Kohra was an estate (

taluqdari Taluqdars or Talukdar (, Hindustani: /; '' taluq'' "estate" + '' dar '' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj. They were owners of a vast amount of l ...

) of

Oudh The Kingdom of Awadh (, , also Oudh State, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, or Awadh State) was a Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a British protectorate in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the Br ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The taluqdari was controlled by the

Bandhalgoti Bandhalgoti is a clan of Rajputs mainly found in Uttar Pradesh, India. They are an off-shoot of Kachhwaha dynasty and claim Suryavanshi descent. Bandhalgoti Rajputs ruled a number of estates including Amethi, Kohra and Shahgarh etc. which li ...

clan of

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s. Now it is part of

Amethi district Amethi is one of the 75 districts of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 2,329.11 km2. Gauriganj is the administrative headqua ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, India.

History

Narwar Narwar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Shivpuri district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Narwar is a historic town and the Narwar Fort is just east of the Sindh River and is situated at a distance of 42 km from Shivpuri. Narwar w ...

Nagar of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

was the native place of this Taluq. Rajkumar Sodh Dev of Narwargarh founded the Amethi state in 966 and became the first

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Amethi Amethi is a city situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gauriganj is the administrative headquarters of the Amethi district. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of the state. Amethi was 72nd district of ...

. Rajkumar Himmat Sah, the younger son of Raja Bikram Sah, his descendant, established Kohra (estate) on the day of

Ganga Dussehra Ganga Dussehra, also known as Gangavataran, is a Hindu festival celebrating the ''avatarana'' (descent) of the Ganges. It is believed by Hindus that the holy river Ganges descended from heaven to earth on this day. Ganga Dussehra takes place o ...

in 1636 and established Lord Chaturbhuj and Shiva temple as the first establishment, then built Kohra Fort, where he was crowned.

Babu Himmat Sah Babu Himmat Sah was the founder and the first ruler of Kohra (estate) of Oudh, British India (now in Amethi district, Uttar Pradesh, India) and belongs from Bandhalgoti clan of Rajput. He was the younger son of Raja Bikram Sah, who was the ...

was the founder and first ruler of Kohra. Under British rule, Kohra was scene of numerous battles.

Babu Bhoop Singh Babu Bhoop Singh (born c. 1820) was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from the Oudh region, which is now part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He hailed from the Bandhalgoti clan of Rajputs and was the ruler ...

, the then

Taluqdar Taluqdars or Talukdar (, Hindustani: /; '' taluq'' "estate" + '' dar '' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj. They were owners of a vast amount of l ...

of Kohra was leader in the

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

. He actively participated in the Awadh War of 1857 and played a crucial role in the siege of Lucknow residency. To counter Colonel Wroughton's advances, he fought battles at Chanda, Amhat and Kadunala in the

Sultanpur district Sultanpur district is a district in the Awadh region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district is Sultanpur city. The total area of Sultanpur ...

. His property was taken under the management of

Court of Wards The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and ...

. The fort of Kohra was leveled in 1859 by order government; its ruins are still to be seen, covered with picturesque clumps of bamboos. On order of

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located at Esplanade Row West, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. T ...

, by government removed Court of Wards from Kohra. Later, the estate was ruled by Babu Shiv Dayal Singh, who was succeeded by his nephew, Babu Devi Dayal Singh. Babu Bhoop Singh of Kohra

After India's independence on 15 August 1947, Kohra (Taluq) estate was merged in

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

and later

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by ...

. Babu Beni Bahadur Singh (died 1968), the last ruler of Kohra, actively participated and donated land in

Bhoodan movement The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. It was initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village, Pochampally. The Bhoodan movement attem ...

. Babu Beni Bahadur Singh had no male issue, after his death in 1968, his brother Babu Pratap Bahadur Singh proceeded as

Titular ruler A titular ruler, or titular head, is a person in an official position of leadership who possesses few, if any, actual powers. Sometimes a person may inhabit a position of titular leadership and yet exercise more power than would normally be expecte ...

of Kohra, who was succeeded by his son, Babu Shiv Bahadur Singh . Babu Shiv Bahadur Singh participated in the class boycott of Uday Pratap College, Varanasi in Quit India Movement of 1942. After his death on 28 July 1993 his brother Babu Umanath Singh proceeded as Titular ruler of Kohra.

List of Rulers

The rulers of Kohra bore the title of Babu. The list of rulers is following as: *

(around 1636) *

(1840–1890) * Babu Shiv Dayal Singh * Babu Devi Dayal Singh * Babu Mahaveer Singh * Babu Beni Bahadur Singh * Babu Pratap Bahadur Singh (1968–1969) * Babu Shiv Bahadur Singh (1969–1993) * Babu Umanath Singh (1993–2017) * Babu Raghvendra Pratap Singh (2017–Present)

Notable descendants

(1820–1890), was prominent leader in the

and led a rebellion against the British forces in 1857. * Babu Umanath Singh (1936–2017), was a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Avadh University Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, commonly known as Avadh University, is a state university located in Faizabad, Ayodhya district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1975 by the government of Uttar Pradesh. Presently, the univers ...

. He was a founding member of Uttar Pradesh History Congress.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Kohra Estate
Kohra (Taluk) Homepage with Pictures and MapKohra History & Genealogy
History of Uttar Pradesh Zamindari estates Amethi Amethi district Rajput estates

History

List of Rulers

Notable descendants

See also

References

External links