KOTA History Kota has a versatile history, but what is constant are the battles fought for its possession. Kota’s early history is shrouded in valour – in fact, its very existence owes to a battle-hardened 14 year old Rajput called Rao Madho Singh, the son of Rao Ratan, the ruler of Bundi. A Teenage Warrior Proves Himself Born in 1565AD, Madho Singh went to war against Aurangzeb who was hell bent upon taking the throne of Delhi from his father Shah Jahan. A fierce battle was fought near Bundi on behalf of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in which Ratan Singh lost five of his six sons. Madho Singh survived, a glorious hero of the skirmish. This happened in 1579, and Shah Jahan was so fascinated by Madho Singh’s valour that he bestowed the kigdom of Kota upon him. Kota at this time was a united fiefdom ruled by the Bhil tribe, but the emperor’s royal farman (dictat) said otherwise. Kota was handed over to Madho Singh. When Madho Singh breathed his last in 1651 after expanding his kingdom, he left behind five sons who ruled together in smaller sections of Kota. Mukund Singh, the eldest was made the chief of Kota for the time being, and eventually he convinced his brothers that since he was the eldest he should be allowed to rule.

The Warrior King
Bhim Singh, the successor, was ambitious and had eyes on neighbouring Bundi. On Bahadur Shah I’s death and the rise of the Sayyid brothers (of whom Muhammad Shah ascended the Delhi throne in 1719), Bhim Singh struck an alliance with the Sayyids and the king of Amber. Bhim Singh then enlarged his kingdom in three directions – to Bhilwara in the west, Gagron in the south and Baran in the east.

Bhim Singh liked to be in the middle of wars. When Khilij Khan (aka Asaf Jah, later the Nizam of Hyderabad) deserted the Delhi court and set out for the Deccan, Raja Jai Singh of Amber led his forces and those of Bhim Singh to stop Khilij Khan. The future Nizam stood his ground and when the Rajputs approached his artillery opened up with a battery of guns. Elephants, men, horses all perished, but for Bhim Singh. He was to die in 1720 in Kota, only after he had reigned for 15 years and left an empire which was to stand fast for many years to come.

Bhim Singh was the first Rajput ruler to have the title of punj hazari (leader of 5,000 men) bestowed upon him. He was also the first king of his dynasty who was titled Maha Rao or the Great King. When he died, the eldest of his three sons Arjun Singh became king and married Madho Singh’s sister. Arjun Singh ruled for three years and died without leaving an heir to the throne, which led to a power struggle for the throne of Kota. The second son of Madho Singh, Shyam Singh, was put to death, and it was the youngest of the three who eventually succeeded. Durjan Singh’s accession in 1724 was recognised by Muhammad Shah, the Timur king of Delhi.

Marathas & Rajputs
Perhaps the most important phase of Durjan Singh’s rule was the forging of the first alliance of the Rajputs and the Maratha power from south of Rajasthan. It was during his reign that the Marathas under Baji Rao first invaded Rajasthan, not with the intention of annexing Rajput territories but to form an alliance with them. Baji Rao first took Nahargarh fort in 1739, held by a Muslim chief, and presented it to Durjan Singh, making Nahargarh a part of the Kota region. Baji Rao had earlier defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1728 and seven years later in 1735 took Malwa, being accepted as its ruler. Durjan Singh was a military man, and he added territories to the Kota kingdom by taking areas as far as Shivpuri in the east. When the Kachwahas attacked Bundi in 1754, it was left to Umed Singh to defend the region. Three years later in 1757, Durjan Singh breathed his last.

Then in 1761 Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded Hindustan for the second time and met the united Maratha power in the third battle of Panipat. As he moved on to Delhi, the Rajputs were left to themselves. Now began the infighting all over again. The ruler of Amber decided it was the right time to march into Kota, and he did. A fierce battle was fought, and it was in this skirmish that Zalim Singh took the Kota army to victory. All of 21 years of age, the brave warrior jumped into the fray first on horseback and then, sword in hand, fought on foot.

To Come Of Age
In 1766, Goman Singh was the one who sat on the Kota throne, but did not rule for long. He fell ill and on his deathbed in 1771 passed on the throne to his ten year old son Umed with Zalim Singh as the virtual ruler. Zalim Singh was quick to seize control even while the titular `king’ ruled officially. Of course, there were the odd relatives of Goman Singh who wanted to rule themselves, but Zalim dealt with them diplomatically. Akiram, a foujdar (officer) and the regent of Madho Singh in days of yore, was finished off first. A foster brother of the prince was also killed, presumably by Zalim Singh, and another was exiled. Disappointed with the way Zalim was handling affairs, court nobles decided to desert Kota. Zalim Singh granted them free access to the kingdom, allowing them to go wherever they wanted to. But with the Marathas close on their heels they were never able to forge an alliance to overthrow Zalim Singh.