Jankoji Sindhia - Young Son of the Loyal Family Jankoji Sindhia was the son of Jayappa Sindhia.

After the assassination of Jayappa Sindhia on 25th July !"55 Jankoji was pro#laimed as the new #hief the legal su##essor of Jayapa and all offi#ial letters were issued in his name and under his seal .Jankoji a##ompanied his un#le $attaji in all the wars in %ajputana &alwa and $e##an 'ut his role was limited as a nominal head of the Sindhia army and all matters of importan#e were #arried out 'y his (n#le. )*en in the 'attle of +haneshar ,2-th $e#em'er !"5./ Jankoji was gi*en a position in the rear and in 0urari 1hat ,!2th January !"32/ .Jankoji was for'idden to parti#ipate in the skirmish. Jankoji too joined the a#tion in 0arari 1hat 'ut re#ei*ed a 'ullet through the fleshy part of his upper arm and was dragged out of the field 'y his followers. Soon after it was known that $attaji was martyred and it was at on#e de#ide to pro#eed towards south-west in the dire#tion of %ewadi were his #amp followers were sent with %uparam 4othari and %amaji Anant $a'holkar the Sindhia5s $iwan. +he $urranis pursued Janakoji for twenty-fi*e miles and then returned. 6t was impossi'le for Janakoji to ride a horse with his a#hing wound whi#h had 'e#ome worse 'y the first day5s headlong flight. As the whole 'aggage had 'een looted 'y the pursuers or left 'ehind as hea*y there was no palan7uin with #arriers in the whole army. A #harpai was taken as a su'stitute and Janakoji was #arried on it 'y the soldiers themsel*es a#ting as #arriers lea*ing their horses in the #harge of others. After #o*ering thirty miles in this manner with great trou'le Janakoji rea#hed his #amp with the remnants of his 'roken army after midnight that day. 8here he found 0hagirathi'ai the se#ond wife of $attaji and 4ashi'ai his own wife together they mar#hed in south west dire#tion .After four days of #ontinuous trou'le the fore-runners of the army #ame into tou#h with the ad*an#e party of the 9olkar5s #ontingent and stopped there. :n the !5th January !"32 &alharrao #ame and joined the party to the north of 4otputli. 9ere at 4otputli the funeral #eremonies of $attaji were performed and the party mo*ed 'a#k to Sa'algad on the ;ham'al where in Fe'ruary $attaji5s wife 0hagirathi'ai ga*e 'irth to a son. &alharrao 9olkar #omforted them all as an elderly guardian. +hey then 'egan measures for re#o*ering their lost position and dri*ing away the in*ader 'y employing guerilla ta#ti#s forgetting all their personal grudges. &alharrao took the #ommand of the operating for#e and 'egan his ad*an#e on 2-th January. Jankoji was positioned in the rear. 9e le*ied a #ontri'ution of %s. !2 222 from 4anaud and ho*ered in the &ewat distri#t wat#hing for opportunities. &arathas then des#ended upon the ri#h town of Sikandra'ad ,!st &ar#h/. A'ddali sent Jahan 4han and <aji' 4han with =5 222 troops unen#um'ered with any artillery or #amp e7uipage to atta#k &arathas near Sikandra'ad. Surajmal Jat who in this guerilla war was helping the &arathas #ame to know of this sudden mo*e of A'dali sent information of the same to 1angadhar ;handra#hud the $iwan of &alharrao to warn him in time. +he Sindhia #ontingent under Janakoji as well as &alharrao 9olkar had fallen 'a#k towards &athura and Agra after #rossing the Jamuna. %upram the Jat en*oy a##ompanied them. Jahan 4han after for#ed mar#hes surprised &alharrao5s *anguard under 1angadhar ;handra#hud eight miles in front of &alhar5s #amp at the dawn of -th &ar#h. &arathas were surprised #aught unprepared and massa#red with hea*y slaughter 'y Jahan 4han. 8hen Sadashi*rao #ame to <orth &alharrao and Jankoji met 0hausahe' on 22nd June !"32 near $holpur. ;ompared to other Sardars of this allied army Jankoji #ommanded the largest

#ontingent of !2 222 horsemen. After #on7uering $elhi Jankoji *isited the fort and sitting down in the :#tagonal +ower #alled for the sons of the e>-)mperor Ahmad Shah and held a whispered #on*ersation with them gi*ing them ro'es of honour and jewelled #rests. After $elhi Jankoji a##ompanied the &aratha army to 4unjpura and parti#ipated in the 'attle. 9ere after the *i#tory the whole Sindhia army #ele'rated the e>e#ution of ?utu' Shah the slayer of $attaji Sindhia. Among the spoils of the #apture was Ja*ahargaj the fa*ourite elephant of Jankoji Sindia whi#h had 'een taken in the 'attle at 0urari 1hat. Along with the main army Jankoji too remained at the siege at @anipat .:n 22nd <o*em'er a lunar e#lipse was to take pla#e and so the &arathas remained within their tren#hes. Shah 8ali A'daliAs waBir on seeing the &arathas not #oming out of their #amps #ame near to the large well near 1addiwara half a mile south-west of the shrine of 1haus Ali 4han immediately in front of the &aratha right wing where JankojiAs army has en#amped. 6n the e*ening a'out the time of sunset the troops of Sindhia re#ogniBed him and made a assault on Shah 8ali many of his men were killed and it seemed as if he would not es#ape 'ut soon reinfor#ements #ame up from the rear and su##ored him .&arathas #hased him up to the Afghan tren#hes . Four hundred men of 8aBir Shah 8ali were killed and around eight hundred wounded and the &artha #asualties were one hundred and si>ty. +he &arathas #aptured o*er a hundred horses. 6n the finale 'attle on !-th January !"32 Jankoji with around " 222 troops was positioned right of Shamsher 0ahadur and was opposed to <aji' 4han. As Sadashi*rao has #learly ordered his men not to 'reak the mar#hing s7uare JankojiAs troops remained in their position and did not *entured out to atta#k <aji' 4han. +he distan#e 'etween <aji' 4hanAs front and the Sindhia line was more than three miles. <aji' turned all his troops into infantry dismounting e*en his #a*alry from their horses. +hen with his !5 222 soldiers he slowly ad*an#ed on foot. +he prudent <aji' had masked his ad*an#e 'y a series of 'reastworks of sand with the help of diggers in his army whi#h afforded a shelter to the stooping infantry and prepared tren#hes where the %ohilla infantry ad*an#ed and #rou#hed down. <aji' had a *ast 7uantity of ro#kets with him. 9e fired a *olley of 2 222 ro#kets all at on#e from his ad*an#ed tren#hes. As a result Jankoji stayed there at his position somewhere near west of the *illage (garkhedi and south of the town of @anipat and did not ad*an#ed further. 8hen the news spread around that Ciswasrao has 'een shot dead and Shah @asand *a#ated his position at the 6mperial road from @anipat to $elhi. 9alf of the troops of Sindhia #ontingent and troops of &alharrrao left the 'attlefield. Jankoji and his un#le +ukoji on seeing the thinning #rowd at the &aratha #entre rushed to help 0hausahe'. Jankoji fought with the Afghans who had penetrated into &aratha #entre 'ut was taken as prisoner 'y 0arkhurdar 4han se#retly. 4ashiraj met Jankoji se#retly in a tent of 0arkhurdar 4hanD he was wounded with a 'all and with a spear in the arm .4ahiraj was told 'y &oti Lal the $iwan of 0arkhrdar khan that Jankoji would 'e released if a ransom of se*en lakhs would 'e paid. (nfortunately these dealings 'e#ame known to <aji' 4han who instigated 8aBir Shah 8ali to take this matter up to A'dali. A'dali then ordered his nasa7#his to sear#h for Jankoji 0arkhurdar fearing some harmful #onse7uen#es ordered his men to murder Jankoji and 'ury him pri*ately. Later on few imposters of Jankoji #laimed them self as the Sindhia #hief 'ut their all #laims were pro*ed wrong.