Even as a mere 12-year old ruler, Jai Singh was also ordered by Aurangzeb to serve in his ruinous Deccan Wars, and when he delayed in doing so, an additional cut in his rank and pay was made. His feat of arms at the siege of Khelna (1702) was rewarded by the mere restoration of his earlier rank and the title of Sawai (Sawa-meaning one and a quarter, i.e. more capable than one man). When Aurangzeb’s grandson Bidar Bakht deputed Sawai Jai Singh to govern the province of Malwa (1704), Aurangzeb angrily revoked this appointment as jaiz nist (invalid or opposed to Islam).

Sawai Jai Singh and the Marathas
The Kachawaha Rajput ruler was appointed to govern Malwa three times between 1714 and 1737. In the early years isolated Maratha war-bands that entered the province from the south (Deccan) were defeated by Jai Singh. But when the Peshwa Baji Rao stabilized the internal situation of the Marathas and conquered Gujarat in 1732, Jai Singh was defeated by the now more organized Maratha attacks. Facing up to this reality he proposed compromise with the Maratha power. For this sensible advice he was removed from his post while the Mughals decided on war. In 1737 Baji Rao invaded North India, sacked the various Mughal towns, and defeated the greatest Mughal general, the Hyderabad Nizam——as the price of his victory Baji Rao annexed Malwa. Following his example the Persian conqueror Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals and sacked Delhi in 1739——he annexed the trans-Indus territories. Through this period of turmoil and invasion Jai Singh remained in his own state——but he was not idle.