Kishangarh State
Princely State of British India
1611–1947
Flag Coat of arms
Kishangarh State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India
Area
• 1931	2,210 km2 (850 sq mi)
Population
• 1931	85,744
History
• Established	1611
• Indian independence	1947
Succeeded by Republic of India
Today part of	Rajasthan, India

Kishangarh State was a princely state of India from 1611 to 1948. It was founded by the Jodhpur prince Kishan Singh in 1609. Before Kishan Singh this area was ruled by Raja Samokhan Singh.^[1]

Kishangarh State was located between 25° 49′ and 26° 59′ in the north, and 70° 49′ and 75° 11′ east. Bordered on the North and northwest by Jodhpur; on the east by Jaipur; on the west and southeast by the Ajmer District and on the extreme south by Shahpura.

History

Kishen Singh, who was the son of Udai Singh of Jodhpur left his family's lands for Ajmer in 1596. From the Mughal Emperor Akbar he received the district of Hindaun (now in Jaipur); and later, the grant of Setholao along with certain other districts. In 1611, he founded the town of Kishangarh which name was then also given to the state.^[2] The 13th Chief succeeding Udai Singh was Kalyan Singh (1797-1832) and in his time, on 26 March 1818, Kishangarh was brought under British Protection.

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Kishangarh was the capital of the princely state during the British Raj, which was located in the Rajputana Agency. It had an area of 2210 km² (858 miles²) and a population in 1901 of 90,970. This figure for population represented a decrease of 27% over the census figure of 1891, something presumably attributable to the famine of 1899–1900. Population was 85,744 in 1931. The state enjoyed an estimated revenue of £.30,000/- in 1875 and paid no tribute to the British Raj.^[3] In 1840, Prithvi Singh, became the 15th Maharaja of Kishangarh, and reigned till his death in 1879, after which he was succeeded by his son, Sardul Singh.^[4]

Maharaja Madan Singh ascended the throne in 1900 at the age of sixteen,^[5] at a time when the state was reeling from the impact of a devastating drought. The administration under him and his diwan was widely deemed worthy of approbation; irrigation from tanks and wells was extended and factories for ginning and pressing cotton were started.^[5] A social reform movement for discouraging excessive expenditure on marriages made remarkable impact during his reign.^[5]

Rulers

The rulers of Kishangarh who belonged to the Rathor dynasty took the title of 'Maharaja'.^[6]

• 1611 – 1615: Kishan Singh
• 1615 – 1618: Sahas Mal
• 1617 – 1629: Jag Mal
• 1629 – 1643: Hari Singh
• 1643 – 1658: Rup Singh
• Jun 1658 – Oct 1706: Man Singh (b. 1655 – d. 1706)
• Oct 1706 – Apr 1748: Raj Singh (b. 1674 – d. 1748)
• 1748 – 1781: Bahadur Singh (d. 1781)
• 1748 – 21 Augusr 1765: Samant Singh (b. 1699 – d. 1765) (in opposition to 1756; from 1756 raja of Roopnagar)
• 21 August 1765 – 16 May 1768: Sardar Singh (b. 1730 – d. 1768) (Raja of Roopnagar; regent for Samant 1756–65)
• 1781 – 22 Nov 1788: Birad Singh (b. 1737 – d. 1788)
• 22 November 1788 – 5 March 1798: Pratap Singh (b. 1763 – d. 1798)
• 5 March 1798 – 22 May 1839: Kalyan Singh (b. 1794 – d. 1839)
• 22 May 1839 – 31 August 1841: Mohkam Singh (b. 1817 – d. 1841)
• 31 August 1841 – 25 December 1879: Prithvi Singh (b. 1838 – d. 1879)
• 25 December 1879 – 18 August 1900: Sardul Singh (b. 1857 – d. 1900) (from 1 January 1892, Sir Sardul Singh)
• 18 August 1900 – 25 September 1926: Madan Singh (b. 1884 – d. 1926) (from 1 January 1909, Sir Madan Singh)
• 25 September 1926 – 3 February 1939: Yagya Narayan Singh (b. 1896 – d. 1939)
• 3 February 1939 – 15 August 1947: Sumar Singh (b. 1929 – d. 1971)

Titular Maharaja

• 1947 – 1971 Sumar Singh