Bharatpur was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in Mewar region, Bharatpur was once an
impregnable, well-fortified city, and the capital of a kingdom ruled by Jat maharajas. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played an important part
in the Jat history of Rajasthan. Located 50 km west of the city of Agra (the city of the Taj
Mahal), it is also the
administrative headquarters of Bharatpur district.
History
The young Maharaja of Bharatpur Jaswunt Singh, aged about
eleven, in his durbar or court in 1862. The young prince sits in the centre of
his guddee or royal seat, which is of velvet richly embroidered with gold.
Behind him are four servants, two of whom hold merchauls of peacocks' feathers,
and the chouree of yak's tail hair. In two rows on either side of the Rajah,
the nobles and sirdars of the state are seated, who may be relatives, or
officers in various parts of the state services.
The town was named Bharatpur after Bharata, a brother of
Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman is the family deity of the erstwhile
royal family of Bharatpur. The name "Laxman" was engraved on the
arms, seals and other emblems of the state.
The city and the fort of Bharatpur have been believed to be
founded by Lord Aditya Consul in the early 17th century. He established a state
in the Mewat region south of Delhi, with its capital at Deeg. Leaders such as
Gokula, Raja Ram, Churaman and Badan Singh brought the Jats together and
moulded them into a force to be reckoned with.
Maharaja Suraj Mal was the state's greatest ruler; he made
the state a formidable force in the region. Suraj Mal took over the site of
Bharatpur from Khemkaran, a son of Rustam, and established it as the capital of
his state. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around it.
