Rao Tofa Singh Of Sonkh was a Great Leader in Sonkh Dynasty.He was able to bring Jait Singh of Aring under his influence.He served Jawahar Singh as a trusted general.After the death of Maharaja Ratan Singh a civil war started between Nawal Singh and Ranjit Singh for regency of throne of Bharatpur. Tofa Singh supported Nawal Singh who won the civil war. The civil war broke the once great kingdom of Bharatpur. Tofa Singh and other’s were now virtually indendent. Mirza Najaf Khan first expedition which ended in 1774 reduced the Sinsinwar king to present Bharatpur District, the Tewatia king controlled the present district of Faridabad and Palwal was made friendly by Najaf Khan and Mathura was now in Mughal control. Tofa Singh was reduced to the position of a Zamindar. Jat power have been broken Alwar was taken by Narukas, Doab and Hariana was taken by Mughal, Bundelkhand was in possession of Marathas, Maharaja Rana Chatra Singh of Gohad and Raja Pahar Singh of Picchore fighting in the Northern Malwa for survival. Raja Puhap Singh Thenua of Mursan and other Thenua Cheifs still controlled Hathras, Aligarh, western part of Mathura district and parts of Agra, Etah, Firozabad district. At this time Tofa Singh recaptured Paragana Sahar, Sonsa, Sonkh, Kosi and proclaimed himself as the independent king of Sonkh.Raja Tofa Singh then revived the long gone Jat confedracy the major leader being Raja Tofa Singh of Sonkh, Raja Bahadur Puhap Singh of Mursan and Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur the purpose was elimination of Mughals from Jatwara.
OF A FIGHTING NATURE THE KUNTALS ARE,NEVER EVER THEY HAVE FEAR IN THERE MIND
Raja Tofa Singh captured Mathura-Vrindavan.The Kuntal Jats aggressively reestablished there dominace. In a night attack the city of Farah was captured and its Mughal collecter was killed. Tofa Singh by September 1777 as Jadunath Sarkar puts its
‘turned the country up to the walls of Agra into a lampless desolation’
Seeing these development Najaf Khan marched from Delhi. He captured Kosi and moved against Tofa Singh. Mughal put a camp near Goverdhan which was plundered by Kuntal Jats. Najaf Khan then besieged the fort of Sonkh.Tofa Singh defended the fort for 3 month.Finally Tofa Singh came out in the open and a battle took place between 5000 Jats and 60,000 Mughal. Tofa Singh died in the battle and the fort of Sonkh was destroyed for once and all. Hence the Kuntal Dynasty came to an end.Soon Britishers took control over the area. The Kuntal Jat dominated the area around Sonkh during british time as Zamindars.After independence and Zamindari abolition act they lost most of there ancestral land.The town of Sonkh is filled with beautiful old Havelis telling it’s princely past.
References :-
- 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