9.3 The Bisen Rajas of Majhauli
According to Bisen Vansh Vatika by L. K. Mall [7], Raja Dev Mall was
98th descendant of Bisen clan. He had three sons – Raja Prasad
Mall, Madhav Mall and Rai Mall. The division of estate resulted in
Prasad Mall
getting Majhauli, Madhav Mall getting the area in Mau district and Rai
Mall
getting the area of Narharpur. Madhav Mall developed the region and
named it
Madhuban after his name in 1565 AD. He had two sons – Nattha Mall and
Fateh Bahadur Mall.
9.3.1 Nattha Mall as ‘Raja Majhauli’ in the courts of Jahangir
(1603 - 1620 AD)
Raja Prasad Mall of Majhauli died in 1564 AD. His minor son Bhim
Mall ascended to the throne. At the time of Akbar and after 1567 AD, most Rajput
estates of northern India including Majhauli accepted the subordination to
Mughal Empire [8]. Raja Bhim Mall died in 1603 AD. His son Narayan Mall was,
however, too small to become king and therefore Nattha Mall used to be present
in the courts of Jahangir as representative of Majhauli estate. He has been
mentioned as ‘Raja Majhauli’ at two places in Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri.
9.3.1a Jahangir giving 5,000 Rs to Nattha Mall in 1605 AD [9]
…….On the 21st of the same month I presented Parwiz with a
necklace composed of four rubies and one hundred pearls. The rank of Hakim
Muzaffar was fixed at 3,000 personal and 1,000 horse, original and extra. I
gave 5,000 rupees to Nathu Mal, Raja of Manjholi. 4 A remarkable occurrence
was the discovery of a letter from Mirza 'Aziz Koka to 'All Khan, the ruler of Khandesh.……
9.3.1b Jahangir elevating the position of Nattha Mall in 1615 AD [10]
…. Ten thousand darabs (5,000 rupees) were given to the relations
of Mirza Sharafu-d-din Husain Kashgharl, who at this time had come and had the
honour of kissing the threshold. On the 5th Amurdad, to the
mansab of Raja Nathmal, which was 1,500 personal and 1,100 horse, an addition
of 500 personal and 100 horse was made. On the 7th, Kesho (Das)
Maru, who had a jagir in the Sarkar of Orissa, and who had been sent for to
Court on account of a complaint 2 against the governor of the Subah of that
place, came and paid his respects. He produced as an offering four elephants…….
S.N.R. Rizvi [11] mentions Nattha Malla as ‘Raja Majhauli’. He writes that
‘The Raja of Majhauli was also rewarded by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. During
the 1st Ry. Of Jahangir’s reign (in 1605 AD) Nathmal, the Zamindar
of pargana Majhauli, got the mansab and the title of Raja. During the 10th
Ry. he got the mansab of 2000 Zat and 1200 Sawar. He served upto 15th
Ry.’ It should be noted that the Majhauli prince L.K. Mall mentions
the name of Bhim Malla instead of Nattha Malla for the entire event that
happened in the courts of Jahangir even though the former died in year 1603 AD.
The author quotes that due to shift in dots, ‘Bhim’ was wrongly interpreted as
‘Nattha’ by early historians when they translated the commentary from Persian
language composed by Jahangir.
9.3.2 Raja Nattha Mall helping to suppress the rebellion of
Khurram (1624 AD)
Empress Nur Jahan started favoring her son-in-law Shaharyar as the
heir of Mughal throne and this forced Prince Khurram (Shahjahan) to rebel
against Emperor Jahangir. The emperor sent his second son Parvez and Mahabat
khan to suppress the rebellion. The
latter got good support from his old friend Raja Nattha Mall and his brother
Fateh Badaur Mall. Both Malla Zamindar brothers collected nearly 30 boats from
various parts of area to cross river Tons
(River Tamsa) in Jaunpur [12] [13] [14]. The battle between the armies of Khurram and Mahabat Khan is known
as ‘Jung-e-Tons’ as it was fought on the banks of the River Tons in October, 1624 AD [15]. The three other battle places
were Fatehpur Taal Narja, Fatehpur Dodhhara and Fatehpur Taal Ratoya. After the
battle, the Rajput females who lost their husband came to Mau district from
Rajputana area and took ‘Sati’ (self immolation) near Parvezpur. Therefore
these places are also recognized as ‘Sativadh’.
At the end of the rebellion, Prince Khurram surrendered to Jahangir
unconditionally.
9.3.3 Raja Nattha Mall helping the migration of rebel Rajputs (1626
AD)
One of the important rebellions in Jahangir’s court happened in
1626 AD. The most trusted man Mahabat Khan went for rebellion along with 4,000-5,000
Rajputs. He with the help of brave Rajput soldiers arrested Jahangir and ruled
for nearly 100 days. The rebellion was then crushed by Nur Jahan and most of the
captured Rajputs were sold in the markets of Kabul. The remaining wounded Rajputs
along with their families migrated to various parts of northern India like
Agra, Meerut, Saharanpur, Dehradun, Kalinjar, Benaras and Gorakhpur. The
migration towards Benaras and Gorakhpur was facilitated by Raja Nattha Mall who
was a good friend of Mahabat Khan.
9.3.4 Diminished power of Madhuban / Natthapur (around 1632-1640
AD)
After the death of Prince Parvez and Emperor Jahangir in October
1627, Prince Khurram declared himself the new king of land on 6th Feb
1628 as ‘Shah-Jahan’ meaning the ‘The King of the World’. He appointed Abdullah
Khan as the ‘Governor of Bihar’ (1632-1639 AD) so as to take the revenge
against the Rajputs who supported Jahangir against his rebellion. Abdullah Khan
conquered the Gautam Rajputs of Ajamgarh, the Bais Rajputs of Ghosi and the Rajputs
of Sidhari, Udamatia and Mau. Most of these Rajputs were forcefully converted into
Islam. The forts of Madhuban, Natthapur,
Parvezpur and Fatehpur were
destroyed. Mohan Pandey, the chief- in charge of security for Natthapur fort,
was killed by burning slowly over seven days as he refused to divulge the
location of the royal treasury. His samadhi is still available in the Natthapur Kot. The zamindari of
Madhuban was seized by Shah Jahan and the descendants of Madhav Mall and Raja
Nattha Mall lost their political power.
9.3.5 Conversion of Raja Buddha Kishor Mall to Islam (1685 -
1715AD)
After Bhim Mall and Nattha Mall, the subsequent kings of Majhauli
were Narayan Mall (son of Bhim Mall), Roop Mall, Vikrmaditya Mall, Puran Mall and Buddha Kishor
Mall alias Bodh Mall. The period of Bodh Mall can be given from 1685 AD to 1715
AD evident from the letter written by him to Rai Nattha Rai and Rai Hulas Rai
of Padrauna in 1688 AD [16]. Aurangzeb, the next
Mughal Emperor after Shah Jahan, demanded Jajiya taxes from Bodh Mall and warned in case of
non-payment. Bodh Mall asked for help from Nattha Rai of Padrauna as the latter
was considered close to Aurangzeb. Nattha Rai neglected his request. Bodh Mall
was captured and taken into custody in Delhi. He was forcefully converted to
Islam and given the name of Raja Salem. Although the year of conversion is not
known but it can be in between 1688 AD, when he wrote letter to Padrauna as
Bodh Mall, and 1707 AD when Aurangzeb died. After returning from Delhi, one
side of the River Gandak was given to him and the area was named as Salempur.
Raja Bodh Mall never returned to Majhauli after becoming Raja Salem. In his
absence, the Rani of Majhauli administered the state with his minor son Bhavani
Mall.
The period of Bodh Mall, however, has been shown to begin in 1564
AD by Sir Roper Lethbridge. According to his work – ‘the 80th Raja
Hardeo Sen got the title of ‘Mal’ from one of the Delhi Emperors. Then followed
23 generations, to Bodh Mal, who succeeded in 1564 AD and is shown to be
arrested for default of revenue by order of the Emperor Akbar. There he was
converted to Muhammad Salim. On his return, Rani refused to allow him to enter
the fort of Majhauli and ......’ [17] The same period has
been also given by S.N.R. Rizvi [18]. However Dr. Rajbali Pandey [19] and M.N. Mall contested
the above period based on the letter written by Bodh Mall to Nattha Rai of
Padrauna. It is well recorded that Nattha Rai used to be present in the court
of Aurangzeb and helped Padrauna to get recognized as ‘Princely Estate’ in 1681
AD. The period of Bodh Mall in Aurangzeb’s time has been also shown in the traditions
of Majhauli Raj [20].
9.4 Enmity between the Bisen clan (around 1725 - 1740 AD)
Raja Salem wished his last rites (shraddha) to be done according to Hindu traditions. After his
death, Rani did the same. The Bisens of Madhuban, Kalakankar -Pratapgarh and
Gonda were opposed to the idea of shraddha for Muslim Raja and boycotted the ceremony.
This seeded enmity between the pattidars (kins in the patriarchal relation) of Bisen clan. The
approximate time of death of Bodh Mall and the enmity between Bisen clans can
be dated after 1725 AD. It is evident from the fact that Rai BhupNarain Rai,
who was the son of Nattha Rai and zamindar of Padrauna around 1725 AD, sent his
nephew Ramdatt Rai to help Majhauli king where he died showing great valor. The
Majhauli king gifted 12 villages to Padrauna as a respect to his valor.
9.5 Segregation of the Bisens of Madhuban (1740 AD till present)
The family relations between the Bisen pattidars became very weak
after the episode of Raja Salem. Slowly the families came on the verge of
losing their kinship ties as the three pattidars were not participating in any
family event held at Majhauli and vice versa.
In subsequent years, Majhauli became more powerful than others. It is
recorded that the Majhauli Kings refused to eat bhat with the
Chiefs of Gonda, Pratapgarh [21] and Madhuban and therefore unrecognized the kinship ties between them.
Later the Bisens of Gonda and Kalakankar re-established their ties by paying
money to Raja Majhauli for eating bhat
with them. However the Bisens of Madhuban kept themselves away. It should be
noted that the area under Madhuban already had large ‘Mall’ titled population
(Sainthwar) related to the ancient Pava. It is claimed by the Bisens of
Madhuban that after unrecognizing kinship ties with them, Majhauli also floated
the story that these Malls (Bisen of Madhuban) are of the same lineage as ‘the Malls
of Sainthwar’. The Gaharwars of Padrauna, who were close relatives of Madhuban Bisens
and faced a major financial crisis in the reign of Rai Dhanu Rai (around 1765
AD), also faced ire of Majhauli and labeled as Sainthwar. This way, both
Madhuban and Padrauna families of very low population got separated from
mainstream Kshatriyas / Rajputs.
9.6 Deletion of Madhuban clan from the family tree of Bisens
L. K. Mall, Prince of Majhauli estate, prepared the family tree of
Bisens based on the traditions of Majhauli Raj. Madhav Malla, Nattha Malla and
his entire family, the Bisens of Madhuban, do not find any mention in it. It
must be noted that Nattha Malla has been mentioned as ‘Raja Majhauli’ at two
places in ‘Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri’ by Jahangir himself. Both were different
occasions with a gap of almost 10 years between them. The argument for not
incorporating Nattha Mall in the family tree was given that due to shift in
dots of Persian texts, Bhim Mall was wrongly interpreted and translated as
Nattha Malla by historians. L. K. Mall was not sure of the past developments
and has written in many places that ‘whatever heard, I have written, God only
knows the truth’. The family tree faced severe criticism from other historians such
as Maulana Sayyed Mohammed Abdulhasan Shah Manikpuri (author Ain-e-Awadh),
Maulana Mohammed Abdul Gafur Pharukhi (author Shajara-i-Shadab) and Thakur Babban Singh Madila (author Kshatriya
Kalpalata). Further to this
criticism it is not possible on the part of Jahangir, who recorded the first 17
years of his reign in the form of his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, to
wrongly spell the name of Majhauli King at two places. It is also not possible
for Sayyad Ahmad to repeat the mistakes twice in translating the name of
Majahuli King when he brought the printed version of the book in 1863. Thus by the
late 19th century, all kinship ties were denied with the Bisens of
Madhuban by the dominant Majhauli family. They were slowly tagged as ‘the Mall population
of Sainthwar community’ and placed under ‘Mall’ caste in the census.
Concluding the section, the Bisens undoubtedly remained a dominant
group of Brahmanic Kshatriyas in the central-eastern Uttar Pradesh and western
Bihar from ancient times. They belong to the same lot of Indo-Aryan warrior
tribes from which some population of the Mauryas and Mall-Sainthwar came into
existence and the only difference between them was probably their faith during the
Buddhist era.
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References:
[7] Mall, L. K. (1887). Bisen Vansh Vatika, pp. 56-57.
Gorakhpur.
[8] Rizvi,
S. N. R. (2004). Zamindars and Revenue Farmers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, p. 35.
New Delhi: Anamika Publishers and Distributors.
[9] Ahmad,
S. (1863-1864). Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri p.
79 (A. Rogers & H. Beveridge. Trans. 1968). New Delhi: Munshiram
Manoharlal.
[10] Ahmad,
S. (1863-1864). Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri p.
296 (A. Rogers & H. Beveridge. Trans. 1968). New Delhi: Munshiram
Manoharlal.
[11] Rizvi,
S. N. R. (2004). Zamindars and Revenue Farmers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, p. 42.
New Delhi: Anamika Publishers and Distributors.
[12] Prasad,
B. (1940). History of Jahangir, p. 326. Indian Press Limited.
[13] Nicoll, F. (2009). Shah Jahan, pp. 134-135.
New Delhi: Penguin.
[14] Karim,
K. M. (1974). The Provinces of Bihar and Bengal Under Shahjahan. p. 33. Asiatic
Society of Bangladesh, (Bihar) India.
[15] The Journal of Bihar
research society: Vol 45-46, pp 337, 1959 – Bihar Research Society
[16] Mall, M. N. (2005). Bisen Vansh Darpan, p. 138.
Gorakhpur.
[17] Lethbridge,
R. (1893). The Golden Book of India, p. 547 (1st Ed. India 2005).
Delhi: Aakar.
[18] Rizvi,
S. N. R. (2004). Zamindars and Revenue Farmers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, p. 42.
New Delhi: Anamika Publishers and Distributors.
[19] Pandey, R. (1946). Gorakhpur Janpad Aur Uski
Kshatriya Jatiyon Ka Itihaas, p. 231. Gorakhpur.
[20] Mall, L. K. (1887). Bisen Vansh Vatika, p. 68.
Gorakhpur.
[21] Fox,
R. G. (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja and Rule: State- Hinterland Relations in
Preindustrial India, pp. 38-39. London: University of California Press.
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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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