Lothoo Nitharwal - Assessment of Lothoo

Assessment of Lothoo

Lothoo was the hero of freedom movement started in Shekhawati region. Lothoo prepared the grounds for 1857 freedom movement in Shekhawati. He was killed 2 years prior to the 1857 revolution. Tatya Tope, the hero of 1857 freedom movement of India had heard about Lothoo and Dungar Singh. He had great hopes from Shekhawati region in the freedom movement. He wanted to come to the land of Lothoo. For this purpose he started his journey from Gwalior with 5000 freedom fighters and by the time he reached Sikar he had 17000 freedom fighters with him. Rao Raja Bharon Singh stopped him from entering Sikar by closing all four gates. When he was to start for Bathod-Patoda, the British forces reached Sikar under the leadership of Col Homes and attacked the revolutionists. Tatya Tope had to escape and he could not reach Bathot.

The role of Lothoo has not been properly assessed in the history of first freedom movement of India. Mansukh Ranwa has first time published history of Lothoo in the form of a book- “Amar Shaheed Lothoo Jat’’ in Hindi. Otherwise it was only through the Bhopas that folk songs of Lothoo are still sung in Rajasthan. Most of the facts about Lothoo are from the ‘phad’, which Bhopa community read loudly in public places as folk songs with the story depicted on canvas.