Kurwai State was a 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 in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

under the

Bhopal Agency The Bhopal Agency was a section of British India's colonial Central India Agency, a British political unit which managed the relations of the British with a number of autonomous princely states existing outside British India.Great Britain Indi ...

and centered around Kurwai town. The town of Kurwai was founded by Mohammed Diler Khan in 1715. The state was 368 km² in area and had a population of 30,631 in 1892.

History

Kurwai State was founded in 1713 by Mohammed Diler Khan, an Afghan soldier in the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

army. The state came under the Maratha suzerainty in the 1730s. Kurwai later became a

British protectorate British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...

in 1818, following the British victory in the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...

. Its last ruler acceded to the

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 ...

on 15 June 1948.

Rulers

The ruling house of Kurwai was founded by Muhammad Diler Khan, an

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

from the

Orakzai The Orakzai (Pashto: وركزۍ) are a Pashtun tribe native to the Orakzai Agency and parts of Kurram and Khyber Agencies in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Additionally, a sub-tribe of the Orakzai resides in Afghanistan's Maidan W ...

tribe as a feudal state. Diler Khan was a contemporary and cousin of Nawab Dost Muhammad Khan of

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

. In 1737 Following the victory of the Marathas, Bhopal came under the suzerainty of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

as a semi-autonomous state and remained so until the

in 1818. In the 1740s, Kurwai, then a feudal state, came under the direct rule of the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

s of the

.Source
/ref> In 1761, Diler Khan's son Izzat Khan formed an alliance with the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, and fought for them at the

Third Battle of Panipat The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately north of Delhi. The Afghan (ethnonym), Af ...

in 1761. The Marathas suffered a defeat in the battle, and Diler Khan was badly wounded in action. He was rescued by his maternal uncle. After recovering, Izzat Khan joined enemy camp, and received high commands, titles and territories from Ahmad Shah Abdali. He died of the battle injuries after returning to Kurwai. Izzat Khan's son Hurmut Khan was imprisoned by the

for three years. He was freed after he ceded several villages to them, and agreed to an

indemnity In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...

of 3 lakhs

rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

to the Marathas. Hurmut Khan' son Akbar Mohammad Khan formed an alliance with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in hopes of gaining back his territory from the Marathas, but following the

Second Anglo-Maratha War Second Anglo-Maratha War (from 1803 –1805) was a large conflict within the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire involving the British East India Company. It resulted in major loss of territory for the Marathas, including regions around Delhi a ...

, the British annexed the recovered lands for themselves and Kurwai became a princely state under the British suzerainty. Hurmut Khan's successors ruled the state until 1887, नज़फ़ खान कुरवाई नबाब को किसने मारा था? कुरवाई नवाब नजफ खान को टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार ने मारा था टीकाराम सक्सेना और नजफ खान की पुरानी दुश्मनी थी नजफ खान ने वैशाख माह की छठ के दिन 1886 में टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार के माता पिता और भाई को ग्राम बिलाधाना में मार डाला था जो अपने भैरो बाबा की पूजा करने गए थे, नजफ खान की सेना ने उस दिन काफी लूटपाट मचाई कुछ समय बाद ये जानकारी पवई में टीकाराम सक्सेना के पास पहुंची और आसपास के गांवों में पहुंची तो सभी ने इक्कठा होकर कुरवाई नबाब नज़फ़ खान पर हमला किया जिसमें टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार की सेना ने नजफ खान की सेना को गाजर मूली की तरह काट डाला और नजफ खान अपनी जान बचाकर कुरवाई किले के अंदर भाग गया लेकिन जब तक टीकाराम सक्सेना जी के माता पिता और भाई की मौत हो गई थी पूरी घटना में 200 से ज्यादा हिंदू मारे गए वहीं नजफ खान के 300 से ज्यादा सैनिक टीकाराम सक्सेना की सेना ने मार दिए थे उसके बाद टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार ने नजफ खान को मारने की कसम खा ली थी, लगातार टीकाराम सक्सेना नजफ खान को मारने की पूरी तैयारी में रहते थे,15/01/1887 को बेतवा नदी के संक्रांति का मेला लगा था कुरवाई नबाब नज़फ़ खान भी सेना के साथ मेले में से निकला, मेले का पूरा फायदा उठाते हुए टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार ने नजफ खान कुरवाई नबाब को मार डाला when Najaf Khan died without any male heir; कुरवाई नबाब मोनावर अली खान को टीकाराम सक्सेना ने मारा था 15/01/1887 को नजफ् खान को मारने के बाद कुरवाई नबाब दिलेर खान का वंश खत्म हो गया था टीकाराम सक्सेना चाहते थे कुरवाई रियासत पर अंग्रेज चलाये या स्वतंत्र छोड़ दे लेकिन नजफ् खान अपनी बेटी के लड़के मोनवर् अली खान को पहले ही अपनी वसीयत मे अंग्रेजो के पास नबाब बनाने की अनुमति दे गए थे नजफ् खान की मोत के बाद मोनावर् अली खान नबाब बने , टीकाराम सक्सेना के मन में अपने माता पिता भाई की मौत का बदला लेने को तैयार थे आखिरकार 10/09/1896 को टीकाराम सक्सेना और उनके सेनिको ने नबाब मोनावर् अली खान को ग्राम बीलाढाना और अम्बनगर के बीच घेर लिया और हजारो की सेना के बीच टीकाराम सक्सेना पवई दरबार ने मोनावर् अली खान कुरवाई नबाब को मार डाला his elder brother Muzaffar Khan had also died without heir. After a brief struggle with the Nawab of Basoda, Najaf Khan's maternal grandson Munawar Ali Khan became the ruler of the princely state. After Munawar Khan died without issue, his younger brother Yaqub 'Ali Khan became the Nawab of Kurwai. Yaqub married Munawar's wife Umar un-nisa. Their four-year-old son Sarwar Ali Khan became the Nawab after Yaqub's death in an accident at Bhopal.

Sarwar Ali Khan

When Sarwar Ali Khan was young, the state was ruled by a

regency council In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

headed by Umar un-nisa, who came to be known as "Sarkar Amma" (Mother Governor). She established several institutions for welfare of the citizens, including a rural bank that provided interest-free loans. Sarwar Ali Khan and his sisters were the first generation in the family to receive English education. He studied at the

Daly College The Daly College is a group of institutions consisting of a co-educational Private school, private boarding school, boarding, day school, a private junior school, an undergraduate management school and a postgraduate business school, located in ...

(

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

), Mayo College (

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

) and the

Sandhurst Military Academy The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer An officer is a person who has a position ...

. After graduating from Sandhurst in 1921, he severed with the Worcestershires until 1923. During this stint, he guarded

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

in the British custody. In 1926, he married Abida Sultan, the eldest daughter and heiress presumptive of the

Nawab of Bhopal The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of Bhopal, now part of Madhya Pradesh, India. The nawabs first ruled under the Mughal Empire from 1707 to 1737, under the Maratha Confederacy from 1737 to 1818, then under British rule from 1818 to 19 ...

. Their only son,

Shaharyar Khan Shahryar Mohammad Khan (; 29 March 1934 – 23 March 2024) was a Pakistani career diplomat who became Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1990, and remained so until his retirement from service in 1994. He later served as United Nations Special Re ...

, was born in 1934. The marriage eventually failed, and Sarwar Ali later married other women. Abida Sultan gave up her right to the throne of

and opted for the Muslim nation

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in 1950, eventually entering that country's Foreign service. Later, Shaharyar Khan became the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and then the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Sarwar Ali Khan's second wife was Ayesha, daughter of the Nawab of Wai. They had three children: Kaiser Zaman, Zafar Ali Khan and Munawar Ali Khan. During Sarwar Ali Khan's reign, Kurwai saw development of modern infrastructure including roads, telephone network, sanitary facilities, bridges, schools, courts, police station, civil hospital government offices, a power station and a Legislative Assembly. The power was transferred to the Government of newly independent India in 1947. On 15 June 1948, Kurwai State officially acceded to the Indian Government. Kurwai became part of the newly created state of

Madhya Bharat Madhya Bharat, also known as Malwa Union, was an Indian state in west-central India, created on 28 May 1948 from twenty-five princely states which until 1947 had been part of the Central India Agency, with Jiwajirao Scindia as its Rajpramuk ...

, and was added to Vidisha District. Madhya Bharat was merged into

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 ...

on 1 November 1956. Sarwar Ali Khan continued to be involved in the political process. A friend of the

Harijan Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

leader Jagjeevan Ram, he encouraged the emancipation of the lower

castes A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

, and also campaigned against the

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

system and

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

. After his death in 1986, the title Nawab of Kurwai passed on to his son Zafar Ali Khan. Sawar Ali's daughter Kaiser Zaman studied English at Somerville College, Oxford University. She later founded the All Saints School Bhopal and the All Saints College of Science & Commerce.

List of Nawabs

Rulers of Kurwai State bore the title of '

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

'. The rulers of Basoda and Mohammadgarh states were part of the same dynasty: *1713 – 12 Oct 1722 Mohammad Diler Khan (b. c.1670 - d. 1722) *12 Oct 1722 - 1762 Mohammad `Izzat Khan (d. 1762) *1722 – 1727 Mohammad Ahsanullah Khan -Regent *1762 – 1792 Mohammed Hormat Khan (d. 1792) *1792 - 1839 Akbar Mohammad Khan (d. 1839) *1839 – 11 Aug 1858 Mohammad Mozaffar Khan (d. 1858) *11 Aug 1858 – 15 Jan 1887 Mohammad Najaf Khan (b. 1822 – d. 1887) *15 Jan 1887 – 10 Sep 1896 Monawar `Ali Khan (b. 1869 - d. 1896) *15 Jan 1887 – 1892 Mian Mazhar `Ali Khan -Regent *10 Sep 1896 - 1 Oct 1906 Mohammad Ya`qub `Ali Khan (b. 1876 - d. 1906) * 1 Oct 1906 – 15 Aug 1947 Mohammad Sarwar `Ali Khan (b. 1901 - d. 1986) * 1 Oct 1906 – 9 Apr 1923 Umar un-nisa Begum (f) -Regent (d. 1963)

References

{{MP Princely States Pashtun dynasties Vidisha district 1713 establishments in Asia ca:Kurwai

History

Rulers

Sarwar Ali Khan

List of Nawabs

See also

References