Rampur, Uttar Pradesh

This article is about the municipality in Uttar Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see Rampur district.

Rampur
—  city  —
Rampur Location of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and India
Coordinates	28°48′N 79°00′E
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District(s)	Rampur
Nawab	young rampuris
Population • Density	200,423 (2001) • 2,386 /km2 (6,180 /sq mi)
Sex ratio	1000/927 ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) • 288 metres (945 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 244901 • Telephone • +0595 • Vehicle • UP 22
Footnotes PRINCELY STATE OF PASHTUNS

Rampur  pronunciation (Hindi: रामपुर rampore, Urdu: رام پور) is a city and a municipality located in Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur district is located at Longitude 78-0-54 to 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 to 29-10 North and spans an area of 2,367 km².

It also gave its name to a former princely state of British India, once ruled by an Afghan Nawab from the Rohilla tribe. It was incorporated into the state of Uttar Pradesh in 1949.

History of Rampur

Main article: Rampur State

The Rohilla War of 1774-5 began when the Rohillas reneged on a debt they owed the Nawab of Oudh for military assistance against the Marathas in 1772. The Rohillas were defeated and driven from their former capital of Bareilly by the Nawab of Oudh with the assistance of the East India Company's troops. The Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter.

Flag of princely Rampur.

The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad'. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur. Nawwab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the Rampur Raza Library. After his death his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over, but he was killed by the Rohilla leaders after 24 days, and Ghulam Muhammad Khan, the brother of the deceased, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was defeated by its forces. The Governor-General made Ahmad Ali Khan, son of the late Muhammad Ali Khan, the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Sa'id Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan, took over as the new Nawab. He raised a regular Army, established Courts and carried out many works to improve the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death. after his death in 1865, his son Kalb Ali Khan became the new Nawab.

Imambara, Fort of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, ca.1911.

Sir Kalb Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur (1832-1887)

Nawab Kalb Ali Khan was literate in Arabic and Persian. Under his rule, the state did much work to uplift standards of education. He was also a Member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence. He built the Jama Masjid in Rampur at a cost of Rs. 3 Lakhs. He was also knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. He ruled for 22 years and 7 months. After his death his son Mushtaq Ali Khan took over. He appointed W. C. Wright as the Chief Engineer of the state and built many new buildings and canals. Nawab Hamid Ali became the new ruler in 1889 at the age of 14. Many new schools were opened during his reign, and lots of donations were provided to nearby colleges. He donated Rs. 50,000 to Lucknow Medical College. In 1905 he built the magnificent Darbar Hall within the Fort which now houses the great collection of Oriental manuscripts held by the Rampur Raza Library. His son Raza Ali Khan became the last ruling Nawab in 1930. On 1 July 1949 the State of Rampur was merged into the Republic of India. Rampur today presents a slightly decayed appearance: the palaces of the Nawabs are crumbling, as are the gates and walls of the fort. However, the Library remains a flourishing institution of immense value to scholars from all over the world.

The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during India's First War of Independence in 1857 and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India in general and the Muslims of United Provinces in particular. They gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the Court of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Post independence

Important descendants of the Nawabs include Murad Mian the first child of Murtaza Ali Khan Bahadur of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano, the widow of the former Nawab, Zulfiquar Ali Khan of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano has become a politician and won the election from Rampur parliamentary constituency in 1999. She lost the elections in 2004 and 2009. Murtaza Ali Khan and Zulfiquar Ali Khan (aka Mikki Mia), who continued to use the title of Nawab as a token even after independence and abolition of royalty but never ruled Rampur, are now dead. Murtaza Ali contested an election from Rampur opposite his mother Rafat Jamani Begum in 1972 and won. Although the two brothers were always political rivals they never faced each other in elections. Subsequently, the family was also involved in smuggling scandals involving some smuggling from Pakistan, where one of the sons of Murtaza Ali is married. Raza Inter College, Hamid Inter College and Murtaza Inter College are three higher secondary schools named after three nawabs.

The present Nawab of Rampur, Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan Bahadur (born 16 October 1960), is an Indian politician and the present titular Nawab of Rampur. The eldest son of Zulfikar Ali Khan Bahadur, he succeeded his father as titular Nawab upon the latter's death in 1992. He was educated at Chandigarh University where he took a BA and at Columbia University where he took an MA in architecture and urban design in 1988. He served as a member on the Raza Library Board in Rampur from 1993 to 2002. From 1996 to 2004, Muhammad Kazim Ali served as an MLA in the Swar Tanda Uttar Pradesh state assembly; in 2003 he was briefly the state minister for Minority Welfare and Hajj Affairs. Since 2003, he has been the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

Culture of Rampur

Rampur's Raza Library

The Nawabs of Rampur have had distinct impact on the culture of the region, especially as they were connoisseurs of arts, literature and culture. The Rampur Raza Library, housed in a former palace, has a sizable collection of Oriental manuscripts.

The court musicians of the Nawabs subsequently gave rise to various gharanas or schools of Hindustani classical music. Ustad Allauddin Khan (1881–1972) was a shagird (disciple) of the legendary Veena player, Wazir Khan, court musician of the Nawab, and went on to establish the a modern Maihar gharana with disciples like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Vasant Rai, Pannalal Ghosh, Bahadur Khan, and Sharan Rani.

The Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of Hindustani classical music also has its origins in court musicians. Ustad Mehboob Khan, was a khayal singer and Veena player of the Rampur court; his son Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919), who trained and lived in the city, founded the gharana.

Rampuri cuisine, a part of the Mughal cuisine tradition, developed by the chefs of the Nawabs, is also known for its distinct flavours and dishes with recipes passed on from the royal kitchen, like Rampuri fish, Rampuri Korma, Rampuri mutton kebabs, doodhiya biryani and adrak ka halwa.

Rampur was traditionally famous for the knives known as Rampuri Chaaku, which even made their way to Bollywood crime thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually the Government of Uttar Pradesh banned making knives longer than 4.5 inches in blade length, leading to a drop in their popularity. The Rampur Greyhound, native to the region, was favoured by the Nawabs while hunting.

Geography

Rampur is located at 28.8°N 79.00°E / 28.8; 79.00. It has an average elevation of 288 metres (968 ft).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Rampur had a population of 281,549. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rampur has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 55%. In Rampur, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. Hindus include a large number of Jats, Lodhs, Kurmis, and Sainis, as well as the forward communities of Baniya, Kayasthas and a few number of Brahmans. Among Scheduled Castes the Jatav, Dhobi, Kori, Balmikis, Barbaal, Turaiha and Pasis are the main communities.

Rampur district has a large number of Muslims and Sikhs, as of 2001 census data. The region around Rampur and Bareilly still has a significant number of Rohilla Pathans.

References

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Bibliography

• Syed Asghar Ali Shadami, Ahwalay Riyasatay Rampur (Tarikhi wa Maashrati Pusmanzar), ed. Rizwanullah Khan Enayati
• Tanzim Ahbab Rampur Karachi Nagin Chowrangee, a great masterpiece from Tanzeem

Current Scene

Work on Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar University is under way.

External links

• Official website about Rampur
• Genealogy of Rampur (Princely State)
• The Rampur Raza Library: Official Website
• B. N. Goswamy, "A great collection in a small place", The Tribune (July 16, 2006)