Draft:Nawab of Atrauli

The Nawab of Atrauli, also known as Nawab of Atrauli, and Atrauli State, was located in north-eastern historic region of Atrauli and was ruled by the Sheikhzada clan.

Atrauli State was a small princely state in India,established in 1857 during the East India Company rule in India.

The state formed a part of the Delhi Territory in the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. It was under the suzerainty of Commissioner of Delhi. It had an area of 315.79 square miles and included one town, Atrauli, and 241 villages, ruled by the Sheikhzada family.

History
The term Nawab of Atrauli refers to the lineage of rulers of the former princely Atrauli State in North-Eastern India. Atrauli was established in 1857 by the British East India Company,when Muhammad Ali, an Saudi Arabia Muslim Banu Thaqif of the Arab tribe, who was made the first Nawab. The family traces their origin to 16th century India, when thier ancestors immigrated from present-day Saudi Arabia to India during the Mughal Empire.

At the end of the British Raj and with the political integration of India in 1948, the princely state of Atrauli was absorbed into the new Dominion of India (later Republic of India). In 1971, by virtue of the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India, the Government of India abolished all official symbols of princely India, including titles, privileges, and remuneration (privy purses). 1. Ramusack, Barban N. (2004). The Indian princes and their states.Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978 - 0 - 521-26727 - 4., "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted." (p 278).

2. Naipaul, V. S. (8 April 2003), India: A Wounded Civilization, Random House Digital, Inc., pp. 37–, ISBN 978-1-4000-3075-0, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "The princes of India – their number and variety reflecting to a large extent the chaos that had come to the country with the breakup of the Mughal empire – had lost real power in the British time. Through generations of idle servitude they had grown to specialize only in style. A bogus, extinguishable glamour: in 1947, with Independence, they had lost their state, and Mrs. Gandhi in 1971 had, without much public outcry, abolished their privy purses and titles." (pp 37–38).

3. Schmidt, Karl J. (1995), An atlas and survey of South Asian history, M.E.Sharpe, p.78, ISBN 978-156324-334-9, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses." (page 78).

4. Breckenridge, Carol Appadurai (1995), Consuming modernity: public culture in a South Asian world U of Minnesota Press, pp. 84-, ISBN 978-0-8166-2306-8, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "The third stage in the political evolution of the princes from rulers to citizens occurred in 1971, when the constitution ceased to recognize them as princes and their privy purses, titles, and special privileges were abolished." (page 84).

5. Guha, Ramachandra (5 August 2008), India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, HarperCollins, pp. 441–, ISBN 978-0-06-095858-9 retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "Her success at the polls emboldened Mrs. Gandhi to act decisively against the princes. Through 1971, the two sides tried and failed to find a settlement. The princes were willing to forgo their privy purses, but hoped at least to save their titles. But with her overwhelming majority in Parliament, the prime minister had no need to compromise. On 2 December she introduced a bill to amend the constitution and abolish all princely privileges. It was passed in the Lok Sabha by 381 votes to six, and in the Rajya Sabha by 167 votes to seven. In her own speech, the prime minister invited 'the princes to join the elite of the modern age, the elite which earns respect by its talent, energy and contribution to human progress, all of which can only be done when we work together as equals without regarding anybody as of special status.' " (page 441).

6. Cheesman, David (1997). Landlord power and rural indebtedness in colonial Sind, 1865–1901. London: Routledge. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-0-7007-0470-5.Quote: "The Indian princes survived the British Raj by only a few years. The Indian republic stripped them of their powers and then their titles." (page 10).

7. Merriam-Webster, Inc (1997), Merriam-Webster's geographical dictionary , Merriam-Webster, pp. 520–, ISBN 978-0-87779-546-9, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "Indian States: "Various (formerly) semi-independent areas in India ruled by native princes .... Under British rule ... administered by residents assisted by political agents. Titles and remaining privileges of princes abolished by Indian government 1971." (page 520).

8. Ward, Philip (September 1989), Northern India, Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi: a travel guide, Pelican Publishing, pp. 91–, ISBN 978-0-88289-753-0, retrieved 6 November 2011 Quote: "A monarchy is only as good as the reigning monarch: thus it is with the princely states. Once they seemed immutable, invincible. In 1971 they were "derecognized," their privileges, privy purses and titles all abolished at a stroke" (page 91).

SIKRI
It belongs to a good family of Sheikhzada's, who have resided here for a long time. Many of them have been and are in Government service, and one of them, Muhammad Ali, was the first native Joint Magistrate in these Provinces, being appointed to that post in 1857, when he was sent to Atrauli in Aligarh, where he was killed by the rebels.

ATRAULI
The Capital of the Atrauli Pargana and tahsil is a considerable town standing in 28° 2 ' N. and 78 ° 17 ' E., on the south side of the road from Aligarh to Ramghat and Moradabad, at a distance of sixteen miles North -East from the district headquarters. The road is metalled for about a mile beyond Atrauli, and from it three branches enter the town, converging on the central market -place. From Atrauli a metalled road leads in a north -westerly direction for some five miles to the railway station known as Atrauli Road in the village of Raipur, thence continuing to Pindrawal in the Bulandshahr district. Unmetalled roads lead to Sankra and to Dadon on the east, to Gangiri and Kasganj on the south-east and to Barla and Datauli on the south.

The place is said to derive its name from the founder, one uttara kunwar, an unknown chieftain of the twelfth century. It is mentioned as one the halting- places of Mubarak Shah in 1426, when he was engaged in fighting with the Sultan of Jaunpur. In the days of Akbar it gave its name to a pargana, then held by Bargujars, whose descendants became Musalmans and were long notorious for their turbulent disposition.Under the Marathas the town was the headquarters of an amil, who resided in the old fort built on the raised central site. There are the remains of another fort close to the town on the south- west. The Bargujars caused much trouble during the Mutiny, seizing the town and holding it till September 1857. In that month Muhammad Ali, a devoted servant of the Government and a member of a good Sheikh family of Sikri in Muzaffarnagar was deputed to Atrauli as Joint Magistrate, but the rebels refused to acknowledge his authority, and on the 25th of September they rose and murdered Muhammad Ali at the gate of the tahsil. The place was afterwards visited with ringleaders were hanged.

The tahsil for administrative purposes forms a subdivision in charge of a full- powered officer on the district staff. The tahsildar and sub-registrar are stationed at Atrauli, but the original civil jurisdiction is vested in the munsif of Haveli Aligarh, sitting at the district headquarters. At the preset time there are two honorary magistrates, Haji Muhammad Muzammil- ullah Khan, Khan Bahadur, and Habib- ur- Rahman Khan, Both of whom sit at Bhikampur. For police purpose the area is now divided between the circles of Atrauli, Dadon and Barla, the Gangiri thanx having been abolished recently. It is proposed to move the police station from Barla to Datauli.

Since that date Atrauli has steadily improved, and is now a thriving town with a considerable trade. The population numbered 12,722 persons in 1847 and 15,410 in 1853; and, though it had fallen to 15,053 by 1865, it was 15,941 in 1872,again dropping to 14,482 in 1881. Ten years later, however, it was 15,408, and in 1901 the place contained 16,561 inhabitants, of whom 9,562 were Hindus, 6,790 Musalmans and 209 of other religions.

List of rulers
All rulers bore the titles of Nawab. The list of rulers and titular rulers are as follows;

Rulers

 * Nawab Muhammad Ali (reigned. 1829-1857)
 * Nawab Haji Muhammad Muzammil- ullah Khan (r.1857-1898)


 * Nawab Habib -ur- Rahman khan (r.1898-1917)

Titular rulers
He merged Atrauli State in Union of India in the year 1948. (Just as titular nawab after merging with India).


 * Nawab Muhammad Mansoor Ali (r.1917-1976)
 * Nawab Anees Ahmad (1981-2011)
 * June 2011-present: Nawab Khubayb Ghaziuddin