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Devidas Ji
Rajpurohit Devidas ji Bikamsinghot (born Vikram Samvat 1525) was a prominent warrior and spiritual figure of the Rajpurohit Sewad lineage. He was the son of Rajpurohit Bikamsi and grandson of Thakur Damaji Harpalot Sewad of Thikana Tinwari. Devidas Ji is remembered for his courage, devotion to Bheruji, and martyrdom in the Battle of Narnaul (1526 AD) while fighting alongside Rao Lunkaran of Bikaner.
Devidas Ji was born in Thikana Tinwari, a significant estate under the Sewad Rajpurohit lineage. From a young age, he exhibited signs of exceptional bravery and devotion.
According to bahis (ancestral records) and oral traditions, around the age of 15, he visited Thikana Badli for the darshan of Bheruji, a revered folk deity. On his return journey near Kaylana, he was attacked by a tiger. Demonstrating extraordinary courage, Devidas Ji fought and killed the tiger, a feat praised in regional couplets:
बरस पनरै री वय में, (राज) प्रौहित देवीदास ।
बड़ली में मारियो बाघ नै, करियो वीर प्रकास ।।
छोटी वय रौ छोरियो, देवीदास देसौत ।
बकरा जिम मार्यो (बड़ली) बाघ, राज प्रौहितां राजोत।।
After the establishment of the Bikaner Kingdom, Devidas Ji’s father Rajpurohit Bikam Singh invited the family to settle in the region. They first visited Badli Bheruji and then brought the deity to Thikana Toliyasar, their newly established estate in Bikaner. A Bheruji temple was built there, symbolizing continuity of their devotion from Marwar to Bikaner.
Rajpurohit Devidas Ji attained martyrdom in the Battle of Narnaul (1526 AD), which was distinct from an earlier battle in 1516 AD, where his father Bikamsi Ji had also died in combat. In 1526, Devidas Ji fought alongside Rao Lunkaran of Bikaner against the forces of the Nawab of Narnaul.
At a critical point in the battle, allied Rajput clans — Bidawat Rathores, Shekhawats, Bhatis, and Johiyas — betrayed them and withdrew their support. Devidas Ji appealed to the Bidawat soldiers:
"Pachha mudo, Rao Ji ri yuddh mai sahayata karo."
(Turn back, help Rao Ji in battle.)
To which they responded:
"Kiyo Rao? mharo Rao (Udaikaran Bidawat) to mhare saage hai."
(Which Rao? Our Rao is Udaikaran Bidawat, is with us.)
Despite the betrayal, Devidas Ji, Rao Lunkaran, and his three sons continued the fight with valor and were ultimately martyred on the battlefield.
Rajpurohit Devidas Ji was granted Thikana Toliyasar, consisting of approximately 84,000 bighas of land, in exchange for his earlier jagir of 84 villages. He had seven sons, among whom Rajpurohit Kishandas Ji became known as one of the fiercest warriors in the Bikaner state.
Rajpurohit Devidas Ji is revered in the Sewad Rajpurohit community for his bravery, spiritual devotion, and sacrifice. His life symbolizes the martial and religious traditions of the Rajpurohit lineage in medieval Rajasthan. He later distributed lands among his six sons, establishing them as feudal lords and administrators:
1. Bikaner ri Khyat
2. Medieval History by Amar Singh Rajvi
3. Gazetteer of Bikaner by P.W. Powlett
4. Bikaner ka Itihas by G.H. Ojha
