Pratap Pal

Pratap Pal
Maharajadhiraj
Yadukul Chandra Bhal
Maharaja of Karauli
Reignc. 1838 – c. 1848
PredecessorHarbaksh Pal
SuccessorNar Singh Pal
Diedc. 1848
SpouseTakhat Kumari
IssueJadaunji
FatherAmeer Pal

Pratap Pal was Maharaja of Karauli from 1838 until his death in 1848.

Early life and family

Pratap Pal was born to Ameer Pal. His grandfather, Jawahar Pal, was a son of Tursam Pal, the Maharaja of Karauli, and was adopted into the Hadoti family. He married, amongst others, a daughter of Fateh Singh, the Raja of Jaoli, under Alwar, and Takhat Kumari, a daughter of Abhey Singh, the Raja of Khandela (Senior), and his wife, Udawatji. He had issue: a daughter, Jadaunji, who married Shatru Sal II, the Maharao Raja of Kotah.

Reign

Upon the death of Harbaksh Pal in 1838, the throne of Karauli became vacant, as he had left behind no male issue who could have succeeded him on it. Pratap was therefore selected and was raised to the throne. The East India Company at first did not recognise his succession to the throne, for two reasons: first, because the state owed them a large debt, and second, because a widow of Harbaksh Pal claimed she was pregnant and later announced the birth of a son to her. Pratap called that child fraudulent and illegitimate. This led the East India Company to intervene, and it appointed a commission to investigate the legitimacy of that child, and that commission concluded that the widow's claim was false and the child was a fraud. Based on the findings of the commission and upon payment of all debts, George Eden, the then Governor-General of India, issued his ruling at the close of 1839 in favour of Pratap and recognised him as the legitimate ruler of Karauli. He built the Pratap Saroman temple. He was an authoritarian ruler who repeatedly abused his authority to extract wealth from his subjects in an attempt to replenish the depleted state treasury. His imposition of heavy taxes impoverished his subjects and fuelled civic unrest in the state. The resulting unrest became so serious that British officers were sent to Karauli on four separate occasions to address public grievances, mediate between the ruler and his subjects, and restore order.

Death

He died in 1848. As he had left behind no male issue to inherit his dignities and power, his family adopted Nar Singh Pal as his successor.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Soszynski, Henry. "KARAULI". members.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Soszynski, Henry. "JAOLI". members.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
  3. ↑ Khandela Raj: A Short History of the Rulers of Khandela. Thakur Natwar Singh. 6 July 2012. p. 22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ghosha, Lokanātha (1879). The Modern History of the Indian Chiefs, Rajas, Zamindars, & C: The native states. J.N. Ghose. p. 67.
  5. ↑ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. p. 854. ISBN 978-81-291-0890-6.
  6. 1 2 3 Suguna Bai Saheb (1874). Memorial to Her Majesty the Queen from (the Late) H. H. Suguna Bai Saheb, Rani of Sattara, Widow of the Late H. H. Chhatrapati Appa Saheb Maharaj, Raja of Sattara in the Deccan—East Indies. Dated March 14th 1874. Bombay: N. R. Rániná at the Union Press. pp. 380–381.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mehta, Markand Nandshankar; Mehta, Manu Nandshankar (1896). The Hind Rajasthan: Or, The Annals of the Native States of India. Baroda: Amritlal G. Shah, Bapawala. pp. 329–331.
  8. ↑ The Imperial Gazetteer of India: Karāchi to Kotāyam. Vol. XV (New ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1908. p. 34.
  9. 1 2 Aitchison, C. U. (1892). A Collection of Treaties, Engagements, and Sanads Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries: The Treaties, etc., Relating to the States in Rajputana. Vol. III. Calcutta: Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. pp. 236–237.
  10. ↑ Ghosha, Lokanātha (1879). The Modern History of the Indian Chiefs, Rajas, Zamindars, & C: The native states. J.N. Ghose. p. 67.