Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh of Bhadri (1905-1970)

Bhadri was an estate ( taluqdari) of

Oudh The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. The Taluqdari was controlled by Bisen clan of

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

. Now it is part of Pratapgarh district in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India.

History

During the time of Oudh Government, Bhadri was scene of numerous of fights, the chief of which occurred in 1798 Fasli between Mirza Jan, the

Nazim Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of India who w ...

and the Taluqdar Rai Daljit Singh. The Nazim who had encamped in Bhadri, demanded a higher revenue from the

Taluqdar Taluqdars or Talukdar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: ; Perso-Arabic: , ; from ''taluq'' "estate/attachment" + '' dar'' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj ...

, and in the dispute which followed taluqdar lost his life. After the Battle of Manikpore (now known as Manikpur in Pratapgarh district of

), in 1748, they made their peace with the

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

authorities through the intervention of a Ddroga of artillery; and Jit Singh, the chief of

Bhadri Bhadri is a village of Pratapgarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Demographics latest census, Bhadri has a population of 2985 divided into 563 families. Male population is 1458 and that of female is 1527. Bhadri has a ...

, attended a Darbar and obtained title of

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

. In 1798 the Nazim Mirza Jan visited Bhadri; he questioned the Rai Daljit Singh about his revenue, with a view to revision, and a quarrel ensued, in which the Rai Daljit Singh was killed. His son, Rai Zalim Singh, was thrown into prison in 1810 at

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

for non payment of the revenue and the property was taken under direct management. While husband was in prison, His wife, Sheoraj Kunwar, visited Bhadri under pretext of performing some religious rites and there she assembled the clan and boldly collected the rents. She was besieged by the Chakladar, Jagat Kishor in the fort at Bhadri for eight days until orders came from

to stop attack and the courageous lady was permitted to occupy the castle. In 1815 the Rai was released and recovered the estate. Again in 1833 the Nazim Ehsan Husain, who is said to have had with him 50,000 men, besieged Rai Jagmohan Singh in Bhadri, on account of refusing to pay revenue. The Bhadri fort was unsuccessfully attacked for twelve days, when a compromise was effected. In the following year the

continued his exactions, and extended them to the other Bisen Rajput Taluqdars, among them was Raja Hanumant Singh of

Kalakankar Kalakankar is a village in Pratapgarh district of Indian state Uttar Pradesh. Kalakankar was a zamindari A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a p ...

-Dharupur. A fight ensured at the place and the Nazim was defeated with the loss of two guns. He again attacked the Bisens at Benti with a similar result; but nothing daunted. He assembled a larger force and besieged Bhadri for second time. There upon Rai Jagmohan Singh and his son Bishnath Singh fled across the border to British territory. At Ramchaura Ghat on the bank of

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

, they were surprised and killed by the Nazim and slain was subsequently removed from office because of this great offence and violation of

British territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

. Taluqdars however remained loyal to British. The fort of Bhadri was leveled in 1858 by order of government; its ruins are still to be seen, covered with picturesque clumps of bamboos. Bhadri was then given to Amarnath Singh, nephew and adopted son of Rai Jagmohan Singh, who was succeeded by his adopted son, Rai Jagat Bahadur Singh, whose father Sheoratan Singh, was killed at Allahabad. Rai Jagat Bahadur Singh also died without issue, and adopted

Rai Sarabjit Singh Rai Sarabjit Singh (1853-1910) was the ruler of Bhadri of Oudh, belongs from Bisen family, succeeded on 15 February 1878 after the death of the late Rai Jagat Bahadur Singh. He received the hereditary title of Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione i ...

, who received the hereditary title of

from the British government in November 1879. His property was taken under the management of the

Court of Wards The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and liv ...

in 1867, on account of minority and indebtedness of the owner, and released in 1878. The Bhadri taluqa was well managed by

, who left it practically unencumbered. Later estate was ruled by Rai Krishna Pratap Singh, who was succeeded by Raja Rai Bajrang Bahadur Singh around 1926/1930. After Independence of India on 15 August 1947, the Bhadri (Taluq) state was merged in Republic of India. Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh (1905–1970), the last ruler of Bhadri, served as Lieutenant Governor of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

from 1 January 1955 to 13 August 1963. Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh had no heir, after his death in 1970, his nephew

Raja Uday Pratap Singh Kunwar Raghuraj Pratap Singh (born 31 October 1969), popularly known as Raja Bhaiya, is an Indian politician. He is an MLA in the 18th Uttar Pradesh Assembly from his native local assembly constituency Kunda on Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) tic ...

proceeded as incumbent titular of Bhadri.

List of taluqdars styled as Raja

* Rai Jit Singh fl.1748 * Rai Daljit Singh fl.1798 * Rai Zalim Singh, around 1810 * Rai Jagmohan Singh fl.1833 * Rai Jagat Bahadur Singh, d.1878 *

, b.10 December 1853- died before 1910 * Rai Krishna Pratap Singh, died around 1926/1930 * Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh, b.1905, d.1970 (reign till 1947) * Raja Uday Pratap Singh Bhadri

Notable descendants

* Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh (1906–1973), was a

Freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

, 2nd Lieutenant Governor of

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of Govind Ballabh Pant Nagar University of Agriculture and Technology, founder of Hind Flying Club. *

(1933), Hindu leader associated with RSS & VHP, Chief patron of Trilochan Pratap Singh Baugh Evam Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti. * Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya (1968), Incumbent MLA from Kunda, Cabinet Minister for several times.

References

{{coord missing, Uttar Pradesh History of Uttar Pradesh Zamindari estates Rajput estates Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh

History

List of taluqdars styled as Raja

Notable descendants

See also

References