Amagarh Fort: Rajasthan

• 31 Jul 2021

Why in News

Amagarh Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan is at the centre of a conflict between the tribal Meena community and local Hindu groups.

• Members of the Meena community say the Amagarh Fort was built by a Meena ruler predating Rajput rule in Jaipur, and has been their holy site for centuries.
• They accused Hindu groups of trying to appropriate tribal symbols into the Hindutva fold, and of changing the name of Amba Mata to Ambika Bhawani.

Meena Community

• The Meenas, also known as the Meos, or Mewati, are a tribe and caste inhabiting parts of western and northern India.
• According to Meena tradition, the Meenas ruled most of what is now eastern Rajasthan, an area they referred to as "mind-esh" (country of the Meenas). They subsequently were replaced by Rajput clans, the most recent being the Kachhwaha Rajputs who founded the state of Amber, later known as Jaipur.
• The community has substantial clout in Rajasthan. Of the 25 Assembly seats (out of 200) reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), most are represented by Meena MLAs.
  
  • The community is also well represented in the bureaucracy. According to Census 2011, STs constitute 13.48% of the state’s population.
  • Due to a scattered population across the state, the community can influence election outcomes in unreserved seats, too.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The present form of the Amagarh Fort was given in the 18^th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, founder of Jaipur.
  • It has always been believed that there was some construction at the place before Jai Singh II built the fort.
  • Prior to Rajput rule by the Kachhwaha dynasty, Jaipur and its nearby regions were ruled by Meenas, who had political control.
  • And as claimed by the Meena’s the fort was built by a Meena Sardar from the Nadla gotra, now known as Badgoti Meenas.
    
    • Sardars from the Meena community ruled large parts of Rajasthan till around 1100 AD.
• Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1693-1744):
  
  • He was a great warrior and astronomer. He came to power at the age of II on the death of his father Maharaja Bishan Singh.
  • He was feudatory of the Mughals and Aurangazab conferred the title of Sawai to Jai Singh, meaning one and a quarter, a title that all of Jai Singh’s descendants kept.
  • He was trained by the best teachers and scholars in art, science, philosophy and military affairs.
  • Jai Sing’s lineage can be traced back to the Kucchwaha Rajput clan who came to power in the 12^th century.
  • He built Astronomy Observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura known as the Jantar Mantar.
    
    • Jaipur gets its name from him. Recently it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: IE