10.2 The establishment of Padrauna Estate
In 1564 AD, few Gaharwar
Rajputs migrated from the Kantit Raj when it was destroyed by Ali Quli Khan and
Bahadur Khan. The family traditions of Padrauna estate say that the small Bhual alias Bhupal went to Madhuban
and stayed with his fufa (spouse of father’s sister) Madhav Mall. Once young,
he joined the Mughal army and got the title of "Rai" for his valorous
work. Bhual Rai was then known as Rai Bhual Rai. He was designated as an
officer for Mughal artillery. Soon he was able to make some 50 close associates
and all these people were inducted into the Majhauli army by then King Bhim
Mall. The group helped Majhauli to defeat their enemies. In return for their
valorous work, the Majhauli king gave Zamindari of 5 villages to Bhupal Rai,
the chief of the group. That time, the Makwani kings were ruling the area of
Sidhua Jobna. Bhupal Rai defeated the Makwani kings and established a small
estate which is mentioned in Robkar Kach-hari, Badgaon Sikta, edition 1933,
page 3 as ‘Aj tahkikat zamindari khesaminda bahoran Rai Zamindare vaja ki
musammi Bhual Rai murise aala bood……Zamindari Mauja haja wa digar mauje aj raja
makwani bajor shamshir paida karad’. It means that Bhual Rai has got the
Zamindari of Haja area and other places by defeating Makwani kings by his sword
[9].
10.3 The rulers of Padrauna
The Padrauna estate was
seeded by Rai Bhupal Rai during the period of Akbar, yet it remained a small
zamindari till the period of Aurangzeb. The zamindars and the later Rajas of
Padrauna from its establishment are given here. [10]
[11]
1. Rai Bhupal Rai alias Bhual Rai – He
established zamindari of 5 villages around 1580-1590 AD.
2. Rai Jagat Rai, son of Bhual Rai. He married
and had issue.
3. Balbhadra Rai – got the area of Sekhwania
Vasdev Rai – continued
as zamindar of Padrauna. He married and had issue.
4. Vanmala Rai. He married and had issue.
5. Kishor alias Keshav Rai, who got the area of
Laxmipur.
Harihar Rai – continued
as zamindar of Padrauna. He belongs to Emperor Shahjahan period. He married and
had issue.
6. Bhimchand Rai – the zamindar of Semra
Chand Dular Rai –
without any heir
Nattha Rai – He attended
the courts of Aurangzeb from 1681 AD. He helped Padrauna to get recognized as
Princely estate in 1686 AD. He also received a grant of 33 villages in Padrauna
tahsil yielding annual revenue of Rs. 5,500. He was zamindar of Padrauna till
death.
7. Hulas Rai
He was the son of Nattha Rai and
zamindar of Padrauna for a very short period due to early death. He married and
had issue Ramdatt Rai and Bansingh Rai.
8. Bhup Narain Rai
He was the son of Nattha Rai and zamindar of
Padruana till 1760 AD. The territory of Padrauna expanded further after
Majhauli King gifted 12 villages to them as a respect to Ramdatt Rai who helped
Majhauli to defeat the Mughal army but died in the war showing his great valor.
9. Ginu Narain (Gahnu) Rai
Ginu Narain Rai was zamindar
of Padrauna from 1760 till 1795. He was the grandson of Hulas Rai. He landed in
trouble for helping to his friend Raja Fatteh Shahi of Hussainpur, district
Shahabad of Bihar belonging to the Bhaghochia Bhumihar clan. Fateh Shahi and
his relative Raja Chet Singh of Benaras raised opposition to East India Company
when Delhi king Shah Alam gave the areas of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to Company
for tax collection after agreement dated 16 Aug 1765. Fateh Shahi declared war
with the Company which continued from 1765 till 1785. At the end, he along with
his family hid in Sidhua Jobna of Gorakhpur with the help of Ginu Narain Rai.
The Company issued arrest orders against both and therefore they had to hide in
forest for longer period. In 1790, Benares was seized by the Company [12] and its administration was given to the pattidars of Fateh
Shahi who accepted the terms and conditions set by the Company. The Company
conferred the title of ‘Raja of Hathwa’ to that pattidar. Fateh Shahi built a
new estate in the forest area of Banke Jogin and it is now known as Tamkuhi. As
Gorakhpur was falling under the dominion of Nawab, Padrauna was not seized by
the Company. In records of Company Zalim Singh, Ginu Narain (Gehnu) Rai,
Prithvipal Singh and Fatteh Sahi are recorded as prominent zamindars who took
active part in the rebellion [13] [14]. After the war with Captain Mirza Baig in which Padrauna
was almost devastated, he gave the zamindari to his brother Ram Narain Rai and
died soon.
10.3.1 Division of Padrauna Estate (1796 AD)
After Ginu Narain Rai, the
Padrauna estate was divided between his two brothers - Ram Narain Rai and
Meharban Rai.
10.3.2 First branch of family
10. Ram Narain Rai (from 1795 – 1821)
He was the zamindar for namesake only and gave
all authorities to his son Bhawani Baksh Rai.
11. Bhawani Baksh Rai (from 1796 – 1816)
Bhawani Baksh Rai handled the zamindari from 1796
onwards till 6th August 1816 AD when he died. He was married and had issue -
Harkumar Rai, Ishwaripratap Rai and Jaiprakash Rai. They all took
responsibilities under the guidance of their grandfather Ram Narain Rai one by
one. Ishwaripratap Rai was an Honorary Magistrate for 10 years before his
death.
12. Harkumar Rai (from 1816 – 1836)
13. Jaipraksh Rai (from 1836 – 1850)
14. Nand Kishore Rai (from 1850 – 1854)
He was the son of Harkumar Rai.
15. Madan Gopal Rai (from 1854 – 1880)
He was born to Ishwari Pratap Rai in 1822 AD and
lived till 1887 AD. During his period, the estate helped the British Empire to
crush the rebellion of 1857 AD under the direction of Ishwari Pratap Rai.
10.3.3 Second branch of family
Meharban Rai was married and
had issue – Bahadur Rai and Basti Rai. Both brothers got half of the Padrauna
estate and again divided it between them. In the family, Rai Raghupati Rai
(1804 AD) and Dubari Rai were born. In Agahana or Margsirsa 14, 1260 Fasli i.e.
Dec month of 1850 AD, Udit Narain Rai was born to Raghupati Rai. After 4 years
of his birth, Ishwari Pratap Rai (first branch) did conspiracy against
Raghupati Rai. After the 1857 rebellion, the entire property was seized by the
British officer Mr. Ward and Raghupati Rai was sentenced to life imprisonment.
10.3.4 Merger of both family branches
Madan Gopal Rai (first
branch) had no son and therefore no successor for estate after him. Ishwari
Pratap Rai, who was now 80 years old, contacted Jyotishacharya Banarasi
Upadhyay and requested him to go to the mother of Uditnarayan Rai with the
message that he wish to see Udit as the future King of Padrauna.
16. Raja Udit Narain Rai
(from 1880 – 1900)
On 16th August 1880, Madan
Gopal Rai declared Udit Narain Rai as heir of the Padrauna estate. On 8th Feb
1886, he initiated the process of his nomination on government records. After a
small court battle with Vindhyachal Prasad Rai, on 8th May 1891 Udit Narain was
finally declared as legal heir of Padrauna estate. He was conferred with the
title of ‘Raja’ by the British Government.
17. Raja Bahadur Brij Narain
Singh and Rai Bahadur Jagdish Narain Singh
In 1900 AD Brij Narain
Singh, son of Raja Udit Narain Rai, became the King of Padrauna. In 1919, he
was given the title of ‘Raja Bahadur’ by the British Government. He was the
member of Provincial legislative council from 1924-1926. His brother Jagdish
Narain Singh got the title of ‘Rai Bahadur’ in 1923 and acted in accordance
with Raja Brij Narain Singh
10.4 Controversy over establishment of Padrauna Estate, their lineage and facts click here to read
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References:
[9] Mall, M. N. (2005). Bisen Vansh Darpan, p. 130.
Gorakhpur.
[10] http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/p/padrauna.html
[11] http://www.indianrajputs.com/view/padrauna
[12] Ram, B. (1998). Land and society in India:
Agrarian Relations in Colonial North Bihar, pp. 36-37. Hyderabad: Orient
Longman
[13] Rizvi, S. N. R. (2004). Zamindars and Revenue Farmers of
Eastern Uttar Pradesh, p. 151. New Delhi: Anamika Publishers and Distributors.
[14] Foreign Secret Consultation, 21 April 1873,
No. 14, p. 25. & Secret Proceedings 4th Sept. – 22nd Oct, 1781, Fort
William, 7th Sept. 1781, pp. 2093-94.
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Index Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
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