Nabha State

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Nabha State
Princely State
1763–1947
Nabha flag.svg
Flag
Ludhiana District 1911.png
Nabha State in a 1911 map of Ludhiana district
Area 
 1901
2,502 km2 (966 sq mi)
Population 
 1901
297,949
Historical eraNew Imperialism
 Established
1763
 Accession to the Dominion of India
1947
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Mughal Empire
Blank.png Phulkian Misl
Dominion of India Flag of India.svg
Today part of Haryana, Punjab, India

Nabha State, [1] with its capital at Nabha, was one of the Phulkian princely states of Punjab during the British Raj in India. [2] This state was ruled by Jats Sidhu clan belonging to Sikh religion. [3] [ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Origin

Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Nabha State from a map created by the British East India Company, ca.1829-1835 (the state also held many exclave territories that can be seen in the full-map). Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Nabha State from a map created by the British East India Company of the Malwa region of Punjab showing the various polities, borders, and settlements of the area, ca.1829-1835.jpg
Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Nabha State from a map created by the British East India Company, ca.1829–1835 (the state also held many exclave territories that can be seen in the full-map).

The state originated as one of the many chiefdoms the Sikhs had established in the former Mughal province of Delhi after the collapse of Mughal and Afghan authority in the region. [4] The ruling house of Nabha belonged to the Phulkian dynasty, sharing a common ancestor named Tiloka with the Jind rulers. Tiloka (r. 1652–1687) was the eldest son of Phul Sidhu of the Phulkian dynasty. [a] [5] The Nabha rulers descend from Gurditta (Gurdit Singh; r. 1687–1754), the elder son of Tiloka. [5] Gurditta was the founder of the localities of Dhanaula and Sangrur. Sangrur was the headquarters of the state till it was captured by Jind State. Gurditta died in 1754. [5] His only son Surat (or Suratya) Singh had died two years earlier in 1752, leaving his grandson, Hamir Singh, as the next in line. [5] Hamir Singh was the founder of the locality of Nabha and the first ruler of Nabha State. [6]

Foundation of the locality and state

The locality of Nabha was founded by Hamir Singh of the Phulkian dynasty in 1755, whilst the state itself was founded slightly after in 1763 by Hamir Singh. [7] The state at that period of time was composed of twelve scattered territories. [7] Hamir Singh died in 1783 and was succeeded by Jaswant Singh. [5] However, a regency was in-place between 1783–1790. [5] Jaswant Singh assumed full control on 1790 and ruled until 1840. [5]

Alliance with the British

Between 1807 and 1808, the ruler of Nabha was afforded British protection from the threat posed by Ranjit Singh and his encroaching Lahore State. [7]

During the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46), due to Raja Davinder Singh’s sympathy with the Sikh Empire, one-fourth of Nabha State's territory, including areas such as Rori pargana [8] & others, was taken by the British. Raja Davinder Singh was removed from power, and his seven-year-old son, Bharpur Singh, was placed on the throne under British supervision. Some of the annexed territory from the state was given to Patiala State and Faridkot State, while the rest was placed under direct British administration in Punjab Province. [9] [10] [11]

Nabha State was loyal to the British during the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and earned the grant of Bawal territory as a reward. [7] At the Ambala Darbar held in Ambala between 18–20 January 1860, a decision was made to exempt Nabha, Patiala, and Jind states from the doctrine-of-lapse. [12] In 1911, Hira Singh took-on the maharaja title. [5] Ripudaman Singh abdicated the throne of Nabha on 8 July 1923. [5] which led to the Jaito Morcha.

Dissolution

In the happenings of Indian independence in 1947, Nabha was one of the three Phulkian states that merged to become P.E.P.S.U., which itself was gradually merged into Punjab state in 1956.

State forces

The Nabha State Force consisted of a 500-strong infantry unit, including the Nabha Akal Infantry. [13]

List of rulers

No.Name

(Birth–Death)

PortraitReignEnthronementRef.
Sardars
1Hamir Singh
(died 1783)
Painting of a nimbate Sardar Hamir Singh of Nabha holding a flower and leaning on a bolster.jpg 1763 – 1783? [6] [7] [5]
Rajas
2Jaswant Singh
(1775 – 22 May 1840)
Miniature painting of Raja Jaswant Singh of Nabha seated and leaning against a bolster, inscribed in Perso-Arabic script.jpg 1783 – 1840? [6] [5]
3Devinder Singh
(5 September 1822 – 14/15 November 1865)
Miniature painting of Raja Devinder Singh of Nabha seated on a chair.jpg 1840 – 184615 October 1840 [6] [5]
4Bharpur Singh
(5 October 1840 – 9 November 1863)
Equestrian painting of a nimbate Raja Bharpur Singh of Nabha, containing Persian inscriptions on border.jpg 1846 – November 1863? [6] [5]
5Bhagwan Singh
(30 November 1842 – 31 May 1871)
Photograph of Raja Bhagwan Singh of Nabha State.jpg 1863 – 187117 February 1864 [6] [5]
Maharajas
6 Hira Singh
(19 December 1843 – 24 December 1911)
Photograph of Raja Hira Singh (alt. spelt as 'Heera Singh') of Nabha State seated with sword and shield, by Bourne and Shepherd Studio, Shimla, July 1877.jpg 1871 – 191110 August 1871 [6] [5]
7 Ripudaman Singh
(4 March 1883 – 14 December 1942)
Photograph of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha State, Bourne & Shepherd, 1903.jpg 1911 – 192324 January 1912 [6] [5]
8 Pratap Singh
(21 September 1919 – 22 July 1995)
Photograph captioned 'His Highness The Maharaja of Nabha' (Pratap Singh), Nabha State, ca.1939.jpg 1923 – 1948 [6] [5]

Administraiton

In 1901, the state had an area of 966 square miles and included 4 towns and 492 villages. Administratively, the state was divided into the following three districts:

1901 State Administration
NoDistrict/NizāmatRemark Pop. area Vill. To.Today
I Phul Nizāmat5 enclaves 37.4 %3942281 Punjab
II Amloh Nizāmat2+ enclaves 38.6 %291962 Punjab
III Bawal NizāmatGained in 1858; 3 southern enclaves 24 %2811641 Haryana

Demographics

Religious groups in Nabha State (British Punjab province era)
Religious
group
1881 [14] [15] [16] 1891 [17] 1901 [18] 1911 [19] [20] 1921 [21] 1931 [22] 1941 [23]
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Hinduism Om.svg [b] 133,571164,905160,553126,414133,870132,354146,518
Sikhism Khanda.svg 77,68263,04778,36176,19878,38997,452122,451
Islam Star and Crescent.svg 50,17854,39758,55046,03250,75657,39370,373
Jainism Jain Prateek Chihna.svg 375397476238278309480
Christianity Christian cross.svg 1810754166221
Zoroastrianism Faravahar.svg 0020000
Buddhism Dharma Wheel (2).svg 0000000
Judaism Star of David.svg 000000
Others0000001
Total population261,824282,756297,949248,887263,334287,574340,044
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

See also

Notes

  1. Tiloka's personal name is alt. latinized as 'Tilokha'.
  2. 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis

References

  1. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 18, p. 271.
  2. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Nabha"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 147.
  3. Bates, Crispin (26 March 2013). Mutiny at the Margins: New Perspectives on the Indian Uprising of 1857: Volume I: Anticipations and Experiences in the Locality. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN   978-81-321-1589-2.
  4. Grewal, J. S. (8 October 1998). "Rise to Political Power". The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–96. ISBN   9780521637640.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Truhart, Peter (2017). Regents of Nations: Asia, Australia-Oceania, Part 2 (Reprint ed.). Walter de Gruyter. p. 1398. ISBN   9783111616254.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Singh, Bhagat (1993). "Chapter 14 - The Phulkian Misl". A History of the Sikh Misals. Publication Bureau, Punjabi University.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Nabha | Princely State, Maharaja, Punjab | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  8. History of Sirsa gov
  9. Source: Page no. - 342, Punjab State Gazetteers Vol. xvii A, Phulkian States, Patiala Jind And Nabha
  10. Source: Page no.- 140, History Of The Sikhs Vol. IV The Sikh Commonwealth Or Rise And Fall Of Sikh Misls Hari ram gupta
  11. Source: Page 328, 1908 Gazzetrs of India Punjab V. II Internet archive
  12. Chatterji, Prashanto K. (1975). The Making of India Policy, 1853-65: A Study on the Relations of the Court of Directors, the India Board, the India Office, and the Government of India. University of Burdwan. pp. 152–153. ISBN   9780883868188. Eventually, at the Ambala Durbar (18-20 January 1860), Canning himself promised the three chiefs Sanads, guaranteeing their possessions to themselves and their heirs and the right to adopt from the Phoolkan family whenever ...
  13. "X. Nabha State Forces". Nabha Administration: A Review of Recent Years. Council of Regency of Nabha State. 1939. p. 29.
  14. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057656 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  15. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057657 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  16. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057658 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  17. Edward Maclagan, Sir (1891). "The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory". p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25318669 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  18. "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. p. 34. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25363739 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  19. "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1911. p. 27. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25393788 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  20. Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II". p. 27. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  21. "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. p. 29. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25430165 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  22. "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1931. p. 277. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25793242 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  23. India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab". p. 42. JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215541 . Retrieved 30 March 2024.

30°22′N76°09′E / 30.37°N 76.15°E / 30.37; 76.15