Maharaja Sooraj Mal of Bharatpur (1707–1763) was a renowned warrior and a strategic genius who played a crucial role in shaping the politics of 18th-century north India. He fought several significant battles during his reign, often against the Mughal Empire, Marathas, Rajputs, and other local rulers.

The Jats had their origins in pastoralism in the Indus valley, and gradually became agriculturalist farmers.Around 1595, Jat Zamindars controlled a little over 32% of the Zamindaris in the Punjab region. Over time the Jats became primarily Muslim in the western Punjab, Sikh in the eastern Punjab, and Hindu in the areas between Delhi Territory and Agra, with the divisions by faith reflecting the geographical strengths of these religions. During the decline of Mughal rule in the early 18th century, the Indian subcontinent's hinterland dwellers, many of whom were armed and nomadic, increasingly interacted with settled townspeople and agriculturists. Many new rulers of the 18th century came from such martial and nomadic backgrounds. The effect of this interaction on India's social organization lasted well into the colonial period. During much of this time, non-elite tillers and pastoralists, such as the Jats or Ahirs, were part of a social spectrum that blended only indistinctly into the elite landowning classes at one end, and the menial or ritually polluting classes at the other.