Gokula Jat
Veer Gokula Jat | |
|---|---|
Painting of the execution of Jat rebel leader Gokula by dismemberment | |
| Native name | गोकुल जाट |
| Birth name | Gokul Dev |
| Born | Tilpat, Mughal Empire (present-day Sadabad, Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh) |
| Died | 1 January 1670 Agra Subah, Mughal Empire (present-day Uttar Pradesh) |
| Cause of death | Dismemberment |
| Known for | Leading the Jat uprising of 1669 against the Mughals |
Veer Gokula Jat (died 1 January 1670), also known as Gokul Dev, was a zamindar and chieftain who led a rebellion against the Mughal Empire during the reign of emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century. Gokula emerged as a symbol of resistance against Mughal oppression, particularly their discriminatory religious and economic policies. His leadership in the uprising of 1669 marked one of the earliest organised revolts against Mughal rule in India, influencing later rebellions and the rise of the Kingdom of Bharatpur.
In 1669, Gokula rallied approximately 20,000 Jats and other local farmers to resist oppressive Mughal taxation and religious policies. His forces achieved early successes, defeating and killing the Mughal faujdar Abdul Nabi Khan at the Battle of Sahora and destroying the Sadabad cantonment. However, the rebellion was crushed following the Siege of Tilpat, where Gokula was captured after a four-day battle. Gokula was executed in Agra on 1 January 1670, after he refused to convert to Islam.