Rohilla

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For the eponymous steamship, see Rohilla (steamship)

Rohillas (Urdu: روہِلا, Hindi: रोहिला) are Muslim highlanders (Roh means mountains and Rohilla literally means mountaineer) of Pashtun origin. Roh corresponded to the mountainous region stretching from Swat and Bajaur in north to Sibi and Bhakkar in south and Hasan Abdal in east to the Kabul and Kandahar in west. The Rohillas previously used to reside in British India, but due to various circumstances some were forced to settle in Burma, South America with the vast majority re-settling in Pakistan at the time of independence.

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[edit] Origin

Most Rohillas belonged to Yousafzai tribe of Pashtuns, mainly of Mandanr sub-section. The term Rohilla was used for all Pashtuns, except for the Bangashes who settled in the Rohilkhand region, or men serving under Rohilla chiefs . They were awarded the Katehr region in the then northern India by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir (ruled 1658-1707) to suppress Rajput uprisings. However most of them settled in the Katehar region during Nadir Shah's invasion of northern India in 1739 increasing their population up to 30,000. Due to the large settlement of Rohilla Afghans, the Katehar region gained fame as Rohilkhand. Bareilly was made the capital of the Rohilkhand state. Other important cities were Moradabad, Rampur, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, and others. This region is nowadays located in modern Uttar Pradesh state of India but is now believed to have been emptied of its Pathan inhabitants due to their exodus.

Rohillas were distinguished by their separate language and culture. They spoke Pashto among each other but gradually lost their language over time and now converse in Urdu. Nowadays most of them are living in the city of Karachi with smaller scattered populations still to be found in Burma.

Some Rohillas are descendants of Hindu Rajputs who ruled Rohilkhand from 1702-1720. Bareilly was the capital (1707-20) of the Hindu Rohilla kingdom. The region is named for the Rohilla tribe, and was known as Madhyadesh in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Dr. K. C. Sen has written a book on the history of Rohilla Rajputs. The book is available for view and download at: http://rajputrohilla.googlepages.com.

[edit] History

The founders of the Pashtun state of Rohilkhand were Daud Khan and his adopted son Ali Mohammed Khan. Daud Khan arrived in 1705 in India along with a band of his tribe. He was succeeded in 1721 by Ali Mohammed Khan, who became so powerful that he refused to send tax revenues to the central governament. Safdar Jang, the Nawab of Oudh[1], warned Mughal emperor Mohammed Shah[2] of the growing power of the Rohillas. This caused Mohammed Shah to sent an expedition against him as a result of which he surrendered to imperial forces. He was taken to Delhi as a prisoner, but was later pardoned and appointed governor of Sirhind. In 1748, he returned to Rohilkhand and recovered his lost possessions. Later that year Ali Mohammed Ali Khan died, leaving six sons. However, two of his elder sons were in Afghanistan at the time of his death while the other four were too young to assume the leadership of Rohilkhand. As a result, power transferred to other Rohilla Sardars, the most important being Hafiz Rahmat Khan and Dundi Khan.

[edit] Following the Battle of Panipat in 1761

In the third battle of Panipat (1761) one of the Rohilla Sardars, Najib-ul-Daula, allied himself with Ahmad Shah Abdali[3] against the Marathas. He not only provided 40,000 Rohilla troops but also 70 guns to combined forces. He also convinced Shuja-ul-Daula, the Nawab of Oudh, to join Ahmad Shah Abdali's forces against the Marathas. In this battle, the Maratha's were defeated and as a consequence Rohilla increased in power.

Rohilkhand was invaded by the Marathas to retaliate against the Rohillas' paticipation in the Panipat War. The Marathas entered the jagir (land) of the late Sardar Najib-ud-Daula which was now held by his son Zabita Khan. Zabita Khan gave tough resistance but was defeated and forced to flee to the camp of Shuja-ud-Daula; and his country was ravaged by Marathas. The principal remaining Rohilla Sardar was Hafiz Rahmat Khan Barech and through him an agreement was formed with the Nawab of Oudh, Shuja-ud-Daula, by which they had to pay 4 million rupees in return to their military help in defeating the Marathas. However, after the defeat of the Marathas, the Rohillas refused to pay.

In the subsequent Rohilla War, the Rohillas were attacked by Oudh with help from British East India Company forces. When Hafiz Rahmat Khan Barech was killed, in April 1774, they were defeated, and Rohilkhand was plundered.

Rohillas fled to jungles across the Ganges, and later began a guerilla war against the occupation. In response, the Rohillas were hunted down by the British and were subsequently scattered in the countryside, and settled in many small towns. Later charges of destroying a nation (ethnic cleansing or genocide) were brought against Warren Hastings of the East India Company, by Edmund Burke, later taken up by Thomas Babington Macaulay.

The Rohillas took an active part in War of Independence in 1857 against British imperial forces (referred to as the Mutiny by the British historians, or the War of Independence). The revolt was bitterly suppressed, and in its wake the British dramatically reorganized the government of South Asia, bringing an end to the British East India Company's regime and leading to almost a century of direct rule of the South Asia by Britain under the British Raj.

[edit] Rulers

  • 1719 - 15 Sep 1748 Ali Mohammad Khan (b. 1706 - d. 1748)
  • 15 Sep 1748 - 24 Jul 1793 Faizullah Khan (b. 1734 - d. 1793) (prisoner in Afghanistan until 1752)
  • 15 Sep 1748 - 23 Apr 1774 Hafiz Rahmat Khan Barech -Regent (b. 1708/09 - d. 1774)
  • 24 Jul 1793 - 11 Aug 1793 Mohammad Ali Khan Barech (b. 1750 - d. 1794)
  • 11 Aug 1793 - 24 Oct 1794 Gholam Mohammad Khan (b. 1763 - d. 1828)
  • 24 Oct 1794 - 5 Jul 1840 Ahmad Ali Khan (b. 1787 - d. 1840)
  • 24 Oct 1794 - 1811 Nasrullah Khan -Regent (d. 1811)
  • 5 Jul 1840 - 1 Apr 1855 Mohammad Said Khan (b. 1786 - d. 1855)
  • 1 Apr 1855 - 21 Apr 1865 Mohammad Yusof Ali Khan (b. 1816 - d. 1865)
  • 21 Apr 1865 - 23 Mar 1887 Mohammad Kalb Ali Khan (b. 1834 - d. 1887)
  • 23 Mar 1887 - 25 Feb 1889 Mohammad Moshtaq Ali Khan (b. 1856 - d. 1889)
  • 25 Feb 1889 - 20 Jun 1930 Mohammad Hamid Ali Khan (b. 1875 - d. 1930)

25 Feb 1889 - 4 Apr 1894 .... -Regent

  • 20 Jun 1930 - 15 Aug 1947 Mohammad Reza Ali Khan (b. 1908 - d. 1966)

[edit] Rohilla's Traditions

  • Orbal. The tiny plaits of hair at the time of the weddings for the bride. It is dying now in the educated families.
  • Boiled meat eaten with Nan bread. It is called Tar Tanoori.

Rampur knife industry was the pride of the town. Some knives are still being made and the young men carry them to show off. These days the same professional ironmongers are making good copies of the guns at a small level. These guns are used for hunting which is a pastime of the Pathans. .

  • The Jirgah system is intact and for small disputes people do call a jirgah.
  • Snuff is used and special, elaborate boxes were in fashion but not now.
  • The youngsters kiss the hands of their elders.
  • They do not smoke or chew Paan (beetle leave) in front of their parents.
  • Until 1940s the white Burqa (shuttle cock like shroud which women of Afghanistan wear when they go out) was abandoned by many women of Uttar Pradesh 20 years ago but it is in fashion now in an Arab style, due to the Identity crises.
  • The first Thursday of the Lunar month is considered Auspicious and sweet dishes are prepared to send to the local shrine for the poor to eat.
  • A married woman should spend the first day of the new moon in her Parents house and she has to sight the moon there.
  • A pregnant woman should drink milk in the light of the full moon if she wants her baby to be fair skinned. On the sixth day after the Childbirth, the woman is taken out at night in the courtyard and she looks at the stars. If it is a cloudy night she must do it the next day.
  • At weddings, most of the traditions are common with the other U.P Muslim. When bride and the groom are brought together for the Ceremonies of the Mirror and Quran ( Arsy Mashaf ) an elderly lady of the brides family must pull her plaited hair before the groom looks at her face in the mirror for the first time.
  • Shalwar Qamees and Turban is a must for the men on special occasions.
  • If you don't eat enough meat, it is considered a lack of proper diet. Handay Ka Gosht (meat cooked in a clay pot) Tikka (small pieces of meat which is barbecued).
  • Some of the Pashto words are still use e.g. Patka (turban) Peshawari Chappal (Sandles from Peshawar) Loopatta. (Long scarf) Saaloo ( shawl )
  • Pardah is strictly observed by women in the countryside

[edit] Other Rohilla Notables

[edit] See also

[edit] Descendent of Rohillas

AmirKhan -Actor from Bollywood

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nawab was the title of notables during the Mughal era in India, who helped the central authority govern different statelets within the South Asia. During the British period, new nawabs were created because of the allocation of arable land to the pro-British elite
  2. ^ Mohammad Shah (1702 – 1748) was a Mughal emperor of India between 1719 and 1748
  3. ^ Ahmad Shah Abdali (d.1772) adopted the title of Durr-i Dowran (pearl of pearls), which gave the name to the dynasty he established, the Durrani, which lasted in Afghanistan until 1973

[edit] Further reading

  • GULISTÁN-I RAHMAT OF NAWÁB MUSTAJÁB KHÁN.
  • Hastings and the Rohilla War by John Strachey Author(s) of Review: Sidney James Owen The English Historical Review, Vol. 8, No. 30 (Apr., 1893), pp. 373-380

[edit] External links

Read the history of Rohilla's in Hindi. visit the following link.


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