History of Kishangarh

Kishangarh has a profound history, which dates back to the times of British Raj and Mughals. The state of Kishangarh was established in 1609 by the Jodhpur Prince, Kishan Singh. Kishangarh was a princely state at the time of the British Raj.

The chiefs who headed Kishangarh state belonged to the Rathore clan of Rajputs, descendents of Udai Singh of Jodhpur. In 1596, his second son left to Ajmer from Jodhpur. He received the district of Hindaun (now in Jaipur) from Akbar, and was later granted Setholao and some other districts. Kishangarh as town was founded by him in 1611, with the same name being given to the state as well. Under the rule of the 13th Chief succeeding Udai Singh named Kalyan Singh; Kishangarh was brought under British Protection on 26th March 1818.

Kishangarh, situated in the Rajputana Agency, became the capital of the princely state during the British Raj. The population of Kishangarh in 1901 was 90,970, which observed a decline of 27% in comparison to the census figure of 1891. The main cause for such a decrease has been presumed to be attributed to the famines during 1899-1900. Poulation became 85,744 in 1931. The area of kishangarh extended to around 2210 km2 or 858 miles2 . The state happened to pay no taxes or tribute to the British Raj and enjoyed a revenue estimated to around Rs. 34000/-. Prithvi Singh was made the 15th Maharaja of Kishangarh in 1840 and he ruled till his demise in 1879. He was further succeeded by his son, Sardul Singh.

In 1900, Maharaja Madan Singh took over the state and became the king at the age of sixteen. It was during this time that the state was struggling from the devastating repercussions of the drought. The administration under his reign was widely adjudged as appreciable. His endeavors to control the situation involved measures such as extension of irrigation from tanks and wells and establishment of factories for pressing cotton and ginning. The widespread social reform movement that dealt in discouraging excessive use of money and cutting down of expenditure in marriages, made a remarkably huge impact under his rule. Brijraj Singhji is the present descendant of the Maharajas in Kishangarh.