The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire

For an indepth understanding of the history of the Mughal Empire an intensive study of different indigenous powers is essential. The role of powers viz the Marathas and the Rajputs has received careful study from historians. But no serious studies have been undertaken in the case of the Jats of this period. This study shows that in the post-Aurangzeb period, the powerful elements at the court found it expedient to conciliate the Jats in order to retain power and to rejuvenate the declining Empire. As the most powerful Indian potentate, Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal occupied a key-position in the evolution of contemporary affairs in the post-Panipat period. This constitutes a fascinating phase in the annals of the medieval India. The author, Dr. G.C. Dwivedi has high-lighted the historic role of the Jats in the history of this period. He has assembled some of the rarest evidence available, which the author has telescoped into a knowledgeable and inspiringly readable historical analysis. In the present corrected and updated edition twenty annotations have been added for clarifying and describing certain facts, names and places based on recent findings.