Maharaj Suraj Mal 1707-1763: His Life and Times

by K. Natwar Singh

This solid work based on a lot of research and an intimate knowledge of the terrain fills a serious void in our knowledge of 18th century India. It not only traces the decline of the Mughal Empire but also the temporary rise of Hindu power in northern and southern India are some of his major works.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

K. Natwar Singh is an Indian politician and former cabinet minister. He was born on 16 May, 1931, and educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; Scindia School, Gwalior; St. Stephen’s College, Delhi; and Corpus Christie College, Cambridge. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 and has served in Beijing, New York, Warsaw, London and Lusaka. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1984. He is married to Heminder Kumari of Patiala, and their son, Jagat Singh, following in the footsteps of his father, has also entered politics.

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always wanted to read book on this great personality. But sadly our history books are left leaning and no one know about him.

This book felt like more of Hero worshipping of Jatt & Maharaja Suraj Mal and blamed everything on others. It was biased. No doubt why writer was full of praise of Maharaja Suraj Mal because he is related to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur.

[Abhishek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read about the history of India in the Later Mughal period. I felt that the author was a bit biased and tried to justify various wrongdoings of the Jats by blaming it on the prevalent conditions. But overall it is a nice read which tells much about the most confusing period of Indian History and highlighted the treacheries, manipulations and ill conceived actions which led to the defeat of regional forces at the hands of the Afghans.

[Ajay Choudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read on the political developments of the North Western part of the country during the 18th century specially from the perspective of the rebels. Churaman's life is quite inspiring.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maharaja Suraj Mal, 1707-1763, by K. Natwar Singh, is a concise biography book of the former ruler of the Bharatpur kingdom. During the reign of Suraj Mal, a Sinsinwar Hindu Jat, the kingdom of Bharatpur in Rajasthan reached its zenith in the 18th century. When Suraj Mal died on 25 December 1763 at Shahdra, Delhi, his kingdom included Agra, Aligarh, Ballabhgarh, Bulandshar, Dholpur, Etah, Hathras, Meerut, Mathura, Rohtak, Hodal, Gurgaon, Farrukhnagar, Mewat and Rewari. However, the author of this book turned this biography into a hagiography, which is really disappointing.