Benares (State)
| Benares | |||||
| -1948 | |||||
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| Capital | Ramnagar | ||||
| Form of government | Princely state (13 shot salute) | ||||
| surface | 2266 km² | ||||
| population | 533,000 (1941) | ||||
| resolution | October 15, 1948 | ||||
| State religion: Hinduism Dynasty: Gautam-Bhumiyar |
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Benares ( Banaras , Varanasi ) was one of the princely states of British India in what is now the state of Uttar Pradesh .
The medieval kingdom of Kashi became part of Oudh in 1194 . In the middle of the 18th century, the Nawab of Oudh enfeoffed the Bhumiyar Brahmin Mansa Ram and his successor Balwant Singh (1740-1770) with Benares and other districts of the former kingdom. In 1775 the Nawab ceded sovereignty over the area to the British. They recognized it - without the city of Benares - as a family estate of the Gautam Bhumiyar dynasty and at the same time incorporated it as part of the Mirzapur district in British India. Raja Ishwari Prasad Narayan Singh (1835-1889) was raised to Maharaja in 1859 .
In 1911, the Maharaja's lands received the status of a formally independent princely state. The state consisted of two exclaves to the west and south-east of the city of Benares: one around Bhadohi (congruent with today's district of Sant Ravidas Nagar ) and one around Chakia in today's district of Chandauli . The residence was Ramnagar near Benares. In 1941 the princely state of Benares had an area of 2266 km² and 533,000 inhabitants.
After India and the princely states became independent in 1947 (see History of India ), the last Maharaja, Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh , annexed to India on October 15, 1948, and the principality was annexed to the state of Uttar Pradesh . The Maharaja became Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University .
See also
literature
- Benares Estate. In: The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Volume 7: Bareilly to Berasiā. New Edition. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1908, pp. 187-188 .
- George B. Malleson: An historical sketch of the native states of India. Longmans, Green & Co., London 1875, ( digitized version ).
- Joseph E. Schwartzberg (Ed.): A historical atlas of South Asia (= Association for Asian Studies. Reference Series. 2). 2nd impression, with additional material. Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 1992, ISBN 0-19-506869-6 .
