{{Short description|Rawal of Jaisalmer from 1156 to 1168}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Rawal Jaisal | title = Rawal of Jaisalmer | image = Rawal Jaisal Singh, the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer.jpg | caption = Portrait of Rawal Jaisal inside Jaisalmer Fort | house = Bhati | succession = Rawal of Jaisalmer | reign = 1156–1168 | predecessor = Bhojraj (as Rawal of Lodhruva) | successor = Salbahan II | birth_date = 1113 | birth_place = Lodhruva | death_date = 1168 | death_place = Kingdom of Jaisalmer | spouse = {{Unbulleted list |Sodha of Amarkot | Uday Kanwar Parihar of Nagaur | Vilay Kanwar Chauhan of Nimrana |Jam Kanwar Vaghela of Pawagarh }} | issue = '''Sons'''<br/> {{Unbulleted list |Salbahan II |Kalyan |Hem }} '''Daughters'''<br/>{{Unbulleted list |Shyam kumari }} | father = Dusaj (1098–1122) | religion = Hinduism }}
'''Rawal Jaisal Bhati''' (1113–1168) was the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer from 1156 to 1168. Jaisal was a Rajput chief of the Bhati clan who lived during the 12th century, Jaisal rose to power in 1143 by defeating his nephew, Rawal Bhojdeo of Lodhruva, in battle and seizing his nephew's position as Rawal.<ref name=":23" /><ref name=":7" /> In 1156, Jaisal founded the city of Jaisalmer and became the Rawal of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer.<ref name="Balfour">{{cite book |last=Balfour |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3U0OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA406 |title=The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia: Commercial, Industrial and Scientific, Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures |publisher=B. Quaritch |year=1885 |edition=3rd |volume=2 |location=London |pages=406–407}}</ref> Jaisal's descendants ruled Jaisalmer as Rawal, and later as Maharawal, until India's independence in 1947. Jaisal is also claimed to be the ancestor of the Phulkian dynasty and other notable families and individuals.<ref name=":72" /><ref name=":4" />
== Ancestry == Jaisal traced his descent to Rao Bhati, a 3rd-century Hindu monarch and the common ancestor of the Bhati Rajput clan.<ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last1=Bond |first1=J. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=47sfj8DUwNgC |title=Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey |last2=Wright |first2=Arnold |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=2006 |isbn=978-81-206-1965-4 |location=New Delhi |pages=325 |language=en |access-date=16 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620210317/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Indian_States/47sfj8DUwNgC?hl=en&gbpv |archive-date=20 June 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> The first monarch in Jaisal's ancestry to have the title of Rawal was Devraj of Lodhran, his ancestor in the 9th century.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Clogstown |first=H.C. |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.71381 |title=Provinical Gazetteers Of India Rajputana Jaisalmer State |year=1912 |pages=207–211}}</ref> Devraj built the Derawar Fort in the modern-day Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan.<ref name=":02" />
The Bhatis of Jaisalmer belonged to the Yadava clan of Rajputs.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Mohammad |last1=Habib |first2=Khaliq Ahmad |last2=Nizami |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WzARcgAACAAJ |title=A Comprehensive History of India |volume=5 |publisher=People’s Publishing House |location=New Delhi |year=1970 |page=838}}</ref>{{Sfn|Kothiyal|2016|pp=18, 55–60, 70}} They reportedly originated in Mathura through a common ancestor named Rao Bhati, a descendant of Pradyumna.{{Sfn|Lethbridge|1900|p=112}}{{Sfn|Bond|Wright|2006|p=325}} According to the seventeenth-century ''Nainsi ri Khyat'', the Bhatis after losing Mathura moved to Bhatner in Lakhi Jungle, and from there to other locations in western and northwestern India including Punjab. Rao Bhati conquered and annexed territories from 14 princes in Punjab, including the area of what is now modern-day Lahore.<ref>Yadav, J. N. Singh (1992). ''Yādavas Through The Ages (From Ancient Period to Date)'' (in 2 Vol.), Delhi: Sharada Publishing House, {{ISBN|978-81-85616-03-2}}, pp. 68–71</ref>{{Sfn|Bond|Wright|2006}} He is also credited with establishing the modern town of Bathinda in the Lakhi Jungle area in the 3rd century.{{Sfn|Lethbridge|1900|p=112}}
=== Mythological ancestry === Jaisal and his descendants also claim direct descent from Yadu, a mythological Hindu king who, according to Hindu mythological texts, founded the Yadu dynasty branch of the legendary Lunar dynasty.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Todd |first=James |title=Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 2 of 3 or the Central and Western Rajput States of India |date=2008 |publisher=Project Gutenberg |isbn=978-8174365798 |pages=1169 |language=English}}</ref><ref name=":23" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Lethbridge |first=Sir Roper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zykYAAAAYAAJ |title=The Golden Book of India. A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. With an Appendix for Ceylon |publisher=S. Low, Marston & Company |year=1900 |location=London |page=112 |language=en}}</ref>
== Early life and rise to power == Jaisal was born in 1113. His father Dusaj, was the Rawal of Lodhruva.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Erskine |first=K. D. |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35749 |title=A Gazetteer Of The Jaisalmer State And Some Statistical Tables. |publisher=Scottish Mission Industries |year=1909 |location=Ajmer |pages=11–12}}</ref> After Dusaj's death, his younger brother Vijayrao Lanjo (aka. Bijai Rai II) was appointed Rawal over Jaisal and his other elder brother.<ref name=":7" /> Vijayrao Lanjo married the daughter of King Jayasimha Siddharaja of the Chaulukya dynasty, and their son, Bhojdeo, succeeded his father as Rawal in 1143.<ref name=":7" /> In the same year, Jaisal began to conspire against his nephew Bhojdeo; however, Bhojdeo's personal guard of 500 Chaulukya warriors made it impossible for Jaisal to attack his nephew.<ref name=":7" /> Jaisal then allied with the Persianate Islamic Ghurid dynasty, who provided the forces Jaisal needed to attack Bhojdeo and his capital Lodhruva.<ref name=":7" /> In 1143, Jaisal, with the help of the Ghurid dynasty forces, sacked Lodhruva, and Bhojdeo died in battle.<ref name=":7" /> Within the year of 1143, Jaisal had become the Rawal.<ref name=":7" /> However, Jaisal would later move his capital from Lodhruva as he found the area ill-defended.<ref name=":7" />
== Founding of Jaisalmer == [[File:Jaisalmer forteresse.jpg|thumb|307x307px|Jaisalmer Fort in 2005. Construction of the fort began in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal, and was completed in 1171, three years after his death.]] In 1156, Jaisal founded the city of Jaisalmer and Kingdom of Jaisalmer.<ref name=":6" /> He also began the construction of Jaisalmer Fort in 1156.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lF0FvjG3GWEC |title=The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan |date=1999 |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-81-7648-118-2 |location=New Delhi |pages=113–114 |language=en |access-date=18 July 2024 |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718213628/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Rajputs_of_Rajputana/lF0FvjG3GWEC?hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1156, Jaisal met a hermit named Eesaal, who told him a legend from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Elborough |first=Travis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1bGEAAAQBAJ |title=Atlas of Unexpected Places: Haphazard Discoveries, Chance Places and Unimaginable Destinations |date=16 January 2024 |publisher=Aurum |isbn=978-0-7112-9083-9 |edition=Paperback |location=London |page=104 |language=en |access-date=18 July 2024 |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718213629/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Atlas_of_Unexpected_Places/S1bGEAAAQBAJ?hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Manchanda |first=Bindu |url=http://archive.org/details/jaisalmercityofg0000manc |title=Jaisalmer : the city of golden sands and strange spirits |publisher=New Delhi : HarperCollins Publishers India |year=2001 |isbn=978-81-7223-434-8 |location=New Delhi |pages=24 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Eesaal told Jaisal that the Hindu deity Krishna, during the Kurukshetra War, wandered the desert with the Pandava Arjuna and prophesied that a citadel would be founded by a descendant of the Yadu dynasty on top of Trikuta Hill, a triple-peaked desert hill in what is now the modern-day city of Jaisalmer.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />
After hearing the legend, Jaisal decided to build a fort at that location and began the construction of Jaisalmer Fort in 1156.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> The name of the city of Jaisalmer and its fort is a combination of Jaisal's name and Mount Meru, a sacred mountain in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology.<ref name=":0" /> Jaisal also chose Trikuta Hill for the location of Jaisalmer Fort because it would provide protection from other Bhati Rajput rivals and Muslims who had begun to make inroads into the Thar Desert.<ref name=":3" /> Jaisalmer Fort's construction was completed in 1171, three years after Jaisal's death.<ref name=":3" />
== Death and succession == Jaisal died in 1168 and was succeeded as Rawal by his son, Salbahan II (aka. Rawal Shalivahan Singh II).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kothiyal |first=Tanuja |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQS-DAAAQBAJ |title=Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert |date=14 March 2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-316-67389-8 |location=Cambridge |pages=73 |language=en}}</ref> The construction of Jaislamer Fort was completed under Salbahan II.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |url=http://archive.org/details/a-history-of-rajasthan |title=A History Of Rajasthan |publisher=Rupa Publications |year=2009 |edition=2nd |location=New Delhi}}</ref>
== Legacy == Rawal Jaisal was the founder of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, which in 1818, became Jaisalmer State, a princely state in British India.<ref name=":02" /> Jaisal's descendants, who ruled the Kingdom of Jaisalmer and Jaisalmer State, held the title of Rawal until 1661, after which the ruler's title became Maharawal.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayley |first=C. S. |url=http://archive.org/details/chiefsleadingfam00csba |title=Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=2004 |isbn=978-81-206-1066-8 |location=New Delhi |pages=67–69}}</ref> His other direct descendants migrated to the region that became modern-day Punjab, Haryana, and Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |date=24 July 2016 |title=Punjabi by nature: Punjab's Game of Thrones |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/punjabi-by-nature-punjab-s-game-of-thrones/story-sMx8HmSnOVDb3ALuwVQiAM.html |access-date=24 July 2016 |website=Hindustan Times |archive-date=18 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718213629/https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/punjabi-by-nature-punjab-s-game-of-thrones/story-sMx8HmSnOVDb3ALuwVQiAM.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Jaisal is also claimed to be the ancestor of the royal families of Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala, and Faridkot through his younger son, Hem.<ref name=":72">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Kirpal |url=http://archive.org/details/BabaAlaSingh |title=Baba Ala Singh: Founder of Patiala Kingdom |publisher=Guru Nanak Dev University |year=2005 |edition=2nd |location=Amritsar |pages=113–120}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Singha |first=H. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (over 1000 Entries) |publisher=Hemkunt Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |location=New Delhi |page=165 |language=en |access-date=19 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620210538/https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Encyclopedia_of_Sikhism_over_1000_En/gqIbJz7vMn0C?hl=en&gbpv |archive-date=20 June 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{harvnb|Bond|Wright|2006|pp=232–242}}</ref><ref name="Khushwant">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q82MDgAAQBAJ |title=Captain Amarinder Singh: The People's Maharaja: An Authorized Biography |date=15 February 2017 |publisher=Hay House, Inc |isbn=978-93-85827-44-0 |language=en}}</ref> Jaisal's descendants that had royal titles maintained them until 1971, when they were abolished in India by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.
==See also== History of Jaisalmer
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite book|author1=Martinelli, Antonio |author2=Michell, George | title=The Palaces of Rajasthan| year = 2005| publisher=Frances Lincoln| location=London| isbn = 978-0-7112-2505-3| page = 271 pages}} *{{cite book|author1=Beny, Roland |author2=Matheson, Sylvia A. | title=Rajasthan - Land of Kings| year = 1984| publisher=Frederick Muller| location=London| isbn = 0-584-95061-6| page = 200 pages}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaisal, Rawal}} Category:1113 births Category:1168 deaths Category:Maharajas in Rajputana Category:Hindu monarchs Category:Jaisalmer Category:People from Jaisalmer district Category:Indian Hindus Category:Indian city founders Category:Jat Category:People of Punjabi descent Category:History of Punjab Category:Lunar dynasty