| Sukh Jiwan Mal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succession: | King of Kashmir | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign: | June 1754 – October 1762 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor: | Position established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor: | Position abolished | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reg-Type: | Prime minister | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regent: | Abu'l Hasan Bandey (1754–1757, 1758) Mir Muqim Kanth (1757–1758) Pandit Mahanand Dhar (1758–1762)
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| Birth Date: | 1720s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Kabul, Durrani Empire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death Date: | 1762 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Death Place: | Lahore, Durrani Empire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religion: | Hinduism | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Officer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Raja Sukh Jiwan Mal (d. 1762) was the King of Kashmir from 1754 to 1762. He rose from the rank of soldier to governor and then finally became a ruler. He was the last independent monarch of Kashmir.[1]
Sukh Jivan Mal was born in Kabul (Afghanistan) to a Hindu Khatri family, with origins from the city of Bhera (Punjab).[2]
Kashmir under Afghan rulers was in a bad state. Locals were tortured and killed during the reign of Afghans. The very first Afghan chief Abdullah Khan Isk Aquasi appointed by Ahmad Shah Abdali would line up all Kashmiris whom he considered rich and would ask them to either part with their wealth or to face death. The Afghan army would often raid and loot common Kashmiri houses.[3]
After the loot and plunder, Abdullah Khan Isk Aquasi returned to Kabul leaving Kashmir under the charge of Abdullah Khan Kabuli. Kabuli appointed Sukh Jiwan as his chief advisor. A local leader of the Kashmiri Muslims, Abu'l Hasan Bandey wanted to get rid of the cruel Afghan rulers. Bandey convinced Sukh Jiwan to kill Kabuli and become independent. Subsequently, Kabuli was assassinated and Sukh Jiwan became the independent ruler after formally getting the title of Raja.
As the ruler of Kashmir, Sukh Jiwan appointed Bandey as his prime minister. As a retaliation, Ahmad Shah Abdali sent Khwaja Kijak and Abdullah Khan Isk Aquasi to Kashmir. They were both defeated. In another occasion, Afghan prisoners of war were paraded in the streets with Kashmiri crowds spitting at them. The locals of Kashmir were at large happy with the smooth and efficient administration but the happiness did not last very long. A destructive famine occurred in 1755 followed by locust attack. These natural calamities forced the locals to desperately eat dead locusts.[4] Sukh Jiwan distributed 80 lakh kg rice for free among the poor people.
According to Schwartz, "Kashmir's only respite from economic and political pressures during the Afghan and Sikh rule occurred during the reign of Sukh Jiwan Mal, marked by a flowering of literacy activity attached to patronage." Sukh Jiwan held weekly symposiums to which he invited all the poets. He also employed poets to produce history of Kashmir in the style of Book of Kings.[5] Under the advice of Mahanand Dhar, Sukh Jiwan in order to facilitate his work imported many Khatri Hindus from Punjab to Kashmir.[6]
When force did not work, Abdali used wit to get control of Kashmir. He attempted to destroy the good relations between Sukh Jiwan and Bandey by putting a wedge against them. Taking advantage of this situation, Abdali sent an army led by Nur-ud-Din Khan Bamzai to Kashmir. A major portion of Raja Sukh Jiwan's army including his commander-in-chief Bakth Mal betrayed him.[7] Eventually, he was captured, blinded and sent to Abdali in Lahore where he was killed by throwing him under an elephant.