Rampur, Uttar Pradesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Rampur Uttar Pradesh • India |
|
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 88 m (289 ft) |
| District(s) | Rampur |
| Population | 281,549 (2001) |
Coordinates: Rampur (Hindi: रामपुर, Pashto/Urdu: رام پور) is a city and a municipal board located in the Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur is located at Longitude 78-0-54 & 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 & 29-10 North and spans area of 2367 Sq. Km.
It also gave its name to a former princely state of British India, once ruled by a Muslim Nawab from the Afghan Rohilla tribe. It was incorporated into the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1949. The region around Rampur and Bareilly still has a substantial population of Pashtuns.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The Royals of Rampur (the Nawabs) sided with the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 [2] and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and culture life of South Asia in general and the Muslims of South Asia in particular. They gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the Court of Bahadur Shah Zafar. The family continues to be significant. Important members include Sahabzada Yaqub Khan and Congress leader Begum Noor Bano (aka Mahatab Zamani), the widow of the former Nawab of Rampur Zulfiquar Ali Khan of Rampur (aka Mickey Mian).
In the medieval period Rampur was usually controlled by whoever was the ruler of Delhi at the time, and was divided between Badayun and Sambhal districts. Being situated in the Northern part of Rohilkhand, it was known by the name of Kather and was ruled by Katheria Rajputs. The Katheria Rajputs fought for about 400 years with the rulers of Delhi and later with the Mughals. They fought against Nasiruddin Mahmud in 1253, Ghiyasuddin Balban in 1256, Jalaluddin Firoz in 1290, Firoz Shah in 1379 and Sikander Lodhi in 1494. In 1623 two Afghan brothers of the Rohilla tribe, Shah Alam and Husain Khan, settled here and founded a small state, bringing with them many other Pashtun settlers. Ali Muhammad Khan, grandson of Shah Alam, united the Rohillas between 1707 and 1720, making Bareilly his capital. His uncle, Hafiz Rahmat Khan, who succeeded him, extended his power from Almora in the North to Etawah in the South-West.
The Rohilla War of 1774-5 began when the Rohillas reneged on a debt they owed the Nawab of Oudh for military assistance against the Marathas in 1772. The Rohillas were defeated and driven from their former capital of Bareilly by the Nawab of Oudh with the assistance of the East India Company's troops. The Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on October 7, 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter.
The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad'. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad Alias RAMPUR. Nawwab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turki and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the holdings of the Rampur Raza Library. After his death his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over, but he was killed by the Rohilla Leaders after 24 days, and Ghulam Muhammad Khan, the brother of the deceased, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was defeated by its forces, and the Governor-General made Ahmad Ali Khan, son of the late Muhammad Ali Khan, the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Sa'id Khan son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan took over as the new Nawab. He raised a regular Army, established Courts and carried out many works to improve the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death. His son Kalb Ali Khan became the new Nawab after his death in 1865.
Nawab Kalb Ali Khan was literate in Arabic and Persian. Under his rule the state did much work to uplift standards of education. He was also a Member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence. He built the Jama Masjid in Rampur at a cost of Rs. 3 Lakhs. He was also knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. He ruled for 22 years and 7 months. After his death his son Mushtaq Ali Khan took over. He appointed W. C. Wright as the Chief Engineer of the estate. He built many new buildings and canals. Nawab Hamid Ali became the new ruler in 1889 at the age of 14. Many new schools were opened during his reign, and lots of donations were provided to nearby colleges. He donated Rs. 50,000 to Lucknow Medical College. In 1905 he built the magnificent Darbar Hall within the Fort which now houses the great collection of Oriental manuscripts held by the Rampur Raza Library. His son Raza Ali Khan became the last ruling Nawab in 1930. On July 1, 1949 the State of Rampur was merged into the Republic of India. Rampur today presents a slightly decayed appearance: the palaces of the Nawabs are crumbling, as are the gates and walls of the fort. However, the Library remains a flourishing institution of immense value to scholars from all over the world.
In terms of more recent history of Rampur, later "Nawabs", who still used the title of Nawab as a token but never ruled Rampur, Murtaza Ali Khan and Mikki Mia are now dead. It is an interesting historical fact that Murtaza Ali contested an election from Rampur opposite his own mother Rafat Jamani Begum in 1972 and won. Although the two brothers were always political rivals but never faced each other in elections. Subsequently, the family was also involved in smuggling scandals involving some smuggling from Pakistan, where one of hte sons of Murtaza Ali was married. Raza Inter College, Hamid Inter College and Murtaza Inter College are three higher secondary schools named after three nawabs.
Prof. Ravindra Khattree, renowned academic statistician spent some of his early years at Rampur and studied ar Murtaza Inter College and Raza Inter College.
[edit] Rulers of Rampur
I. Nawab Faizullah Ali Khan Bahadur (May 1734-24 July 1793) Received Rampur in 1748; ruled 1748-24 July 1793.
II. Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Bahadur (1750-20 September 1794) r. 24 July-11 August 1793.
III. Nawab Haj Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bahadur (11 July 1763-1828) r. 11 August 1793-24 October 1794.
IV. Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur (12 October 1787-5 July 1840) r. 24 October 1794-5 July 1840.
V. Nawab Muhammad Said Khan Bahadur (19 May 1786-1 April 1855) r. 5 July 1840-1 April 1855.
VI. His Highness Nawab Sir Yusef Ali Khan Bahadur, KCSI (5 March 1816-21 April 1865) r. 1 April 1855-21 April 1865.
VII. His Highness Haj Nawab Sir Kalb Ali Khan Bahadur, GCSI, CIE, Kaiser-i-Hind (1834-23 March 1887) r. 21 April 1865-23 March 1887).
VIII. His Highness Nawab Muhammad Mushtaq Ali Khan Bahadur, Kaiser-i-Hind (1856-25 February 1889) r. 23 March 1887-25 February 1889.
IX. Major-General His Highness Nawab Sayyid Sir Hamid Ali Khan Bahadur, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO (31 August 1875-20 June 1930) r. 25 February 1889-20 June 1930.
X. Major-General His Highness Nawab Sayyid Sir Raza Ali Khan Bahadur, GCIE, KCSI (17 November 1908-6 March 1966) r. 20 June 1930-6 March 1966. Last reigning Nawab.
XI. Brigadier His Highness Nawab Sayyid Murtaza Ali Khan Bahadur, MBE (22 November 1923-8 February 1982) r. 6 March 1966-8 February 1982. Derecognised as Nawab in 1971.
XII. Major His Highness Nawab Sayyid Zulfiqar Ali Khan Bahadur (11 March 1933-5 April 1992) r. 8 February 1982-5 April 1992.
XIII. His Highness Nawab Sayyid Muhammad Qasim Ali Khan Bahadur (16 October 1960- ) r. 5 April 1992-.
[edit] Geography
Rampur is located at [3]. It has an average elevation of 88 metres (288 feet).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census[4], Rampur had a population of 281,549. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rampur has an average literacy rate of 49%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 53%, and female literacy is 45%. In Rampur, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] References
- ^ Raymond Chickrie: The Afghan Muslims of Guyana and Suriname
- ^ Rampur This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain..
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Rampur
- ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
[edit] Bibliography
Ahwalay Riyasatay Rampur (Tarikhi wa Maashrati Pusmanzar) By Syed Asghar Ali Shadami Compiled and edited by Rizwanullah Khan Enayati Tanzim Ahbab Rampur
[edit] Current Scene
Work on Maulana Mohammed Ali Johar University, an Urdu, Arabic and Persian university is under way.
