A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal ruler of a zamindari. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals, and later the British began using it as a native synonym for "estate". The term means landowner in Persian. They were typically hereditary and held the right to collect tax on behalf of imperial courts or for military purposes.
Singhbhum was a district of India during the British Raj, part of the Chota Nagpur Division of the Bengal Presidency. It was located in the present-day Indian state of Jharkhand. Chaibasa was the district headquarters. Located in the southern limit of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, Singhbhum included the Kolhan estate located in its southeastern part. The district has been segmented into two smaller districts, East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum.
Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam. Reportedly, they converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various dynasties and states while retaining Hindu surnames such as Chauhan. Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found mostly in present-day Northern India and Pakistan. They are further divided into different clans.
The Bardhaman Raj, also known as Burdwan Raj, was a zamindari Raja estate that flourished between 1657 and 1955 in the Indian state of West Bengal. Maharaja Sangam Rai Kapoor, a Punjabi Khatri from Kotli mahalla in Lahore, Punjab, who was the first member of the family to settle in Bardhaman, was the original founder of the house of Bardhaman, whereas his grandson Abu Rai, during whose time the zamindari started flourishing, is considered to be the patriarch of the Bardhaman Raj family.
The Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Khandwala dynasty, was a Maithil Brahmin dynasty and the rulers of territories, not all contiguous, that were part of the Mithila region, now divided between India and Nepal.
The Bettiah Raj was the second-largest zamindari in the Bettiah region of Bihar, India. It generated annual land revenue rentals of more than 2 million rupees.
The Banaut is a Bundela Rajput clan found in the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Their loved ones called them banaut which means who meditate and save Ban (forest). They are said to have left Orchha, Jhansi, Mahoba and other parts of Bundelkhand during Mughal period and migrated to Bihar and Jharkhand.
The Zamindars of Bengal were zamindars of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. They governed an ancient system of land ownership.
The Gandhavariya are a Rajput clan based in northern Bihar. They are descendants of King Vikramaditya of Malwa. In past they ruled over parts of Madhepura district and Saharsa district during medieval times after the decline of the Oiniwar Dynasty.
Narasingha Malla Deb, O.B.E. was a member of the Parliament of India and the 18th Raja of Jhargram, which he led from 1916 until the abolition of zamindaris by the West Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950.
Lohtamia is a sub-clan of Badgujar Rajputs They are old Suryavanshi Kshatriya and descendants of Lav. They migrated from Lahore and established their kingdom Lohgadh and in 11th century. They settled around gangetic area in Bihar and U.P. It is said that they were such a courageous Rajput community who never made any matrimonial alliances with the Mughals in order to save their daughters from the eyes of Muslim invaders, they went and settled on the banks of Ganga in Bihar.
Jhargram Raj was a zamindari which occupied a position in Bengal region of British India. The zamindari came into being during the later part of the 16th century when Man Singh of Amer was the Dewan/Subahdar of Bengal (1594–1606). Their territory was centered around present-day Jhargram district. Jhargram was never an independent territory since the chiefs of the family held it basically as the zamindars of the British Raj in India after Lord Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement of 1793. Although its owners were both rich and powerful, with the chiefs of the family holding the title of Raja, the Jhargram estate was not defined as a Princely State with freedom to decide its future course of action at the time of Indian independence in 1947. Later, the Vice-Roy of India agreed to recognize Jhargram as "Princely State" after the Second World War, but the proposal taken back as the British had decided to give independence to India.
Rajputs in Bihar are members of the Rajput community living in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. They traditionally formed part of the feudal elite in Bihari society. Rajputs were pressed with the Zamindari abolition and Bhoodan movement in post-independence India; along with other Forward Castes, they lost their significant position in Bihar's agrarian society, leading to the rise of Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Kharagpur Raj was a prominent chieftaincy, founded in the early 16th century in Bihar situated mainly in modern-day Munger district. They were notable for being one of the few chieftaincies in Bihar to convert to Islam and many of the rulers became firm allies of the Mughal authorities. At its peak, the Kharagpur Raj encompassed parts of the modern-day districts of Munger, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Lakhisarai, Godda and Deoghar. Due to its size, the Privy Council compared it with the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The Dumraon Raj was a feudal principality in the Bhojpur region ruled by the Ujjainiya dynasty. The principality was founded when Raja Horil Singh founded a separate capital for himself in the town of Dumraon. The name Dumraon Raj came from its capital town.
The Zamindars of Bihar were the autonomous and semi-autonomous rulers and administrators of the subah of Bihar during Mughal rule and later during British rule. They formed the landed aristocracy that lasted until Indian independence in 1947. The zamindars of Bihar were numerous and could be divided into small, medium and large depending on how much land they controlled. Within Bihar, the zamindars had both economic and military power. Each zamindari would have their own standing army which was typically composed of their own clansmen.
The Jagdishpur Raj was a feudatory zamindari ruled by a cadet branch of the Ujjainiya dynasty. It was situated in modern-day Jagdishpur, in the erstwhile Shahabad district of Bihar. The capital of the principality was the town of Jagdishpur by which the principality derived its name.
The Gidhaur Chieftaincy was a principality which controlled parts of South Bihar for much of the medieval period in India. The chieftaincy was named after the town of Gidhaur in Jamui district but its territory extended into the wider region.
The zamindars of Mahipur were a Bengali aristocratic family of feudal landowners. The zamindari estate encompassed the Chakla of Qazirhat under the Cooch Behar State since the Mughal period. Although their aristocratic status was lost with the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950, the Mahipur estate remains an important part of the history of Rangpur and belongs to one of the eighteen ancient zamindar families of Rangpur. The zamindari palace was lost as a result of flooding from the Teesta River, although the mosque, cemetery, polished reservoir and large draw-well can still be seen today.
The Majhraut or Majraut is a clan of Ahir (Yadav) that inhabits the Indian state of Bihar and Jharkhand. They are also found in different parts of Nepal. They claim to be descendants of the Yadava king Madhu of Mathura.
