Saran Raj
| Saran Raj | |||||
| Bais Dynasty | |||||
| |||||
| History | |||||
| • | Established | 1500 | |||
| • | Disestablished | 1947 | |||
Saran Raj was one of the Zamindari states of India during the period of the British Raj.[1] The former state's territory is in the present-day Saran district, Bihar. It was ruled by the Bais Dynasty. It was part of the Raj Baiswada Empire, present day in Uttar Pradesh, having its parts in Bihar also. It was established by Bais Kshatriya who migrated from the Vaishali or Vajjika Republic between 400 B.C. to 200 B.C.[2] The capital of Saran is Sonpur city.
History
The younger branch of the royal family was called the Raidar or Pattidar having the title of Rai. They used to inspect all the official state works. After Independence, as many Eastern kings denied merging into the Republic of India, Jawaharlal Nehru declared 90% of Eastern States as Zamindari Raj, including Saran.[3]
In the 15th century, the Maharaja of Saran adopted the younger brother of the Maharaja of Baiswada and made him his heir. After the death of the King, when the new Maharaja sat on the throne, he accepted the suzerainty of Baiswada and became its part. Saran used to have 52 noble zamindars in its durbar.[4]
In 1820, the Mughal Sultan and The East India Company formed a syndicate and sent their combined army of 30,000 soldiers with 500 cannons and much artillery to attack Saran under the commanding officer of Sir Thomas. The army reached the banks of the river Ganga, and the Maharaja of Saran, whose capital was Sonpur, learned about the attack and ordered his general to prepare the army for battle. The next day, both armies faced each other on the banks of the river Ganga. The Maharaja had only 12,000 Rajput soldiers with swords and spears, and 15 cannons for fighting in the war (they not only had 15, but 100 with them; they believed in fighting with hand weapons only). The war began, and the Rajputs started fighting bravely. A very fearful scene unfolded on the battlefield as the advanced Mughal-British army began killing enemies with cannons and guns, but the opponents were fighting with swords and spears only. The Maharaja, angered by the sight of so many dead bodies of his martyrs, ordered his army to fight as they wished. Then, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the Rajputs began killing their enemies mercilessly. By afternoon, 45,000 Mughal-British soldiers were killed. The war stopped, and the Maharaja won the battle, remaining with 2,000 of his soldiers and returning to the palace.
The Dark Night
Due to this defeat, the British commander was very upset and made a plan. At midnight, he sent 500 of his soldiers with the leadership of his son, James. They secretly entered the Palace of Sonpur, and when they entered, they started killing everyone who came in front of them. The sounds of sword fighting and shouting woke the king, who learned what was happening. He secretly sent his family members to a safe place and sat silently in his bedroom for two minutes. Then, James (the troop leader) came inside his room, and they both started fighting. Within four minutes, the king killed him, cutting him into 42 pieces and throwing him out to the British troops. Seeing this, they became frightened, and the king, remaining with his 125 supporters, continued fighting. Suddenly, someone shot a bullet into the head of the Maharaja, and he died. After killing everyone in the palace, the troops looted it, including the famous throne of the Maharajas of Sonpur named Keshashva Gajasan, and called the British Chief, Sir Thomas. He burst into tears and shouted to destroy the whole palace. They burned the Palace and attacked its walls with cannons, and after destroying it, they left.[5]
References
- ↑ "सारण। छपरा में कहने के लिए सारण काफी पुराना जिला है। मुगल शासक अकबर के दरबारी अबुल फजल ने आइने अकबरी".
- ↑ Yang, Anand A. (1999). Bazaar India: Markets, Society, and the Colonial State in Bihar. University of California Press. pp. 305 (at page 69). ISBN 978-0-520-21100-1. Search this book on
- ↑ Tahir Hussain Ansari (20 June 2019). Mughal Administration and the Zamindars of Bihar. Taylor & Francis. pp. 200–223. ISBN 978-1-00-065152-2. Search this book on
- ↑ O'Malley, L. S. S. (2007). Bihar And Orissa District Gazetteers : Saran. pp. 1–2. ISBN 9788172681364. Search this book on
- ↑ Yang, Anand A. (1999). Bazaar India: Markets, Society, and the Colonial State in Bihar. University of California Press. pp. 305 (at page 69). ISBN 978-0-520-21100-1. Search this book on
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