Phulra or the State of Phulra () was a Muslim
princely state in the days of
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
and ruled by the
Tanoli tribe, located in the region of the
North West Frontier to the east of the nearby parent princely state of
Amb (Tanawal).
The territory covered by the state remains part of the present-day
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as a
Union Council of the
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...
of
Mansehra
Mansehra (Urdu, ) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. By population, it is the List of largest cities in Pakistan, 71st largest city in the country and the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, ...
.
[
]
History
The state was founded in 1828, when Nawab Khan, the ruler of Amb, granted the area of Phulra as a small principality to his son, Maddad Khan Tanoli
Maddad Khan Tanoli (1809-1888) was the younger brother of Mir Painda Khan. He played a considerable part in fighting the Sikh Empire with his brother Mir Painda Khan, Painda Khan. His brother Painda Khan gifted him land as Jagirdar.
His one of d ...
. There is some uncertainty as to whether Phulra ranked as a full princely state of India before 1919, and until then it may have had the status of a feudatory landed estate, but it was given British imperial state recognition as Phulra was recognised as a princely state in 1828 and 1921, in the official Imperial Gazetteer of Indian Empire. Phulrah had been under suzerainty of the Raja of Kashmir until 1889, when it accepted a British protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...
, entering into a subsidiary alliance
A subsidiary alliance, in South Asian history, was a tributary alliance between an Indian state and a European East India Company.
Under this system, an Indian ruler who formed an agreement with the company in question would be provided wit ...
with British India.
In 1947, soon after the British had departed from the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
, the last ruler of Phulra signed an Instrument of Accession
The Instrument of Accession was a legal document first introduced by the Government of India Act 1935 and used in 1947 to enable each of the rulers of the princely states under British paramountcy to join one of the new dominions of Dominion ...
to the new Dominion of Pakistan
The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan, was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to Pakistan Day, 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence ...
, and Phulra was a princely state of Pakistan from then until September 1950, when it was incorporated into the North West Frontier Province following the death of its last ruler.[''The Pakistan Gazetteer'', vol. 5 (Cosmo Publications, 2000), p. 243]
Dynasty
The state was ruled by a collateral line of the hereditary Tanoli Nawabs (rulers) of Amb. Amb and Phulra together were sometimes referred to as "Feudal Tanawal".
Descendants of Maddad Khan
Maddad Khan, the original Khan of Phulra, had two branches of offspring. After the State of Phulra was abolished, both these branches continued to reside in the area. The descendants of its last Nawab, Abdul Latif Khan Tanoli, remained in the area as private residents.
Of the junior branch, Maddad Khan Tanoli
Maddad Khan Tanoli (1809-1888) was the younger brother of Mir Painda Khan. He played a considerable part in fighting the Sikh Empire with his brother Mir Painda Khan, Painda Khan. His brother Painda Khan gifted him land as Jagirdar.
His one of d ...
had four sons from one wife: Ameer Khan Tanoli, Abdullah Khan Tanoli, Arsla Khan Tanoli and Hussain Khan Tanoli, whose son was Safiullah Khan Tanoli.[This information is taken from their descendants that are still surviving.][Governor-General's Orders GGO NO. 51 of 1921, given at Simla, vide section B of the Gazette of India] From his second wife, Bahadur Khan Tanoli had one other surviving son.Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
.
See also
*Amb (princely state)
Amb () or the State of Amb was a princely state in the present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. Together with Phulra, it was known as Jagir, Feudal Tanawal ruled by Tanoli tribe. A Ruling class, Royal Tenure start from Timurid Empire ...
References
External links and sources
Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Government of Pakistan
* https://www.scribd.com/doc/63020034/Tarikh-E-Hazara-Original-by-Dr-Sher-Bahadur-Khan-Punni-V01
{{Princely states of Pakistan
Mansehra District
Princely states of Pakistan
States and territories established in 1828
1950 disestablishments in Pakistan