Ajanbahu Jatbasha
Ajanbahu Jatbasha (also known as Jatba or King Jatav) is considered by historians to be founder of the Gond dynasty of Chhindwara and Nagpur, which ruled the present days territories of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and part of Maharashtra in the 16th-18th centuries. Documentation of his origins and rise to power have not survived, but he is the first historical leader of the mountain Gondi people.[4][5]
Jatba | |||||
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'Maharaja' | |||||
King of Deogarh | |||||
Reign | 1580-1620 or 1542-1602[1] | ||||
Predecessor | Position established | ||||
Successor | Kok Shah (c. 1600-1668)[2] or according to Sureśa Miśra, Kesarishah alias Jatba II (1645-c. 1660)[3] | ||||
Died | 1620 or 1602[1] | ||||
| |||||
House | Gonds of Deogarh | ||||
Dynasty | Rajgond |
Reign
The Gauli princes were the predecessors to the Gond house of Deogarh, ruling for 70 years from 1472-1542.[1]
The Gond dynasty of Deogarh was founded by Jatba.[5] The Indian Antiquities says that Jatba was a servant under two Gaoli princes, Ransur and Ghansur, and that he treacherously deposed them.[6][7] Originally, the Gond house of Devagad hailed from Haraya or Harayagad , but later on it was shifted to Devagad about 24 miles from Haraya under Jatba.[8][9] During the reign of Krasna Shah or Krishna Shah[9] (1597-1647), the Gond king of Chanda, the independence of the Deogarh kingdom was recognized by a treaty.[2] By this time the Gond house of Chanda had weakened and Jatba forced it to recognize its independence.[9] Jatba extended his kingdom as far as Nagpur, constructing a fort there as an outpost.[2][8]
Relations with the Mughals
The Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazl records that Jatba, the Gond king of Deogarh, was a vassal of Akbar and was paying annual tribute to him.[5] It is said that Akbar visited Deogarh during Jatba's reign.[10]
The Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazl says that Jatba possessed 2,000 horses, 50,000 foot soldiers and 100 elephants- "To the east of the Kherla Sarkar lay the territories of a zamindar named Chatwa who possessed 2000 cavalry, 50,000 footmen and more than 100 elephants". This 'Chatwa' was probably Jatba.[6][11] Maharaja Jatba visited the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1616.[1]
References
- Acta Universitatis Stockholmiensis: Stockholm studies in comparative religion. Almquist & Wiksell. 1961.
- Deogaonkar, Shashishekhar Gopal (2007). The Gonds of Vidarbha. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-474-5.
- Miśra, Sureśa (2007). Tribal Ascendancy in Central India: The Gond Kingdom of Garha. Manak Publications. ISBN 978-81-7827-185-9.
- Mehta, Behram Hormasji (1984). Gonds of The Central Indian Highlands, Volume 1. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 274. OCLC 311585129.
- Congress, Indian History (1950). Proceedings. Indian History Congress.
- Census of India, 1991: District census handbook, A & B. Village and town directory : village & townwise primary census abstract 24 v. : Bhind (in Hindi). Directorate of Census Operations, Madhya Pradesh. 1997.
- Mehta, Behram H. (1984). Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands. Concept Publishing Company.
- Medieval PERIOD (Complete History of Nagpur). 16 July 2021.
- Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112050248951 and Others. 2013.
- Pradesh (India), Madhya (1992). Madhya Pradesh: Balaghat. Government Central Press.
- Sil, Jogendra Nath (1917). History of the Central Provinces and Berar. J.N. Sil.