When we talk about the princely states of India under British Raj, Pratapgarh State or ‘Partabgarh’ was one of the most powerful ones which received a 15 gun salute. When it was established in 1425, it was called Kanthal state. It was renamed after its capital Pratapgarh in Rajasthan. After Independence, the last ruler of Pratapgarh princely state, Ram Singh agreed to join the state with the Union of India on 7th April 1949.
Early Pratapgarh History
In the 14th century, Chittorgarh was ruled by Maharana Kumbha. Due to an internal conflict, Maharana Kumbha expelled his younger brother Kshemkarn from his territory. Kshemkarn’s family lived as refugees in the Aravalli Range in Rajasthan and the Kanthal state was established in 1425. The word Kanthal means boundary between Malwa and Gujarat. People from Bhil community lived in certain parts of Kanthal and various Rajpur clans lived in other parts. Kanthal was founded by a Bika who was a descendent of Rana Mokal of Mewar. Rajkumar Surajmal was entitled as the king of Devgarh in 1514. This territory was later renamed as Pratapgarh. In 1553, he abandoned his estates of Sadri and Dariawad and marched southwards to gain control over the local tribes.
The Big Turning Point
Jaswant Singh was murdered by his eldest son at the Champa Bagh and Mewar troops captured Kanthal. This was considered to be one of the major events in Pratapgarh History. Hari Singh was Jaswant Singh’s second son who went to Delhi and became an independent chief under Emperor Shah Jahan by paying an annual tribute of Rs. I5,000. Hari Singh got the title Rawat and Maharawat and was succeeded by Pratap Singh in 1674.
Defeat against Holkars
The rulers of Pratapgarh belonged to the Sisodia clans of Rajput. When it comes to successors of the state, Sawant Singh ruled from 1775 to 1844. During this period, the state was captured by the Marathas and they had to pay a tribute of 72,720 Salim Shahi to Holkar through the British Government. The amount was converted to Rs. 36,360 British currency from 1904.
Dalpat Singh ruled from 1844 to 1864 followed by Udai Singh who ruled from 1864 to 15th February 1890. Raghunath Singh ruled from 1890 to 18th January 1929 and finally Ram Singh ruled from 1929 to 15th August 1947.
There are many more unknown aspects about Pratapgarh history! Keep researching to explore these amazing facts.
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