The Capture of Agra Fort ended a month-long siege by

Maharaja Suraj Mal Maharaja Suraj Mal (13 February 1707 – 25 December 1763), simply known as Suraj Mal, was a ruler of Bharatpur State in the present-day state of Rajasthan. Under him, Bharatpur State, a tributary of the House of Scindia, covered the prese ...

on 12 June 1761. After a one-month siege of Agra the

Mughal army The army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 16th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselve ...

, led by Mirza Fazilka Khan, surrendered to the Jat army. The

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

possessed himself of all the wealth of the Mughal Empire and thus became one of the richest man on the planet. The Jats seized the old capital of

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

. It remained in possession of

Bharatpur State Bharatpur was a princely state under British suzerainty. It was ruled by the Sinsinwar clan of the Hindus, Hindu Jats. The state was founded by Badan Singh, Maharaja Badan Singh in 1722. Suraj Mal played an important role in the development a ...

rulers until 1774.

Background

Jats began to expand the boundaries of their kingdom. They expanded their territory to eastern

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, western

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 ...

, southern

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. The Jat ruler of Bharatpur Suraj Mal controlled over the

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in ...

region.

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

had to be merged with his territory to dominate.

Battle

Surajmal's army (four thousand Jat soldiers) advanced towards Agra. After a month's siege, on 12 June 1761, Surajmal offered peace terms and promised the Qiledar, Fazilka Khan, one lakh money with five villages and

Agra Fort The Agra Fort (''Qila Agra'') is a historical Mughal fort in the city of Agra, also known as Agra's Red Fort. Mughal emperor Humayun was crowned at this fort in 1530. It was later renovated by the Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565 and the presen ...

came under the control of Surajmal. They also melted the two

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

doors of the famous Mughal monument

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

. It remained under the control of Bharatpur rulers until 1774. After the Jats captured the fort of Agra, the Jats had stuffed straw in the Taj Mahal of Agra.

Aftermath

After capturing Agra Fort, Suraj Mal became more powerful and dominant. He now became the ruler of the area of

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

. For the Jats, the capture of Agra was an emotional moment. About 90 years ago, just a short distance away from the gate of this fort,

Gokula Veer Gokula Jat (died 1 January 1670), also known as Gokul Dev, was a zamindar and chieftain who led a rebellion against the Mughal Empire during the reign of emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century. Gokula emerged as a symbol of resistanc ...

was cut and thrown. Surajmal thus avenged himself. Jats ruled Agra for 13 years from 1761 to 1774. On 18 February 1774, 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 ...

Commander

Mirza Najaf Khan Mīrzā Najaf Khān Bahādur, simply known as Mirza Najaf Khan (1723 – 26 April 1782) was an adventurer of Safavid lineage who came to Delhi around 1740 from Iran after Nader Shah had displaced the Safavid dynasty in 1736. He became a courtier ...

re-captured Agra.

References

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External links

Suraj Mal
at '' Britannica'' Agra 1761 1761 in India Military history of Agra Battles involving the Jats

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References

External links