Girdhar Bahadur (also Giridhar) was a

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

, serving as

subahdar Subahdar, also known as Nazim, was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Mughal era who was alternately designated as Sahib- ...

of several provinces of the Mughal Empire at various times. He was noted for his military service in Malwa against the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, which led to his death at the Battle of Amjhera.

Biography

On 29 November 1716, he was appointed the

faujdar Faujdar under the Mughals was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. The term faujdar contained pre-Mughal origins. During those times, the term referred to a military offic ...

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

and Chunar, as well as the qiladar of the Chunar Fort. After being unable to quell rebellions in the region his uncle Chhabila Ram intervened. Mughal Emperor

Muhammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the thirteenth Mughal emperor from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the Sayyid ...

appointed Girdhar Bahadur the Subahdar of

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

on 30 August 1722. Maratha incursions into the territory continued, and

Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi (11 August 16711 June 1748) also known as Chin Qilich Qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the first Nizam of Hyderabad. He began his career during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, w ...

of Hyderabad, exercising significant power in the Mughal government, gave Girdhar Bahadur's Subahdari to his own second cousin Azim-ullah Khan on 15 May 1723. However, the continuing rise in power of the Nizam after his defeat of Mubariz Khan in Golconda threatened the Mughal Emperor, who re-appointed Girdhar Bahadur to the Subahdari on 2 June 1725. Maratha incursions made headway into Malwa and the Peshwa established the collection of taxes in Amjhera, Jhabua,

Dhar Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dhar ...

, and

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

by 1725. Military forces pushed as far as

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on the border of Mewar and Malwa regions of Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District. The ancient Pashupatinath Tem ...

but a counteroffensive by Daya Bahadur, the military commander in Malwa under Girdhar, repelled Maratha incursions and regained lost revenue in 1726. Continuing incursions in the next year led Girdhar Bahadur to lead a counteroffensive, encamping in Mandsaur in the rainy season of 1728. Girdhar Bahadur died in the Battle of Amjhera fighting against the Marathas on 29 November 1728, hit by musket shot while leading an elephant into battle. His cousin Daya Bahadur was captured and died in Amjhera itself. His nephew Bhawani Ram became the Subahdar for a brief period afterwards.

References

Bibliography

* * * Nawabs of India 1728 deaths Subahdars of Awadh Subahdars of Malwa 18th-century Mughal Empire people {{Mughal-stub