Raja Bahadur Nahar Khan was the ruler of

Mewat Mewat (; ) is a historical and cultural region which encompasses parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in northwestern India. Geography The loose boundaries of the Mewat region generally include parts of th ...

and the progenitor of

Khanzada The Khanzada or Khan Zadeh are a cluster community of Muslim Rajputs found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. A notable community is the Khanzadas of Mewat, the descendants of Raja Nahar Khan, who are a sub-clan of Jada ...

clan who were themselves a sub-clan of

Yadav Yadavs are a grouping of non-elite, peasant-pastoral Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern states l ...

. His original name was Sambhar Pal. He and his brother Sopar Pal (who later became Chhaju Khan) embraced Islam during the era of

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388), also known as Firuz III, was Sultan of Delhi from 1351 until his death in 1388. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was ...

. He was also known as ''Wali-e-Mewat Raja Bahadur Nahar Khan''

Background

He was the son of Jadaun Rajput

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 ...

Lakhan Pal of Kotla Fort and great-grandson of Raja Adhan Pal (who was 4th in descent from Raja Tahan Pal). Tahan Pal, who founded

Timangarh Timan Garh is a historical fort of the Karauli State, situated near Masalpur in Karauli District on old Agra-Karauli highway Indian state of Rajasthan. The ASI, State Government and Central Government of India have taken no steps to preserve ...

, was the eldest son of Maharaja Bijai Pal (founder of

Bijai Garh Bijai Garh, also known as Vijayamandirgarh or Bijaigarh, is a fort located in Bayana in Bharatpur district. It is approximately 25km from the nearest city, Hindaun. The fort was built by Jadaun Rajput king Vijayapal in 1040 CE. Bijaigarh c ...

and Maharaja of

Karauli Karauli (also formerly spelled Karoli or Karaulee) is a city located in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the Braj region and holds religious importance in Hinduism. The city is the administrative center of Karauli District, a ...

), who was 88th in descent from

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

Conversion to Islam

Tughlaq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty (also known as the Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty; ) was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath ...

ruled during 14th century and at one point of time, the local leaders were asserting their independence to a greater extent. Sambhar Pal had risen to prominence during the period. Coercive and co-optative tactics were used by

to tackle such uprisings. Unable to achieve his objectives through forceful tactics, the Tughlaq Sultan then sought a peaceful resolution with Sambhar Pal, who, in a gesture of goodwill, embraced

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, assuming the name Nahar Khan in 1359. His lineage continued to be known as Khanazadas. Kunwar Sambhar Pal and his brother Kunwar Sopar Pal, the sons of Raja Lakhan Pal, were in service of

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Firuz Shah Tughlaq of

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

. They were accompanying the Sultan in one of his hunting expedition, where the Sultan was attacked by a tiger. Kunwar Sambhar Pal saved the Sultan by killing the tiger single-handedly. Sultan Firuz gave them the title of Bahadur

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

for his bravery.

Founder of Khanzada community

Nahar Khan had nine sons, his descendants are known as

who were originally

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Jadaun Jadaun also known Jadon is a Rajput clan of Indian origin. They claim descent from the Yaduvanshi lineage of the Chandravanshi dynasty. They further claim to be the descendants of Krishna. It is believed that once they ruled the state of Math ...

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 ...

Wali of Mewat

Raja Nahar Khan of Kotla was a high ranking

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

in the royal court of

. In 1372,

granted him the Lordship of

. He established a hereditary polity in Mewat and proclaimed the title of Wali-e-Mewat. After his ascension to the throne in 1372, the people of

began to gradually convert to

. Later his descendants affirmed their own sovereignty in Mewat. They ruled Mewat till 1527. The last

ruler of Mewat was

Hasan Khan Mewati Raja Hasan Khan Mewati (died 17 March 1527) was a Muslim Khanzada Rajput ruler of Mewat. The son of previous ruler Raja Alawal Khan, his dynasty had ruled Mewat State for nearly 200 years. He was a descendant of Raja Nahar Khan Mewati, who wa ...

, who died in the

Battle of Khanwa The Battle of Khanwa was fought at Khanwa in modern-day Rajasthan on 16 March 1527, between the Mughal Empire, led by Babur, and the Kingdom of Mewar, led by Rana Sanga for supremacy of Northern India. The battle, which ended in a Mughal vic ...

against the invading Mughal forces of

Babur Babur (; 14 February 148326 December 1530; born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also ...

Delhi Power Struggle

In 1388, Raja Nahar Khan aided

Abu Bakr Shah Abu Bakr Shah Tughlaq (; reigned 1389–1390), was a Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty. He was the son of Zafar Khan and the grandson of Sultan Feroze Shah Tughluq. Life After Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq II (who had succeeded Sultan Feroze Sha ...

, grandson of the late Emperor

, in expelling from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Abu Bakr's uncle

Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah II (; d. February 1413), also known as Nasiruddin Mohammad Shah, was the last sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. History War of succession with Nusrat Shah Nasiruddin Mahmud was a son of s ...

and in establishing the former on the throne. In a few months, however, Abu Bakr had to give away before Nasiruddin, and he then fled to Raja Nahar's stronghold in

Mewat State The Mewat State was a sovereign kingdom ruled by the Khanzadas of Mewat. They were a ruling dynasty of Muslim Rajputs from Rajputana who had their capital at Alwar. The Khanzadas were Muslim Rajputs who descended from Raja Sonpar Pal who was a ...

, where he was pursued by Nasiruddin. After a struggle Abu Bakr and Raja Nahar surrendered, and Abu Bakr was placed in confinement for life in the fort of

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

, but Raja Nahar received a robe and was allowed to depart.

Timur's Invasion of India

In 1398 during

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

's Invasion of Delhi, Nahar Khan withdrew to his Kotla Tijara and watched the development of events from there.

during this time was flooded with fugitives fleeing from Delhi and

Khizr Khan Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the fourth ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty. Khizr Khan was Go ...

, (the future Sultan of Delhi), was one of those who took shelter in Mewat. After defeating Nasiruddin, Timur sent two envoys to

who invited the Wali of Mewat for a meeting with him. Nahar accepted this invitation and both met in 1398. As a gesture of goodwill and symbol of friendship Raja Nahar Khan gifted Timur two white parrots, which Timur praised highly.

himself, made prominent mention of the conduct of Nahar Khan during the Invasion of India in 1398 AD. Timur states that he sent an embassy to Nahar Khan at Kotila, to which a humble reply was received. Raja Nahar sent as a present two white parrots that belonged to the late Emperor. Timur remarks that these parrots were much prized by him.

Death

In 1402, Nahar Khan was killed in an ambush by his in-laws of Kishangarh Bas. After his death, his son Raja Bahadur Khan succeeded him as Wali-e-Mewat.

Legacy

He had nine sons, namely Wali-e-Mewat Raja Bahadur Khan, Malik Alaudin Khan, Shah Mehmood Khan, Pir Shahab Khan, Malik Haroon Khan, Siraj Khan, Fateh Khan, Noor Khan and Nizam Khan. He was the progenitor of Khanzada Rajput community.

Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim (17 December 1556 – 1 October 1627), popularly known as simply Rahim and titled ''Khan-i-Khanan'', was a poet who lived in India during the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar, who was Rahim's mentor. He was one of ...

, Nawab Feroz Khan, Khan Bahadur Fateh Naseeb Khan, Abdul Kadir Khanzada, Tufail Ahmad Khan, Suhaib Ilyasi,

Abdul Aleem Khanzada Abdul Aleem Khanzada () is a Pakistani educationist and politician who is member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Political career Khanzada won the 2024 Pakistani general election from NA-219 Hyderabad-II as a Muttahida Qaumi Movement – ...

and

Shahzeb Khanzada Shahzeb Khanzada (; born 20 September 1986) is a Pakistani journalist, columnist and news anchor, currently hosting a current affairs television program () on Geo News. Personal life Shahzeb was born on 20 September 1986, in Karachi ...

are his direct descendants. Haveli Naharwali, in Kucha Sadullah Khan of Chandani Chowk in

Old Delhi Shahjahanabad colloquially known as Old Delhi( Hindustani: ''Purāni Dillī'') is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city and officially named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shi ...

, is said to be originally owned by him,Heritage , The Old Delhi dictionary
Livemint, 2 March 2013. which later came in the ownership of family of former president of Pakistan,

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

, where he was born and his grandfather sold it to Prem Chand Gola after whom this area is now called Gola Market.Haveli Naharvali
the-south-asian.com, June 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Nahar, Mewati Mewat Rajput monarchs Indian Muslims History of Haryana Year of birth unknown Converts to Islam Islam in India