CHAPTER-II

H I S T O R Y

(Ancient Period)

Por "the early history of the district, no adequate

literattire is available. Even though the exact dating of

literary sources is not possible, their chronological

sequence is generally agreed upon. It is reasonable to

place the evidence of Buddhist sources, like Jatkas and

some other Buddhist text, before that of sources like

epic of Mahabharata. The history itself goes back and

disappears into the mists of legend. While the earliest

records are gone and fragmentary artefacts and ruins are

almost completely mute. There is evidence of indicate that

49

Muzaffamagar has an ant iquity going back t o a t l eas t three

thousand years, as the d i s t r i c t has y ie lded so many Late

Harappan as wel l as Ochre Colour.Pottery s i t e s .

The coins and archaeological £indings conjecture

that there were settlements in and aroimd Muzaffamagar

from the time of the Late Harappan, Ochre Coloixr Pottery,

Painted Grey Ware and Northern Black Polished Ware cultures.

However, about the 6th century B.C. the d i s t r i c t seems to

have been es tabl i shed . The d i s t r i c t has encoimtered

evidences of material culture belonging to the Mauryan,

Sunga, Kushana, Gupta, Post-Gupta, Rajput and Delhi

Sultenate periods to Mughal per iod. This was suff ic ient

to confirm the local tradi t ion about the antiquity and

continviity of urban settlement in the area under study,

a t l e a s t at the s i t e s of Hastinapura and Purana Quila^,

The Ganga-Yamuna doab occupies a very s ignif icant

place in the p o l i t i c a l , cultural and economic history of

India . The area covered by the present d i s t r i c t of

1. Above conclusion i s based on the two zrenoxind archaeolo­g i ca l s i t e s v i z ; Hastinapur and Purana Qui la , which are not much away from the d i s t r i c t of Muzaffamagar. Hastinapur i s the d i s t r i c t Meerut while Purana Qxiila i s in Delhi . Hastinapur i s hardly 50 km away from the d i s t r i c t headquarters of Muzaffamagar.

2 . Gaur, R.C., Excavations at Atranlikherat Early c i v i l i z a ­t ion of the Upper Ganga Basin, (Delhi , 1983), p . 2 cf. Singh, R.L., India A Regional Geography, (Varanasi, 1987), p . 126.

50

Muzaffamagar l i e s in the upper doab of the Ganga and the

Yainijna, which have e x i s t e d s i n c e the date of Riaveda .

The reg ion was c a l l e d Madhyadesa, of which t h i s d i s t r i c t

formed a p a r t . According t o an o l d t r a d i t i o n ^ Muzaffar-

nagar formed par t of the kingdom of t h e Pandavas of the

Mahabharata fame. As gleaned from t h e Puranas and the

e p i c s , the e a r l i e s t known king who ru led over t h i s part

was probably Pururvas Ai la • His realm was devided between

h i s two sons, Ayu and Amavasu. The l a t t e r foxinded the

KanyakiAjja dynasty in the mid Gangetic doab. His great

grandson Yayat i , continued t o ru le over the e n t i r e

Madhyadesa » No h i s t o r y i s known a f t e r Y a y a t i ' s son Puru.

The d i s t r i c t was continued t o be ru led l a t e r on by Bharata

of e p i c fame who extended h i s t e r r i t o r y from Saraswati t o

the Ganga . The headquarters of the kindgcm a f t e r him was

s h i f t e d frcan Prat i shthan t o Hastinapura ,

1 . Tr ipathi , R . S . , History of Ancient I n d i a , (Delhi , i960) pp . 28-29? c f . Majumdar, R.C. , Ancient I n d i a , pp.65-66 .

2 . c f . Puri , H.N. , C i t i e s of Ancient Ind ia (Delhi 1966), p . 22; Atkinson, E . , o p . c i t . . V o l . I l l , p . 587 and N e v i l l , H.R., OP. c i t . , p . 117.

3 . Majumdar, R.C. and Pushalkar, A.D. (Bombay) (Ed), The History and Culture of the Indian Peop le , V o l . I , p.277,

4 . I b i d , v ide Variin D .P . , op . c i t . , p . 18 .

5 . Varun, D.P. O P . c i t . , p . 18 6. Rajchaudhuri, H.C., Political History of Ancient India

(Calcutta, 1953), p. 24.

51

For s e v e r a l c e n t u r i e s Hastinapura had been a very

s i g n i f i c a n t centre of the p o l i t i c a l and c u l t u r a l a c t i v i ­

t i e s ^ . The name of the Hastinapura i s f r e q u e n t l y referred

t o in the a n c i e n t t e x t s of Sanskr i t , P r a k r i t , P a l i and

Apabhransa, I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t Hastinapvira, the

c a p i t a l of the Kauravas, does no t r e c e i v e a s much not i ce

as Indapatta i n the Buddhist s o u r c e s . I t i s o n l y in a l a t e r

t e x t t h a t t h e r e i s a re ference t o Hatthinipura {noz 2

Hatthinapra) a s a c i t y of kindgdom of Kuru ; In Jain

sources , on the o ther hand, wh i l e there are re ferences

t o Ha;tthinaura, Hatthinapura and Hatthinagapura, tnere i s

no reference t o Indapatta or Indraprastha in any fcrm. But

a new name Gayapura (Gajpura) i s sometimes mentioned for

Hastinapura^. Panini and Greek Geographer Plotemy a l s o 4

r e f e r s t o i t Hastinagar •

However, of a l l the names three-Gajpura, Hastinapura

and Nagpura deserve s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n . Perhaps a large

1 . "Kuroh putros bhavath Hastl tadupaqya midam puram; Hastinapuramlt yahurenkashcharyasevidham**, VIvidha-Tlrthakalpa (Shantiniketan, 1955), p . 94 .

2 . Petavatthu, I I I . 6? Petayatthu Attheakatha, p . 201.

3 . Santi Suri , Uttaradhvayana«nlrvu3cti and Uttaradhvavana-v r t t l (Bombay) p . 109; c f . Mohan Lai Mehta and K. Rlshabh Chandra, Prakr i t Proper Names (Ahmedabad, 1970) , p . 227.

4 . c f . Purl , B . N . , C i t i e s of Ancient India (Delhi 1966) ,p , 22

52

number of elephants were once found in this region which

gave the name to the region as Gajapura, The king Hastin,

who is listed 51 in the dynastic list of the Puranas^,

gave the name Hastinapura to the region. After the

Mahabharata war when Nagas occupied the region, it became

2 known as Nagpura •

According to the Vedic texts the capital of the

kuru region was Asandivata which was probably identical

with Naga-Sahvyapura or Hastinapura, the latter repeatedly 4

referred to in the epics and Puranas •

Ancient Hastinapura was situated on the south-east

bank of the Ganga river. On its western end was Vamavarta

(modem Bamawa) a village in the tahsil Sardhana of the

1. Pargiter, F.E,, Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Delhi 1962; pp. 112 & 146; Lai, B.B., Ancient India. Nos. lO&ll, p. 147-48; Nevill, H.R., op. cit.. Vol. IV, p. 147; and Mahabharata, Adiparva (Poona, 1926), 90-36.

2. Though Purana generally refer to this place as Hastinapura but Bhaqvat gives its name as Gaja-Sahvyapur (Bhag,l,8,45; 4,31,30;4,10,57), Mahabharata gives the name as Naga-Sahvyapur (Mbh.7, 1,8,14,16,20) and Nagpura (Mbh. 5,147,5) Jain texts call this place Gajpura frequently.

3. Vedic Index/ Vol. I, p. 72; Raychaudhury, H.C., Political History of Ancient India (Culcutta, 1953), p. 23; and Majximdar, S.N. (ed.), cimninqham's Geography of Ancient India (Calcutta, 1924), p. 701.

4 . Cf. Raychaudhuri, H . c , o p . c i t . . p p . 21-23; Lai, B . B . , OP; c i t . . pp . 147-49.

5 . Cf. N e v i l l , ,H.R. , op. c i t . . V o l . IV, p . 147; Prakash, Buddha, P o l i t i c a l and Soc ia l Movement in Ancient Panlab (From Vedic age upto the Maxirya period) {Delhi* 1964),

p . 18 and Dey, N.L. , The Geographical Dict ionary of Ancient and Medieval I n d i a . (New D e l h i . 1979) . n. 74 .

53

d i s t r i c ± Meerut and s i t u a t e d on the e a t e m bank of Hindon

Nadi . On northern end i t i s spread upto Sukratal in t a h s i l

Jansath of d i s t r i c t Muzaffamagar^. Towards south i t

extended upto Pushpavati (modem Puth or Puda) on Ganga 2

and i n the south-west \:5)to Ahar , a smal l town in the

d i s t r i c t of Bulandshahar.

Kuru was the next renowned k ing of t h i s (Pauravas)

dynasty and the d i s t r i c t which came xinder h i s kingdom was

c a l l e d Kuru-desa « His s u c c e s s o r s became known as Kurus or

Kauravas . However* the term Kaurava was r e s t r i c t e d t o

Dhr i t rashtra*s son, Pandus* sons b e i n g c a l l e d Pandavas .

The Kurus occupied the Country "from the Si v i s and sxjb-

Himalyan t r i b e s on the north t o Matsya^ Sursena and South

Pancala on the South, and between North Pancala on the e a s t

and Marxjbhumi (the Rajputanas d e s e r t ) on the west ". 7

According t o Mahasutsona Jataka i t s e x t e n t was three

1 . Cf« Majtandar, S.N., op« c i t » . p . 3 7 7 . _ 2* Cf. Atkinson, E , , OT3. c i t . V o l . I l l , p . 582; Ja in , J . p ,

OP. c i t . , p • 2• 3 . Majumdar, R.C. , op. c i t . * p . 7 1 . 4 . P a r g i t e r , F . E . , Ancient Ind ia H i s t o r i c a l Tradit ion

(Delhi 1962) , pp . 7 6 - 2 8 1 . 5 . I b i d . 300 . 6 . Law, B . C . , Geographical Essays R e l a t i n g t o Ancient

Geography of" lndia (Delhi , 1926) , p . 132? Mahabharata. Adiparva, I 109, 1; 149, 5-15; I I 26 -32; I I I 83-204 v ide Raychaudhxiri, H.C., o p . c i t . , p p . 2 1 - 2 3 .

7 . Mahasutsoma Jataka, No. 537, Majxjmdar, S .N. , op . c i t . . p . 7 0 1 .

54

hxindred leagues.

The Kuru IdLngdpm, according to the epic tradition

was stretched from Sarasvati to the Ganga and there

territory appear to have been divided into three parts:

"Kuniksetra, the Kurus and Kuru-jangala (Adi P. cix 4337-40).

Kuruksetra, 'the cultivated land of the Kurus* comprised

the whole tract on the west of the Junona and included the

sacred region between the Sarasvati and Drsadvati (Vana

P. LXXXIII 5071-78 and 7073-76; Ramayana, Ayodhya K. LXX 12;

Megha, D.I. 49-50)..... Kuru-jangala, 'the waste land of

the Kurus* was the eastern part of their territory and

appears to have comprised the tract between the Ganges

and the North Pancala (Ram Ayodhya K. LXXII; Mbh. Sabha.

P. XIX 793-94) . The middle region between the Ganges and

Jxmma seems to have been called simply the Kuru* s cotintry ".

Mahabharata gives the following description of

KuruJcshetra; south of the sarasvati and north of the

Drishadvati . In Diwavadana, Hastinapura is described as

1. Law, B.C., op. cit., p. 132.

2. "Dakshina sarasvatya drlshadvatyuttarena cha; Ye vasanti Kurukshetre te vasanti trivishatape". ^South from Sarasvati and north from Drishadvati they who dwell in Kuruksheta live in paradise". Mahabarata, III 83, 4, 9.15; 25, 40, 52, 200, 204-208; Majtandar, S.N., op. cit., p. 382; and Raychaudhxiri, H.C., op. cit.. p. 21.

5S

a rich, prosperious and populous city^,

2

According to Taittiriya Avanyaka Kurukshetra had

Khandava vana in the south, Turghna in the north and

Parinah in the west.

On the basis of these accoxints it appears that the

Kuru kingdom roughly ccxnprised of Modem Thaneshwar, Delhi 3

and the great part of the upper Gangetic Doab •

According to Mahabharata, the city got its name after

the king Hastin of Paurava dynasty who is said to have

foxinded it. Literary evidence both Brahrainical and Jain 4

associates this place with king Hastin • It is also said

that it was the capital of Dushyanta and his son Bharat,

who were ancestors of kind Hastin. However, at that time

its name was not Hastinapura but Gajpura or Naga-Sahvyapura

or Asandivata. According to Prapanchsudani this place

also became known as Kururattam when some people of North

1. Divvavadana No. 435; also Law, B.C., op. cit., p. 29.

2. Vedic Index, I., pp. 167-70.

3 . Cf. Raychaudhuri, op . c i t . . p . 21-23; Law, B.C. , op. c i t . , p . 132 .

4 . Shatputramabhuna nabhisunah sunuhkurur^araph; Kurukshetramii kvatam res trametat ta dakhyaya;K\aroh pujtro S bhavath Hasti tadupagyamidampuram. Viv idha-Tirthavikalpa (Shantiniketan. I 9 3 4 i , p . 9 4 .

56

Kuru reg ion came and s e t t l e d down here during the time of

king Mandhata of Puranic fame . According t o another

t r a d i t i o n the foimder of K\xru kingdom was Kuru of Samvama

l i n e ^ . According t o Mahavastu-Avadana the c a p i t a l of the 3

Kururattam was Hastinapura, I t s e a r l i e r name was Asandivat .

Manu d e s c r i b e s the land between t h e two sacred r i v e r s 4

Sarasvat i and D r i s t a d v a t i , a s Brahmavarta • The name

Kurukshetra i n d i c a t e s a region which l a t e r on became the

name of a p a r t i c u l a r p l a c e .

Buddhist t r a d i t i o n records the e x i s t e n c e of Hastina­

pura p r i o r t o Buddha. In Anquttaranikaya Kuru i s referred

t o as a proninent Janpada in the l i s t of s i x t e e n Mahajanpadas.

In Bodhisat tva Vadana Kalplata Hastinapura has been mentlonec

a s the c a p i t a l of Kauravas and according t o L a l i t a v i s t a r a

1 . Prapanchsudani, I 1, 184; a l s o Law, B . C . , Tribes in Ancient I n d i a (Poena, 1943), p . 23 and h i s Geography of Buddhism (London, 1932) , p . 17 .

2 . Teshu t r i s h u Kumareshu la teshu kurulanqalam; KuravoStu kurukshetra trayametadavardnata. Manabharata, 1, 102, 1; 1, 102,22 and 1 ,191 , 9 .

3 . MahavastU"Avadana, I I I 361 . According t o i t the country was a l s o known as 'Kururattam* v i d e J a i n , J . P . op. d t . ^ p . 4 .

4 . Sa l e tove , B .A. , Ancient Indian P o l i t i c a l thought and I n s t i t u t i o n (Culcut ta , 1963) p . 176; Majumdar, S.N., op . c i t . , p . 3 8 3 .

5 . Bodhisattvavadana-Kalplata , I I I , 116-64, p . 9 vide Jain, J . P . , OP. c i t . , p . 4 .

6 . L a l i t a v i s t a r a , Chapter I I I v i d e Law, B . C . , op. c i t . , p . 29; and J a i n , J . P . , op . c i t . . p . 4 .

57

the king of t h i s place be longed t o the family l i n e of the

Pandavas.

I t appears that when the Aryan moved eastward they

s e l e c t e d Nastinapura for t h e i r f i r s t s e t t l e m e n t on accotant

of i t s s t r a t e g i c s i t u a t i o n in t h e Doab , Though we are not

c e r t a i n about the date of the f i r s t Aryan set t lement here ,

i t had grown a s an important town by the time of the

Mahabharata war.

The Hastinapur, which governed t h i s d i s t r i c t , was

the bone of content ions between the Kaxxravas and the

Pandavas. Af ter the Mahabharata war Yudhishthir became 2

the supreme i n the northena I n d i a , w i t h h i s cap i ta l a t

Hastinapur , The d i s t r i c t cont inued t o be a part of Kuru

empire under Par iksh i ta , grandson of Arjtona. His kingdom

COTiprised the present New D e l h i , par t of the eas t Ptanjab 4

and the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab •

1 . Marshal l , S i r John, Mohan-Jodaro and the Indus C i v i l i z a t i o (London, 1931)# p . 106.

2 . Majumdar, R.C. , op. c i t . 7 2 .

3 . The Mahabharata, Sabha Parva, c h - l 0 8 p . 372 .

4» Raichaudhuri, H.C., op . c i t « , p . 22; Majumdar and Pushalkar, op . c l t . p . 3 2 3 .

58

As Mahabharata states king Hastin was succeeded by

his son Ajamidha, who in turn was followed by Raksa,

Samvama, etc. respectively. During the time of Samvama's

son this city came into prominence. Though the kingdom

was lost temporarily by Janmejaya, it was regained by

king Pratip^,

It is regarded traditionally that at Shukartal of

Jansath tahsil of this district the sage Shukadera has

recited the Srimad Bhaqawata to Parikshita, By the time

of Nagas had became powerful and they created trouble

for Parikshita as well as for his son janmejaya, Histinapxira

passed through crises^ during their regime due to Naga's

invasion , janmejaya performed a major sacrifies, known

as Janmejaya Yalna, to which he invited certain Brahmans

to perform y l' ^ <i honoured them with lands . The

1, Pratipah shantanustat kulasyarthe tatha sthltahi Yatha devavrata bhishmah kulasyarthe shito S bhavata. Mahabharata, 148^ 2,

2, Pargiter, F,E,, op, cit,. p, 285,

3 , MajTomdar and P u s h a l k a r , o p , c i t « , p p , 324-25.

59

receipients by Janmejaya are said to be the Tagas of Pur,

Charthawal and Shikarpur^ of this district. However, the

successor of Janmejaya continued to hold the region till

Nichakshu. Before the city could regain its glory a great

deluge washed away a considerable part of the city during

the reign of Nichakshu. The trouble became more grave when

locusts destroyed the standing crops spread which was

followed by a spread of disease. These circumstances forced

Nichakshu to abondon his capital and the Kurus shifted it

to Kaushambi in the district of Allahabad. Excavations at

Hastinapur and Kaushambi confirms remarkably the literary

evidance .

Here it may be added that the recent explorations

have brought to light of a large ntamber of OCP sites in

the district. A few Harappan and late Harappan sites have

also been recorded. However* it has been discussed above

that the area came under the Aryans occuptation during the

1. Crooks, W., Tribes and Castes of North-Westem Provinces of India vol. IV (Calcutta, 1896), pp. 352-53, vide Varxin, D.P. op. cit., p. 19.

2. Adhisimkrishna-putro nichakshurbhavita nrapah Yo qangaya S phrite hastinapure Kaushamvyam vivatsyati. "When the Hastinapura carried away by the Ganga Nichakshu will abondon it and will dwell inKaushambi". Pargiter, F.E. op. cit., pp. 5, 65, cf. Ghosh, N.N., The Early History of Kaushambi* (Allahabad, 1935), p. 5.

60

l a t e r Vedic Per iod as i s a t t e s t e d by the PGW s i t e s .

On the b a s i s of Prof* L a i ' s excavat ion , the end

of the per iod I I (Painted Grey Ware phase) be long ing t o

Aryans which was washed away aroxind 800 B . C . , and PGW

se t t l ement approved a t Kaushambi immediately a f t e r .

I t appears tha t the c i t y remained in o b l i v i o n for

q u i t e a long t ime and reappeared again on the p o l i t i c a l

scene dxiring 6 th-5th century B.C. By t h a t time the

Kurus gradual ly gave up t h e i r monarchal form of government 2

and c o n s o l i d a t e d themselves in a republican cofederat ion . In t h i s way the d i s t r i c t became a part of Kurus Janpada,

3 be ing one of the twelve great rupblican s t a t e s .

In the middle of the 4th century B.C. in the

p r o c e s s of Magadhan expansion t h i s Janpada became the

p a r t of t h a t great kingdom. The Kxiru were overthrown by

1 . c f . Lai , B .B , op . c i t . Nos. 10 & 11 p . 149; Puri , B .N. , op . c i t . , p . 23; and Sharma, G.R,, Excavations a t Kaushambi 1957-59 (Allahabad, 1960) , p . 1 3 .

2 . Raychawdhuri, H.C., op . c i t . , p . 134.

3 . The twelve great repxiblican s t a t e s - V r i j i , Malla, Chedi, Vatsa , Kuru, Panchala, Matsa, Sursena, Asmaka, Avanti , Kamboja, and Gandhada; as w e l l a s four monarchal s t a t e s of Kasi Kosala, Magadha and Anga, f l o u r i s h e d in the s i x t h century B.C. Ib id , pp . 2 1 - 2 3 .

61

Mahapacbna of Nanda dynasty of Magadha. Pauranlc tradlon

affirms that he exterminated all the kshatriya families

and became the monarch of a vast kingdom extending frxsm

Punjab to Magadha, including this district .

In the later half of the 4th century (around

321 B.C.) Chandragupta Maurya*", who defeated the Nanda

king occupied the throne of Magadha. Obviously this

district continued to be part of the great empire too.

However, it appears that Hastinapura was not in

proninence during the time of Ashoka. Perhapas this

was the reason that why he preferred to instal his 3

pillar not at this place but in Meerut • Soon after

the death of AshoJca the Maryan power declined and the

deab fell into the hands of Greek invaders. But soon

Pushymitra Sxong (187-151 BC) liberated it from the A

Greeks •

1 . S a s t r i , K.AIN.: Age of the Nandas and Mauryas, (Patna 1952), p . 17.

2 . Majxandar, R.C., op . c i t . « p . 104.

3 . The p i l l a r was s h i f t e d t o Delhi by Pirozshah Tughalaq ( c . 1351-88 A .D . ) ; Atkinson, E . , op . c i t . , p .

4 . Lai , M., Settlementment History and Rise of C i v i l i ­za t ion in Ganqa-Yamuna Doab (From 1500 B.C. t o 300 A .D. ) , (Delhi , 1984) , p . 1 7 .

62

In 185 B . C . , the reg ion covering t h i s d i s t r i c t

came under t h e c o n t r o l o f Pushyamitra Siaaga. Perhaps

same s i t u a t i o n remained vmder the sionga* The Bacterian

Greeks over run i n Ind ia during h i s r e i g n , \inder

Demitrious and Menander r e s p e c t i v e l y • However, some 2

Bactr ian co ins which were found in t h i s d i s t r i c t

undoubtedly i n d i c a t e s t h a t Greek armies passed through

i t when they invaded t h e coxantry during the reign of

Pushyamitra Sunga, Not long a f t e r e s t a b l i s h e d themselves

a t Mathura a f t e r overpowring the Greeks during the f i r s t

h a l f of the f i r s t century B .C. The Sakas e s t a b l i s h e d

themselves i n the e n t i r e western Uttar Pradesh, A large

nianber of c o i n s of Rajuvula d i scovered a t various p lace s

i n the reg ion , p a r t i c u l a r l y in the western part of Uttar

Pradesh and Piinjab, are abtindant .

Since Hastinapura excavat ion has y i e l d e d co ins

of Mitra dynasty from the e a r l y l e v e l s of period I I I .

I t appears t h a t the reg ion of Muzaffamagar went under

1 . Tr ipathi , R . S . , o p . c i t . , p . 185; c f . Majumdar, R.C, OP0 c i t . , pp . 116-17 v ide Varuna, D.P, op. c i t . , p . 20

2 . N e v i l l , H.R., o p . c i t . , v o l . I l l , p . 157.

3 . Varxin, D .P . , o p . c i t . , p . 2 2 .

63

the rule of Mitra k ings of the Panchala reg ion a f t e r the

Mauryas and Sungas*

Subsequently the Panchala were replaced by the

Yaydheyas i n the beg inning of the f i r s t centxiry of the

c h r i s t i a n e r a . However, t h e c l a y s e a l and co ins

sugges t that Yodheya k ings have e x e r c i s e d t h e i r p o l i t i c a l 2

au thor i ty over t h i s reg ion . The Yodheya coins a l s o have

been found frcan the middle of t h e p e r i o d I I I of Hast ina-

pura •

Towards the c l o s e of the f i r s t century or in the

beginning of the second century the Kushanas occupied

t h e e n t i r e area of the western Ut tar Pradesh, The new

regime helped the propagation of Buddhism. Hastinaptir

excavat ion has y i e l d e d images of Maitreya Bodhisattra

and few other images during per iod IV of Hastinapura.

The region of Muzaffamagar was not f a r away frcsm the

anc ient kingdom of Sursena wi th t h e i r c a p i t a l a t Mathura

1 , Thaplyal, K.K, StxKlies i n Ancient Indian Sea l s , (Lucknow 1972), p . 2 1 .

2 , Majumdar, R,C., op , c i t . . p , 130 ,

3 , c f . Lai, B . B . , o p , c i t . . N o s , . 1 0 & 11 , pp , 149-50.

64

whidi had be cane a great centre of Buddhist a c t i v i t y .

The d i s t r i c t remained the par t of Kushana empire t i l l

t h e middle of the 3rd century A.D.

I t appears t h a t t i l l the re ign of Vasudeva of

Kushana dynasty t h i s area remained in prcmiinence.

However, by the and Kushana per iod , t h i s p l a c e once

again became i n s i g n i f i c a n t . Excavat ions of Hastinapur

has proved t h a t the s i t e was abondaned. In due coxxrse

of time a s o r t of f ore s t or wood land grew h e r e .

The whole Uttar Pradesh i n c l u d i n g t h i s d i s t r i c t

i n the middle of the 4th century A.D. wag under the

empire of Samudragupta. T i l l the beginning of 6th

century the d i s t r i c t continued t o form par t of the 2

Gupta empire .

In the beginning of the 6th century A.D. some

p a r t of the Gupta anpiire was conquered by a Huna 3

invador, Torman. The conquered coveres t h i s d i s t r i c t .

• 1 . Tr ipath i , O P . c i t . , p . 223; Majumdar, R.C. and

Pushallcer, A.D. (Ed) : His tory and Culture of the Indian People (Bombay 1951-60) , V o l . I l l , pp . 141-42.

2 . Majtimdar and Pusalker, op . d t . . V o l . I l l p . 168.

3 . Majumdar, R . C , op . c i t . , p p . 242 -43 .

65

After -the d e c l i n e of Gupta empire the region inc lud ing

t h i s d i s t r i c t came under the sway of Maulcharis .

With the r i s e of Vardhanas (606-647 AD) century

A .D. , Muzaffamagar and Hastinapur became part of Thane-

shwar and sxabsequently of Kannauj Idngdom. Though Huin-

t -Sang did not v i s i t , Muzaffamagar and Hastinapur, he

c e r t a i n l y v i s i t e d Thaneshwar and Shrugna, the other two 2

important places of the period .

It may be noted here that with the end of the

Vardhanas the region also lost it' s importance and nothing

definite is known even about Hastinapura, upto the middle

of 9th century A.D.

In the latter half of the 9th century A.D. when

the district became the pairt of the Gurjara-Pratihara

empire. The Patihara continured to rule over this district

till the beginning of the 11th century A.D. in 1018 A.D. 4

they were dominated by Mahmud of Ghazni • Though there

1. Tripathi, R.S. op. cit., pp. 289-90, 297.

2 . Cxmningham, A, The Ancient Geography of India (Varanasi 1963) pp . 277, 292; N e v i l l , H.R. op . c i t . , p . 157.

3 . Mishra, V.B. : The Gxirlara Prat iharas and Their Times (Delhi 1963) p . 24 .

4. Tripathi, R.S., History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest (Delhi 1959) pp. 284-86.

65

have been findings of a few s i l v e r coins of Bull and

Horseman type of Spalpatideva and Samantdeva of ohlnd,

of the Hindu Shahl dynasty of 9th century A.D. I t may be

worthwhile t o record that I a l so got a coin of Samantdeva,

alway the course of my explore of the dijstrtct from

the v i l l a g e Niarau , These coins does nbt indicate any

supermacy over Pratiharas but c lose contact between the

two royal fami l i e s . Latter on, before the possession of

Prathviraj t h i s d i s t r i c t became the part of the dcaninion

of Tanars of Delhi, upto 12th century A.D.

2 Prithviraj Chahman' (1178-92 A.D.) occupied the

kingdcxn of Delhi . Under him the eastern track of the

d i s t r i c t Khudi (old name of Shikerpur) and Baghra were

sea t s of petty rulers (Raja) subordinate to him. Prithvi­

raj l o s t h i s control over t h i s d i s t r i c t tarain when he

got defeated in the second b a t t l e of in 1192 A.D. with 4

Shihab-ud-din Ghuri .

1 . Brown, C.J.; The Coins of India, (London 1922) p. 53; Majumdar R.C., op. c i t . p . 300; Tripathi, R.S. op. c i t . , pp.340-41 vide Varun D.P. op. c i t . , p . 21 .

2 . cf . Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. XVIII, p . 85.

3 . Atkinson, E. , op. c i t . Vol. I l l , pp. 582-85.

4 . Tripathi, R.S.j op. c i t . p . 336.

67

The main s e t t l e r s then i n Muzaffamagar d i s t r i c t

and i t s v i c i n i t y were Brahmans and Rajput s . J a t s occupied

the whole southern port ion of the d i s t r i c t . At a l a t e r

date , GOO j a r s took p o s s e s s i o n of the poor t r a c t which

the J a t s had l e f t unoccupied.

(MEDIEVAL PERIOD)

Authent ic h i s t o r y of the area b e g i n s with the

Muslim conquest . Soon a f t e r the Slave Dynasty e s t a b l i s h e d

i t s ho ld a t Delhi and surrounding a r e a s around Delhi

i n c l u d i n g Muzaffamagar came lander Muslim occupat ion.

Since then Muzaffamagar remained a dependency of v i r i o u s

d y n a s t i e s which ruled a t Delhi and Agra u n t i l the f i n a l

d i s s o l u t i o n of the Muthal Empire.

Qutb-ud-Aibak, s t a r t e d c o n s o l i d a t i n g h i s hold

over h i s p o s s e s s i o n inc lud ing the area covered by t h i s

d i s t r i c t ^ . During the e a r l y p e r i o d of 13 century A.D.

j a t s have r i s e n i n t o prcxninence i n t h i s d i s t r i c t . They

gathered round one Vi ja i Rao of S i s a u l i and held meeting

i n 1201 A.D. a t V i l l a g e s Bhaju and Bhanera in Khap

B a l i y a n . A p o l i t i c a l organ iza t ion formed under Sarva Khap

1 . Habibullah, A.B.M.: The Fotmdation of Muslim Rule i n Ind ia , (Allahabad 1961), p . 82 , v i d e Vftrun, D.P. , OP. c i t . , p . 2 1 .

68

was t o p r o t e c t the t e r r i t o r i e s of Khaps from t h e i n v a d e r s .

However, i t i s not known how far they r e s i s t e d Qutb-ud-

Aibak, But as far a s I l t u t m i s h i s concerned, they acknow­

ledge t h e i r superinacy . In 1255 A.D, , the j a t s p r o t e s t e d

a g a i n s t imposit ion of t a x e s on r e l i g i o u s worship and

f e s t i v a l s ^ . In 1267 they again p r o t e s t e d but they were 3

dominated by Ghiyas-ud-din Balban .

4 Period 1 s t of Hastinapur has y i e l d e d a coin of

Ghiyas-ud-din Balaan (1266-87 A.D.) which t e s t i f i e s the

above f a c t . Some co ins of Balban have a l s o seen foxind

from the v i l l a g e Barala of t h i s d i s t r i c t . A l l the co ins

found from v i l l a g e Barala are housed in an Archaeo log ica l

Museum a t Muzaffamagar.

After s lave dynasty the d i s t r i c t became the part

of A l a u d - d i n - K h i l j i ' s (1296-1316 A.D.) empire^. Numismetic

1 . Prasad, Dr. Ishwari , His tory of Medieval I n d i a . (Allahabad 1928) p . 138; Habibullah, op . c i t . , pp. 9 2 - 9 3 .

2 . Pradhan, M.C., op . c i t . , pp . 254, 261-62.

3 . Haig, Sir W. (Ed), Cambridc?e His tory of India v o l . I l l (Delhi 1958), p . 7 3 .

4 . Cf. Lai, B .B . , op . c i t . , pp . 147-49 .

5 . Prasad, Dr. Ishwari , o p . c i t . p p . 182-199.

69

e v i d e n c e s confirms the above f a c t . Some s i l v e r coin of

Ala-ud-din K h i l j i have been found from Muzaffamagar

c i t y ^ . During the re ign of Ala-ud-din KhiJ.ji the Sarva-

Khap coxincil a t meeting he ld a t Shikarpur^, (Khap Baliyan)

dec ided t o p r o t e s t a g a i n s t f o r c i n g the l o c a l Hindus

peasantry t o pay one -ha l f of the g r o s s produce of t h e i r

land^, house t a x , and grazing t a x on a l l riiilch c a t t l e .

Ram Rao Rana, Khap Bal iyan and army l eader , conquered

the v i l l a g e shoron, a s trong hold of the Muslims, as

w e l l a s the a d j o i n i n g a r e a s . Soron, u l t i m a t e l y , became

the m i l i t a r y s tron hold of the Khap army and the seat of 4

the hered i tary v i z i r s of Khap B a l i y a n ,

I t i s e v i d e n t from the d i scovery of some co ins

i n the d i s t r i c t of Giyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the f i r s t ru l er 5

of Tughlaq dynasty t h a t h i s sway over t h i s d i s t r i c t .

During the re ign of Muhamad-Tughlaq (1325^51 A.D. ) , second

r u l e r of t h i s dynastry , the famous Jain t eacher and sa int

1 . Information r e c e i v e d from the State Museum U.P, v ide Varun, D . P . , op . c i t . p . 22 .

2 . Pradhan, M,C«, op . c i t . , p . 2 2 .

3 . Prasad, Dr. I shwar i , o p . c i t . p p . 208-9; Mujumdar, R.C. and Pushalkar, A.D. , His tory and Culture of Indian People v o l . VI, p . 2 3 .

4 . Pradhan, M.C., o p . c i t , p . 2 2 .

5 . Information r e c e i v e d from the State Musexxn, U.P. vide varun, D . P . , o p . c i t . , p . 2 2 .

70

j inaprabhusuri came t o Delhi and obta ined an order (farman)

frtan t h e king t o v i s i t Hastinapur alongwith h i s d i c i p l e s .

The v i l l a g e Tughlaqpur, probably named a f t e r Muhammad-

bin-Tughlaq, a l s o proves t h a t he e x e r c i s e d h i s author i ty 2

over t h i s d i s t r i c t as w e l l . The d i s t r i c t suffered a l o t

a longwith other p a r t s of the doab with heavy taxa t ion 3

under Muhammad Tughlaq during 1331-32 A.D. His successor

Pirozshah Tughlaq, was however, l i b e r a l . He t r i e d t o

l i g h t e n the f i s c a l burden on the c u l t i v a t o r s of t h i s doab

d i s t r i c t by reducing the land revenue demand and prov id ing 4

i r r i g a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s •

The f i r s t notable event connected with the d i s t r i c t

Muzaffamagar, in pers ian record, i s Taimuris march

through the d i s t r i c t in January, 1399 A.D, when he Jcil led

a l arge nianber of i n f e d a l i n h a b i t a n t s . In 1398-99 A.D.

the d i s t r i c t was overun by the invading hordes of Taimxir

from Central Asia . After the sack of Meerut, the conqueror

1 . Cf. J a i n , J . P . , Hastinapura (Hind i ) , (New Delhi 1955) p . 12 .

2 . N e v i l , H.R., op . c i t . , p . 332 .

3 . 2 iya-ud-din Barani: Tar ikh- i -F iruzhsah i , (Hindi t r a n s l a t i o n of e x t r a c t s by R i z v i ; TuqHTaq Kaleen Bharat, Part I pp . 4 0 - 4 1 .

4 . Haig, op . c i t . , p . 138; Habib, M. and Nizarai, K.A.; Conprehensive History of I n d i a . (1206-1526) p . 539 v ide Varun, D.P. op . c i t . p . 2 3 .

5 . Pande A.B. , The F i r s t Afghan Empire in India , (Calcutta , 1956) , p . 26 .

71

marched north-wards either through Pirozpur In pargana

Hastinapura of Meerut district or Pirozpur in pargana

Bhukerheri of the Muzaffarnagar district (towards Tughalaq-

pur in pargana Purchhapar)• While he was encamping there,

he heard that Hindus had assembled at forts of the Ganga.

Taimur then sent on a force of 500 horsemen to disperse

the enemy and marched with the remaining force to Tugh-

laqpur, soon information was received that a force of

Hindus was coming down the river in forty eight boats

with the intention of fighting. Taimur then himself 2

marched on horse with one thousand troop to crush them .

In his own words: "As soon as my braves saw the boats,

some of them rode their horses into the river and swam to

the vessels; then, seizing fast hold of the sides, they

defeated all the efforts of the Hindus to shake them off.

They forced their way into some of the boats, put the

infidals to the sword, and threw their bodies into the

river; thus sending them through waters to the fires of

1. Atkinson is inclined to think that the Pirozpur in Meerut is intended. Atkinson, E., op. cit.. Vol. Ill, p. 578.

2. Elliot & Dawson, the History of India- as told by its own historians (the Muhammadan period) (Allahabad, 1960), Vol. Ill, pp. 451-68; Cf. Atkinson, E,, op. cit.. vol. Ill, p. 578; Cf. Nevill, H.R., op. cit.. Vol, III, pp. 157-58.

72

the hell. Some o£ my men dismounted, and, proceeding to

the fort, assailed the enemy with arrows, but the vessles

were at length irested from their possession and were

brought with their contents to my presence".

After this fight Taimur returned to the Tughlaqpur

and then crossed the Ganga higher upto the Btjnor distirict.

Taimur left the region in a state of utter confusion.

However at that time Muhammad Tughlaq was at the throne

of Delhi but he has no power and influence. Many of the 2

chiefs of the doab and adjacent area were to defying his

authority.

The Sarva Khap council hald a meeting in 1403 A.D.

at Shikarpur in Khap Baliyan for ra i s ing an army to protect

Khap, areas and to a l so protect agr icul tural produce, l i f e 3

and property •

By t h i s time Shekhs, Saiyids and the Pathans had

occupied the region. I t would be woarthwhile to trace the ir

his tory In b r i e f .

1. Pande, A.B. op. c i t , p . 26. •

2. Majumdar and Pushalkar, op. cit.. Vol. VI, p. 121

3. Pradhan, M.C. op. cit.. p. 256.

73

No Mvihammadan se t t l ement of any impoirtance seems

t o have been made u n t i l the a r r i v a l of the S a i y i d s , The

Saiy ids of Barha who p layed important r o l e i n t h i s region,

are s t a t e d by t r a d i t i o n t o have s e t t l e d down i n the

d i s t r i c t seven g enera t ions before the t ime of AWbar .

Khizr Khan was the f i r s t notab le person t o gain

favour of Talmur. He was the son of Maliku-sh-shak Malik

Sulaiman, who was adopted in chi ldhood and brought up by

Malik Nasiru-1-Mulk Mardan Daula t . H i s t o r i a n s record he was

by descent a S a i y i d . Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi , the only

contemporary a u t h o r i t y for the Sa iy id dynasty a l s o records

t h a t Khizr Khan was a s a i y i d . While the conqueror was in

India , Khizr Khan submitted h imse l f for former's favour,

seme curious t i t l e s were given t o him, i n d i c a t i v e of h i s 4

f e a l t y t o Taimur. While in Tabakat-i-AWaari he i s referred

t o as R a y a t - i - a l i , the e x a l t e d imper ia l s tandards . Tar lkh- i -

Mubarak Shahi c a l l s him •Masanad- i -a l i« , the e x a l t e d throne .

1 . Cf. Cadel l , A. , o p . c i t . , p . 2 4 .

2 . E l l i o t fie Dawson, o p . c i t . . V o l . IV, p p . 4 5 - 4 6 .

3 . Cf. S ihr ind i , Tarjkh-i-Mubarak Shahi (Culcut ta , 1931) vide S.A.A. Rizvi (Hindi t r . ) Uttor Taimur Kalin Bhart, Part I (Al igarh, 1958) , p . 1 0 .

4 . Cf. Tabagal-i-Akfaari (Calcut ta , 1911) , p . 266, a l s o S.A.A. R i z v i , o p . c i t . , p . 6 3 .

74

In 1414 A.D. the d i s t r i c t passed i n t o the hands of S a i y i d s

when Khizr Khan, a deputy of Taimur, occupied the throne

of D e l h i . Although Khizr Khan had become a sover iegn , he

pro fe s sed h imse l f t o be stibordinate t o Tainiur and did not

a l low h imse l f t o be c a l l e d Badshah (king) • At the beg inn ing

of h i s r e i g n , the name of Tairaur was employed i n the c o i n s

and in the Khutba.Afterwards the name of Mirza Shah-Rukh

was used, u l t i m a t e l y Khizr Khan's name was introduced i n 2

the Khutba and prayers were o f fered f o r him . Badaoni and 3

Parishta more or l e s s a l s o corroborate the f a c t . H i s

statement has a backgroxmd. I t i s s a i d t h a t once Saly id 4

J a l a l - u d - d l n Bukhari Makhdxjm-i-Jahanian had honoured the

house of Malik Mardan with a v i s i t , and when food was

spread before h i s gues t Malik Mardan ordered Sulaiman t o

wash the great Sa iy ids hand. He re fused t o do so t e l l i n g

t h a t the work was u n f i t f o r him be ing a Saiyid . Thus

there can be no doubt of h i s be ing a S a i y i d .

1 . Varun D .P . , op . c i t . , p - 23 .

2 . Thomos, E . , Chronic les of the Pathan kings of Delhi (London, 1871) , p . 328 .

3 . E l l i o t & Dowson, OP. c i t . . Vo l . IV, pp . 45 -47 .

4 . He was a d i s t i n g u i s h e d Suhrawardi s a i n t of the Tughlaq per iod and e x e r c i s e d g r e a t in f luence over Firoz Shah, See A f i f . T a r i k h - i - F i r o z Shahi, p p . 514-16 .

5 . E l l i o t & Dowson, O P . c i t . . Vo l . IV, p . 46 .

75

Khizr Khan first appeared on the political area

of northern Hindustan as governor of Multan under Piroz

Shah . When Sarang Khan, the brother of Mullu IWaal,

besieged him in his own strong - hold at Multan in 798 A.H.,

he escaped from his imprisonment and sought refuge at

Biana, and when Taimur was on his way to Delhi, be

submitted himself to alien invader's mercy.

Khizr Khan was the successor of the chief of Multan

after Malik Sulaiman, with all its dependencies, frcm

Sultan Firoz Shah. On the I5th Rabi-ul-awwal, 817 (30th

May 1414 A.D.), he entered the fort of Sin, and posted 2

his army in the palace of Sultan Muhammad • Soon the people

of the city had become impoverished and needy, so he

provided facilities to them. By this kindness they all

became happy. He appointed Malikush-Shark Malik Tuhfa

Wazir and gave him the title of Tajul-Mulk. To Saiyid 3

Salira, the Chief Saiyyid , he granted ikta and sik of

Saharanpur. Thus he settled all affairs in order.

1. Thomas, E., op. cit., p. 328.

2. Elliot & Dowson, op. cit.. Vol. IV, pp. 46-48.

3. Cf. Cadell, A., op. cit., p. 24, The authority for the local history of the Saiyids are notes by Messers, Leeds, Blochmann and Cadell, the records of the board of Revenue and Local inquiries.

76

The district continued to be under the sway of the

sultans of Delhi and witnessed considerable political

activity under them . In the regn of Ibrahim Lodhi at later

date his authority became shaky and due to his policies his

nobles became disloyal. Babar, taking the advantage of the

situation, in later days during his fifth expedition had 2

passed down the doab though this district , reached

Panipat in 1526 A.D. He defeaded Lodhi s. Rema Sangram

Singh" , Khap leader fought the battle of Khanwa, but was

defeated by Babar. Thus the area incltiding this district

of Muzaffamagar passed under the sway of Babar.

After Babar, his son Hxaaayxin took over in (1530

A.D.) . Thus the area including the district Muzaffamagar 4

passed under the control of Humayxin as well .

Saiyids of Barha do not appear earlier than the

times of Akbar; but it appears that they occupied posts

1. Tripathi, R.R.: Rise and Fall of the Mughal Empire (Allahabad 1960) p. 28.

2. Nevill, H.R., OP. cit., p. 158.

3. Pradhan, M.C., op. cit., p. 257.

4. Pandey, A.B.i Later Medieval India (Allahabad 1963) p. 24.

11

of some importance \inder the Surs, because the a r r i v a l of

S a i y i d Mahmud i n Akbars Camp i s recorded by a l l h i s t o r i a n s

a s an event of importance •

During the Mughul per iod the Sd iy ids of Barha

occupied a prominent p o s i t i o n and p layed a s i g n i f i c a n t ro le

t o strengthen the Mughul Empire. For the h i s t o r y of the

Doab comprising modem d i s t r i c t o f Muzaffamagar during

the Mughul period, a h i s t o r i c a l account of the Saiyids of 2

Barha i s i n d e s p e n s i b l e . According t o Ain-i-A3cbari the

S a i y i d s of Barha during Atoars per iod formed c h a r a c t e r i s t i c

e lement in the populat ion of the Muzaffamagar d i s t r i c t .

No accurate chrono log i ca l account i s ava i lab le about

the o r i g i n and h i s t o r y of the S a i y i d s of Barha, The Ain~i -

Akbart^, however, records " l ike the Sa iyy ids of Bilgrami,

Barha family t race t h e i r o r i g i n t o one Saiyyid Abul Parah

of Wasit * . However, t h e i r g e n e o l o g i c a l t r e e (Nasabnama)

1 . "Sayyid Mahmud was the f i r s t of the Barha Sayyids that he ld o f f i c e \inder the T imur io l e s* . He was with Sikandar Sur (Badsoni I I 18) i n Mankot, bu t s e e i n g that the cause of the Afghans was h o p e l e s s , he l e f t Sikandar and went over t o A]^ar ( t r . ) . Blochmajc:at^?3g5Kt?BeiMt)ari. (Delhi , 1965), vol. I., p. 42A. .t^^^— - ^ X .

2 . I b i d . Vol . I , p . 427 . ^)^^r^ Aoo Ne. ^ ^ . ^

3 . Ibid, Vol. I , p . 425. ^ "T^^.X<?-7 /i^'' The most renoxinced Musalman f a m i l i e s i n Njo';p1^em India inc luding the Sa iyy ids of Ba^j^a. and BeJ^rami and those of Khyrabad, Puttehpore, Huswa'Mtid' &f ^Aiiany other p l a c e s .

4 . E l l i o t , The Chronic les of Onao (Allahabad, 1869), p . 93; Tarikh-i-Sarha; I r v i n e . The Later Mughal (New Delhi , 1971), V o l . I & I I , pp . 2 0 1 - 2 .

78

was sneered a t , Jahangir In h i s Tuzuk t e l l s only about

the ir personal courage and nothing e l s e . However, they

clxing so firmly to t h i s d i s t i n c t i o n that some of them

even placed the word Saiyid before t h e i r t i t l e s which

they received from the Mughul Emperors as Saiyid Khan-

Jahan (Saiyid Abdul Muzaffar).

Their claim to be Saiyid have not firmly been

established, though t h e i r bravery and valour had become

a by-word. In the b a t t l e s they held front posit ion as the

Van (Harawal) and claimed to be the leaders of the onset.

Every Emperor from the times of Akbar gladly availed their

serv ices . They f e l t delighted in c a l l i n g themselves

•Hindustani*. Their mil i tary fame completely threw to

the backgroxjnd the renounced Saiyids of Amrohah, Mani3Q)ur,

the Khanzadas of Mewat and even royal fami l i e s Safawis .

According to family chronic les of the Saiyids of

Barha, Saiyid Abul Farah of Wasit owing to Hulagus invasion

came to India with h i s twelve sons in the time of Nasir-

ud-din Mohamud (1246-65) . I t i s said that Abul Farah remained

in India u n t i l the time of Sikandar Lodi (1488-1517 A.D.) .

After the death of Hulaque, Abul Farah returned to Persia

1 . Blochraann, op, c i t . « Vol. I , pp. 427-28.

2 . Ibid .

79

leaving h is four sons namely Saiyyid Daud, Saiyyid Abul

pazl , Saiyyid iRbul Fazail and Saiyid Najm-ud-din Husayn

in India. Subsequently they became the ancestors of the

four branches of the Saiyid family. They chose d i s t r i c t

Muzaffamagar as t h e i r home .

2 According t o Ain-i-Akbari the date of the arrival

of Abul Farah in India from Wasit i s do\jtbtful. I t i s

said that they weire in the time of I l tutmish, and had

emigrated to India as stated above due to the troiables

aris ing from Hulaqu*s invasion of Baghdad and the over­

throw of the Empire of the Khalifa. I t i s a l so said that

the son of I^nl Farah was in the service of Shababu-d-din

Ghori. But i t i s chronologically impossible. The oldest

inscription related with the Saiyids of t h i s d i s t r i c t i s

that on the tomb of Ibn-Salar Chhastrauri, the Salar

Auliya at Sambhalhera. I t i s dated 777 H. (»1375 A.D.) .

According to the loca l tradi t ion he was eighth in descent

1 . Irvine, op. c i t . . Vol. I & I I , p . 201; Blochmann, OP. c i t .^ Vol. I , p . 428.

2 . Ibid, Vol. I , p . 428.

f rcOT Abul Farah .

The etymology of Barhas appears t o be x incertain. 2 I t has been suggested that the word'Barha* i s der ived

frcOT the word 'Bahir* means o u t s i d e , as the S a i y i d s

preferred t o l i v e out s ide the c i t y of D e l h i . However, the v.

word appears to be the currupt form of the arable 'Abrar',

'the pure Saiyyids*. Other derivation is connected with the

twelvth number (i.e. Barah in Hindustani)• According to

another explanation the Saiyyids and Barha took this

inhabitance . It is also alleged that being Siah and the

followers of the twelve Imams, they came to be known as

Baraha. However, it is believed that during the reign of

Akbar and Jahangir the Saiyids of Baraha had obtained their

name from twelve villages in the Muzaffamagar district

1. The text of the inscription (Proc. A.s. Bengal, 1872, 166) runs as follows:

I The beginning of the building of this tomb was on 3rd Jumada I.

II After 777 years had passed away since the flight of the beloved prophet.

III (During) the reign Pirozshah of high fortune, whose throne is the highest heaven, the victorious, the praise-worthy.

IV Ibn-Salar, son of Husain, ordered this tomb of heavenly grandexir (to be built) .

V May God Almighty in his kindness and mercy receive him in the eternal mansionl •*

2. Atkinson, E., op. cit.. Vol. Ill, p. 590; Nevill, H.R., op. cit.. Vol. Ill, pp. 160-61; Blochmann, op-r cit.. Vol. I, pp. 426-28.

3. There is perhaps no town or village connected with them bearing the name of Barha, Cf. Irvine, op. cit.. Vol. I & II, p. 202.

81

which they h e l d . Both Tabqaa-i-AKbari and Tuzak-i-Jehangir

c l e a r l y refer t o t h i s .

According t o a t r a d i t i o n f o l l o w i n g r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s

of the c lans had arr ived a t the same time and s e t t l e d down

near P a t i a l a in the PanJab*

1 . Saiy id Daud who s e t t l e d in mauza Tihanpur.

2 . Sa iy id PbVil Fazl who s e t t l e d i n qusba Chhatbanura.

3 . Sa iy id Abul F a z a i l who s e t t l e d in mauza Kundli .

4 . Saiy id Najmuddin Husayn who s e t t l e d in mauza Jhujar.

From P a t i a l a the four brothers came t o Muzaffamagar

d i s t r i c t in Ganga-Yamuna Doab r e g i o n . The Kundhwals are

sa id t o have s e t t l e d a t Majhera; the Chhatbanuri s in or

near Sambhalhera; the Jaqneris in B idau l i and the Tihampuris

branch i n Dhasri and Kxanhera ,

The ch i e f p l a c e s where the Sa iy ids of Barha s t i l l

l i v e are Miranpur, Khatauli , Muzaffamagar, j a o l i , Tis-ha,

Bakhera, Majhera, Chataura, Sambhalhera, T i lang , Bi laspur,

1 . Ain~i-Akbari I , p . 390 v ide H.R. N e v i l l , o p . c i t , . Vo l . I l l , p . 161 .

2 . I r v i n e , op. c i t . . Vol . I & I I , p . 201 .

3 . For d e t a i l e d accoiint of t h e s e four branches se Ain, op . c i t . # Blochmann•

82

Moma, Sardhaoli« Kal la , Odha and Jansath, e t c .

A branch of J a o l i Saiy id i s sa id to e x i s t in P u m i a .

During the re ign of Aurangzeb, the Sa iy ids are sa id t o have

pro fe s sed Siinni t e n d e n c i e s .

The p o l i t i c a l overthrow of the Sadat-i-Barha under

Muhainmad Shah was fo l lowed by the d i s a s t r o u s f i g h t a t

Bhains i on the Khatauli road. In t h i s b a t t l e the Sa iy ids

were defeated by the i m p e r i a l i s t and they were forced t o

par t with t h e i r j w e l s and gold v e s s e l s which t h e i r ances ­

t o r s had c o l l e c t e d .

As already have been sa id frcxn the reign of AWaar

onward, the Sa iy ids of Barha kept themselves i n s e r v i c e s

of the empire and p a r t i c i p a t e d almost in a l l major ccxnpaigns

and d i s t i n g u i s h e d themselves by t h e i r courage and bravery. 2

The Kundliwals were f i r s t t o observe t h a t the Tihanpuris

be longing t o one of t h e i r branches under the two brothers

Saiyyid Abdullah and Saiy id Husain Al i Khan had s u c c e s s ­

f u l l y r a i s e d the family name of the Saiyyids of Barha t o

1 , Cf. E lphis tone , M., The History of India; the Hindu And Mohammadan per iods (Allahabad, 1966)/ p . 693 .

2 . In the twenty f i r s t year of Al<bars re ign the Barha Sayid were engaged a g a i n s t the Hindu rebe l in Ajmer,p.54.

In for th f i r s t year Saiy id J a l a l fought i n the Dakshin, p . 9 6 . In the war with Khuswn, Sai f Khan, son of Saiyid Mahmud,

d id e x c e l l e n t s e r v i c e having rece ived not l e s s than seventeen wounded. E l l i o t & Dowson, o p . c i t . . V o l . VI, pp . 267, 273 .

83

the zenith of its glory. However, their achievements

were not of a paramoiint nature and their, downfall was

so rapid that their descendants could not rdtain even

one tenth part of their old possession. The Chhatrauris,

too, had their time of distinction and downfall.

It will be better to sketch a brief account of

each branch.

TIHANPURI SAIYIDS

The eight descendant of Saihid Daud was Saiyid

Khan Qir (?) who had four sons.

1. Saiyid Umar Shahid - who settled in Jansath - a

village inhabited by the Jats and Brahmins.

2. Saiyid Chaman - who settled at Chatora in the pargana

Jaoli - Jansath. To his descendants belonged Saiyyid

Jalal.

3. Saiyid Huna - who settled at Bihari in Muzaffamagar.

He had six sons namely:

I Saihid Qutb - whose descendents occupied the village

of Bi la spur in Muzaffamagar district. Prcm this a

branch came Ratheri Saiyids.

1. The name of Umar shows that he at any rate was no Shiah. Blochmann, op. cit., Vol. I, p.

34

II Saiyid Sultan - whose descendants hold Sirdhaoli .

I I I Saiyid Yusuf - whose pos ter i ty i s to be found tn

Bihari and Wahelna (one M.S. reads Dubalna).

IV £c V Saiy id Jan and Saiyyid Man died c h i l d l e s s .

VI Sa iy id Nasiruddin - t o h i s descendants belonged

Saiyyid Khan - Jahan Shahjahani when regard as

t h e i r second founder of t h e i r f a m i l y .

His f i r s t son Saiyid Mansur i s s a i d t o have foxmded

Mansurpur and h i s descendants s t i l l ho ld Mansurpur and

Khataul i . His second son Muzaffar Khan (Sher-Jaman;

founded the town of Muzaffamagar where h i s descendant

s t i l l r e s i d i n g .

4 . Saiy id Ahmad - s e t t l e d at J a a l i - Jansath , where h i s

descendants s t i l l l i v e .

CHHATRAURI SAIYIDS

The Chhatarauri family of S a i y i d s , they were

descendants of Abul Fazl . They changed t h e i r name from

chhatbanuri t o chhatrauri and s e t t l e d a t Sambhalhera, To

t h i s l i n e belongedone Saiyid Pakhru-d-din who l i e v e d in

the reign of AKbar and because h i s i n f l u e n c e i n the

emperor's c o u r t .

85

Another branch of the same family took its abode

tander Saiyid Husain at Tiss. He had four sons:

!• Saiyid Sher Ali - who died without issue,

2. Saiyid Ahmad - killed in the war with Ratan Sen of

Chi tor, put two of his sons, who survived and his

descendants later on settled at Kailawadha and served

under Muhammad Shah.

3. Saiyid Taj-ud-din - whose son Saiyid Umar founded

Kakrauli and established Rauli-Nagla and Bera where

many of his descendants lived.

4. Saiyid Salar Auliya - left for Kaithora where he got

possession of the village on adopting son of the owner

of the village, a widow.

Saiyid Salar had two sons - first was Saiyid

Haidar Khan whose descendant Saiyid Kasim Shahamat Khan

settled at Miranpur, and the second was Saiyid Muhammad

Khan whose descendant remained at Kaithora in Miranpur,

Gadla and Bhupa, the members of the Haidar Khan's family

continued to live. Among those who remained at Kaithora

were Saiyid Nusarat-Yar Khan and Rukn-ud-daula who

attained high ranks during the reign of Muhammad Shah as

86

governs of Gujarat, Agra and Patna, They had twenty-e ight

v i l l a g e s in jacfirs in Ahmadabad, which remained in

p o s s e s s i o n of the family u n t i l 1850. The descendants of

Sa iy id Shahamat Khan were the on ly Barha Saiy id who

r e t a i n e d the t i t l e of Nawab.

The chhatrauris of Moma i n Bhukerheri rece ived

land-grants t o the west of the Kali Nadi in Charthawal.

Their o r i g i n a l hone in Moma i n due course turned i n t o

a p e t t y a g r i c u l t u r a l v i l l a g e .

The time of Muhammad Shah was a per iod of a r c n i t e c -

t u r a l a c t i v i t y a t Moma. A grand mosque was erec ted by

B i b i Jhabbu, wi fe of Nawab Hasan Khan, who was then a

Bakshl in 1725 A.D. and Rs. 9000 were spent on i t a s

r e v e a l e d by an i n s c r i p t i o n s t i l l a v a i l a b l e in the mosque .

In add i t i on , tomb of Saiyyid Miran Husain was a l s o b u i l t ,

The tomb of Ibn Salar e x i s t s a t Sambhalhera which was

1. Cf. A.S.B., July, 1873, p. 142.

2. The tomb of Saiyid Miran Husain at Majhera bears the following inscription. "O Lord, forgive our sins. We are our sinners and thou art forgiving. Thou art good, but we are wicked and have committed endless crime. The date of the death of Miran Saiyyid Husain, the god who was obtained pardon and forgiveness in the S Jumada II 1002" (9 March, 1592)•

87

bxailt by the a r c h i t e c t Daswandl in 1531-32 A.D. by the

order of Sa iy id Makhan son of Baha-ud-din.

JAGNERI SAIYIDS

Sa iy id Kara-ud-din, son of Najm-ud-din Hasan

Jagner i i s s a i d t o be s e t t l e d f i r s t a t Bidaul i in the

wes t of the d i s t r i c t Muzaffamagar. Later on, Saiyid

Pakhr-ud-din one of the descendants of the Jagneri

branch migrated t o P a l r i i n pargna J a a l i . He purchased

p r o p r i e t a r y r i g h t s in the v i l l a g e of Pa lre , Chandauri

and Chandaura, Tuls ipur and Khiri which for a long time

remained i n t h e p o s s e s s i o n of h i s f a m i l y .

The l a s t head of the B i d a u l i family was Muhammad

Husain who h e l d an important o f f i c e i n the Oudh before

i t s annexat ion . His nephew was a Chakladay who had

saved the l i n e s of some f u g i t i v e s during the mutiny. They

were asked t o r e s i d e in B i d a u l i . Mehdi Hasan l a t e r on

t r i e d t o develop h i s e s t a t e .

KUNDLIWAL SAIYIDS

Las t ly we have the Kvmdliwals. Saiyid Abul Fazai l

w i t h h i s descendants s e t t l e d a t Majhera ( e a r l i e r Munjhera) •

88

The major part of the village is now contains ruins of

the buildings which once adorned the place. Though

several members of this branch had obtained honourable

employment under AWsar and his immediate successors,

none of them rose so high as the members of other branches

could do.

It has already been referred to that Saiyid

Mahmud had left the court of Slkandar Sur and went over

to the side of the Mughuls. He received "lagir" near

Delhi in the year 1561 A.D. He participated in the

struggle with the Saiyids of Amroha against Raja

Madhukar of Orchha. He died in 982 H. = 1574 A.D. and

was hurried at Majhera where his tanb still exists

contains an original Arabic inscription .

Other noticeable thing is that he and his four

brothers were known as 'Panch-Shahid'. Their descendants

1. J.A#S.B. XL 260 (Blochmann) "In the name of God, the merciful element. 0 God, bless the prophet, the faithful, the pure, the family of Hashim Muhammad and his frieds who were instructed in his manners. God is everlasting and praise worthy in all His doings the great Amir who is pardoned and rendered pure and has reached the vicinity of King, Saiyyid Mahmud Khan, a lord of dnan and the flag in his time, died - May God cover him with his pardon-on the night of the Thursday, 6th Jamada II 982 or (23 September 1574 A.D.)*.

89

in due course were divided i n t o a number of f ami l i e s .

They occupied d i f f e r en t p a r t s of the d i s t r i c t . Some of

them held p o s i t i o n s in the Delhi cour t .

During the reign of Akbar (1556-1605 A.D.) the

Saiyids of t h i s d i s t r i c t rendered s ingu la r se rv ice . The

d i s t r i c t was brought under the sway of AMsar, a f t e r the

second b a t t l e of Panipat in 1556 A.D., in which he was 2

helped by a prcaninent Barha Sa iy id , Mohammad Khan of

Kundliwal/ a r e s iden t of Majhera.

The a rea covered by the p r e s e n t d i s t r i c t of

Muzaffamagar f e l l in the Siibah of Delhi , with the

exception of paragana of Kandhala, dur ing Akbar' s

r e i g n . I t was decided i n t o u n i t s of revenue adminis t ra­

t i o n ca l l ed Mahals. The d i s t r i c t was governed by the

S i rka r of Saharanpur.

The Barha Saiyids of t h i s d i s t r i c t have helped

t o save the mighty empire of Delhi severa l times . Hasan

1 . For d e t a i l e d account see Ain- i -Akbar l along the D i s t r i c t Gaze t tee r .

2 . Atkinson, E . , op. c i t . , p . 59 .

3 . Ib id , p . 59 .

BO

Pakhr-ud-din, one of the Chhatrauri branch who resided

near Sambhalhera, enjoyed a t Akbar c o u r t . Saiyid Fakhru-

d-din who l ived in the reign of Akbar and because of

h i s inf luence in the emperor 's cour t , became a close

f r iend of Raja Ram Chand of Sambhalhera. When Ram Chand

died h i r e l e s s h i s proper ty and e s t a t e was looked a f t e r by

Saiyid Hasan Fakhru-d-din• The widow of the l a t e Raja

became so happy with h i s conduct and behaviour t h a t she

presented her whole proper ty as a g i f t t o hiro. The Saiyid

assianed possession of Sambalhera and the adjoining

e s t a t e s with the c o u r t ' s sanct ion .

I n t e r n a l autonomy and r e l i g i o u s freedom were

granted t o the khap counci ls xinder sarv khap by A)d>ar

thoughcer ta in mandates. The khap coxmcils were given

complete freedom in j u d i c i a l m a t t e r s , and t h e i r leaders ,

were recognised by the Delhi c o u r t . They had freedom to

carry out t h e i r soc ia l and r e l i g i o u s ftanctions in accor­

dance with t h e i r customs and laws. The l a z i a i . e . the 2

r e l i g i o u s tax was a l so abol ished . T h i r t y - t h r e e coins

of A]<bar' s reign have been found in t h e v i l l a g e of

Garhi^.

1. Ibid.» p. 597.

2. Pradhan, op. cit., p. 106.

3. Information received from the State Museum, U.P, vide Varun, D.P., op. cit«, p. 25.

91

After AMaar t h e d i s t r i c t came under the empire

of Jahangir (1605-1927 A,D.) , During h i s regime Barha

Saiyids rendered unique sejcvices. Sheikh Hasan i s one of

them who rose t o g r e a t eminence. Beside be ing a mighty

s o l d i e r he was a renowned surgeon. Sheikh Hasan was

awarded with the t i t l e Muqurrab Khan by Jahang i r and

svibsequent he became popular as Muqurrab Khan . A s i l v e r

coin of Jahangi r i s s u e d in 1623 A.D. has been found in 2

the v i l l a g e Sambhalhera of t h i s d i s t r i c t . There are

severa l monuments of J a h a n g i r ' s pe r iod which has been

described e lsewhere . However, Mtoqarrab Khan b u i l t a

la rge tank in Kairana Nurjahan, the queen apprec ia ted

i t very much . According t o a t r a d i t i o n Nxirjahan had

a r e s i d e n t i a l p lace in Numagar.

During the re ign of Shahjahan the Saiyids of

Tihanpuri branch have achieved the imper i a l favour.

1. Atkinson, E. op . c i t . p . 589.

2 . Information rece ived fran the S ta te Museum U.P. vide Varun, D.P. op . c i t . , p . 25'»

3 . The Tuzuk- i - Jahangi r i , Vol . , I I , p p . 111-12. cf. Nevi l l , H.R., op . c i t , p . 332.

92

Muzaffar Khan was honoured with the title of Khan-i-jahan.

He was also bestowed with the jagir of forty villages in

pargana Khatauli and Sarwat.

Muzaffamagar was foxonded in about 1633 A.D. Prior

to that date the area was laiown as Sarwat . Muzaffar Khan 2

laid a foundation of a new town at Sarwat , His son

Saiyid Abdul Mansur Khan completed it and named the new 3

town Muzaffamagar . In due course of time the town became

a full fledged district. The name of Saiyid Abdul Mansoor

Khan is preserved in the name of village Mansurpur^ in 4

paragana Khatauli .

A number of gold and silver coins of Shahjahan

have been found in Sambhalhera and Jansath • A number

of Mosque and Sarai have been constructed in the reign

of Shahjahan, However, these have been discussed else­

where.

1, Jarett, H.S,, op. cit. Vol, II, p. 297,

2 , At t h a t time the Sarwat was almost d e s e r t e d .

3 , Atkinson, E, , op, c i t , , p , 600.

4 , I b i d , pp, 702-03,

5 , Information received by Sta te Musexm, U.p, vide Varun, D.P, op, c i t . , p . 26.

93

The S a i h i d s of t h i s d i s t r i c t a l s o r e n d e r e d s e r v i c e s

i n t h e r e i g n of Aiiranjeb (1658-1707 A.D.) . They p a r t i c i ­

p a t e d i n h i s m i l i t a r y compaign a l s o . I n t h e p e r i o d of

Auranjeb , s e v e r a l mosque and f o r have been b u i l t .

(MODERN PERIOD}

Soon a f t e r t h e d e a t h of Aurangjeb , t h e T ihanpur i

b r a n c h of t h e Barha S a i y i d , who had been h o l d i n g away

s i n c e t h e 16th c e n t u r y , a g a i n r o s e t o p r o m i n e n c e .

I n t h e r e i g n of Bahadur Shah, two S a i y i d b r o t h e r s

Hasan and Husain were given j a g i r of Al lahabad and Pa tna

r e s p e c t i v e l y . The s i k h s made a p l a n t o invade t h e

a d j o i n i n g a r e a of t h e Pxinjab and De lh i . However, f i r s t

s i k h i n v a s i n occured \ander t h e l e a d e r s h i p of Bandu. A

l a r g e of s i k h s , c r o s s i n g t h e Yamiona, advanced i n t o

Saharanpur . They p l u n d e r e d a s f a r a s sou the rn and n o r t h e r

p a r g a n a s of M u z a f f a m a g a r . J a l a l - u d - d i n , t h e j a g i r d a r

of Saharanpur s i r k a r which, i n c l u d e d t h e p r e s e n t d i s t r i c t , 4

was then a t J a l a l a b a d in Muza f f amaga r .

1 . Atk inson, E , , o p . c i t , p . 6 8 6 - 8 7 .

2. Bum, R. (Ed), The Cambridge History of India, vol. IV (Delhi 1957), p. 396.

3. Nevill, H.R., op. cit.. Vol. Ill, 174.

4. Elliot, H.M. and Dowson, J., Later Muqhuls (Calcutta, 1959), p. 32; cf. Nevill, H.R., Saharanpur: A Gazetteer, p. 188.

94

In 1713 Farrukh Siyar was at the thorone of Delhi^i

Saiyid Hasan Ali Khan was named Saiyid Abdulla, besides

being elevated to the rank of vizir with the title of

Qutb-ul-Mulk, while his brother Saiyid Hussain Ali Khan 2

was appointed Mir Bak-shi , with the t i t l e of Amir-ul-

Mulk. However, the l a t e r was sx±>sequently t r ans fe r r ed t o

the Governorship of the Deccan 1774.

Mohammad Amin Khan a l i a s Itmad-ud-daula, received

the e s t a t e s held by the Saiyid b r o t h e r s , Hasan and Hussain.

His son Qmar-ud-din, however, was very h o s t i l e towards

the Saiyids of t h i s reg ion . His f i r s t e f fo r t was t o pos t

them as f a r as poss ib l e from the sea t of the imperial

a u t h o r i t y . Qmar-ud-din Khan sent Marhamat Khan t o occupy

the j a g i r of Tihanpuri Saihid Saif-ud-din a t Jansath,

b u t he f a i l e d . Qamar-ud-din sent another troops led by

Muhanunad Rohil la and three Saiyid of Chhatrauri b ranchv iz . ,

Azimullah Khan, Nusrat -yar Khan and Rukn-ud-daula Khan.

In t h i s b a t t l e Saif-ud-din was k i l l e d . This event gave a

severe blow to the Saiyid of t h i s reg ion . Ali Muhammad in re turn of h i s s e rv i ces , got the t i t l e of Nawab and the

1. Ibid, 164.

2. Pay master general,

3. Sarkar, J.N. Fall of the Mughal Empire, (Calcutta 1932), Vol. I, p. 49; Atkinson, E., op. cit.,Vol. ri pp. 82-83; Nevill, H.R. op. cit. pp. 165-166, 169.

95

r i g h t t o Naubat^» However, chhatrauri Saiy ids were granted 2

t w e n t y - e i g h t v i l l a g e s i n Ahmedabad in Gujrat .

In the succeeding few years Sa iy ids of t h i s region

migrated themselves t o Aonla« Lucknow e t c . and l e f t there

a n c e s t r a l p l a c e .

After the death of v i z i r Qamar-ud-din and h i s

emperor Mohammad Shah, the l a t t e r * s son Ahmad Shah

ascended the throne of De lh i , and appointed Safdar Jving

a s h i s z l z i r .

Safdar Jung on the adv i se of Martha a l i e s (Holkar

and Sindhia) concluded peace wi th the Pathans, in order

t o concentrate on Abdal i , In t h i s t r e a t y Maratha and

Safdar Jung, the former obtained a large t e r r i t o r y i n 3

Doab i n c l u d i n g t h i s d i s t r i c t •

In 1754 Ghazi-ud-din was the most powerful f igure

a t the emperlal c o u r t . He c r o s s i n g the Yam\ina, plendered

s evera l areas inc lud ing the properous t e a c t of the upper

1 . Having the K e t t l e drvim played on the a r r i v a l a t o f f i c i a l or p r i v a t e func t ion; Varxin D.P. op. c l t . p . 27.

2 . N e v i l l , H.R. OP. c i t . V o l . I l l , p . 169,

3. Sardesai, G.S,, New History of the Marathas. Vol. li, (Poona, 1944), p. 364.

96

doab. While proceeing further, he attacked emperor In h i s

camp at Sikandrabad. and raised Alaragir II to the throne.

He himself declared v i z i r in place of Intizan»-ud*-daula.

Taking the advantage of the s i tuation sikhs raided the

j a g i r of Najib Khan pushing farther to Shamli in Muza-

f famagar. Najib Khan appealed to Ahmad Shah Abdaliand

in response he sent h i s son Jahan Shah with a troop of

8,000 so ld i er s . But sikhs have withdrawn to Pxinjab

before Jahan Shah could reach Shamli.

In 1757 Abdali removed Ghazi-ud-din from v i z i r s h i p .

Ghazi-ud-din again entered the doab and plxondered the J at

e s t a t e s . Thereafter, he reinstated Ghazi-ud-din as v i z i r

and Najib-ud-daula the Mir Bakshi^.

Najib, t i l l h i s death in 1770 consolidated h i s

pos i t ion in t h i s region. His absence from the doab, mostly

owing to h i s participation in the court a f fa i r s at Delhi

opened the way to sikhs to raid in t h i s part . However,

sikhs ravages were f e l t rather severely in Mirapur and

Kandhla of t h i s d i s t r i c t .

!•» Sardesai, G.S., op. c i t . , p . 387; Srivastava, A.L., The Mughal Empire (Agra 1959) pp. 493-494.

97

After the death of Najib-ud-dula, his son Zabita

Khan took the charge of Delhi but in 1771 Mahadaji Sindhia

captured the Delhi. Zabita Khan took shelter in his

paternal jagir of Bhiwani Mahal, This contained three

strongholds viz. Pathargarh (later Najibabad in Bijnor)

on the left, Shukratal on the right of the Ganga and

Gausgarh. Both in Muzaffamagar, which was built by

Zabita Khan himself, the site is known by a big mosque of

fine proportions .

Moma, in tahsil Jansith, became the temporary

headquarter of Maratha and they raided Gausgarh, Shukratal

was also capture by Marathas (Mahadaji) in 1772# Zabita

Khan fled to Jat coutry and made a treaty with Nawab of

Avadh, which later proved fatal to the Rohillas. In 1776

with the help of sikhs Zabita Khan rebelled against the

emperor. The joint army of sikh emd Rohillas intercepted

at Budhana, and after a regreat to Baghra and Amimagar,

they sddenly swooped down on the imperial forces routing

them ccsnpletely . According to Pranlin, Zabita Khan was

1. Sardesai, G»S,t op. cit. Vol. II, p. 515; Navill, H.R. OP. cit. Vol. Ill, p. 177.

2. Nevill, H.R., op. cit vol. Ill, pp. 177-78; Keene H.G. The Fall of Moqhul Empire (Delhi 1907), p. 126.

S8

enthusiastic about this coalition that he even decided to

become a follower of Guru Nanak xmder the name of Dharam

Singh. Probably owing to this factor the proverb-'Ek guru

ke do chela, adha Sikh adha Ruhela* became, ture. Owing to

the blood battle between Zabita Khan and Joint army of

emperor and the Nawab of Avadh, Zabita Khan had to

relinquish his parental property at Muzaffamagar and

Saharanpxir the state was now administered by Sumroo,

(Sombre, the French noble) the Jamindar of Sardhan,

Meerut^,

In 1783, the entire upper doab was subjugated by

the sikhs under their leader Baghel Singh. The sikhs

marched into the doab and sacked Mirapur, a town situated

some 32 km. from Muzaffamagar. However, sikhs were

defeated in 1788 by Ghulam Quadir, the son of Zabita 2

Khan . In the same year Ghulam Qadir executed executed

by Marathas. After capturing Meerut the Marathas marched

northwards through the doab anneding this district. The

situation of Marathas became worse after the death of

1. Keene op. cit., p. 128; Nevill, H.R. op. clt.. p. 178.

2. Banerjee, B., Begum Sumro, (Calcutta, p. 12).

99

Madhoji Singhia, in 17^4. There was a c r i s i s of h i s ssucce­

s s i o n . Seeiing the s i t u a t i o n , s ikhs again launched an

a t t a c k on Marathas in 1795. At t h i s s t age , George Thomas,

t he I r i s h so ld i e r a r r ived and rescued them fron s ikhs . He

was a l so granted a ncxninal j a g i r by the Marathas.

No major change was not iced s ince then and gradually

the B r i t i s h came in power i n s p i t e of 1857 r e v o l t . Under

t h e i r r u l e , Muzaffamagar became the p a r t of the north

western provinces .

1 . Dharam Bhanu: History and Administrat ion of the North Waster Provinces (Agra 1957) p . 8 1 .