Key facts

  • The Maharaval of Banswara ruled from 1913 to 1944 CE and, as crown prince, led the Banswara contingent up Mangarh hill to apprehend the Bhil reformer…
  • The Rajrana of Jhalawar during 1857 remained loyal to the British, announced cash rewards for helping arrest rebels and congratulated the Agent to the…
  • Rao Prithvi Singh of Bijolia succeeded Krishna Singh in 1906, imposed talwar-bandhai on cultivators, raised land rent and triggered peasant resistance…

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    Colonial-era Rajasthan history includes three distinct rulers named Prithvi Singh: the Maharaval of Banswara, the Rajrana of Jhalawar, and Rao Prithvi Singh of Bijolia thikana in Mewar.

  2. 2

    The Maharaval of Banswara ruled from 1913 to 1944 CE and, as crown prince, led the Banswara contingent up Mangarh hill to apprehend the Bhil reformer Govind Guru.

  3. 3

    Banswara under Prithvi Singh is also associated with loyalist royal naming practices, including King George Fifth School, Edward Dharamshala and Wylie Bridge over the Kagdi river.

  4. 4

    The Rajrana of Jhalawar during 1857 remained loyal to the British, announced cash rewards for helping arrest rebels and congratulated the Agent to the Governor-General after Delhi was recaptured.

  5. 5

    Rao Prithvi Singh of Bijolia succeeded Krishna Singh in 1906, imposed talwar-bandhai on cultivators, raised land rent and triggered peasant resistance across the Uperamal plateau.

Which three rulers named Prithvi Singh appear in colonial-era Rajasthan history?

Which three rulers named Prithvi Singh appear in colonial-era Rajasthan history?

The three colonial-era Rajasthan rulers named Prithvi Singh that aspirants must distinguish are the Maharaval of Banswara (1913-1944 CE), the Rajrana of Jhalawar during 1857, and Rao Prithvi Singh of Bijolia thikana in Mewar, who succeeded Krishna Singh in 1906. Rajasthan's 19th- and early 20th-century history features these three distinct rulers with the same name, and exam questions often test whether the candidate can separate their regions, chronology and political roles. According to the Census of India 2011 Primary Census Abstract, Banswara district recorded a Scheduled Tribe population of 13,72,999 in 2011, which is useful context for reading the Mangarh-Govind Guru episode in its Bhil reform setting rather than as a routine palace incident.

Ruler Period / Context Key Facts
Maharaval of Banswara 1913-1944 CE Mayo College alumnus; as crown prince, led the Banswara contingent up the Mangarh hill and apprehended the Bhil reformer Govind Guru. His reign is also remembered for renaming state buildings after the British royal family and senior officials.
Rajrana of Jhalawar During 1857 Stayed loyal to the British, announced cash rewards for anyone helping arrest the rebels of the uprising and celebrated the recapture of Delhi by sending congratulations to the Agent to the Governor-General.
Rao Prithvi Singh of Bijolia thikana, Mewar Succeeded Krishna Singh in 1906 On accession, he pushed the talwar-bandhai succession fee onto the cultivators and simultaneously raised the land rent, triggering peasant resistance led by Sadhu Sitaram Das, Fateh Karan Charan and Brahmadev that culminated in the 1913 boycott of land revenue across the Uperamal plateau. He died soon after, leaving an infant heir Kesar Singh under the Mewar Court of Wards.

Banswara Renamings

Examples of state buildings renamed after the British royal family and senior officials include:

  • King George Fifth School.
  • Edward Dharamshala.
  • Wylie Bridge over the Kagdi river, which honoured the assassinated political officer Curzon Wyllie.

For revision, keep the three names anchored to three different exam cues: Banswara links to Mangarh, Govind Guru and loyalist royal naming practices; Jhalawar links to the 1857 uprising and support for the British; Bijolia links to talwar-bandhai, rent enhancement and the peasant resistance that spread across the Uperamal plateau.