Predecessors and Short History:
An independent Princely State in present day Madhya
Pradesh, it came into existence on 13th October 1656/7 in
a division of territories granted to Rao Ratan Singh of
Ratlam by Padshah Shahjehan of Delhi. This division was
carried out by Ratan Singhji himself prior to the fateful
battle of Dharmat (Fatehabad) in 1658. Each of his sons
were granted a territory independent of the other. With
the degeneration of the Mughal Empire, Multhan became de
facto independent, and at the time of the advent of the
British, the Multhan rulers were styled as Raja. The
treaties signed under the aegis of Sir John Malcolm, the
Multhan rulers were styled as such and as such were
recognized by the British Government. The rulers of this
Princely State share an agnatic descent with Ratlam,
Kacchi-Baroda and Sailana, which is the younger branch of
Ratlam State. Multhan has one Thikana under it by name of
Sandla (#2) with Sisodia
Thakurs as its Jagirdars. The title of the ruler of
Multhan is Raja, and for male members of the family it is
Maharaj. Rulers were .....
- Maharaj SAKAT SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan 1657/1691, a younger son of
Raja Ratan Singh of Ratlam,
and his wife, Rani Sukhde Kunwar of Sirohi; as the Rao
Sahib of Multhan he held a mansab in the
Mughal Empire, he served with distinction in the
imperial expeditions in the Deccan, and greatly
distinguished himself in the storm of Golcunda Fort in
1689, earning rich tributes from historian
Shamsuddolah Shah Nawaz Khan in his Persian commentary
Maasir-ul-umra; he played important roles in
the battles of Bijapur and also in the treaties with
the Marathas, he also held the important southern
outposts of Jinji as fort keeper for the empire and
died there in its siege by Mirza Kambaksh in 1691;
married 1stly, Rani Maya Kunwar, daughter of Rao Man
Singh of Jaisalmer,
married 2ndly, Rani Gulab Kunwar, daughter of Thakur
Vijay Singh of Dhamotar,
and had adoptive issue. He died in battle at Jinji in
1691.
- (A) Maharaj Anoop Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj ANOOP SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan
1691/-, son of Maharaj Rai Singhji of Kacchi-Baroda, he
succeeded by adoption; like his adoptive father, he
also served in the imperial expeditions and bravely
led the charge in the victorious battle at
Panhala in the Konkan in 1708; married and had
issue.
- Maharaj Indra Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj INDRA SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan -/-,
he assisted his relatives, the rulers of Ratlam and
Sailana in their conquest of Jhabua in Ashar
Krishna 14, Samvat 1787; married and had
issue.
- Maharaj Raj Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj Roop Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj RAJ SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan, his
short reign was uneventful, he died sp.
- Maharaj ROOP SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan 1756/-,
he succeeded to the gaddi in 1756, maried (amongst
others), Rani Sunelji (Junior Rani), committed sati,
daughter of the Sunel ruler of Barwah.
- Maharaj CHHATRA SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan, he
was the nephew of Maharaj Roop Singhji, and ruled for
a short period of seven years. He died sp.
- Maharaj ANAND SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan, he
was the younger brother of Chhatra Singhji; he proved
to be a worthy successor, during his reign, he
fortified Multhan, built a strong bastion at Borda at
the triple junction of rivers Mahi, Bagedi and
Rattagiri, and in a pitched battle he defeated and
drove away the Makrani mercenaries, ably assisted by
the brave Umat (Parmar) and tribal Meena subjects;
married and had issue.
- Maharaj Lakshman Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj LAKSHMAN SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan,
during his reign he successfully repelled
the forces of the Gaekwad ruler of Baroda but
succumbed to the wounds inflicted upon him by the
Marathas; married and had issue.
- Maharaj Sawai Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj SAWAI SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan
1810/1849, he had an eventful reign, during
which he personally aided his brotherly state of
Ratlam against the large army of Scindia ruler of
Gwalior, even against the wishes of Sir John Malcolm,
in the Battle of Uchangarh on the banks of river Mahi,
where the forces of Scindia were routed and the
Maratha commander Bapu Scindia fled from the battle
field; soon afterwards, the British mediated treaties
between the native Rajput rulers and the Marathas; in
1820, under the aegis of Sir John Malcolm, a treaty
was signed at Bhopawar between the Puars of Dhar and
Multhan, with the British Government signing as
guarantor against infringement of standing rights of
the Rajput ruler, the exact import of this clause in
the treaty was to remain a perennial cause of friction
between the two parties; Maharaj Sawai Singhji also
mediated in the succession of Balwant Singhji of
Ratlam under the auspices of Maharana Bhim Singhji of
Mewar; he married Rani Waghelji Man Kunwar of Mansa,
and had issue. He died 1849.
- Maharaj Dalpat Singhji (qv)
- Maharaj DALPAT SINGHJI, Raja of Multhan
1849/1900, born 1838, succeeded as a minor in 1849 (#1);
Multhan remained largely unaffected by the upheavals
of the revolt of 1857 against the British, the Rajmata
Wagheliji Man Kunwar, while she was the guardian of
the minor ruler gave protection and shelter to the
residents of Badnawar during the anarchy that resulted
from the revolt, the Diwan, Ismail Khan, under his
protection led the women and children of the British
officers to safety to Mandsaur; Raja Bakhtawar Singhji
of Amjhera is said to have taken refuge at the Borda
fortress during his struggle with the British; Maharaj
Dalpat Singhji outlived his sons who having no male
issue left the ageing ruler without an heir; his widow
in 1901 adopted Rajkumar Bharat Singh, second son of
HH Raja Jaswant Singhji of Sailana, and his wife,
HH Rani Yashwant Kunwar of Dhariawad; married Rani
Wagheliji Sardar Kunwar, and had adoptive issue. He
died 1900 without surviving issue.
- Yuvaraj Hindu Singhji, married and had issue, one
daughter.
- Yuvrani Sajjan Kunwar, married Yuvaraj
Ranjitsinhji Vakhatsinhji of Lunawada, and had
issue.
- Rajkumar Abhay Singhji, married and had issue.
- Rani Daulat Kanwar, married (as his third wife),
Rawat Takhat Singh of Bansi.
- (A) Dharmalankar Dharm-Bhushan Dharm-Diwaker
Sahityabhusan Shreeman Maharaj Bharat Singhji
Sahib (qv)
- Dharmalankar Dharm-Bhushan Dharm-Diwaker
Sahityabhusan Shreeman Maharaj BHARAT SINGHJI Sahib,
Raja of Multhan 1901/1971, born 1894 and succeeded by
adoption on 26th August 1901 (#3),
educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; Maharaj Bharat
Singhji is often referred to as the second founder of
Multhan for the progress that Multhan made under his
tenure; he was widely known and respected on the one
hand for his just and efficient administration and on
the other for his wisdom, strength of his character
and his commanding knowledge of religious matters, for
which he was awarded many titles, including, Dhramalankar,
Dhramabhusan, Dharmadiwakar, Sahityabhusan
etc.; he increased the state's revenue through
benevolent means viz. low taxation, improved
irrigation, quick justice and provision of civic
amenities; he placed much emphasis on education and
maintenance of law and order; he built a new palace at
Multhan in 1919, which he himself designed; he was
fond of gardens and architecture, which was manifested
in the planned layout of Multhan and the laying of the
Dalapat Bagh Gardens which were a connoisseur’s
delight; the Maharaj Sahib was the last ruler of
Multhan till the formation of Indian Union as a
republic; he married 1stly, Rani Aman Kunwar, second
daughter of Thakur Kesri Singhji of Achrol, married 2ndly,
February 1935, Rani Jayendra Kunwar [née
Rajkumari Baiji Lal Jam Kunwarba Sahiba], daughter of
HH Raj Sahib Sir Ajitsinhji Jashwantsinhji of Dhrangadhra, and
his second wife, HH Rani Majiraba Sahiba, and had
issue. He died 1971.
- Rajkumari Kamla Kunwar, born 1917, married Tikka
Mahendra Singhji of Tharoch.
- Rajkumari Mangala Kunwar, born 1927, married
Thakur Narendra Singhji of Namli.
- Rajkumari Uma Kunwar, born 1930, married Maharaj
Narendra Singhji of Rajpipla.
- Maharaj Shri Rameshwar Singhji (qv)
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