Girdhar Bahadur (also Giridhar) was a

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

, serving as

subahdar Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of India who w ...

of several provinces of the Mughal Empire at various times. He was noted for his military service in Malwa against the Marathas, which led to his death at the

Battle of Amjhera A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

Biography

On 29 November 1716, he was appointed the faujdar of Benares and Chunar, as well as the

qiladar Qiladar (Urdu: قلعہ دار) is a small historic village, in Gujrat District, Gujrat District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan, situated some 25 km west-ward, from main Gujrat city at the bank of Upper Jhelum Canal.Chunar Fort The Chunar Fort (also known as Chandrakanta Chunargarh and Charanadri) is located in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, in India. Along with Chunar town, near Mirzapur city, situated below the fort, the two are historic places with common hi ...

. After being unable to quell rebellions in the region his uncle Chhabila Ram intervened. Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah appointed Girdhar Bahadur the Subahdar of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

on 30 August 1722. Maratha incursions into the territory continued, and Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I of Hyderabad, exercising significant power in the Mughal government, gave Girdhar Bahadur's Subahdari to his own second cousin Azim-ullah Khan on 15 May 1723. However, the continuing rise in power of the Nizam after his defeat of

Mubariz Khan Mubariz Khan was the Mughal governor of Gujarat and Hyderabad state. He was the governor of Golconda from 1713 to 1724 until he was killed during the Battle of Shakar Kheda where he fought against Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I. His is known to have ...

in Golconda threatened the Mughal Emperor, who re-appointed Girdhar Bahadur to the Subahdari on 2 June 1725. Maratha incursions made headway into Malwa and the Peshwa established the collection of taxes in Amjhera, Jhabua, Dhar, and

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

by 1725. Military forces pushed as far as

Mandsaur Mandsaur is a city and a municipality in Mandsaur district located on Border of Mewar and Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers ...

but a counteroffensive by

Daya Bahadur Daya may refer to: Religion *Daya (Sikhism), the concept of compassion in Sikhism *Daya (virtue), the concept of compassion in Hinduism Media and music * ''Daya'' (film), a 1998 Malayalam film * ''Daya'' (EP), a 2015 recording by the American ...

, the military commander in Malwa under Girdhar, repelled Maratha incursions and regained lost revenue in 1726. Continuing incursions in the next year led Girdhar Bahadur to lead a counteroffensive, encamping in Mandsaur in the rainy season of 1728. Girdhar Bahadur died in the

fighting against the Marathas on 29 November 1728, hit by musket shot while leading an elephant into battle. His cousin Daya Bahadur was captured and died in Amjhera itself. His nephew Bhawani Ram became the Subahdar for a brief period afterwards.

References

Bibliography

* * * Nawabs of India 1728 deaths Subahdars of Awadh Subahdars of Malwa {{Mughal-stub