Gokula
Indian Rebel leader of Tilpat (died 1670) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gokula (also known as Veer Gokula or Gokul Dev; died on 1 January 1670) was a Zamindar of Tilpat region (of present-day tilhoo ,sadabad) who led the Hindu Zamindars to a revolt against Mughal rule, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.[1][2]
Veer Gokula Dev | |
|---|---|
Painting of the execution of Jat rebel leader Gokula by dismemberment | |
| Native name | गोकुल देव |
| Birth name | Gokul Dev |
| Born | Tilpat, bisawar sadabad, Mughal Empire (Present-day Sadabad Village, Hathras District, Uttar Pradesh) |
| Died | 1 January 1670 Agra, Agra Subah, Mughal Empire (Present-day Uttar Pradesh) |
| Known for |
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| Relations | Madu Haga (father) Sindhuraj Haga (brother) Jhaman Haga (brother) Saman Haga (brother) |
Early life
Gokula (originally Ola or Gokul Dev) was born in a Hindu Jat family of Tilpat region (of Haga/Agre/Agha gotra) to Madu Haga and was the second son of the family in four brothers.[3]
Battle Of Tilpat (1669)
The Battle of Tilpat was fought between Jats and the Mughal Empire in 1669.[4] Mughal Subahdars (governors) imposed heavy taxes on the farmers of this region due to bad financial conditions of the empire resulting from the continuous military expansion in the southern regions of the subcontinent. Due to this, dissatisfaction and anger among the local Zamindars arose and took the form of rebellion against Mughals. To suppress the rebellion Aurangzeb sent his commanders Hasan Ali Khan and Brahmdev Sisodia with a big army contingent of rajput and mughal soldiers as a reinforcement to Sadabad cantonment commanded by Abdul Nabi. The Jat chief Gokula, son of Tilpat Zamindar Madu Singh Jat led the rebellion of farmers.[5] First confrontations of the rebellion continued for 4 days with the seizing of Tilpat and the farmers' counterattacks.
Rebellion
Abdul Nabi had also committed some excesses on the Jat Hindus, which incited the rebellion.[6] Abdul Nabi established a cantonment near Gokul Singh and conducted all his operations from there. A battle was fought at the village of Sahora where in May 1669 Abdul Nabi was killed while attempting to seize it. Gokula and his fellow farmers moved further, attacking and destroying the Sadabad cantonment. This inspired the Hindus to fight against the Mughal rulers, who were there to destroy all Hindu rebels in exchange of Gokula's land and territories.[7] The fighting continued for five months.[8][9] In the meantime, after Gokula's death, Churaman had strengthened the Jat fort of Sinsini near Bharatpur, and they sacked regions around Agra and Delhi. Akbar's tomb was looted and according to legends the grave of Akbar was dug up.[10]
Second Battle of Tilpat
In 1669, Gokula Singh with 20,000 followers faced the Mughals 20 miles from Tilpat. Abdul Nabi attacked them. At first he appeared to be gaining ground, but in the middle of the fighting he was killed on 12 May 1669 (21st Dhu al Hijja, 1079 A.H.).[11][12] They retreated to Tilpat, where Hasan Ali followed and besieged them aided by reinforcements of 10,000 musketeers, 5,000 rocketmen, and 250 artillery pieces. Amanulla, the Faujdar of the environs of Agra was also sent to reinforce Hasan Ali.[13]
Death
Gokula was brutally executed by having his limbs cut off one by one on a public platform in Agra; his family was forced to convert to Islam, and his followers were imprisoned. Meanwhile, innocent people caught up in the fighting were released after proper inquiries, and the elderly and children were handed over to a court eunuch for care.[14][15][16]
See also
- Raja Ram Jat
- Suraj Mal
- Battle of Tilpat
- The Jat Rebellion (1667–1723)
References
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