Doongri

Origins and Foundation

Thikana Doongri is an esteemed feudal estate (thikana) of the former Jaipur State, belonging to the illustrious Nathawat clan of the Kachwaha Rajput dynasty of Dhundhar. The Nathawats trace their patrilineal descent to Rao Natha Ji, a scion of the ruling house of Amber through the Barah Kotri (Twelve Chambers) system established by Raja Prithviraj Singh I of Amber in the sixteenth century.

The estate of Doongri was founded by Thakur Ram Sahai Ji, the second son of Natha Ji. Established as an offshoot of the primary Nathawat line, Doongri grew into a strategic military outpost and revenue estate within the network of Kachwaha thikanas sworn to the service of the Amber-Jaipur throne.

Feudal Role and Lineage

As members of the Nathawat sept—one of the premier noble lineages of Jaipur that also held prominent estates such as Chomu and Samode—the Thakurs of Doongri held high status within the Jaipur court (Durbar). The chiefs rendered military service (tan-bakhshi and feudal levies) to the Maharaja of Jaipur during times of conflict, maintaining armed detachments including cavalry and supporting allied monastic fighting units.

The Battle of Khatu Shyamji (1779)

The most renowned event in the history of Doongri occurred during the reign of Sawai Pratap Singh of Jaipur, when imperial forces under the Mughal regent Mirza Najaf Khan sought to extract tribute from the semi-autonomous Shekhawati region. In 1779, imperial general Murtaza Khan Bhadech, accompanied by Subedar Abdullah Khan and royal detachments, invaded the region, plundering local villages and threatening religious sanctuaries.

Jaipur dispatched an army under the supreme tactical command of Thakur Chood Singhji Nathawat of Doongri. The resisting confederacy brought together:

• Feudal contingents from Shekhawati, led by the Rao Raja of Sikar, as well as the Thakurs of Danta, Jhunjhunu, Khur, and Jahota.
• A fiercely loyal detachment of approximately 6,000 Dadupanthi Naga warrior-ascetics led by their martial pontiff, Mahant Mangal Dasji.
• The personal retinue and forces of Thakur Chood Singhji of Doongri.

The opposing armies collided near the sacred town of Khatu Shyamji. In a fiercely contested and sanguinary engagement, the confederate Rajput and Naga forces mounted a ferocious counter-offensive. Mahant Mangal Dasji slew the Mughal commander Murtaza Khan Bhadech atop his war elephant before succumbing himself along with over a thousand ascetic warriors.

Thakur Chood Singhji of Doongri, along with his two sons, Kunwar Surajmalji and Kunwar Dalel Singhji, fought with exemplary courage in the thick of the battle, holding the frontline until they attained martyrdom (veergati). Their resolute stand broke the momentum of the imperial detachment, securing a decisive victory for the Jaipur-Shekhawati alliance and repelling the Mughal incursion.

Martial Sacrifice and Living Heritage

The Battle of Khatu Shyamji was fought on the day of the Hindu festival of Rakshabandhan in 1779. In solemn memory of the simultaneous sacrifice of Thakur Chood Singhji and both his sons, the descendants of the Doongri family and their immediate kinsmen have observed a traditional moratorium on celebrating Rakshabandhan.

Instead of customary festivities, the family and local inhabitants gather annually at the Deval (cenotaph) and shrine dedicated to Jhunjharji Maharaj Chood Singhji at Doongri to offer prayers, commemorate his gallantry, and venerate the fallen warriors of the estate.

British Period and Modern Era

During the nineteenth century, with the signing of the Treaty of Subordinate Alliance in 1818 between the Jaipur State and the British East India Company, the military responsibilities of thikanas shifted toward internal administration and agrarian governance. Doongri continued to manage its lands, maintain civic and religious patronage, and provide administrative service to the Jaipur Durbar.

Following the independence of India in 1947 and the integration of Jaipur State into the United State of Greater Rajasthan in 1949, the feudal privileges and jagir landholdings of Doongri were formally dissolved under the Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1952. The descendants of the Doongri house transitioned into civic life, business, and agriculture, while continuing to preserve the historical cenotaphs, religious traditions, and ancestral memories of their forebears.

References

• Singh, Thakur Narendra. Thirty Decisive Battles of Jaipur. Jaipur: Royal Printing Press, 1939.
• Sarkar, Jadunath. Fall of the Mughal Empire, Vol. III (1771–1788). Orient Longman, Calcutta.
• Mishra, R. K. Traditions of the Kachwahas: Feudal Estates of Dhundhar. Literary Circle, Jaipur.