CHAPTER 7

Bagh Singh opposes the faithless court of Amber—He is joined by the celebrated George Thomas—Desperate action—Bagh Singh placed in the fortified palace at Khandela—His garrison, with his brother, slain by Hanwant Singh, son of Partap—Bagh regains the palace—The lands of Khandela farmed by Amber to two Brahmans—They are expelled by the feudatory Barwatias, who resist the court—They become a banditti—Sangram Singh, cousin to Partap, their leader—He avoids the treachery of the court—His death—The confederacy unite in the league against Jodhpur—New treaty with the Amber court—Liberation of Partap and Narsingh—Grand union of the Shaikhawats—Abhai Singh succeeds in Khandela—Treachery of the court—Hanwant regains Govindgarh, Khandela, etc.—Restoration of Khushhaliram to the ministry of Jaipur—New investitures granted to the feudatories of Khandela—Abhai and Partap inducted into their ancestral abodes—Incident illustrative of the defects of the Rajput feudal system—Khandela assailed by Lachhman Singh, chief of Sikar—Gallant defence of Hanwant—His death—Surrender of Khandela to Lachhman Singh—The co-heirs exiled—Power and influence of Lachhman Singh—Foils the designs of the Purohit—Present attitude of Lachhman Singh—Subordinate branches of the Shaikhawats—The Sadhanis—Their territories wrested from the Kaimkhanis and Rajputs—The Khetri branch of the family of Sadhu attains superiority—Bagh Singh of Khetri murders his own son—The Larkhanis—Revenues of Shaikhavati 1408