Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan

Raja Sayyid Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan II, the Mir of Kotaha, Raja of Pindrawal, CIE.
Born Baquar Ali
1842
Kotaha, Umbala district, British India
Died 1902
Pindrawal, British India
Nationality Indian
Other names Muhammad Bakir Ali Khan, Muhammad Bakeradi Khan, Bakar Ali Khan
Occupation zamindar
Known for philanthropy, social reformer

Raja Sayyid Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan (1842-1902) C.I.E., the Mir of Kotaha and the Raja of Pindriwal[1] was a noted zamindar and philanthropist from Pindrawal in North-West Frontier Province of British India

Early life

He was born in year 1842 in the noted Lalkhani branch of Muslim Rajputs.[2] He was born to Quasim Ali Khan aka Kasim Ali Khan and Latif-ul-nissa. His father, Quasim Ali was son of Mir Akbar Ali, the Mir of Kotaha, while his mother was granddaughter of Nahar Ali Khan and daughter of Akbar Ali Khan of Pindrawal.[3]

Mir of Kotaha

His grandfather Akbar Ali was the jagirdar of Kotaha (Kutaya), usually spoken of as the Mir of Kotaha, and enjoyed also a perpetual pension of Rs. 400 a year, granted in 1850, in return for the surrender of the right to levy transit duties within the limits of the Morni tract.[4] His father Qasim Ali Khan II had died at Lahore in 1849-50. His grandfather, Meer Akbar Ali Khan had come under suspicion of British during Revolt of 1857 and Thomas Douglas Forsyth, Deputy Commissioner Umballa partially dismantled the Kotaha fort. The successor to him Melville was a bit liniment on Mir of Kotaha and taking advantage of this Akbar Ali rebuilt the fort without permission. But when Captain Tighe succeeded P. S. Melville as the Deputy Commissioner of Umballa in 1864 and the Mir came under the severe displeasure of the British Government on a charge of conspiracy, and ‘on an attempt to partially rebuild his fort at Kotaha without permission’. This led to demolition of fort[5][6] and confiscation of their jagir.[4] However, meanwhile, Meer Akbar Ali died in 1864 and young Bakir Ali succeeded him as Mir of Kotaha.[7] Due to his young age he was spared and their jagir of Kotaha was restored to him but at the same time, he was banished from town. However, his whole property in Naraingarh was brought under direct official management. The Government cancelled the sentence of banishment and the property was finally restored to the Mir in 1880.[4][8]

Raja of Pindrawal

After death of his grandfather, Baqar Ali Khan II, inherited the title of Mir of Kotaha but due to banishment settled at Pindrawal in the Bulandshahr district of the North-West Provinces, where he had inherited a large zamindari property consisting of 24 villages, from her maternal side and was later given the title of Raja of Pindrawal.[3] He also inherited large estates in Koil, Khair and Atrauli parganas of Aligarh district and Morthal estates in Budaun district.[3][9]

Philanthropist and educationist

Raja Baqar Ali Khan II, was one of the visionaries, who understood the value of education for up-liftment of Muslim community. He heartily co-operated with Sir Saiyid Ahmad Khan in the foundation of the Muhammadan Anglo College and donated a substantial amount of money to build Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh.[10][11] He also donated Rs. 30,000 towards the construction of the Bulandshahr Town Hall.[12][13][14]

He was also a fellow of the Society of Arts, Great Britain.[15]

Honors

He was given title of Khan Bahadur and later created a Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, on 1 January 1883 by the British government in recognition of his services.[11]

Death

Mir Baqar Ali II died on 20 January 1902.[1][11]

Family

Mir Bakir Ali died leaving two sons Jafar Ali Khan and Kunwar Asghar Ali Khan. He was succeeded by the elder Mir Jafar Ali Khan II, who built a fort at Atrauli, Aligarh district in 1909 that stands to date.[8] Asghar Ali founded the Asgharabad Estate after the partition of Pindrawal Easte.[8] Jafar Ali Khan II was succeeded by his son, Raja Mir Muhammad Akbar Ali Khan II, O.B.E. (1896-1958) who became a member of the UP Legislative Assembly in 1937.[16] He was accorded kalgi and khilat by the Governor of Punjab in a special durbar at Sirhind. He had also inherited the family estates at Teori and Morthal.[17] He built a hospital at Morni. Akbar Ali Khan also donated fund to start a scholarship at Aligarh Muslim University[18][19]

References

  1. 1 2 Asian Review 1902 -- Page 443
  2. ↑ Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United ... by Francis Robinson - 2007 The chief Lalkhani estates were those of Pindrawal, Sadabad, Danpur, Dharampur, Pahasu and Chhatari.
  3. 1 2 3 Statistical, descriptive and historical account of the North-western ... By North-western provinces Edwin Thomas Atkinson. 1876. pp. 61–62.
  4. 1 2 3 Haryana District Gazetteers: Amabala district gazetteer, 1923-24 reprint by Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department, Haryana, 1998 - Haryana (India) pp:69-70
  5. ↑ Professional Papers on Indian Engineering Demolition of Fort Kotaha by R. G. Elwes, Executive Engineer. 1868. pp. 133–138.
  6. ↑ Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons By Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. 1859. pp. 238–42.
  7. ↑ The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire by Sir Roper Lethbridge. Macmillan & Company,. 1893. p. 334.
  8. 1 2 3 Extracts from the district & states gazetteers of the Punjab, Pakistan, Volume 4. Research Society of Pakistan, University of the Punjab. 1976. p. 44.
  9. ↑ DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE ALIGARH DISTRICT by Edward Atkinson - 1875 The zamindars were idle and extravagant and deeply involved in debt, and by 1856 one-half of the villages had passed into the hands of the Musalman Badgujars of Pahasu, Pindrawal, and Chatari in the Bulandshahr District
  10. ↑ Education & Politics from Sir Syed to the Present Day By Shan Muhammad. 2002. p. 30.
  11. 1 2 3 Journal of the Society of Arts, Volume 50. Society of Arts. 1902. pp. 668, 752.
  12. ↑ An historical handbook of Muslim India, 1700-1947 by Venguard Khursheed Kamal Aziz - 1995 pp 589
  13. ↑ Official report of the Calcutta International Exhibition, 1883-84: compiled under the orders of the executive committee, Volume 2
  14. ↑ An imperial vision: Indian architecture and Britain's Raj
  15. ↑ The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review and Oriental and Colonial Record by Oriental Institute 1902 pp 443
  16. ↑ Proceedings of the Joint Sitting of the Two Chambers of the United Provinces Legislature: Official Report by United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (India). Legislature 1939 - Page iv
  17. ↑ District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh: Aligarh by United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (India), D.L. Drake-Brockman. Supdt., Government Press, United Provinces. 1926. p. 109.
  18. ↑ RAJA AKBAR ALI KHAN OF PINDRAWAL SCHOLARSHIP.
  19. ↑

Further reading

History of Morni tracts

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