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RAS question

Consider the following statements about Veer Durgadas Rathore: 1. He was a loyal minister of Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar who later revolted against the Mughals. 2. He sheltered the infant prince Ajit Singh after Aurangzeb tried to seize Marwar after Jaswant Singh's death. 3. He successfully restored Ajit Singh to the throne of Marwar in 1707 after Aurangzeb's death. 4. He died in Ujjain where he had been sent as governor by Maharaja Ajit Singh. How many of the above statements are correct?

Correct answer: (C) Only three.

Only three statements are correct: Durgadas Rathore safeguarded the infant Ajit Singh, helped restore him to Marwar in 1707, and died at Ujjain, but he was a Marwar sardaar rather than a minister.

  1. (A)

    Only one

  2. (B)

    Only two

  3. (C)

    Only three

  4. (D)

    All four

Explanation

The question turns on Durgadas Rathore's exact status and role in the Marwar succession crisis. He is described in the source as a Rathore Rajput general and statesman of Marwar, not as Maharaja Jaswant Singh's minister, so statement 1 overstates his office. The other three statements match the accepted chronology. After Jaswant Singh died in 1678, Aurangzeb intervened in Marwar and the infant Ajit Singh became the key heir; Durgadas and other Marwar nobles rescued and protected him. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Ajit Singh and Durgadas used the political opening to seize Jodhpur, remove the Mughal presence, and proclaim Ajit Singh Maharaja. Durgadas later died at Ujjain in 1718.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) A is wrong because more than one statement is correct: statements 2, 3, and 4 all match Durgadas Rathore's role in protecting Ajit Singh, restoring him in 1707, and dying at Ujjain.
  • (B) B is wrong because it undercounts the correct statements; the protection of Ajit Singh, the 1707 restoration, and the Ujjain death are all valid.
  • (D) D is wrong because statement 1 is not correct: Durgadas Rathore was a Marwar sardaar, general and noble, not a minister of Maharaja Jaswant Singh.

Concept

This tests the RAS Rajasthan history theme of Rajput resistance to Mughal centralisation and succession politics in Marwar. It recurs because Durgadas Rathore links biography, regional polity, and the post-Aurangzeb political shift in one compact factual frame.

Source

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