Alwar State
Encyclopedia
History
Alwar has been a part of MatsyaMatsya
Matsya was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. The great flood finds mention in Hindu mythology texts like the Satapatha Brahmana, where in the Matsya Avatar takes place to save the pious and the first man, Manu and advices him to build a giant boat.-The Legend:According to the Matsya...
region of olden times whose capital was Virat Nagar."Alwar" was formerly known as "Ulwar". This placed it in last position in alphabetically ordered lists, so a king renamed it to "Alwar" to bring it to the top. Till the 11 A.D. this area was ruled by a powerful Gujar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
Chief. During the Muslim period one of the Emperors demanded a daughter in marriage from Ishwar Das the Bargujar Raja of Alwar. On his refusal to comply the Bargujar were slaughtered where ever found, but some escaped, among them Raja Dalku Rao a chief of clan, fled and founded the Sikarwar branch of Rajputs.
Hemu also known as Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, a Hindu Emperor of India, was born in this district at village 'Maccheri Devat' in the year 1501. His father Rai Puran Das, a Brahmin was a Purohit and was beheaded by Akbar's forces on refusal to convert to Islam, at the age of 82, in the year 1556 in Machheri village only. Hemu had won 22 battles against Afghan rebels during 1553-56 spanning entire North India from Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
to Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and had acceeded to the throne of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 7 October 1556 after defeating Akbar's forces at Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Hemu
Hemu
Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, Hemu Vikramaditya or simply Hemu was a Hindu Emperor of India during the sixteenth century, in medieval times...
had his Rajyabhishake at Purana Quila in Delhi. Hemu Vikramaditya had established 'Hindu Raj' in North India after a foreign rule of 350 years by Islamic invaders and rulers. He had sacrificed his life fighting Mughals in the Second battle of Panipat
Second battle of Panipat
The Second Battle of Panipat was fought between the forces of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, popularly called Hemu, the Hindu king who was ruling North India from Delhi, and the army of Jalal ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, on November 5, 1556...
.
The princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Alwar was founded by Pratap Singh
Rao Raja Shri Pratap Prabhakar Bahadur
Pratap Singh Prabhakar was the first ruler of the princely state of Alwar. He was the Rao Raja of Alwar from 1775 until his death in 1791. His father was Rao Mahabat Singh, Thakur of Macheri. He was succeeded on the throne by his adpotive son and distant relative Bakhtawar Singh Prabhakar...
, a Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
of the Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
lineage, in the second half of the 18th century. His adopted son, Bakhtawar Singh, aided the British
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
against the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s. After the battle of Laswari
Laswari
The Battle of Laswari took place on November 1, 1803 and was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.The British, commanded by General Lake were about 10,000 men strong, opposing the Sindhia's Maratha army of 9,000 veteran infantry and 5,000 cavalry...
(1803), Alwar became the first state of Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
to sign a treaty of 'Offensive and Defensive Alliance' with the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. A few years later, Bakhtawar Singh ventured an armed incursion into neighbouring Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, the senior Kachwaha
Kachwaha
Kachwaha are a Suryavanshi Kshatriya clan who ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states in India such as Alwar, Maihar, Talcher, while the largest kingdom was Jaipur which was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727...
state, and the erstwhile overlord of his predecessor. Bakhtawar Singh was defeated; a fresh engagement was made with him by the HEIC, prohibiting him from political intercourse with other states without British consent. During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Raoraja Bane Singh sent a force consisting mainly of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, to relieve the British garrison in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
. The Muslims deserted and the rest were defeated by the rebels. Pran Sukh Yadav
Pran Sukh Yadav
Pran Sukh Yadav in Hindi प्राण सुख यादव was an extraordinary military commander of his time. He was a close friend of Hari Singh Nalwa and famous Punjab ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.In his early career he trained Sikh Khalsa army...
, who fought beside Rao Tula Ram
Rao Tula Ram
Rao Tula Ram was one of the key leaders of the Indian rebellion of 1857, in Haryana, where he is considered a state hero....
of Rewari
Rewari
Rewari is a city and a municipal council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in south-west Haryana around from Delhi and from Gurgaon.- Etymology :...
in 1857, settled along with the kinsmen of dead soldiers at Village Nihalpura, Behror Tehsil, of Alwar District. Kishorpura Village of Bansur Tehsil is dominated by Bhati clan of Gurjar Community.
Following the independence of India in 1947, Alwar acceded unto the dominion of India
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, also known as the Union of India or the Indian Union , was a predecessor to modern-day India and an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950...
. On March 18, 1948, the state merged with three neighbouring princely states (Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
, Dholpur
Dholpur
Dholpur is a city in eastern-most parts of the Rajasthan state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur District and was formerly seat of the Dholpur princely state, before Independence....
and Karauli
Karauli
Karauli is a town lying in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The town is the administrative center of Karauli District, and was formerly the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Karauli.-Geography:...
) to form the Matsya Union
Matsya Union
The United States of Matsya also called Matsya Union was a State of India which was formed on March 17, 1948 by the merger of four erstwhile princely states, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli after accession. Shobha Ram was the first and last chief minister of the State from 18 Mar 1948 till...
. This union in turn merged unto the Union of India. On May 15, 1949, it was united with certain other princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s and the territory of Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
Jai Dayal Yadav and Prime Minister of Matsya Union Shobha Ram Kumawat played a vital role in bringing education to the rural areas of Alwar after independence.
Rulers of Alwar state
- Pratap Singh Prabhakar BahadurRao Raja Shri Pratap Prabhakar BahadurPratap Singh Prabhakar was the first ruler of the princely state of Alwar. He was the Rao Raja of Alwar from 1775 until his death in 1791. His father was Rao Mahabat Singh, Thakur of Macheri. He was succeeded on the throne by his adpotive son and distant relative Bakhtawar Singh Prabhakar...
(1775–1791) Rao Raja of Alwar - Bakhtawar Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1791–1815) Rao Raja of Alwar
- Bane Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1815–1857) Maharao Raja of Alwar
- Sheodan Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1857–1874) Maharao Raja of Alwar
- Mangal Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1874–1892) Maharaja of Alwar
- Jai Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1892–1937) Maharaja of Alwar
- Tej Singh Prabhakar BahadurTej Singh Prabhakar BahadurTej Singh Prabhakar KCSI was the last ruling Maharaja of Alwar. A remotely related cousin of the previous ruler, Sir Jai Singh, he was selected by the British to rule Alwar, as Sir Jai Singh had been deposed by them for gross misconduct and cruelty...
(1937–1971) Maharaja of Alwar (The titles were abolished in 1971)