History
Flag of Sonkh
Prior to becoming independent Sonkh was the headquarter of collection of villages of Kuntal Tomar Jats known as Kunthailpatti,The area of Sonkh was itself famous by the name of Tomargarh. These Jats were zamindars and yeomen in there villages and were headed by there hereditary clan cheifs. They were mansabdars of Mughal Empire,Hence maintained few soldiers and built there Forts(Garhs) and Fortresses (Garhis).The villages of Kunthaipatti formed a part of the Pargana of Mankotla (which was part of Sahar Sarkar and later of Mathura Sarkar).When the revolt of Ch.Gokula Singh of Tilpat started against Mughal Empire. The Sardar(Chief) of Kunthailpatti Sukhpal Singh joined him.
Sukhpal Singh was son of Thakur Gulab Singh ,who was Zamindar of Sonkh and also head of Kuntal Jats. The Fauzdar of Mathur Sarkar,Nawab Abul Nabi was killed at the Battle of Sihora (May,1668) by Gokula Singh.Sukhpal Singh at this time proclaimed himself independent of Mughals.His initial rise to fame was killing of the Mewati Bandit Nasru Pahat. He then took control of the Pargana of Mankotla.However after the death of GokulaSingh Of Tilpat (in 1670),Mughal government was restored and Sukhpal Singh was ousted from Sonkh by Mughal.
RECAPTURE OF SONKH AND EXPANSION
Sukhpal Singh and his brother Banasri Singh with there family lived the life of wanderer for some years.In 1673,Sukhpal Singh recaptured the Fort of Sonkh from Mughals.He retook the control of Pargana Mankotla. The Pargana of Mankotla was divided into two Parganas Sonkh and Sonsa. Sukhpal Singh then capture the Paragana of Sahar and Ol. The headquarter of Paragana Ol was changed to Farah.In 1681,the town of Mohimabad was captured and its name was changed back to Goverdhan.The temple of Mansa Devi near Mansi Ganga was later recontructed by Hathi Singh son of Sukhpal Singh .The famous bandit Nasrudin Dhaighal was also killed by Sukhpal Singh near Goverdhan.Banarsi Singh the brother of Sukhpal Singh conquered the Fort of Shergarh from Biluches.With theSukhpal Singh soon conquered Paragana Sahar.He then collected tributes from villages in Mathura Pargana.
Genealogy
- Rao Jorardev
- Rao Sonpal ruled Sonoth, The Thakurs of Gopalpur, Pura and Rarah are descended from him.
- Rao Megh Singh established Mangotla(Magora)
- Thakur Gatham Singh, Thakurs of Gathampatti descended from him
- Thakur Ajit Singh, Thakurs of Ajitapatti descended from him
- Thakur Ram Singh, Thakurs of Ramapatti descended from him
- Thakur Jajan Singh, Thakurs of Jajanpatti descended from him
- Fonda Singh Tomar established Fonder. The Thakurs of Fonder are descended from him.
- Rao Ganesha (Gyanpal) established Garh Gunsara , From whom the Thakurs of Gunsara, Thakurs of Ol/Santurak and chiefs of Mahgawan are descended.
- Rao Ajaypal established Ajaygarh(modern day Ajan). from whom the Herukias and the Thakurs of Jatmasi , Binua and Ajan are descended. His descendants are also founded south of the river Chambal
- Rao Chetram established Chetokhera village. His descendants migrated out of Kunthailpatti. The Shira jagirdars of Sarhind are descended from him. His descendants are found in Palwal, Upper Doab and Punjab.
- Rao Vatsaraj established Vatsagarh(Bachgaon) from whom the Fauzdars of Pentha and the Thakurs of Bachgaon are descended.
- Rao Shri Sukhpal I( see below)
- Rao Shri Sukhpal I ,ruler of Sonkh, adopted by Sohanpal his uncle, he became the ruler of Sonkh and head of the Kuntal clan, married and left descent the hereditary chiefs of Kuntal clan.
- Rao Shri Chandrapal, ruler of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Devpal, ruler of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Akhaypal, ruler of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Harpal, ruler of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Hathipal, ruler of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Nahar, ruler of Sonkh, he rebelled against the Delhi Sultanate, in retaliation Allaudin Khilji attacked Sonkh, he died in the resulting battle. married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Prahlad Singh, ruler of Sonkh, reconquered the area of Sonkh, rebuilt the fort of
Sonkh, divided his property into 5 equal shares/jagirs and granted them on his 5 sons. also known as Dungar Singh married and had issue,
- Thakur Sahajana Singh(see below) of Sahajanapatti
- Thakur Tasia of Tasiapatti(see Aring)
- Thakur Puran Singh of Puranapatti
- Thakur Ajal Singh of Ajalpatti, adopted son of Prahlad Singh, born in the house of Gunsara.
- Thakur Asa Singh of Asapatti
- Thakur Shri Sahajana Singh, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Pala Singh, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Karanpal, Thakur of Sahanjana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Naudharam, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Suratpal, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh , married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Bhikam, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Lal Singh, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh , married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Bhur Singh, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house Sonkh , married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Amar Singh, Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh , married and had issue.
- Thakur Shri Gulab Singh , Thakur of Sahajana, head of the house of Sonkh, married and had issue.
- Sukhpal II(see below)
- Thakur Banarsi Singh, rebelled against the Mughal Empire, commander of the army of his brother, ousted from Sonkh by the Mughal forces, he attacked the towns of Reni, Rohiri and Rajgarh in the year 1699 and made the fort of Rajgarh his headquarters, plundered the imperial highway.
- Jagman Singh
- Rao Shri Sukhpal II ,ruler of Sonkh(1665-88), joined the Ram Dal and declared himself independent of the Mughal Empire, made the town of Sonkh his headquarter, he conquered the pargana of Mangotla and bifurcated it into Sonkh and Sonsa parganas(1681), he was given the administration of the town of Goverdhan by Raja Ram Sinsinwar of Sinsini in the year 1682, he took possession of pargana Maholi, Chaumuhan and a portion of Sahar(the other portion of Sahar pargana was held by Rai Jaswant Singh of Sahar), He defeated Sultan Quli Khan, fauzdar of Mathura and annexed several villages of Mathura pargana, he attacked the Thathar Nawab of Ol (1686) and reduced him to vassalage, joined other leaders of Ram Dal at the Siege of Agra(1685) and Seige of Palwal(1688), married Indra Kaur of Chahar clan, daughter of Thakur Ram Singh of Chainkora, died fighting Mughal forces during the Siege of Sonkh(Nov.,1688) , had issue Integrium-Mughal forces annexed Sonkh, (1688-1696)
- Rao Shri Hathi Singh, ruler of Sonkh, (1696-1736) , reconquered Sonkh in the year 1696, engaged in robbery on the imperial highway, plundered the environ of Batana and Hinduan and then the states of Bundi and Kotha with his associates Rai Rustam Singh of Fatehpur and Rao Churaman of Thun, conquered pargana Kaman, Ol, Farah, Sonkh, Sonsa and Maholi by the year 1714, He was presented khilat and appointed as Fauzdar in the Sarkar of Mathura by Emperor Bahadur Shah in 1714,He rebelled against the Mughal Empire and conquered Nuh and other forts of Mewat from Sayyid Gerat Khan in 1716,married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Shyam Singh, jagirdar of Sonkh, (1736-1756), He became feudatory of Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur, lost the cheifship of Kuntal clan to Thakur Faunda Singh of Aring, died at the Battle of Chauhmuhan(28th Feb, 1756) fighting against the army of Ahmad Shah Abdali, married and had issue.
- Rao Shri Tofa Singh, ruler of Sonkh, (1756-1777), started his carrier as a risaldar in the Bharatpur army, later became an independent chief after the fall of the House of Bharatpur, he conquered all territory between the town of Sonkh and the city of Agra, died fighting Mirza Najaf Khan at the Battle of Sonkh (1777), married and had issue.
- Excavations at Sonkh: 2500 Years of a Town in Mathura District by Herbert Härtel
- Mathura, A District Memoir by Frederic Growse
- Jaton Ka Navintam Itihas by Upendranath Sharma(Vol.1,2, 3)
- Historic Essays by Kalki Ranjan Qunongo and Shivalal Agarwal(1960)
- Fall of the Mughal Empire by Jadunath Sarkar
- Sujan Charitra by Kavi Sudan Mathur
- Vansha Pothi/Kuntala Vansha Bakhan by Chaube
- Garh Pathena Raso by Kavi Chatura
- Report on the Settlement of the Muttra District, North-Western Provinces By R. S. Whiteway