The Berar Subah was one of the Subahs (imperial first-level provinces) of 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 first to be added to the original twelve, in Dakhin (Deccan, central India) from 1596 to 1724. It bordered Golconda, Ahmandagar (both conquered 1601), Kandesh and

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

subahs as well as the independent and tributary chiefdoms to the east.

Origin of name

According to the ''Ain-i-Akbari'', the original name of Berar was ''Waradatat'' (the banks of Varada River).

History

Before the Mughal occupation, Berar was part of the Nizam Shahi sultanate of

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...

. It was ceded to the emperor Akbar by Chand Bibi in 1596, unable to stand against the imperial forces led by prince

Murad Murad or Mourad ( ar, مراد) is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology It ...

. After this initial victory Prince Murad settled in Berar with Balapur as his headquarters. Near Balapur he founded a new city named Shahpur and constructed a beautiful palace for himself. As his relationship was deteriorating with Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the commander of the army, Akbar recalled Khan-i-Khanan and sent his trusted friend

Abul Fazl Abul is an Arabic masculine given name. It may refer to: * Abul Kalam Azad * Abul A'la Maududi * Abul Khair (disambiguation), several people * Abul Abbas (disambiguation), several people * Abul Hasan * Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi * Abu'l-Fazl ibn ...

to help him. Murad died in 1598. After his death, Prince Daniel was given the charge as governor of Berar, Ahmadnagar and Khandesh, Khan-i- Khanan was sent along with Daniel. Akbar died in 1605. In 1611, the southern provinces of Ahmadnagar, Berar and Khandesh defied Mughal sovereignty under Malik Ambar. Jahangir sent

Man Singh Man Singh I, popularly known as Mirza Raja Man Singh (21 December 1550 – 6 July 1614) was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput Raja of Amer, later known as Jaipur state, in Rajputana. He was the most powerful and trusted general of the Mughal empe ...

and others to crush the revolt. Man Singh died a natural death on 6 July 1614 at Ellichpur. During Jahangir’s rule,

Malik Ambar Malik Ambar (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a Siddi military leader and prime minister who became a kingmaker and de facto ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan region of India. Born in the Adal Sultunate, in present-day Ethiopia, Mali ...

till his death in 1626 recovered a substantial part of the Deccan from the Mughals including Berar. In 1628, the first year of reign of Shah Jahan, Berar again came under the Mughal sway. In 1636, the Mughal possessions in ''Dakhin'' (Deccan) were divided into 4 Subahs. Berar was one of them with

Ellichpur Achalpur, formerly known as Ellichpur and Illychpur, is a city and a municipal council in Amravati District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second most populous city in Amravati District after Amravati and seventh most populou ...

as its capital and Gavilgad as its main fort. Aurangzeb was appointed viceroy of four Deccan Subahs for the first time and he occupied the post for eight years (till 1644). He was again appointed viceroy for the second time in 1653 and he remained in that post till 1657. During Aurangzeb's reign, Berar was successively overrun by the Maratha rulers

Shambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

in 1680 and Rajaram in 1698. In 1720, Maratha Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath obtained the grant of the right to collect ''

chauth Chauth (from Sanskrit, meaning ''one fourth'') was a regular tax or tribute imposed from the early 18th century by the Maratha Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It was an annual tax nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name, ...

'' and ''

sardeshmukhi Chauth (from Sanskrit, meaning ''one fourth'') was a regular tax or tribute imposed from the early 18th century by the Maratha Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It was an annual tax nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name, on ...

'' from Berar from the Mughal emperor. Royal title Mirza & Beg Bedar Bakht Mirza, son of padshah Mirza MohammedAzam Shah Mohammed Beg Feroz Bakht Mirza, son of Prince Bedar Bakht Mirza Bulaqui Mirza, son of Prince Mirza Feroz Bakht Bahaddur Aduli Mirza, son of Mirza Bulaqui Baig Bahaddur Sardar Baig Mirza, son of Aduli Baig Mirza Qadar Baig Mirza, son of Aduli Baig Mirza Hatam Baig Mirza, son of Sardar Baig Mirza Umrao Baig Mirza, son of Sardar Baig Mirza Hasan Baig Mirza, son of Umrao Baig Mirza Alam Baig Mirza, son of Hasan Baig Mirza MuqadderBaig Mirza, son of Hasan Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Dr. Hasan Baig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Khaleeque Baig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince ADV. Wasique Baig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Saquib AlamBaig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince ADV. Anzar Baig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Fauwwaz Baig Mirza, son of Muqadder Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Noman Baig Mirza, son of Dr. Hasan Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Afzal Baig Mirza, son of Khaleeque Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Shahnawaz Baig Mirza, son of Khalique Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Muqadder Baig Mirza, son of Saquib Alam Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Mehboob Baig Mirza, son of Hatam Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Qader Baig Mirza, son of Mehboob Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Roshan Baig Mirza, son of Mehboob Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Shafaqat Baig Mirza, son of Qader Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Sharafat Baig Mirza, son of Shafaqat Baig Mirza His Highness Prince Shabaz Baig Mirza, son of Shafaqat Baig Mirza In 1724, when Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah declared independence, the existence of Berar as a Mughal Subah came to an end. It became (though nominally) a part of Nizam's state.

Administrative divisions

Berar came under Mughal administration in 1596.

Todar Mal Raja Todar Mal (1 January 1500 – 8 November 1589) was the Finance Minister (Mushriff-i-Diwan) of the Mughal empire during Emperor Akbar's reign. He was also the Vakil-us-Sultanat (Counsellor of the Empire) and Joint Wazir. He was one of the ...

's famous system known as ''

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