Who was Maharaj Surajmal? Here's why Jats are protesting his portrayal in Panipat
The Jat community of Bharatpur is up in arms against Ashutosh Govarikar’s film Panipat for the incorrect portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur as a "greedy" king. The locals of Rajasthan claim misinterpretation of Maharaja Surajmal and said that it is sending out wrong message to the people about Maharaja Surajmal. The people from the Jat community have also resorted to burning effigies of director Ashutosh Gowariker demanding a ban on the film.
The movie is based on the third battle of Panipat. It shows the details about the third the battle which was fought between the Maratha empire and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.
Why are the Jats protesting Maharaja Surajmal's portrayal in Panipat
As per the film, Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau (a character played by Arjun Kapoor) asked Maharaja Surajmal for help to defeat the Afghans, but he demanded the Agra Fort in return. As his demand remained unfulfilled, he refused to help Sadashiv.
Historian Ramveer Sharma, who has written many books, said Agra was already under king Surajmal and what had been showed in the movie was wrong. "Maharaj Surajmal went to the Maratha camp and saved many women and children who were taken to Gwalior and Deeg forts," he said.
The community is also protesting against the use of Rajasthani and Haryanvi in the film, saying they speak Braj language (western Hindi language).
In a press release, Bharatpur Tourism Minister and erstwhile Bharatpur royal family and descendant of Maharaja Surajmal, Vishvendra Singh ban on the film. He lodged a protest regarding the way the character of Jat Maharaj Surajmal has been potrayed in the film.
"It is very sad that a great man like Maharaja Surajmal Jat of Bharatpur has been depicted in the film Panipat in a very wrong way while tampering with historical facts. I believe that the film should be banned in view of the huge opposition in the Jat community of Haryana, Rajasthan and North India, otherwise, the law and order of the country may deteriorate."
The press release also claims that Panipat has not depicted historical facts correctly. "I am from the 14th generation of Maharaja Surajmal Jat. The reality is that when the Peshwa and Maratha were returning from Panipat after losing the battle and wounded, Maharaja Surajmal and Maharani Kishori had sheltered the entire Maratha army and Peshwas for 6 months. Even Khanderao Holkar died in Kumher, the then capital of Bharatpur, and even today his umbrella remains in the village of Gagarsoli," the statement further read.
Who was Maharaj Surajmal
Maharaja Surajmal (February 1707 – 25 December 1763) or Sujan Singh was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India.
A contemporary historian has described him as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Odysseus", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.
Suraj Mal was killed in an ambush by the Mughal Army on the night of 25 December 1763 near Hindon River, Shahadra, Delhi.
