Raja Anup Rai (Singh Dalan) was a

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

nobleman of

Bargujar The Badgujar / Bargujar / Badgurjar is a clan of Rajputs. History The Bargujars ruled over Rajorgarh, Dausa, Deoti and Ghasira, Macheri. They were expelled from Dausa, Rajorgarh and Deoti by Kachhwaha Rajputs when they migrated to Dhundhar, ...

ancestry in seventeenth century

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and a courtier of the Mughal emperor,

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

. He was also known as ''Singh Dalan'' (''lion crusher'') for intercepting a lion that was on verge of attacking the emperor during a royal hunt.

The lion hunt

The royal party went on a hunt on or around January 6, 1611. Jahangir dismounted from his horse and fired his musket at a lion during the hunt, but only wounded the animal. The lion began to advance on Jahangir, but Rai confronted the animal instead, armed with nothing but a stick. He "''manfully faced him and struck him twice with both hands on the head''." When the lion still made for the emperor, Anup Rai used his bare arms against the maw of the animal, which grabbed both of Anup Rai's arms in his mouth and dragged him down to his knees. The crown prince, Khurram, and another member of the hunting party, Raja Ram Das, attacked the lion with swords. Prince Khurram struck at the lion's haunches and Raja Ram Das at the shoulder. Somehow Anup Rai managed to free his arms, which had been bitten through, and "''struck him two or three times on the cheek with his fist''." Had Rai not intervened, the emperor would likely have been killed. Jahangir was grateful. Rai received thirty-two wounds, which the emperor bound himself, taking him in the emperor's own

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

. He was made a captain of five-thousand horsemen.

Khusrau Mirza's captor

In 1616, Jahangir asked Rai to keep Prince

Khusrau Mirza Khusrau Mirza (16 August 1587 – 26 January 1622) was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum. He was beloved of his grandfather, Mughal Emperor Akbar and his grandmother, Mariam-uz-Zamani. The young ...

(Jahangir's oldest son, whom Roe called ''Corsoronne'') under confinement.

Sir Thomas Roe Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empi ...

, the first English ambassador in India, records that General Asaf Khan and Prince Eteman Daulat waited until Jahangir was drunk one night and tricked the inebriated emperor into agreeing to release Khusrau into the prince's hands. General Asif Khan immediately went to Rai with an armed guard and demanded Khusrau's delivery to him. The Raja refused, saying that "''he had receiued the Prince his brother from the handes of the king and to no other would deliver him (sic)''." The next morning, Rai went to the emperor, and "''the king replyed: you haue done honestly, faythfully''."Khusrau was left in Rai's custodianship for the immediate period.

Founder of Anupshahr

The town of

Anupshahr Anupshahr is a city and a municipal board, nearby Bulandshahr city in Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the bank of the holy river Ganga. It is on Bangar alluvial. Geography Anupshahr is located at ...

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the two rivers Ganga and Yamuna. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bula ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

state was founded by raja Anup singh badgujar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Anup Year of birth missing Year of death missing 17th-century Indian people Mughal nobility Medieval India