughal Empire.

References

{{reflist Monarchs of Mewar 1720s births 1773 deaths