Rajput States and East India Company

The process of Rajput decadence which commenced with the decline of the Mughal Empire reached its zenith during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. The mutual rivalries and internal disorders of the rajput states exposed them to the plundering Maratha and Pathan inroads and finally drove them into the arms of the British. The Rajput States had nothing to tempt the cupidity of the British but the Indian political scene offered the East India company prospects of becoming a paramount power. The author examines the consequences of the interaction of the two unequal forces i. E. the weak and degenerate states of Western Rajputana-Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer on the one hand and the growing and ever expanding power of the East India company on the other. The story begins with the opening of the nineteenth century and ends with the suppression of the Great Rebellion in 1857. the British impact proving beneficial in the initial stages, confused and complicated the relations between the rulers and the nobility at least in Jodhpur. It also made the Maharaja indolent, carefree and pleasure loving-resulting in the dominance of the priestly class. The clash of the conflicting interests of the nobility, the priestly class and the British, with the Maharaja intriguing and manipulating for his own interest and for that of the faction supporting him adds charm and fascination to the story which at times becomes exciting and even thrilling. The author also explains how the Paramount Power resolved the interstate disputes and minimized interstate crimes by establishing the ‘International Courts’-thus giving law and order to the land of the warring Rajput tribes. This together with the internal and external security which the British contact gave to these Rajput rulers decided their role during the Outbreak of 1857. The preferred to cast their lot with the British rather than adopt a course which might lead to chaos and anarchy.