126 
0. A. Silberrad —History of Western Bundelkhand. [No. 2, 
In 1679 Debi Singh fought successfully in Bengal 1 constructed the 
Singh Sagar lake and founded the village of Singhpur. The tank and 
village are both near Chanderi and still in existence. He built the 
Singh bagh in Talbehat which still exists but in ruins. Debi Singh 
died in 1717 at the age of 87, leaving three sons, Sahju, Senapati and 
Durag Singh. They all went to Delhi that the Emperor might select 
the successor, Bhanu the priest, who was at that time regent, recom¬ 
mended Sahju as being the eldest son, but Aurangzeb suspecting his 
choice sent for Rao Gomat and Rao Hada the two generals of the late 
Raja and asked them who was the lawful heir. They said that Sahju 
was an illegitimate son, Senapati a grandson whom the deceased Raja 
had adopted, and that Durag Singh alone was born from the Rani. 
The Emperor accordingly nominated Durag Singh as successor. He 
gave pargana Kanjia 2 to Sahju with the title of Raja. To Senapati 
he gave Bhangarh 3 with several other villages worth in all about 
Rs. 12,000 per annum. But Durag Singh was made suzerain over 
both. While making these grants Aurangzeb retained Bersia for 
himself and appointed Dost Muhammad, who had recovered Malwa for 
the Emperor from the Mahrattas, its Superintendent. This is the 
man who subsequently established the kingdom of Bhupal. 
In 1728 Raja Durag Singh defeated Bagha Banjhara. 4 In 1732 
Sankar Rao came from the Deccan with 10,000 horse to attack 
Chanderi. But the Raja defeated and killed him at the Singhpur pass, 
and plundered his cavalry. 
On the death of Durag Singh his son Durjan Singh succeeded in 
Basoda and Udepur, are South of Bina, the former a station on the I. M. By. 
Bersia the most Western part of Bhupal, 
1 At the orders of the Emperor. 
2 Till 1861 part of Gwalior, then exchanged for pargana Chanderi and other 
territory, and now forming the N.-W. corner of Khorai Tahsil (Sagar district). 
8 In Khorai tahsil (Sagar district) 20 miles N. N.-W. of Khorai. 
4 The story of Bagha, and of some clan of the Banjaras is thus related by the 
author. “A Raja of Asanagar near Bikanir was bitten by a snake and Jati a 
Jaini Guru promised him recovery if he and his people turned Jains; this he agreed 
to do and recovered. But some of his subjects refused to obey his orders to become 
Jains and left his state resolving henceforward to have no settled abode lest they 
should be again forced to do as they had just done ; they thus became Banjaras. 
Bagha was the son or grandson of the leader of these secessionists, and is said to 
have had 2,000 armed followers and 12,000 head of cattle. Hitherto these Banja¬ 
ras had paid dues, etc. on entering different states, but Bagha and his followers 
refused to do so, and though on several occasions attacked by the Imperial troops 
had been unsuccessful till this oocasion. But the legends of Bagha are numerous : 
the criminal fraternity of the Sanorias have a legend that the first grant of 12 
villages in Lalitpur and Orohha was for killing this same Bagha. 
