Mughal-Maratha Affairs and the Role of Kachavahas Clan

Abstract

Several pre-modern successor states and other polities arose during the period of Mughal decline after 1707.Jaipur was a prime example of a polity which developed from a patriarchal, clan-dominated entity into a more consolidated, centralized domain during the period of its subservience to Mughal rule. Its internal administration was shaped according to the Mughal model, but the elements of informal, patriarchal relationships, although eroded, remained. Further centralization and territorial expansion occurred after 1707 when its talented ruler, Raja Savai Jai Singh, reshaped the boundaries of the polity. He utilized his influence at Delhi as well as his appointments to thegovernorships of Malwa and Agra to gain long-term assignments and leases. He also meddled in regional politics to gain control over other Rajput polities and branches of his own clan.