The military leader Amir Khan Pindari

An inscription identifies the young man in this drawing as Amir Khan Pindari (1768- 1834), a notorious Afghan mercenary who commanded a marauding cavalry known as the Pindaris (Persian: Pendharis). Amir Khan and his forces roved large areas of what are now Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states, offering their military services to the highest bidders.

Around 1808 Amir Khan entered into an alliance with Maharaja Man Singh (depicted in the painting below), who was then defending his claims to the Jodhpur throne. For his services Amir Khan was rewarded with huge payments of money and land, becoming a powerful presence in the region. The Pendharis posed such a threat to stability that the British colonial government, which eventually took control of much of Rajasthan, granted Amir Khan his own kingdom. In exchange he was expected to reduce the size of his army and surrender much of his arsenal. From 1817 on, Amir Khan was known as the ruler (nawab) of Tonk (in present-day Rajastha