Purbiya
| Purbiya | |
|---|---|
| Populated states | Bihar and Awadh |
Purbiya (Purbia) was a common term used in medieval India for Rajput soldiers of the eastern Ganga plains (the present day Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh).[1]
History
Purbiya was a common term given to the soldiers of Awadh and Bhojpur who served as mercenaries for the rulers of west and north India. The rulers of Malwa were keen recruiters due to the Purbiya expertise with firearms. This expertise may have been gained due to the easy availability of saltpetre in their native areas.[2] Most Purbiyas were mercenaries and were paid for their services but some were actual kings of smaller principalities.[3][4]
The Bengal Army consisted largely of Purbiya soldiers.[5]
1857 mutiny
Prior to 1857, the British preferred to recruit Purbiya soldiers who were designated by the British as "The fighting tribes of the Hindoos and the Musselmen".[6] They liked to recruit them because they had an average height of 5'8.[7]
The Purbiya recruits in the Bengal Army played a major role in the Indian rebellion of 1857 against the British and forced them to recruit soldiers from different communities.[8]
Zamindar estates of Bihar
- Jagdishpur [9] - ruled by the Ujjainiya Rajputs.
Notable people
- Kunwar Singh - Raja of Jagdishpur Zamindari in Bhojpur and leader of the 1857 rebellion in Bihar
- Silhadi - Tomar Rajput Chieftain of North Eastern Malwa in the early 16th century. He commanded a mercenary force of Purbiyas and is sometimes referred to as such.
References
- ↑ The Rajputs of Rajputana.
- ↑ Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy (2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-134-11988-2.
- ↑ Naravane, M. S. (1999). The Rajputs of Rajputana: A Glimpse of Medieval Rajasthan. APH Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-81-7648-118-2.
- ↑ Journal of Indian history, Volume 66, Dept. of History, University of Kerala, 1988
- ↑ Roy, Kaushik; Lorge, Peter. Chinese and Indian Warfare – From the Classical Age to 1870. p. 333.
- ↑ Roy, Kaushik; Lorge, Peter. Chinese and Indian Warfare – From the Classical Age to 1870. p. 335.
- ↑ Roy, Kaushik (2012). Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present. p. 214.
- ↑ Roy, Kaushik. Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. p. 6.
- ↑ "The Making of History".
Further reading
- M K A Siddiqui (ed.), Marginal Muslim Communities in India, Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi (2004)
- Dasharatha Sharma Rajasthan through the Ages a comprehensive and authentic history of Rajasthan, prepared under the orders of the Government of Rajasthan. First published 1966 by Rajasthan Archives.