Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 9, 2026

Raja Braj Dev

Raja Braj Raj Dev was a ruler of the Deva dynasty of Jammu, Jamwal Dogras, who ruled from 1782 to 1787. He was a ruler, but failed to stop Sikh invasions in Jammu. In 1785, the Sikhs occupied Basholi, Jasrota, and Ramnagar. The Battle of Jammu (1774) was fought between him and Ranjit Dev.

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Detail of a Pahari painting of a seated raja with two courtiers before him presenting a white hawk, possibly depicting Raja Brij Raj Dev of Jammu State, likely by the Nainsukh atelier, Punjab Hills, Jammu, ca.1760–801 source ↗

Raja Braj Raj Dev was a ruler of the Deva dynasty of Jammu, Jamwal Dogras, who ruled from 1782 to 1787.note 1 He was a ruler, but failed to stop Sikh invasions in Jammu. In 1785, the Sikhs occupied Basholi, Jasrota, and Ramnagar. The Battle of Jammu (1774) was fought between him and Ranjit Dev.234

Rise to power

Braj Dev was the son of Raja Ranjit Dev of Jammu, he had a younger brother named Dalel Singh and a sister named Bua Bodhan (who married the Raja of Nurpur).5 Raja Ranjit Dev did not believe Raj Dev to be fit to succeed him and instead supported his younger son Dalel Singh to succeed him as the next Jammuite ruler. Enraged, Braj Dev decided to fight for the throne, making allies with Charat Singh Sukerchakia and Jai Singh Kanhaiya. Meanwhile, Raja Ranjit Dev was allied with the Jhanda Singh Bhangi of the Bhangi Misl and the fellow Pahari polities of Chamba, Nurpur, and Basohli. The faction of Braj Dev prevailed and he was installed as the next ruler of Jammu. Braj Dev tried to maintain Jammu's independence from the ascendant Sikhs but ended up becoming a tributary state, paying an annual tribute of 30,000 rupees.6

Death

In 1787, Raja Braj Dev tried to recover his territories from the Sikhs, but he was killed78 in the Battle of Rumal,9 with the combined forces of Sikhs sardars of the Sukerchakia Misl and Bhangi Misl.10 He was succeeded by Raja Sampuran Singh, who surrendered to the Sikhs.811

Notes

Notes

  1. His name is alternatively rendered as 'Raja Brij Raj Dev' and he is also known as 'Raja Brij Lal Dev'.
References

References

  1. "Lot 131: BY A MASTER PAHARI ARTIST: A SEATED RAJA WITH TWO COURTIERS BEFORE HIM PRESENTING A WHITE HAWK". Lyon & Turnbull. 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. Singh 2010, p. 99.
  3. Siṅgha 1993, p. 153.
  4. Gupta 1999, p. 215.
  5. Badehra, Ganesh Das; Billawaria, Anita K. (1991). "Maharaja Ranjit Dev". Ganeśdās Baḍehra's Rājdarshani: A Persian History of North-western India from Earliest Times to A.D. 1847. Translated by Charak, Sukh Dev Singh. Jammu: Jay Kay Book House. p. 171.
  6. Mehta, R. L. (July 1955). "Jammu Under Ranjit Dev". Kashmiri Magazine. 5: 147–149.
  7. Charak, Sukh Dev Singh; Billawaria, Anita K. (1998). Pahāṛi Styles of Indian Murals. Abhinav Publications. p. 29. ISBN 9788170173564.
  8. Harbans Singh (1992). The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume IV S-Z. p. 194.
  9. Hari Ram Gupta (1982). History Of The Sikhs Vol. IV The Sikh Commonwealth Or Rise And Fall Of Sikh Misls. pp. 339–340.
  10. Sukhdev Singh Charak (1978). Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories. p. 37.
  11. Singh, Dalbir (2010). Rise, Growth And Fall Of Bhangi Misal.
Sources

Sources