Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan Bahadur (1842–1902)

C.I.E. 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) Appoint ...

, The

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

of Kotaha and the

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 ...

of Morni and

Pindrawal Pindrawal is a town in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, India History Pindrawal was a zamindari during British India belonging to dynasty Muslim community. Raja’s of Pindrawal * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Baquar Ali, Khan Bahadur, C ...

,Asian Review 1902 -- Page 443 was a noted

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

and philanthropist from Morni who lived in

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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 ...

Early life

He was born in year 1842 in the noted Lalkhani branch of

Muslim Rajputs Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various ...

. He was born to Quasim Ali Khan aka Kasim Ali Khan and Latif-ul-nissa. His father, Quasim Ali was son of Mir Akbar Ali, the Mir of Kotaha, while his mother was granddaughter of Raja Nahar Ali Khan and daughter of Akbar Ali Khan of Pindrawal.

Mir of Kotaha

His grandfather Akbar Ali was the jagirdar of Kotaha (Kutaya), usually spoken of as the

of Kotaha, and enjoyed also a perpetual pension of Rs. 400 a year, granted in 1850, in return for the surrender of the right to levy transit duties within the limits of the Morni tract.Haryana District Gazetteers: Amabala district gazetteer, 1923-24 reprint by Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department, Haryana, 1998 - Haryana (India) pp:69-70 His father Qasim Ali Khan II had died at

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 1849-50. His grandfather, Meer Akbar Ali Khan had come under suspicion of British during

Revolt 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 form ...

and Thomas Douglas Forsyth, Deputy Commissioner Umballa partially dismantled the Kotaha fort. The successor to him Melville was a bit lenient on Mir of Kotaha and taking advantage of this Akbar Ali rebuilt the fort without permission. But when James Stuart Tighe also known as Captain Tighe succeeded P. S. Melville as the Deputy Commissioner of Umballa in 1864 and the Mir came under the severe displeasure of the British Government on a charge of conspiracy, and ‘on an attempt to partially rebuild his fort at Kotaha without permission’. This led to demolition of fort and confiscation of their

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

. However, Meer Akbar Ali died in 1864 and young Bakir Ali succeeded him as Mir of Kotaha. Due to his young age he was spared and their jagir of Kotaha was restored to him but at the same time, he was banished from town. However, his whole property in

Naraingarh Naraingarh (also: Narayangarh) is a town, municipal committee and assembly constituency in the Ambala district of the Indian state of Haryana, located on the border with the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Due to its geographical location, th ...

was brought under direct official management. The Government cancelled the sentence of banishment and the property was finally restored to the Mir in 1880.

Raja of Pindrawal

After death of his grandfather, Baquar Ali Khan inherited the title of Mir of Kotaha but due to banishment settled at

in the

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bulandsh ...

of the North-West Provinces, where he had inherited a large

zamindari A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

property consisting of 365 villages, from her maternal side and was later given the title of Raja of

. He also inherited large estates in Koil, Khair and Atrauli parganas of

Aligarh district Aligarh () is one of the 75 districts in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Aligarh Division. The districts which adjoin Aligarh are (clockwise from north) Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Bada ...

and Morthal estates in

Budaun district Budaun district (; or Buaaun) is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, with its headquarters in the town of Badaun. The district is part of the Bareilly division, and covers an area of . According to legend, Budaun was named af ...

Philanthropist and educationist

Baquar Ali Khan was one of the visionaries who understood the value of education for up-liftment of Muslim community. He co-operated with

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), also spelled Sayyid Ahmad Khan, was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu–Muslim unity, he ...

in the foundation of the

Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (, lit. "Science School for the Muslims of India") was founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, initially as a primary school, with the intention of turning it to a college level institution. It was inspired by t ...

he was the founder vice president and also the board of trustee of the

and he also donated a substantial amount of money to build

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...

. He also donated Rs. 30,000 towards the construction of the

Bulandshahr Bulandshahr, formerly Baran, is a city and a municipal board in Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bulandshahr district and part of Delhi NCR region. According to the Governme ...

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. He was also a fellow of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

, Great Britain.

Honors

He was given title of

Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of ''Khan'' "Leader" and ''Bahadur'' "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and India ...

and later created a

Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire 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) Appointm ...

, on 1 January 1883 by the British government in recognition of his services.

Death

Baquar Ali Khan died on 20 January 1902.

Family

* Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan, died leaving two sons: Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Jafar Ali Khan and Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Asghar Ali Khan. He was succeeded by the elder * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Jafar Ali Khan II, who built a fort at Atrauli, Aligarh district in 1909 that stands to date. He was succeeded by his son. **Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Asghar Ali Khan founded the Asgharabad Estate after the partition of Pindrawal Estate. * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Akbar Ali Khan II, O.B.E. (1896-1958) who became a member of the UP Legislative council in 1937. He was accorded kalgi and khilat by the Governor of Punjab in a special durbar at Sirhind. He had also inherited the family estates at Teori and Morthal, Uttar Pradesh. He built a hospital at Morni. Akbar Ali Khan also donated fund to start a scholarship at Aligarh Muslim University Akbar Ali Khan was succeeded by his three sons: Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Qasim Ali Khan, Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Qazim Ali Khan, and Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Raza Ali Khan. * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Qasim Ali Khan had five sons and was succeeded by his elder son * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Baqir Ali Khan III who was succeeded by his three sons * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Abul Hasan who is succeeded by his two sons * Kunwarzaada Mir Syed Musa Ali * Kunwarzaada Mir Syed Hamza Ali. * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Ali who is succeeded by his son. * Kunwarzaada Mir Shahrome Ali Syed. * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Hassan who is succeeded by his son * Kunwarzaada Mir Syed Muhammad Mahdi. * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Qazim Ali Khan had 3 sons and was succeeded by his elder son * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Mustafa Ali Khan who is succeeded by his son * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Saif Mustafa. * Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Raza Ali khan is succeeded by his six sons * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Ali Khan who is succeeded by his son * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Hasan Ali who is succeeded by his son * Kunwarzaada Mir Syed Muhammad Zidan Ali. * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Ahmad Ali Khan who is succeeded by his two sons * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Hani Raza * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Ali Raza. * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Mustafa Ali Khan who is succeeded by his three sons * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Moosi Raza * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Sadiq Ali Khan * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan IV. * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Mujtaba Ali Khan who is succeeded by his son * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Abdullah Raza. * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Murtaza Ali Khan who died in 1986 without an heir. * Rajazaada Mir Syed Muhammad Haider Ali Khan who is succeeded by his two sons * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Murtaza Raza * Kunwar Mir Syed Muhammad Raza.