Bahawalpur (princely state)
State of Bahawalpur بہاولپور دی ریاست | |||||||||
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British India 1833–1947 1947–55Princely state of Pakistan | |||||||||
1748–1955 | |||||||||
Prime Minister of Bahawalpur | | ||||||||
• 1942–1947 | Sir Richard Marsh Crofton | ||||||||
• 1948–1952 | Sir John Dring | ||||||||
• 1952 – 14 October 1955 | A.R. Khan | ||||||||
Historical era | Early Modern Period | ||||||||
• Established | 1748 | ||||||||
• Merged into West Pakistan | 14 October 1955 | ||||||||
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Today part of | Pakistan |
Bahawalpur | |
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Subdivision of Pakistan | |
1748–14 October 1955 | |
Flag | |
Map of Pakistan with Bahawalpur highlighted | |
Capital | Bahawalpur |
Area | |
• | 45,911 km2 (17,726 sq mi) |
History | |
• Established | 1748 |
• Disestablished | 14 October 1955 |
This article is part of the series |
Former administrative units of Pakistan |
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Bahawalpur (Urdu, Punjabi: بہاولپُور) was a princely state in subsidiary alliance with British Raj and later Dominion of Pakistan, that was a part of the Punjab States Agency. The state covered an area of 45,911 km2 (17,726 sq mi) and had a population of 1,341,209 in 1941. The capital of the state was the town of Bahawalpur.[1]
The state was founded in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan Abbasi. On 22 February 1833, Abbasi III entered into a subsidiary alliance with the British, by which Bahawalpur was admitted as a princely state. When British rule ended in 1947 and British Raj was partitioned into India and Pakistan, Bahawalpur joined the Dominion of Pakistan. Bahawalpur remained an autonomous entity until 14 October 1955, when it was merged with the province of West Pakistan.[1]
History
The Kingdom of Bahawalpur was established by Bahawal Khan, who belonged to the Daudpotra tribe and had migrated from Shikarpur, Sindh in 1748.[2] By the 18th century, Nawabs of Bahawalpur had consolidated power by settling his Daudpotra kinsmen on new canal lands along Sutlej.[2]
As part of the 1809
During the
In 1863 and 1866 insurrections broke out against the Nawab who successfully crushed the rebellions; but in March 1866, the Nawab died suddenly, not without suspicion of having been poisoned, and was succeeded by his son, Nawab
Independence of Pakistan
The predominantly Muslim population supported
Demography
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1871 | — | |
1881 | 573,494 | — |
1891 | 650,042 | +13.3% |
1901 | 720,877 | +10.9% |
1911 | 780,641 | +8.3% |
1921 | 781,191 | +0.1% |
1931 | 984,612 | +26.0% |
1941 | 1,341,209 | +36.2% |
In 1941, Bahawalpur had a population of 1,341,209 of whom 737,474 (54.98%) were men and 603,735 (45.02%) were women. Bahawalpur had a literacy rate of 2.8% (5.1% for males and 0.1% for females) in 1901. The bulk of the population (two-thirds) lived on the fertile Indus River banks with the eastern desert tract being sparsely populated.
Between 1916 and 1941, the population had almost doubled due to the Sutlej Valley Project when vast amounts of Bahawalpur territory were opened to irrigation. There was a migration of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs to Bahawalpur from other parts of Punjab. These colonists were labelled non-Riyasatis as opposed to locals or "Riyasatis" and were systematically discriminated against in government appointments.
Religion
The state was predominantly Muslim. According to the 1941 census, Muslims made up 81.9% (1,098,814) of the state's population while Hindus numbered 174,408 (13%) and Sikhs numbered 46,945 (1.84%). While a majority of Muslims and Hindus had their origins in Bahawalpur, a considerable proportion of settlers were migrants from other parts of the Punjab. The Sikhs, on the other hand, were predominantly colonists who had migrated after the opening of canal colonies. The largest Muslim castes were
.Religious group |
1901[7] | 1911[8][9] | 1921[10] | 1931[11] | 1941[12] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam | 598,139 | 82.97% | 654,247 | 83.81% | 647,207 | 82.85% | 799,176 | 81.17% | 1,098,814 | 81.93% |
Hinduism [a] | 114,670 | 15.91% | 109,548 | 14.03% | 114,621 | 14.67% | 149,454 | 15.18% | 174,408 | 13% |
Sikhism | 7,985 | 1.11% | 16,630 | 2.13% | 19,071 | 2.44% | 34,896 | 3.54% | 46,945 | 3.5% |
Christianity | 83 | 0.01% | 199 | 0.03% | 283 | 0.04% | 1,054 | 0.11% | 3,048 | 0.23% |
Jainism | 0 | 0% | 15 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 12 | 0% | 351 | 0.03% |
Zoroastrianism | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 8 | 0% | 20 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Buddhism | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Judaism | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Others | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 17,643 | 1.32% |
Total population | 720,877 | 100% | 780,641 | 100% | 781,191 | 100% | 984,612 | 100% | 1,341,209 | 100% |
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.
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Legacy
The Nawabs gifted portions of their land in Lahore to Punjab University, while the mosque at Aitchison College was also gifted by the Nawab. The Bahawalpur Block of the King Edward Medical College was also donated by the Nawab.[13][need quotation to verify]
Rulers
The rulers of Bahawalpur took the title of
20th century onwards, Sadeq Muhammad Khan V was the Nawab and later Emir of Bahawalpur State from 1907 to 1966. He became the Nawab on the death of his father, when he was only three years old. In 1955 he signed an agreement with the
Nawab Amir of Bahawalpur | Tenure |
---|---|
Muhammad Bahadur Khan | 1689 – 1702 |
Muhammad Mubarak Khan I | 1702 – 1723 |
Sadeq Muhammad Khan I | 1723 – 1743 |
After Formation of Princely State | |
Muhammad Bahawal Khan I | 1743 – 1749 |
Muhammad Mubarak Khan II | 1749 – 1772 |
Muhammad Bahawal Khan II | 1772 – 1809 |
Sadeq Muhammad Khan II | 1809 – 1827 |
Muhammad Bahawal Khan III | 1827 – 1852 |
Sadeq Muhammad Khan III | 1852 – 1853 |
Haji Fath Muhammad Khan | 1853 – 1858 |
Rahim Yaar Khan Abbasi | 1858 – 1866 |
Sadeq Mohammad Khan IV | 1866 – 1899 |
Mohammad Bahawal Khan V |
1899 – 1907 |
Sadeq Mohammad Khan V | 1907 – 1955 |
State Abolished | |
Sadeq Mohammad Khan V | 1955 – 1965 |
Abbas Khan Abbasi | 1965 – 1988 |
Salahuddin Ahmed Abbasi | 1988 – present |
Tenure | Prime Minister of Bahawalpur[21] |
---|---|
1942 – 1947 | Richard Marsh Crofton |
1948 – 1952 | John Dring |
1952 – 14 October 1955 | A.R. Khan |
14 October 1955 | State of Bahawalpur abolished |
See also
References
- ^ a b "History of Bahawalpur State and its Culture" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS).
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-35553-8.
- ^ Treaty concluded between the East India Company, and Nawab Ruk-uddaulah of Bahawalpur (Original in Persian, with English translation) (in Persian). Delhi: Foreign Department, Government of India. 1838. Retrieved 21 August 2022 – via National Archives of India.
- ^ "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 6, page 197 -- Imperial Gazetteer of India -- Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
- ISBN 978-81-7211-005-5.
- ISBN 978-1-317-44820-4.
- JSTOR saoa.crl.25363739. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- JSTOR saoa.crl.25393788. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II". p. 27. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- JSTOR saoa.crl.25430165. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- JSTOR saoa.crl.25793242. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- JSTOR saoa.crl.28215541. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ISBN 978-81-317-3220-5.
- ISBN 9789004149274
- PMID 21968105.
- JSTOR 25564927.
- ^ "Prince Bahawal Abbas Khan Abbasi joins PTI". pakistantoday.com.pk. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Prince Bahawal graduates from King's College". The Nation. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ Correspondent, A (10 April 2016). "Falahuddin Abbasi dies". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "UK National Archives". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis
Further reading
- Nazeer 'Ali Shah, The History of the Bahawalpur State. Lahore: Maktaba Jadeed, 1959.
External links
- Media related to Bahawalpur (princely state) at Wikimedia Commons
- Nawabs of Bahawalpur
- Bahawalpur Information
- TMA Bahawalpur City website