Khusru Bagh Palace in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh (c

Imambara, Fort of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, c

Sir Kalb Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur (1832-1887)

Rampur State was a 15 gun-salute princely state of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. It came into existence on 7 October 1774 as a result of a treaty with

Oudh The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...

. Following independence in 1947, Rampur State and other princely states of the area, such as Benares and Tehri Garhwal were merged into the United Provinces. Rampur state had its capital in Rampur city and its total area was 945 sq miles.

History

The

Rohilla War The First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 was a punitive campaign by Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh on the behalf of Mughal Emperor, against the Rohillas, Afghan highlanders settled in Rohilkhand, northern India. The Nawab was supported by troops ...

of 1774–75 began when the

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Roh ...

s reneged on a debt they owed to the Nawab of Oudh for military assistance against the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

in 1772. The Rohillas were defeated and driven from their former capital of

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The ...

by the Nawab of

with the assistance of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

's troops lent by Warren Hastings. The Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter. Faizullah Khan was a leader among the

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

. His family migrated and settled in Hindustan (now India) during the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. The Pashtuns consisted of high-ranking soldiers and administrative elites of the Mughal Empire. For Rohilla's Rampur State was one of the important princely states in Hindustan. The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid and the city of Rampur founded in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad'. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur. Nawab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, Persian, Turkish and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Rampur Raza Library. After his death, his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over. He was killed by the

leaders after 24 days, and Ghulam Muhammad Khan – the brother of the deceased, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was defeated by its forces, and the Governor-General made Ahmad Ali Khan, son of the late Muhammad Ali Khan, the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Sa'id Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan, took over as the new Nawab. He raised a regular Army, established Courts and carried out many works to improve the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death. His son Kalb Ali Khan became the new Nawab after his death in 1865.

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

Kalb Ali Khan Hajji Nawab Kalb Ali Khan Bahadur (1832 – 23 March 1887) was a Nawab of the princely state of Rampur from 1865 to 1887. Succeeding his father, Sir Nawab Yusef Ali Khan Bahadur, he continued his father's good works, expanding the Rampur ...

was literate in Arabic and Persian. Under his rule the state did much work to uplift standards of education. He was also a Member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence. He built the Jama Masjid in Rampur at a cost of Rs. 300,000. He was also knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. He ruled for 22 years and 7 months. After his death his son Mushtaq Ali Khan took over. He appointed W. C. Wright as the Chief Engineer of the estate. He built many new buildings and canals. Nawab Hamid Ali became the new ruler in 1889 at the age of 14. Many new schools were opened during his reign, and many donations were provided to nearby colleges. He donated Rs. 50,000 to Lucknow Medical College. In 1905 he built the magnificent Darbar Hall within the Fort which now houses the great collection of Oriental manuscripts held by the Rampur Raza Library. His son Raza Ali Khan became the last ruling Nawab in 1930. Nawab Raza Ali Khan was a very progressive ruler who believed in the Inclusion of Hindus and so appointed Lt. Col. Horilal Varma – Bar At Law as his Prime Minister. On 1 July 1949 the State of Rampur was merged into the Republic of India. Rampur today presents a slightly decayed appearance: the palaces of the Nawabs are crumbling, as are the gates and walls of the fort. However, the Library remains a flourishing institution of immense value to scholars from all over the world. The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India in general and the Muslims of United Provinces in particular. They gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the Court of Bahadur Shah ''Zafar''.

Music

The Nawabs of Rampur gave patronage to traditional music in their court. Mehboob Khan was the chief khyal singer of the royal court of Rampur State, his tradition was followed by his son Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919) and in turn by Inyat's brothers-in-law, Haider Khan (1857–1927), and Mushtaq Hussein Khan (d. 1964), which gave rise to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sit ...

, the latter being their ancestral place, Sahaswan, in present-day Badaun district.

Rulers of Rampur

Nawab Muhammad Khan Bangash, ca 1730, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Family tree

I. Sayyid Faizu’llah ‘Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1734–1794; Nawab of Rampur: 1734–1794) ** Simple silver crown

II. Sayyid Muhammad Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1751–1794; r. 1794) *** Simple silver crown

IV. Sayyid Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1787–1840; r. 1794–1840) ** Simple silver crown

III. Hajji Sayyid Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1763–1823; r. 1794) *** Simple silver crown

V. Sayyid Muhammad Said Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1786–1855; r. 1840–1855) **** Simple silver crown

VI. Sayyid Muhammad Yusef Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur KSI (1816–1865; r. 1855–1865) ***** Simple silver crown

VII. Hajji Sayyid Muhammad Kalb-i-Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur GCSI, CIE (1834–1887; r. 1865–1887) ****** Simple silver crown

VIII. Sayyid Muhammad Mushtaq Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (1856–1889; r. 1887–1889) ******* Simple silver crown

IX. Sayyid Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur GCSI,

GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No ap ...

, GCVO (1875–1930; r. 1889–1930) ******** Simple silver crown

X. Sayyid Muhammad Raza Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur

, KCSI (1908–1966; r. 1930–1949; titular ruler 1949–1966) *********XI. Sayyid Murtaza Ali Khan Bahadur MBE (lived 1923–1982; titular Nawab: 1966–1971; family head: 1971–1982) *********XII. Sayyid Zulfiqar Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (lived 1933–92; family head:1982-92) ********** XIII. Sayyid Kazim Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur (b.1960; family head:1992 to present)

Legacy

Dog breed

His Royal Highness Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan of Rampur is credited with developing the dog breed known as

Rampur Hound The Rampur Greyhound is a breed of sighthound native to the Rampur region of Northern India, which lies between Delhi and Bareilly. It is believed the Rampur Greyhound descends from early Afghan Hounds, with their present-day appearance due to e ...

. The Rampur Hound far exceeded his expectations. He endeavoured to breed these dogs by combining the ''Tazi'' ferocious Afghan dogs with the English Greyhound, more obedient but less resistant to the harsher local weather. He gave the name 'Rampur Hound' to the dogs he bred.

Cuisine

The cuisine of the royal courts over the years gave rise to the Rampuri cuisine, developed by the chefs of the Nawabs. After the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the ''khansamas'' (chefs) from erstwhile Mughal imperial courts shifted to Rampur, bringing along with them the

Mughal cuisine Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in the medieval Indo-Persian cultural centres of the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of cuisine of the Indian subcontinent with the cooking styles and recipes of Central Asian and Islam ...

tradition. Gradually people from other places also found a haven here, adding influences of

Awadhi Awadhi (; ), also known as Audhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and Nepal. It is primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name ''Awadh'' is connected to Ayodhya, the ancient city ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

and Kashmiri cuisine. It is also known for its distinct flavours and dishes with recipes passed on from the royal kitchen, like ''Rampuri fish'', ''Rampuri Korma'', ''Rampuri mutton kebabs'', ''Doodhiya Biryani'' and ''adrak ka halwa''.

Music

Mehboob Khan was the chief khyal singer of the royal court of Rampur State, his tradition was followed by his son Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919) and in turn by Inyat's brothers-in-law, Haider Khan (1857–1927), and Mushtaq Hussein Khan (d. 1964), which gave rise to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of

, the latter being their ancestral place, Sahaswan, in present Badaun district. Wade. p. 136

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Coord, 28.8, N, 79.0, E, region:IN-GU_type:city_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Muslim princely states of India Princely states of Uttar Pradesh Rampur district 1774 establishments in India 1947 disestablishments in India States and territories established in 1774 States and territories disestablished in 1947 Pashtun dynasties ru:Рампур

History

Music

Rulers of Rampur

Family tree

Legacy

Dog breed

Cuisine

Music

See also

References

Bibliography

External links