Jai Singh observatory
| Jai Singh II | |
|---|---|
| Maharajah Sawai | |
 |
|
| Reign | 1699–1743 |
| Predecessor | Bishan Singh |
| Successor | Ishwari Singh |
| Born |
3 November 1688 Amer, India |
| Died | 21 September 1743 (aged 54) |
| Spouse | Bikaner princess Sheopur princess Udaipur princess |
| Issue | Kunwar Shiv Singh (d. 1724) Kunwar Ishwari Singh Kunwar Madho Singh |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (3 November 1688 – 21 September 1743) was the Hindu Rajput ruler of the kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur). He was born at Amber, the capital of the Kachwahas. He became ruler of Amber at the age of 11 after his father Maharaja Bishan Singh died on 31 December 1699. He was given title of Sawai by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb in the year 1699, who had summoned him to Delhi, impressed by his wit. Later he proved to be Sawai also in warfare. On 21 April 1721, the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah bestowed upon him the title of Saramad-i-Rajaha-i-Hind and on 2 June 1723, the emperor further bestowed him the titles of Raj Rajeshvar, Shri shantanu ji and Maharaja Sawai. "Sawai" means one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries. These titles adorn his descendants even to this date. He had a great interest in mathematics, architecture and astronomy.
When Sawai Jai Singh acceded to the ancestral throne at Amber, he had barely enough resources to pay for the support of 1000 cavalry—this abysmal situation had arisen in the past 96 years, coinciding with the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Jaipur kings had always preferred diplomacy to arms in their dealings with the Mughals, since their kingdom was located so close to the Mughal power centers of Delhi and Agra. Under Aurangzeb, successive Kachawaha Rajas from the time of Ramsingh I were actually deprived of their rank and pay despite years of close alliance with the Emperors of Delhi. Two of their chiefs, Jai Singh I and Kunwar Kishan Singh, died in mysterious circumstances while campaigning in the Deccan.
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