Ahirwal
Ahirwal | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 28°12′N 76°36′E / 28.2°N 76.6°E | |
| Country | India |
| States | |
| Capital | Rewari |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| • Spoken | Ahirwati |
| Communities | |
| • Kings | Ahir / Yadav |
| • Major Role | Brahmin , Jat and Gujjar |
Ahirwal is a region spanning parts of Southern Haryana , North-Eastern Rajasthan, and South-Western Delhi[1] The region was once a Kingdom based from the town of Rewari and controlled by members of the Yaduvanshi Ahir community.[2] It is also sometimes termed as "Israel of India" due to high participation in army .[3]
The name translates as "Land of the Ahirs".[4] J. E. Schwartzberg has described it as a "folk region"[5] and Lucia Michelutti as a "cultural-geographic region". It includes parts of the districts of Alwar, Bharatpur in Rajasthan, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, bhiwani and parts of Rohtak and Hisar in the state of Haryana and South western Delhi ."[4] The Ahirwal region in southern Haryana has 11 assembly segments spread over three Lok Sabha seats – Bhiwani-Mahendergarh, Gurgaon and Rohtak (one segment only) – having a sizeable presence of Ahir voters.[6]
The main language of the area is Ahirwati. It is commonly taken to be a dialect of Mewati and classified within the Rajasthani group of languages, but it also has characteristics in common with the neighbouring Western Hindi varieties.[7] The closely related Bangru (also known as Haryanvi) and Hindi are also spoken in the region.
Military Involvements
The events at the battle of Rezang La on 18 November 1962 involved many soldiers from the Ahirwal region, who were greatly outnumbered by their Chinese opponents.[8][9]
Occupation
Traditional Occupation
- Landlords ( One of the major state in farming production )
- Defence Forces ( Ahirwal is said to have atleast one men in army from one family and hence also called Isreal of India)[10]
Modern Occupation -
In modern era along with farming and defences forces, youth has been inclined towards sports, government jobs, civil services, politics and Real estate. [11]
Rulers
Rao Ruda Singh
Ahir ruler of Tijara, acquired the jagir of ancestors yadava . Ruda Singh made Bolni village , south of Haryana his headquarters, 12 km to the east. He cleared the forests and established new villages.
Rao Mitrasen Ahir
Rao Mitrasen was the son of Rao Tulsiram and Chandravanshi was the Ahir ruler who ruled Rewari. Rao Raja Mitrasen fought with Muslim invaders, British, Kachwaha of Jaipur and Shekhawat Rajput etc. To take revenge on Rewari. For the purpose, in the early months of 1781, the Rajput rulers of Jaipur attacked Rewari, but they were defeated by Rao Mitrasen and suffered heavy losses from a strategic point of view.
Rao Ram Singh
After Ruda Singh, his son Rao Ram Singh (Ramoji) took over the throne of Rewari. There was an atmosphere of fear and discontent in his kingdom due to bandits and robbers. Ram Singh built a fort at Bolni and deployed soldiers on it for security. He was a fearless warrior so after a long struggle he was able to neutralize the criminals. He arrested two famous bandits and handed them over to Emperor Akbar.
Rao Shahbaz Singh
Rao Ram Singh was followed by his son and successor, Shahbaz Singh, who was a contemporary of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
Rao Nandram Singh and Rao Man Singh
Shahbaz Singh was succeeded by his eldest son, Nandram.[3][6] Aurangzeb edited the title of his jagir and awarded him the title of "Chowdhary".[11] He shifted his headquarters from Bolni to Rewari. The water collector named Nand Sagar in Rewari is still a testimony of his memory.
Rao Bal Kishan
Balkishan was killed while in Aurangzeb's military service on 24 February 1739 while fighting against Nadir Shah in the Karnal War. Pleased with his bravery, Mohammad Shah gave the title of "Rao Bahadur" to Balkishan's brother Gujarmal and gave a headship of 5000. [3] By expanding the boundary of his kingdom, 52 villages of Hisar district and 52 villages of Narnaul were added to it. His jagir included major cities like Rewari, Jhajjar, Dadri, Hansi, Hisar, Kanaud, and Narnaul. In the year 1743, some more villages with mansabdari of Rs 2,00,578 were also added.
Rao Gujarmal Singh
Baloch Raja of Farrukhnagar and Bahadur Singh of Ghasera, a descendant of Hathi Singh, were both fierce enemies of Rao Gujarmal. Bahadur Singh was ruling independent from the Jat king Surajmal of Bharatpur. Then Rao Gujarmal along with Surajmal gave a befitting reply to him. Gujarmal also had friendly relations with Todarmal of Neemrana, father-in-law of Bahadur Singh. In 1750, Todarmal invited Rao Gujarmal at the behest of Bahadur Singh and killed him by deceit.
Rao Bhavani Singh
Rao Gujarmal's son Bhavani Singh became the king after him. Bhavani Singh proved to be lazy. Many parts of his kingdom were captured by the Baloch Nawab of Farrukhnagar, the Nawab of Jhajjar and the Raja of Jaipur and only 22 villages remained with Bhavani Singh. A chieftain of his own kingdom killed him in 1758.
Rao Tej Singh
The next Raja Hira Singh was also rejected and the control of Raj Kaj was taken over by a local businessman Jauki Ram. Najaf Quli Khan, a rebel Sardar of Delhi had captured the Gokulgarh Fort. Shah Alam II, the Emperor of Delhi, along with Begum Samru, decided to punish her. On 12 March 1788, Shah Alam camped in Bhadawas and attacked Najaf Quli during the night, in which Najaf Quli was badly damaged. The effect of Begum Samru's artillery forced Quli Khan to compromise.
Rao Tula Ram
Raja Rao Tularam Singh (9 December 1825 – 1863), was an Ahir ruler, He was the chief hero of the independence revolution of 1857 in Haryana.[16] Temporary British rule took root in the southwest of the present day. The credit for overthrowing Haryana and helping the revolutionaries of Delhi with body, mind and money is given to Tularam only. After the revolution of 1857, he left India and sought the help of the rulers of Afghanistan, Iran and the Tsars of Russia for the war of independence of India. But his plan failed due to his death on 23 September 1863 at the age of 38.
Rao Gopaldev Singh
Rao Gopaldev Singh was a 19th-century revolutionary in Rewari, who, along with his cousin Rao Tularam Singh, took on the British in the Revolution of 1857.
Rao Kishan Gopal
Rao Kishan Gopal, Anuj of Rao Tularam Singh, was the commander of his army of Rewari. [6] He was also an officer in the British East India Company. He was the one who killed General Timley in the war.
Pran Sukh Yadav
Pran Sukh Yadav (1802–1888) was a military commander of his time He was a participant revolutionary in the Revolution of 1857. [24] He was a close friend of Hari Singh Nalwa and the famous Punjab ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In his earlier times, he fought on the side of the Sikh Khalsa army. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he participated in the first and second British-Sikh conflicts. Due to their extreme hatred towards the Ahirwals (Alwar, Rewari, Narnaul, and Mahendragarh)
Notable Personalities
See also
References
- ^ Singh, Jai Pal; Khan, Mumtaz (1999). "Hindu Cosmology and the Orientation and Segregation of Social Groups in Villages in Northwestern India". Geografiska Annaler. B (Human Geography). 81 (1). Wiley on behalf of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography: 27–28. doi:10.1111/j.0435-3684.1999.00046.x. JSTOR 491040. (subscription required)
- ^ Haynes, Edward S. (1978). "Imperial Impact on Rajputana: The Case of Alwar, 1775–1850". Modern Asian Studies. 12 (3). Cambridge University Press: 423–424. doi:10.1017/s0026749x00006223. JSTOR 312228. (subscription required)
- ^ "Why is Ahirwal Region known as Israel of India?". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ a b Michelutti, Lucia (2008). The vernacularisation of democracy: politics, caste, and religion in India. Routledge. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9780415467322.
- ^ Schwartzberg, J. E. (1985). "Folk regions in northwestern India". In Mukerji, A. B.; Ahmad, A. (eds.). India: Culture Society and Economy. New Delhi: Inter India Publications. pp. 205–235.
- ^ "Gurgaon MP's exit to change political equation in south Haryana". Hindustan Times. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
- ^ Yadav, Shankar Lal (c. 1979). "Ahīrvāṭī". In Sharada, Sadhu Ram (ed.). Hariyāṇā kī upabhāṣāeṃ (in Hindi). Chandigarh: Bhasha Vibhag. pp. 193–269.
- ^ "Land Forces Site – Unforgettable Battle of 1962 : 13 Kumaon at Rezang La". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^ Mohan Guruswamy (20 November 2012). "Don't forget the heroes of Rezang La". The Hindu.
- ^ Ahirwal Soldiers https://anytvnews.com/topic/ahirwal-soldiers/
- ^ Ahirwal in Modern era https://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20011117/haryana.htm
Further reading
- The Panjab Past and Present. Vol. 32. Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjabi University. 2001. pp. 71–75.