From Mughal Alliance to Independence

Jaisingh II and the Evolution of Kachvāhā Kingship

Abstract

This article examines the evolving relationship between political power and religious authority in eighteenth-century India through the lens of the Kachvāhā dynasty, particularly under Jaisingh II (1700–1743). Initially loyal allies of the Mughal Empire, the Kachvāhās leveraged their alliance to patronize the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition, constructing monumental temples like Govindadeva in Vṛndāvana as symbols of dynastic legitimacy. However, Aurangzeb’s reign (1658–1707) marked a turning point, as his policies of temple desecration and religious taxation strained Mughal-Kachvāhā relations, prompting the dynasty to reposition itself as protectors of Hinduism. Jaisingh II’s establishment of Jaipur as a new capital embodied this shift, enshrining Govindadeva as the state deity and reviving Vedic rituals to assert Hindu sovereignty. Through strategic religious patronage, scholarly patronage, and the abolition of the jizya tax, Jaisingh II redefined Kachvāhā kingship, transforming Jaipur into a center of Hindu learning and political resistance. This study highlights the interplay of religion and statecraft in early modern India, illustrating how the Kachvāhās navigated Mughal dominance to forge an independent Hindu identity that prefigured later nationalist movements.