Raja Aghar Khan (also spelled Agar Khan, Aghar Khan, or Agar Khan) was a military commander and royal from

Rajouri Rajouri or Rajauri (; ; ) is a city in the Rajouri district in the Jammu division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu (city), Jammu city on ...

. He was a

Muslim Rajput Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various ...

prince and the son of Raja Karamullah Khan. Raja Aghar Khan was known for his resistance against

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl ...

and the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

Early life and Ascension

Raja Aghar Khan succeeded his father, Raja Karamullah Khan, in 1808 as part of the royal Jarral clan ruling over

. His succession was initially contested as leading officials and people favored his younger brother, Raja Rahimullah Khan. However, Raja Rahim Khan declined the throne while Raja Aghar Khan was alive, leading to his installation as

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Career

Conflict with Ranjit Singh

In 1810 and 1812,

attempted to conquer

Bhimber Bhimber () is a town and the headquarters of the eponymous district in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The town and district are between the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper, about by road southeast of M ...

Kotli Kotli ( Pahari-Pothwari / ; ) is a city and headquarters of the Kotli District in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The city lies along the Poonch River, which is known for its natural secenary and waterfalls. According to the 2017 Census ...

, and

. However, Rajouri successfully resisted these invasions. Raja Aghar Khan secretly obstructed Ranjit Singh’s attempts to invade

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

between 1812 and 1814, providing covert resistance against the Sikh army. In retaliation, Ranjit Singh launched an attack on Rajouri, plundering the region as punishment for Raja Aghar Khan’s defiance.

Battle of Kashmir (1814)

In 1814, Ranjit Singh launched a major invasion of

. Aghar Khan initially pretended to support the Sikh forces but secretly misled them, convincing the army to leave their heavy cannons in Rajouri. As the Sikh forces advanced into the hills, they faced fierce resistance from the local chieftains, Including

Ruhullah Khan of Poonch Ruhullah Khan () (died 1819) was the Raja of Poonch Jagir, Poonch from 1797 to 1819. He is known for his fierce resistance against the expansionist campaigns of Ranjit Singh in Kashmir. Early life Ruhullah Khan belonged to the Sangu clan of Mus ...

. Aghar Khan, in coordination with Ruhullah Khan, spread false rumors of Sikh defeats, causing local tribes to attack the retreating Sikh army and loot their supplies. The Sikh forces suffered heavy losses, including 2,000 guns and 2,000 swords. Raja Aghar Khan and Ruhullah Khan continued to launch ambushes on Sikh supply lines, significantly weakening Ranjit Singh’s ability to capture Kashmir.

Betrayal and Fall of Rajouri

In 1819, Raja Aghar Khan fought against the Sikhs in the

Battle of Shopian The Battle of Shopian took place on 3 July 1819 between an expeditionary force from the Sikh Empire and Jabbar Khan, the governor of the Kashmir Valley province of the Durrani Empire. It was the decisive battle during the Sikh expedition into K ...

alongside Jabbar Khan of the

Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...

. Despite his efforts, the Sikh forces emerged victorious, leading to the occupation of Rajouri. Following this, Raja Aghar Khan's brother, Raja Rahimullah Khan, aligned himself with

. In return for his cooperation, Raja Rahimullah Khan was made the

. Aghar Khan fled to

and led another rebellion against the Sikhs but was later captured and imprisoned in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Death and Legacy

Raja Aghar Khan died in prison in 1825. He had 4 sons

Sources

Notes

Citations

Works Cited * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Raja Aghar 1825 deaths People from Rajouri district Muslim monarchs Military history of Kashmir