"...It was he alone who performed the Agnihotra daily and successfully organized the Aśvamedha, adoring the almight by suppressing the sins...manifest to all as the rising Sun—the only source of light in the sky. Protected by Lord Viṣṇu...he ruled like King Bhoja of the old."
– Sūryamalla Miśra of Bundi.
The comparison with Bhoja is quite accurate. Both men had very similar lives.
Polymath geniuses. Their activities in field of science, religion suggesting they were men of leisure but actually lived during the most turbulent time of the century.
Bhoja forming an alliance to fight the Turkic invasions, and against the Chalukyas, sending help to Shahi ruler Anandpal; Jai Singh uniting Amber-Mewar-Marwar against the Mughals and then the Hurda conference, helping Chhatrasal Bundela.
Both undertook great architectural endeavours: Bhojatal, Bhojeshwar, Jaipur, Jantar Mantars, etc.
"Suppressing all the sins"
Both were involved in suppression of unorthodox and "degenerate" practices: Bhoja massacring the Nilapata cult—dark-garment wearing hedonists.
Jai Singh banning the practice of madhuropāsana of Ramanandis—meditating upon bhagavān's amorous interactions, along with laws he framed & enforced in his kingdom & governorates.
Bhoja's treatise on mechanized warfare, Jai Singh's gunfoundry & arming every soldier with firearms.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Dewastich, the Zoroastrian ruler of Sogdiana died fighting the Arabs and became a symbol of resistance. But, his descendants were captured & converted, and they went on to become one of the most prominent aristocratic family in the Islamic world, serving Seljuqs, Ghaznavids, etc.
Muhammad ibn Suri, the Buddhist ruler of Ghor, overcome with shame after his capture by the Ghaznavids, consumed poison. His son was converted and placed on throne. Some times later, the Ghorids would hunt down the latter till Lahore while furthering IsIamic conquests in India.
Iran after the Arab conquest is filled with such cases. Sasanian nobles, Parthian families somehow making peace with their new reality, tracing their genealogies to Abraham, giving new meanings to the ruins of the House of Sasan.