Rao Jodha (1416–1489) was the 15th Rao of the Rathore clan who ruled Marwar and founded the city of Jodhpur. His military campaigns expanded Marwar and established it as a dominant Rajput kingdom.
Overview
Rao Jodha Rathore was born on 28 March 1416 and died on 6 April 1489. He was the eldest son of Rao Ranmal, also known as Rao Ridmal, and became the 15th Rajput chief of the Rathore clan.
His reign is noted for an illustrious military career, during which he expanded and consolidated the power of the Kingdom of Marwar.
In 1459, Rao Jodha founded the city of Jodhpur. The new city was established as the capital of Marwar, replacing the former capital of Mandore.
Life and work
Rao Jodha’s early years were marked by conflict and survival. After his father was murdered in Chittor by the Sisodias, he fled with his men, only to be pursued by Rawat Chunda, an uncle of Kumbha. Chunda’s forces decimated almost all of Jodha’s soldiers, forcing him to escape to Kahuni where he regrouped and began to rebuild his strength.
For several years the Rathores remained weak, but Jodha patiently waited for an opening. He gradually began to strike at his enemies, and the Delhi Sultanate, taking advantage of his war with Rana Kumbha, seized several Rathore strongholds such as Nagaur, Jhalor and Siwana. In response, Jodha forged alliances with Rajput clans including the Deoras and Bhatis, and launched attacks against the Delhi army. He succeeded in capturing Merta, Phalodi, Pokran, Bhadrajun, Sojat, Jaitaran, Siwana, parts of Nagaur and Godwar, permanently annexing these areas from Delhi and Mewar and making Marwar the most powerful kingdom in Rajputana.
In 1453 Jodha captured his ancestral capital of Mandore from Mewar, after which Marwar and Mewar signed a treaty that restored peace. His daughter married Rana Kumbha’s son Raimal, further cementing the alliance. Following the treaty, Jodha captured Chapar Drona from the Mohils and Fatehpur from the Pathans. To secure his realm, he founded the city of Jodhpur and built the fort of Mehrangarh.
Rather than continue territorial expansion, Jodha adopted a policy of granting frontier lands to his sons. Duda secured Merta, Satal founded Satalmer after conquering Bhati territories, Suja took Sojat, Raipal captured Asop from Fateh Khan, Karamsi founded Khimsar and Bika with his uncle’s help, Kandhal and brother Rao Bida founded Bikaner state, and Bida founded Bidasar. These divisions strengthened the Rathore political structure.
Rao Jodha’s influence grew to the point that even Rana Kumbha sought an alliance with him. The boundaries between Marwar and Mewar were fixed to avoid hostilities. After Kumbha’s death, his successor Rana Udai Singh I requested Rathore assistance against his own clansmen and granted Jodha the territories of Sambhar and Ajmer.
Jodha’s final major conflict with the Delhi Sultanate occurred in 1489 when Sarang Khan, the governor of Hissar, killed Jodha’s brother Kandhal in a skirmish. Rao Jodha and his son Bika led an army to Dronpur, where a decisive battle took place. Despite heavy casualties, the Delhi army was defeated, marking the end of Jodha’s military campaigns.
Based on: the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0) — facts from that source; edited and translated by Times of Rajasthan.