Mir Muhammad Nasir Khan Talpur[b] was the sixth Mir of Hyderabad from 1839 until his deposition and subsequent exile in 1843. He is remembered as the last independent monarch of Sindh.
Nasir Khan was one of the most active administrators and fighters after the decline of the Mughal Empire.[1][2] He made Hyderabad the capital of his empire[3] and constructed two forts in the city known as the Pakka Qilla (Brick Fort) and the Kacha Qilla (Mud Fort) and he also built the Maula Ali Qadam Gah (The footsteps of Ali), a Shia shrine at the center of the city.
A Talpur enamelled flintlock rifle (Jezail) with the inscription "Sarkar Mir Mohammed Murad ‘Ali ibn Mohammed Sobdar Khan Talpur"
Mir Muhammad Nasir Khan Talpur was born on 17 May 1804 (7th Safar 1219 AH) in Hyderabad, the capital of Sindh, as the second son of the Mir of Hyderabad Murad Ali Khan Talpur. Murad was the younger brother of Mir Fateh Ali Khan, the first Mir of Hyderabad. Nasir's great-grandfather, Mir Bahram Khan, was the Vizier of Ghulam Shah Kalhoro. Nasir's mother was from Shoran in Kalat and was the daughter of Sher Muhammad Khan Rind the Sardar of the Rind tribe. Through him, Nasir is also a direct descendant of the legendary Baloch mercenary Mir Chakar Khan Rind.
Nasir was brought up in the court of his uncle Mir Ghulam Ali Khan, the then Mir of Hyderabad. He got his early education from a leading Sindhi scholar and poet, Akhund Muhammad Bachal, with nom de plume Anwar. Bachal also served as the court poet later in his reign and died in 1861. From a young age, Nasir was fluent in Sindhi, Persian, English and his mother tongue, Balochi. He also had an interest in philosophy, religion and poetry. He started composing poetry as early as 19. For much of his life, Nasir focused on his military training than the duties of a prince, but due to the untimely death of his brother Noor Muhammad Talpur, the Mir of Hyderabad, he was asked by the tribal elders to ascend the throne. Thus, on 24 December 1839, Nasir proclaimed himself the Rais in the Pacco Qillo and became the sixth and subsequently the last Mir of Hyderabad.
Early reign
Die Emirs von Sind: Mir Mahomed, Mir Mussir Khan und Mir Nur Mahud From Illustrirte Zeitung, Vol. 1, No. 23, Saturday, December 2, 1843, page 356.
During his early rule, Mir Nasir Khan Talpur’s authority was weakened by internal family arrangements. Following the death of his elder brother, his nephews (Mir Sobdar and Mir Hussain Ali) were granted the same position in the durbar as their father, which limited Nasir Khan’s influence. The nephews were also able to appeal directly to the British representative in Sindh.
Contemporary accounts describe Nasir Khan as avaricious and indecisive, which contributed to disputes within the Talpur household. His disposition led to constant quarrels among the Amirs and prevented the establishment of firm leadership within the dynasty. To maintain dynastic prestige, he ordered the renovation of Pacco Qillo and Kacha Qila, the principal forts of Hyderabad, though these efforts did little to address wider instability.
The Talpur Amirs were considered to be extremely wealthy, particularly Mir Nasir Khan himself. Despite this, the general condition of the people of Sindh remained poor, and the wealth of the ruling family was not reflected in the welfare of the population.
In a notable religious initiative, Nasir Khan commissioned the construction of a shrine to house the footprints of Caliph Ali. The relic was made accessible to the public, and the shrine became a site of visitation for the people of Sindh.
Matchlock Rifle – Indian, Sind (now Pakistan) – second quarter of the 19th century with the inscription "Sarkar Mir Muhammad Nasir Khan Talpur"
During Nasir Khan’s reign, relations between Sindh and the East India Company became increasingly strained. In 1838, the Talpurs were compelled to sign a treaty that allowed a British political residency at Hyderabad and authorized the stationing of British troops in Sindh to support operations in Afghanistan. The Amirs, including Nasir Khan, viewed these conditions as an infringement upon their sovereignty but accepted them under duress. The arrangement also required them to provide resources for British forces, which created resentment among the ruling family and the population.
By 1842, the political climate shifted with the arrival of Major General Charles James Napier. Napier pursued a more aggressive policy than his predecessor Sir James Outram, alleging that the Amirs, particularly Nasir Khan, were secretly corresponding with Afghan leaders and raising forces against British interests. Although these accusations were contested, the Company used them as justification for direct intervention. Nasir Khan attempted to maintain the traditional authority of the Talpurs but was increasingly isolated by the growing influence of the British residency.
The dispute escalated into open conflict in early 1843. On 17 February, the Battle of Miani was fought near Hyderabad. Mir Nasir Khan commanded a Talpur army estimated at over 20,000 men, largely composed of Baluchi levies and local allies, while Napier’s force numbered fewer than 3,000. Despite their numerical advantage, the Talpurs were decisively defeated due to the superior discipline, firepower, and artillery of the British troops. Nasir Khan was present on the battlefield and attempted to rally his men, but the defeat broke the military strength of the Talpur state.
Following Miani, resistance continued briefly under Talpur leaders who regrouped at Dubbo. On 24 March 1843, another engagement took place, resulting once again in a decisive British victory. After the defeat, Nasir Khan and the remaining Talpur rulers were compelled to surrender Hyderabad. Sindh was annexed to British India, with Napier famously reporting his conquest in a single word: “Peccavi” (“I have sinned/Sindh”).
The annexation marked the end of Talpur sovereignty and the loss of Sindh’s independence. Nasir Khan, along with other members of the ruling family, was taken into British custody and sent into exile. His defeat symbolized the collapse of local resistance to British expansion in the region and paved the way for the consolidation of colonial rule over Sindh.
Personal life
Nasir Khan Talpur was deeply inclined towards literary pursuits and was recognized for his poetic abilities. According to Dr. James Humes, he had completed a Diwan of ghazals before the age of twenty-five. His works include Masnavi Mirza Sahiban, Mukhtarnama, and Diwan-e-Jafari.
Contemporary accounts describe him as engaging, generous, and frank, and as the most popular among the Talpur princes. He excelled in martial and physical exercises and was particularly esteemed by the soldiery. His manners were likened to those of a refined English nobleman. Although corpulent, he was regarded as handsome. A lover of music and dance, he combined his appreciation for the arts with his literary pursuits, which contributed to his recognition as a poet of princely standing.
Family
Nasir Khan Talpur was married twice. His first wife was from the Nizamani tribe of Tando Qaiser, the daughter of Muhammad Ali, son of Rahim Khan and grandson of Qaiser Khan Nizamani. His second wife belonged to the Marri tribe of Tando Adam Khan.
Portrait of Mir Hassan Ali Khan on the book cover of Fatehnama-e-Sindh
From his Nizamani wife, he had a son, Mir Hassan Ali Khan Talpur (b. 12 July 1824), and a daughter who married her cousin Mir Hussain Ali, the son of Mir Noor Muhammad Talpur. From his Marri wife, he had a son, Mir Abbas Ali Khan Talpur (b. 1822).
Exile and death
Following the defeat of the Talpurs in the Battle of Miani in February 1843, Nasir Khan was taken into British custody. He was initially sent to Bombay, later transferred to Pune, and eventually exiled to Calcutta, where he spent the last years of his life.
Nasir Khan expressed a wish to be buried in Karbala, which was denied by the authorities. He was temporarily buried in Calcutta for about a year before his remains were transferred to Hyderabad, Sindh, where he was interred in the Cubbas, the Talpur royal necropolis.
Nasir Khan Talpur’s son, Mir Hassan Ali Khan Talpur, became noted for his literary and architectural contributions. He authored the Fatehnama-e-Sindh, a poetic-historical chronicle written in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Sindhi that describes the rise of the Talpurs over the Kalhoras and the establishment of their rule in Sindh.
In 1863, Hassan Ali Khan commissioned the construction of the Badshahi Bungalow at Latifabad, Hyderabad, which today serves as the Talpur mansion. He died on 30 January 1907 without issue. Initially buried within the courtyard of the bungalow, his remains were later transferred to Karbala, where they were reinterred on 9 May 1912.
The legacy of Nasir Khan Talpur and his descendants is also preserved through the Tombs of the Talpur Mirs (Cubbās) at Hirabad, Hyderabad. These mausoleums, which house the graves of Talpur rulers and princes, remain an important cultural and historical landmark of Sindh.
↑ Belkacem Belmekki, Michel Naumann (2022). Paradoxes of Pakistan: A Glimpse. Columbia University Press. p.28. ISBN9783838216034. ..A very exacting Nawab provoked a revolt led by the Talpurs, Balochi people backed by the Mughals and the Persians. The Talpurs won the battle of Halani..
↑ Persian: میر محمد نصیر خان تالپور, Balochi: میر محمد نصیر خان تالپور, Sindhi: مير محمد نصير خان ٽالپر
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