Hasan Khan Mewati
Encyclopedia
Raja Hasan Khan, Raja Hasan Khan Mewati, Raja Hasan, Hasan Khan, Hasan Mewati, (d. March 17 1527), was an ambitious Meo
Rajput
Muslim
ruler of Mewat
. His dynasty
had ruled Mewat
for nearly 200 years it is believed that his ancestor converted to Islam
when requested by Firuz Shah Tughlaq in the year 1376. He was martyred in the battle of Khanwa
(March 1527) against the first Mughal Emperor Babur
, the invader to Delhi
's throne at that time. His son Naher Khan ruled Mewat as a vassal
of Mughals
.
In 1526 a new power appeared in India. Babar, who claimed to be the representative of Timur Lang, after winning the battle of Panipat, took possession of Delhi and Agra; and determined that his enterprise should not be a mere raid like Timur's, but the foundation of a new and lasting empire. Then it was that the Rajputs made their last great struggle for independence. They were led by Rana Sankha, a chief of Mewar, who invited the Mewati chief, Hasan Khan, to aid the nation from which he had sprung in resisting the new horde of Mughals from the north.[4]
The political position of Hasan Khan at this time was a very important one. Babar, in his autobiography, speaks of him as the prime mover in all the confusions and insurrections of the period. He had, he states, vainly shown Hasan Khan distinguished marks of favour, but the affections of the infidel lay all on the side of the Pagans i.e., the Hindoos ; and the propinquity of his country to Delhi, no doubt, made his opposition especially dangerous. Hasan Khan's seat at this time was at Alwar, but local tradition says that he was originally established at Bahadarpur, eight miles from Alwar.[4]
Bala Kila(about 1960 feet above the sea level, stands majestically 1000 feet above the city of Alwar) built by Raja Hasan Khan, MewatpattiThe Emperor Babur, speaking of Hasan Khan of Mewat, who was one of his opponents at the great battle of Khanwa, says that he "had received the government of Mewat from his ancestors, who had governed it in uninterrupted succession for nearly 200 years."[42]
Part of the rampart of the Alwar Fort (Bala Kila), built by Jadon Rajput Raja Hasan Khan, Mewatpatti.
Steep climb of the Bala Kila rampart , built by Jadon Rajput Raja Hasan Khan, Mewatpatti.The Emperor Babur, in his autobiography THE BABUR-NAMA, speaks
Marching on from that ground, and after halting on two nights, we reached Biana. Countless numbers of the bodies of pagans and apostates who had fallen in their flight, lay on the road as far as Biana, indeed as far as Alur and Miwat...
Near Dihli lies the Miwat country...Hasan Khan Miwati and his ancestors one after another had ruled it with absolute sway for a hundred years or two...'
The Baburnama
in English ( Memoirs of Babur) Translated from the original Turki Text OF Zahiru'd-din Muhammad Babur Padshah Ghazi BY ANNETTE SUSANNAH BEVERIDGE [43]
apostates - Babur so-calls both Hasan and his followers, presumably because they followed their race sympathies, as of Rajput origin, and fought against co-religionists. Though Hasan's subjects,Meos, were nominally Muhammadans, it appears that they practised some Hindu customs. For an account of Miwat, see Gazetteer of Ulvur (Alwar, Alur) by Major P. W. Powlett.[43]
Miwat - Alwar being in Miwat, Babur may mean that bodies were found beyond that town in the main portion of the Miwat country which lies north of Alwar towards Dihli.[43]
Miwati - This word appears to have been restricted in its use to the Khan-zadas of the ruling house in Miwat, and was not used for their subjects, the Meos (Powlett I.e. Cap. I.,Gazetteeer of Alwar). The uses of " Miwati " and " Meo " suggest something analogous with those of "Chaghatai" and " Mughul " in Babur's time. The resemblance includes mutual dislike and distrust (Powlett I.e.,Gazetter of Alwar).[43]
The Emperor Babur, in his autobiography THE BABUR-NAMA, speaks "Hasan Khan of Miwat was enrolled in the list of the dead by the force of a matchlock (zarb-i-tufak) ; most of those headstrong chiefs of tribes were slain likewise, and ended their days by arrow and matchlock (tir u tufak)."
The Rana Sankha escaped from Battle of Khanwa. He died in this year, not without suspicion of poison. "aichimni khali qildim", a seeming equivalent for English, "I poured out my spleen."
Babur says that the ancestors of his opponent Hasan Khan had governed Mewat in uninterrupted succession for nearly 200 years, and that Tejara was their capital.[42] In another place he calls him Raja Hasan Khan Mewati, an infidel, who was the prime mover and agitator in the insurrection against the Mughals.[44] The title of Raja and the term " infidel " show that Babur was aware of Hasan Khan's Hindu descent, and the period of '* nearly 200 years" most probably refers to the date when his ancestor became a Muhammadan in the reign of Firoz Shah between AH 752 and 790.
Located in Tijara, at a short distance to the south-west of Bhartari (situated is the tomb of Ala-ud-din Khanzada, the son of Bahadur Nahar who died between 840 and 850 AH) there is a very pretty stone masjid, standing on an earthen terrace, raised 10 feet above the fields. It is 77 feet long by 25 feet broad, with three openings in front, but only one dome is visible from the outside. In front of the entrance, at a distance of 21 feet, there is a neatly built tomb, 32 feet 10 inches square, resting on a stone plinth 35 feet square. This is said to be the resting-place of the last of the Khanzadas, named Hasan Khan, the opponent of Babur, who fell on the fatal field of Khanwa in AH 933 (16 March 1527 AD). Inside the tomb is 25 feet square, with a door-way on each side. The building has the usual wide-spreading caves and battlements, with a hemispherical dome, surmounted by an octagonal cupola, on a spreading foliated base.[28][45]
See page for Bala Kila, Alwar : http://alwar.nic.in/Tourism.html
According to tradition, the "Tijara" town was founded by a Jadon Rajput named Tej Pal, and was formerly called Trigartag. It was one of the chief towns of the Khanzadas of Mewat, and was for a long time their capital.[45]
Meo
Mayo or Meo or Mewati is a prominent Muslim Rajput tribe from North-Western India. A considerable number of Meos migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947 and now they are estimated to be over 12 million. In Pakistan, Meos have lost their distinct group identity and cultural traditions 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...
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...
ruler of Mewat
Mewat
Mewat is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat are not precisely determined but generally include Mewat District of Haryana and parts of Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan...
. His dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
had ruled Mewat
Mewat
Mewat is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat are not precisely determined but generally include Mewat District of Haryana and parts of Alwar, Bharatpur, and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan...
for nearly 200 years it is believed that his ancestor converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
when requested by Firuz Shah Tughlaq in the year 1376. He was martyred in the battle of Khanwa
Battle of Khanwa
The Battle of Khanwa, was fought near the village of Khanwa, about 60 km west of Agra on March 17, 1527. The second major battle fought in modern day India, by the first Mughal Emperor Babur after the Battle of Panipat . As the Mughal Empire expanded it faced new opponents especially in the...
(March 1527) against the first Mughal Emperor Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
, the invader to 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...
's throne at that time. His son Naher Khan ruled Mewat as a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
of Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
.
In 1526 a new power appeared in India. Babar, who claimed to be the representative of Timur Lang, after winning the battle of Panipat, took possession of Delhi and Agra; and determined that his enterprise should not be a mere raid like Timur's, but the foundation of a new and lasting empire. Then it was that the Rajputs made their last great struggle for independence. They were led by Rana Sankha, a chief of Mewar, who invited the Mewati chief, Hasan Khan, to aid the nation from which he had sprung in resisting the new horde of Mughals from the north.[4]
The political position of Hasan Khan at this time was a very important one. Babar, in his autobiography, speaks of him as the prime mover in all the confusions and insurrections of the period. He had, he states, vainly shown Hasan Khan distinguished marks of favour, but the affections of the infidel lay all on the side of the Pagans i.e., the Hindoos ; and the propinquity of his country to Delhi, no doubt, made his opposition especially dangerous. Hasan Khan's seat at this time was at Alwar, but local tradition says that he was originally established at Bahadarpur, eight miles from Alwar.[4]
Bala Kila(about 1960 feet above the sea level, stands majestically 1000 feet above the city of Alwar) built by Raja Hasan Khan, MewatpattiThe Emperor Babur, speaking of Hasan Khan of Mewat, who was one of his opponents at the great battle of Khanwa, says that he "had received the government of Mewat from his ancestors, who had governed it in uninterrupted succession for nearly 200 years."[42]
Part of the rampart of the Alwar Fort (Bala Kila), built by Jadon Rajput Raja Hasan Khan, Mewatpatti.
Steep climb of the Bala Kila rampart , built by Jadon Rajput Raja Hasan Khan, Mewatpatti.The Emperor Babur, in his autobiography THE BABUR-NAMA, speaks
Marching on from that ground, and after halting on two nights, we reached Biana. Countless numbers of the bodies of pagans and apostates who had fallen in their flight, lay on the road as far as Biana, indeed as far as Alur and Miwat...
Near Dihli lies the Miwat country...Hasan Khan Miwati and his ancestors one after another had ruled it with absolute sway for a hundred years or two...'
The Baburnama
Baburnama
Bāburnāma is the name given to the memoirs of Ẓahīr ud-Dīn Muḥammad Bābur , founder of the Mughal Empire and a great-great-great-grandson of Timur...
in English ( Memoirs of Babur) Translated from the original Turki Text OF Zahiru'd-din Muhammad Babur Padshah Ghazi BY ANNETTE SUSANNAH BEVERIDGE [43]
apostates - Babur so-calls both Hasan and his followers, presumably because they followed their race sympathies, as of Rajput origin, and fought against co-religionists. Though Hasan's subjects,Meos, were nominally Muhammadans, it appears that they practised some Hindu customs. For an account of Miwat, see Gazetteer of Ulvur (Alwar, Alur) by Major P. W. Powlett.[43]
Miwat - Alwar being in Miwat, Babur may mean that bodies were found beyond that town in the main portion of the Miwat country which lies north of Alwar towards Dihli.[43]
Miwati - This word appears to have been restricted in its use to the Khan-zadas of the ruling house in Miwat, and was not used for their subjects, the Meos (Powlett I.e. Cap. I.,Gazetteeer of Alwar). The uses of " Miwati " and " Meo " suggest something analogous with those of "Chaghatai" and " Mughul " in Babur's time. The resemblance includes mutual dislike and distrust (Powlett I.e.,Gazetter of Alwar).[43]
The Emperor Babur, in his autobiography THE BABUR-NAMA, speaks "Hasan Khan of Miwat was enrolled in the list of the dead by the force of a matchlock (zarb-i-tufak) ; most of those headstrong chiefs of tribes were slain likewise, and ended their days by arrow and matchlock (tir u tufak)."
The Rana Sankha escaped from Battle of Khanwa. He died in this year, not without suspicion of poison. "aichimni khali qildim", a seeming equivalent for English, "I poured out my spleen."
Babur says that the ancestors of his opponent Hasan Khan had governed Mewat in uninterrupted succession for nearly 200 years, and that Tejara was their capital.[42] In another place he calls him Raja Hasan Khan Mewati, an infidel, who was the prime mover and agitator in the insurrection against the Mughals.[44] The title of Raja and the term " infidel " show that Babur was aware of Hasan Khan's Hindu descent, and the period of '* nearly 200 years" most probably refers to the date when his ancestor became a Muhammadan in the reign of Firoz Shah between AH 752 and 790.
Located in Tijara, at a short distance to the south-west of Bhartari (situated is the tomb of Ala-ud-din Khanzada, the son of Bahadur Nahar who died between 840 and 850 AH) there is a very pretty stone masjid, standing on an earthen terrace, raised 10 feet above the fields. It is 77 feet long by 25 feet broad, with three openings in front, but only one dome is visible from the outside. In front of the entrance, at a distance of 21 feet, there is a neatly built tomb, 32 feet 10 inches square, resting on a stone plinth 35 feet square. This is said to be the resting-place of the last of the Khanzadas, named Hasan Khan, the opponent of Babur, who fell on the fatal field of Khanwa in AH 933 (16 March 1527 AD). Inside the tomb is 25 feet square, with a door-way on each side. The building has the usual wide-spreading caves and battlements, with a hemispherical dome, surmounted by an octagonal cupola, on a spreading foliated base.[28][45]
See page for Bala Kila, Alwar : http://alwar.nic.in/Tourism.html
According to tradition, the "Tijara" town was founded by a Jadon Rajput named Tej Pal, and was formerly called Trigartag. It was one of the chief towns of the Khanzadas of Mewat, and was for a long time their capital.[45]