Maharao Shardul Singh ji Shekhawat (1681-1742) was the

Shekhawat Shekhawat is a sub-clan of Kachwaha Rajputs found mainly in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan tracing their descent from a common ancestor, Maharao Shekha, a prominent ruler who lived in the 15th century. History The Shekhawat Rajputs trace ...

ruler of

Jhunjhunu Jhunjhunu is a city and municipal council in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jhunjhunu district. It is also the largest city of the Shekhawati region, which includes Jhunjhunu, Churu and Sikar ...

(in present-day

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 ...

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 ...

). During his reign, the Shekhawats are considered to have reached the height of their powers. After his death the estate was divided equally among his surviving five sons, whose descendants continued to rule over it until India achieved independence. To commemorate the memory of their father, his sons made a monumental dome (known as ''

Chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...

'') with a fresco at Parasrampura, the capital of Jhunjhunu. All five sons were very brave, capable, and efficient rulers. They raised many new villages, towns, forts and palaces, encouraged the Seths (merchants) for trade. As a result, they grew rich and made many havelies. The fresco-paintings of these havelies speak about that period and prosperity. Moreover, the rich merchants made the wells, ponds, bawries (step well), temples and inns at various places. They are the examples of industrial architectural excellence. The fresco-painting probably came into existence in the 18th century. It was during the period of Shardual Singh ji that fresco painting was in much vogue.

Personal life

Singh had three marriages. His first marriage was in 1698 to Thukrani Sahaj Kanwar Biki Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Manroop Singh Bika of Nathasar. His second marriage was to Thukrani Sirey Kanwar Biki Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Mukal Singh Bika of Nathasar. The third marriage was to Thukrani Bakhat Kanwar Mertani Ji Sahiba, the daughter of Devi Singh Mertiya of Poonglota (

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. 'Maru' is a Sanskrit word for desert. The word 'wad' literally means fence in Rajasthani languages. Engl ...

), near

Degana Degana is a town municipality and headquarter to Sub-Division and Tehsil located in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, India. Degana Railway Junction was made at a place situated equidistant from 3 nearby villages in the pre-independence era on th ...

and had children.

Children

He had six sons: * Thakur Zorawar Singh, (by 1st wife), born at

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

, married and had children. He died in 1745. He built Jorawargarh fort, ancestor of the families of Chowkari, Taen, Kalipahari,

Malsisar Malsisar is a town and Tehsil located in Jhunjhunu district of the Indian state Rajasthan in northern India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, s ...

, Gangiyasar, Mandrella , Sultana etc. * Thakur Kishan Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1709, ancestor of the families of

Khetri Khetri Nagar is a town in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. It is a part of the Shekhawati Shekhawati is a region in the northern part of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, comprising the d ...

, Heerwa, Arooka, Seegra, Alsisar, etc. * Kunwar Bahadur Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1712 and died in 1732. * Thakur Akhay Singh, (by 3rd wife), born 1713, built Akhegarh Fort. Died without children in 1750. *

Thakur Nawal Singh Thakur Shri Nawal Singh Shekhawat Ji Saheb Bahadur (1742—1780) was the ruler of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, born in 1715, he was fifth son of Thakur Shardul Singh of Jhunjhunu, and his third wife, Thakurani Bakhat Kanwar, he was granted the ...

Bahadur (by 3rd wife), born in 1715, ancestor of the families of Nawalgarh, Mahensar, Dorasar, Mukundgarh, Balonda, Jhunjhunu (pilani) ,Narsinghani, and

Mandawa Mandawa is a town located just 29 km from Jhunjhunu city in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India. It is part of Shekhawati region. Mandawa is located at . It has an average elevation of 316 metres (1036 ft). The nearest rail ...

. He died on 24 February 1780. * Thakur Keshri Singh, (by 3rd wife), born in 1728, ancestor of the families of Dundlod, Surajgarh, and

Bissau Bissau () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. it had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, its administr ...

. He was the 6th and youngest son and he died in 1768.

Death

Shardul Singh died on 25 April 1742. Prior to his demise, Singh made a groundbreaking decision that deviated from the traditional Rajput inheritance practice of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

. In an act that was unparalleled in Rajput history, he declared that Jhunjhunu would be equally distributed among his sons. His son Bahadur Singh had died in his lifetime at an early age. As a result, his

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...

was divided into five equal shares. The administration by his five sons was cumulatively known as '' Panchpana'' (five divisions).

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Shardul 1742 deaths Maharajas of Rajasthan People from Jhunjhunu district 1681 births