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{{Short description|Maharana of Mewar from 1652–1680}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox royalty
| regnal name  = Raj Singh I
| title        = [[Maharana]] of [[Mewar]]
| image        = Raja Ravi Varma, Maharana Raj Singh - I.jpg
| caption      = Raj Singh I
| succession   = [[Maharana]] of [[Mewar]]
| reign        = 10 April 1652–22 October 1680
| predecessor  = [[Jagat Singh I]]
| successor    = [[Jai Singh of Mewar|Jai Singh]]
| house        = [[Sisodias of Mewar]]
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1629|09|24|df=y}}
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1680|10|22|1629|09|24|df=y}}
| spouse       = Hadiji Khuman Kanwarji of [[Bundi]]

Rathorji Anand Kanwarji of [[Idar, Gujarat|Idar]]

Parmarji Ramras Kanwarji of [[Bijolia]] in [[Mewar]]

Chauhanji Jag Kanwarji of [[Bedla]] in [[Mewar]]

Rathorji Har Kanwarji of [[Chavand, Rajasthan|Chavand]] in [[Mewar]]

Jhaliji Roop Kanwarji of [[Lakhtar]] in [[Gujarat]]

Solankiniji Aas Kanwarji of Veerpur [[Lunawada]] in [[Gujarat]]

Chauhanji Kirat Kanwarji of [[Kotharia, Rajasthan|Kotharia]] in [[Mewar]]

Rathorji Charumat Kanwarji of [[Kishangarh]]

Bhatiyaniji Chandra Kanwarji of [[Jaisalmer]]
| issue        = [[Jai Singh of Mewar|Jai Singh]]

Bhim Singh

Bahadur Singh

Gaj Singh

Sardar Singh

Indra Singh

Surat Singh

Surtan Singh

Ajab Kanwarji m.to Maharaja Bhao Singh Ju Devji of [[Rewa, Madhya Pradesh|Rewa]]
| father       = [[Jagat Singh I]]
| mother       = Mertaniji Karam Kanwarji d.of Rao Raj Singhji from [[Merta City|Merta]]
| religion     = [[Hinduism]]
}}
'''Maharana Raj Singh I''' (24 September 1629&nbsp;– 22 October 1680), was the [[Maharana]] of [[Mewar Kingdom]] (r. 1652–1680) and eldest son of Maharana [[Jagat Singh I]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mathur |first=Pushpa Rani |title=Costumes of the Rulers of Mewar: With Patterns and Construction Techniques |pages=23}}</ref> He fought against [[Mughal Empire]] and annexed many Mughal territories<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Gopinath|title=Rajasthan Ka Itihas|isbn=978-81-930093-9-0|location=Agra|pages=278}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Hooja|first=Rima|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tosMAQAAMAAJ|title=A history of Rajasthan|date=2006-11-01|publisher=Rupa & Co.|isbn=9788129108906|pages=617|language=en|access-date=16 September 2020|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404134542/https://books.google.com/books?id=tosMAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> He participated in [[Rajput War (1679–1707)|Rajput-Mughal War (1679–1707)]] and defeated the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]].

==Early reign==
During the Mughal war of Succession, all the Mughal Princes including [[Aurangzeb]] requested him to send contingents in their support but Maharana remained aloof. Raj Singh ignored repeated demands for assistance from Aurangzeb.<ref name=":0" /> Instead he embarked on his own expeditions using pretence of a ceremonial "Tikadaur", traditionally taken in enemy land.

==War against Mughals==
The Maharana swooped down on various Mughal posts in May 1658. Levies were imposed on outposts and tracts like [[Mandalgarh|Mandal]], Banera, [[Shahpura, Bhilwara|Shahpura]], Sawar, [[Jahazpur]], Phulia etc. which were then under Mughal control, and some areas were annexed. He next attacked pargana of [[Malpura]], [[Tonk, India|Tonk]], [[Chaksu]], [[Lalsot]] and [[Sambhar Lake Town|Sambhar]]. He plundered these areas and triumphantly returned with spoils to [[Udaipur]].<ref name=":1"/><ref name=":0"/><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Somani|first=Ram Vallabh|title=History of Mewar|year=1976|pages=281–82}}</ref>

Raj Singh in 1659 attacked [[Dungarpur]], [[Banswara]] and Devaliya who were originally under Mewar rule but later became independent states under [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] suzerainty. These rulers accepted the suzerainty of Mewar.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> Raj Singh also conducted raids of Malwa and Gujarat territories of Mughals. Prince Bhim Singh captured Idar and plundered the Mughal post's in Vadnagar, Vishalnagar and Ahmadabad.

Raj Singh protested against the [[Jizya]] tax levied by [[Aurangzeb]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Somānī|first=R.|title=History of Mewar, from Earliest Times to 1751 A.D..|publisher=India:Mateshwari Publications|year=1976|location=University of Michigan|pages=283–284|language=English}}</ref>
Raj Singh opposed [[Aurangzeb]] multiple times, once to save the Kishangarh princess Charumati from the [[Mughals]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Gopi Nath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIs9AAAAMAAJ|title=Mewar & the Mughal rulers (1526-1707 A.D.)|date=1954|publisher=S.L. Agarwala|pages=159–60|language=en|access-date=16 September 2020|archive-date=3 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703063158/https://books.google.com/books?id=jIs9AAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> and once by denouncing the [[Jizya]] tax levied by [[Aurangzeb]]. [[Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj]] had once taunted Aurangzeb by telling him to ask the Rana of Mewar who is the head of the Hindus for Jizya if he had the guts instead of terrorising unarmed citizens <ref>Maharana Raj Singh and His Times
By Sri Ram Sharma</ref>

==Rajput War (1679–1707)==

The Rana gave aid to [[Durgadas Rathore]] during the [[Rajput War (1679–1707)]] and fought many battles against Aurangzeb as he was a relative of [[Ajit Singh of Marwar]], The conflict was started after the death of [[Jaswant Singh of Marwar]] due to [[Aurangzeb]]'s attempt to interfere in the succession of [[Marwar]]. The resistance to Mughal interference was mainly started by the Rajput nobles under [[Durgadas Rathore]] and erupted into an all-out war between the [[Mughal empire]] and Rajputs of Marwar supported by Rana Raj Singh. It lasted for almost thirty years. The rebellion reached a climax after the death of Aurangzeb on 3 March 1707 and the capture of [[Jodhpur]] by the Rathores on 12 March 1707.<ref>John F. Richards. ''[[The New Cambridge History of India]]: The Mughal Empire'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993) p. 181-184</ref>

==Cultural activities==
Rana Raj Singh is also known for giving protection to the Hindu priests and the [[Shrinathji]] idol of [[Mathura]] from Mughals; he placed it in [[Nathdwara]].<ref name=":2" /> The Maharana became a great administrator, able military commander and a patron of art, music and architecture during his lifetime.

=== Rajsamand Lake ===
{{Main|Rajsamand Lake}}
He also built the famous [[Rajsamand Lake]] in 1676 at Kankroli where sea planes use to land prior to India's Independence. He commissioned the text of the [[Raj Prashasti]], which was later inscribed on the pillars around the lake.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |author=Geetha Sunil Pillai |date=Feb 5, 2018 |title=Raj Prashasti - India's longest stone etchings in Rajasthan cry for upkeep {{!}} Jaipur News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/raj-prashasti-indias-longest-stone-etchings-in-rajsamand-cry-for-upkeep/articleshow/62781989.cms |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=The Times of India |language=en |archive-date=3 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903185143/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/raj-prashasti-indias-longest-stone-etchings-in-rajsamand-cry-for-upkeep/articleshow/62781989.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> The lake built by Raj Singh is also known as ''Rajsamudra.''{{sfn | Somani | 1976 | p=295}}

The lake provided sufficient water to farmers thus increasing productivity and giving relief to [[famine]]-stricken areas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ojhā |first=Gaurīśaṅkara Hīrācanda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Si9uAAAAMAAJ |title=Udayapura Rājya kā itihāsa |date=1999 |publisher=Rājasthānī Granthāgāra |isbn=978-81-86103-19-7 |language=hi |access-date=9 September 2022 |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103085122/https://books.google.com/books?id=Si9uAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Death and succession==

Rana was eventually poisoned by his own men who were bribed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-93-80607-34-4 |pages=190}}</ref> He was succeeded by his son [[Jai Singh of Mewar|Jai Singh]].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Raj, I}}
[[Category:Monarchs of Mewar]]
[[Category:1629 births]]
[[Category:1680 deaths]]