On 29 November 1716, he was appointed the
faujdar of
Benares and
Chunar, as well as the
qiladar of the
Chunar Fort. After being unable to quell rebellions in the region his uncle
Chhabila Ram intervened. Mughal Emperor
Muhammad Shah appointed Girdhar Bahadur the Subahdar of
Malwa on 30 August 1722. Maratha incursions into the territory continued, and
Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I of Hyderabad, exercising significant power in the Mughal government, gave Girdhar Bahadur's Subahdari to his own second cousin
Azim-ullah Khan on 15 May 1723. However, the continuing rise in power of the Nizam after his defeat of
Mubariz Khan in Golconda threatened the Mughal Emperor, who re-appointed Girdhar Bahadur to the Subahdari on 2 June 1725. Maratha incursions made headway into Malwa and the Peshwa established the collection of taxes in
Amjhera,
Jhabua,
Dhar, and
Indore by 1725. Military forces pushed as far as
Mandsaur but a counteroffensive by
Daya Bahadur, the military commander in Malwa under Girdhar, repelled Maratha incursions and regained lost revenue in 1726. Continuing incursions in the next year led Girdhar Bahadur to lead a counteroffensive, encamping in Mandsaur in the rainy season of 1728. Girdhar Bahadur died in the
Battle of Amjhera fighting against the Marathas on 29 November 1728, hit by musket shot while leading an elephant into battle. His cousin Daya Bahadur was captured and died in Amjhera itself. His nephew
Bhawani Ram became the Subahdar for a brief period afterwards. ==References==