Enlightened Government in Modern India: Heritage of Sawai Jai Singh

Sawai Jai Singh (1699-1743 A.D.) was the most eminent ruler of his times. He was considered as, "the head and crown of all Hindustan" who protected Hinduism. His spectacular rise to power was due to the decline in the power and authority of the Mughal Emperor, crisis in the nobility resulting in fissiparous tendencies all over the country during the four decade following the death of mighty Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 A.D. He was so much respected by his other contemporary Rajput rulers that they framed and executed their policies in consultation with him. His diplomatic leadership was acknowledged by all. Jai Singh will always be remembered for founding one of the most planned cities in the world, Jaipur, and for the construction of astronomical observatories in different parts of India. He developed at this centers an exalted culture of learning, scholarship and aesthetic development. In this volume, achievements of Sawai Jai Singh during the peacetime have been examined on the basis of published as well as un-published sources. Jai Singh provided an enlightened government that promoted and patronized multi-dimensional development of the state and its people. This volume will be found informative and interesting to scholars as well as laymen.