Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III (11 November 1768 – 21 May 1829), was the 3rd

Nizam Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

from 1803 to 1829. He was born in

Chowmahalla Palace Chowmahalla Palace or Chowmahallat is the palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nizams of Hyderabad State located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was the seat of power of the Asaf Jahi dynasty (1720-1948) and was the official residence of the Niza ...

in the Khilwath, the second son of

Asaf Jah II Mir Nizam Ali Khan Siddiqi, Asaf Jah II (7 March 1734 – 6 August 1803) was the 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State between 1762 and 1803. He was born on 7 March 1734 as fourth son to Asaf Jah I and Umda Begum. His official name is ''Asaf Jah II, Niz ...

and Tahniat un-nisa Begum.

Family

;Consorts One of his wives was Jahan Parwar Begum, also known as Hajji Begum. She was the daughter of Azim ul-Umara also known as Ma'ali Mian and Farzand Begum. She was the granddaughter of Aristu Jah, from whom she inherited Purani Haveli (lit. "Old mansion"), and the niece of Munir ul-Mulk. She was the mother of Mir Tafazzul Ali Khan, also known as Mir Badsha, and Namdar-un-Nisa Begum. She died on 21 May 1853. Another wife was Fazilat-un-nisa Begum also known as Chandni Begum. She was the mother of Nasir-ud-Daulah and Mubarez-ud-Daulah. ;Daughters * Jamal-un-Nisa Begum (died 22 March 1855, buried near her husband), married to Rafi-ud-Daulah, the brother of Safdar-ud-Daulah, the Nizam of Surat; * Kamal-un-Nisa Begum, married to Mir Moin-un-Din Husain Khan, Ghazanfar Jung, Imtiaz-ud-Daulah; * A daughter, married on 25 May 1821 to the son of Zafar-Yab Jung; * Sultan-un-Nisa Begum, married on 25 December 1830 to Mohammed Sultan-ud-din Khan, Sabqat Jang, Muhtasham-ud-Daula, son of Nawab Shams-ul-Umara Bahadur; * Namdar-un-Nisa Begum, married on 15 August 1839 to Mir Abdul Qasim Sohrab Jang Moin-ud-Daulah, a relative of Mir Alam; * Hashmat-un-Nisa Begum, married to Shams ul-Umara, Vikar ul-Umara, Amir-i-Kabir, Iqtidar ul-Mulk, Iqtidar ud-Daulah, Nawab Abul Khair Khan Bahadur;

Official name

His original names were Sikandar Jah, Asaf ul-Mulk, Asad ud-Daula, Walashan Nawab Mir Akbar 'Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Asad Jang. He was officially known as ''Asaf Jah III, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Mir Akbar 'Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Faulad Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad''.

Military expansion

During his reign, a

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 ...

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

was established near Hyderabad and the area was christened after him as

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

. His son Samsamadaula (Mir Basheeruddin Ali Khan) was Defence Adviser to his brother, Nasir ud Daula, and nephew, Afzal ud daula. But he did not have any pact with the British for maintaining the contingent. The state was in a financial mess during his reign.

Sikh Regiment

Upon the recommendation of Maharaja

Chandu Lal Chandu Lal Malhotra (1766 – 15 April 1845), better known as Maharaja Chandu Lal was the Prime Minister (1833–1844) for the 3rd Nizam of Hyderabad, Sikandar Jah. He was born in Hyderabad Deccan (now Hyderabad, India), and hailed from a Hind ...

, a Punjabi Khatri and influential dignitary at the Nizam's court. 1200+ Sikh soldiers joined the Nizam's army. Around 1830,

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl ...

sent 150 more men under a Sardar Chanda Singh, for the construction of Gurdwara Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Abichalnagar at Nanded.

Building of temple

Sikander Jah not only built the Rambagh temple in

Attapur Attapur is a commercial and residential area located in South western Hyderabad, Telangana. It provides connectivity to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The P.V. Narasimha Rao Expressway passes through Attapur. Being close to Mehdipat ...

but also attended the inauguration ceremony proving again the communal harmony that existed between the Muslim

Asaf Jah The Asaf Jahi is a Muslim dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad State. The family came to India in the late 17th century and became employees of the Mughal Empire. They were great patrons of Indo-Persian culture, language, and literature, and the fa ...

i rulers and their Hindu subjects in

. The Nizam also granted a Jagir to the temple priest for the temple's maintenance.

References

Bibliography

External links

VOYAGE OF HYDERABAD PART 8 "Sikandar Jah"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jah, Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander, Asaf Jah Iii Nizams of Hyderabad 19th-century Indian royalty 19th-century Indian Muslims 1768 births 1829 deaths Asaf Jahi dynasty Secunderabad Indian royalty 19th-century Indian monarchs