Karauli State


Karauli State was a princely state in India from 1348 to 1949. It is located in the Braj region. Karauli city was the capital while Mandrayal or Mandrail was another important town.

Geography

The state had an area of. In 1901, the population of the state was 156,786, and that of the town was 23,482. Millets, the staple food of the people, was the main agricultural produce. As of the early 20th century, there were no major industries; a little weaving, dyeing, wood-turning, and stone cutting constituted the notable cottage industries. Most goods, as also salt, sugar, cotton, buffaloes, and bullocks, were imported; rice and goats comprised the main exports.

History

The Maharaja of Karauli is considered as the head of the Jadaun clan of Rajputs and claim to be descendants of Krishna. The Jadauns once ruled the kingdom of Braj which included Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur. In 1196 Kunwar Pal lost all of his territories to the invading Ghurids. One of the scions called Arjun Pal was able to recover some of his ancestral lands and founded the town of Karauli. The Jadauns remained independent for a century until their lands were once again captured by Mahmud I of Malwa. The Jadauns remained insignificant until they gained patronage under the Mughal emperor Akbar, the Jadaun ruler Gopaldas was made the Maharaja of Karauli and was made the commander of 2000, he also played an important role in the foundation of Agra fort on the orders of the Mughal emperor.

British Raj

After the decline of the Mughal empire in the 18th century, Karauli was under the Maratha Empire until the Marathas were defeated by the British. In 1817, Karauli's ruler signed a treaty with the East India Company and became a British protectorate, the status was maintained till the independence of India in 1947.
After India's independence in 1947, the state under Maharaja Ganesh Pal Deo acceded to the Dominion of India on 7 April 1949; Karauli later merged with the Union of India and became part of the state of Rajasthan.

Rulers

The rulers of the state bore the title 'Maharaja'.

Maharajas