Kalhora dynasty
The Kalhora dynasty (Sindhi: ڪلهوڙا خاندان, romanized: Kalhora Raj) was a Muslim dynasty based in the region of Sindh, present day's Pakistan.[1][2][3] The dynasty ruled Sindh and parts of the Punjab region between 1701 and 1783 from their capital of Khudabad, before shifting to Hyderabad from 1768 onwards. They were assigned to hold authority by the Mughal Grand Vizier Mirza Ghazi Beg and later formed their own independent dynasty, and they were known as the "Kalhora Nawabs" by the Mughal emperors.[4]
| Kalhora dynasty ڪلهوڙا خاندان | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous dynasty of Sindh | |||||||||
| 1701–1783 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
 Map of Kalhora dynasty | |||||||||
| Capital | Khudabad (1710–1768) Haiderabad (1768–1783) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| • Type | Nobility | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1701 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1783 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| History of Sindh |
|---|
 |
| History of Pakistan |
Kalhora rule of Sindh began in 1701 when Mian Yar Muhammad Kalhoro was invested with title of Khuda Yar Khan and was made governor of Upper Sindh sarkar by royal decree of the Mughals. Later, he was made governor of Siwi through imperial decree. He founded a new city Khudabad after he obtained from Aurangzeb a grant of the track between the Indus and the Nara and made it the capital of his kingdom. Thenceforth, Mian Yar Muhammad became one of the imperial agents or governors. Later he extended his rule to Sehwan and Bukkur and became sole ruler of Northern and central Sindh except Thatto which was still under the administrative control of Mughal Empire.[4]
The Kalhora dynasty succumbed to the Qizilbash during the invasion of Nadir Shah. Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro reorganised and consolidated his power, but his son lost control of Sindh and was overthrown by Talpurs Amirs. Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhoro was the last Kalhora ruler.[4]
Origins
Kalhoras were a Sindhi dynasty which claimed Arab descent,[5][6][7] however, according to some accounts, the Kalhoras were from the Sindhi Channa tribe,[8][9] which was either a sub-division of Jats or on par with Jats as mentioned in the Muslim sources.[10]
Military
The source of the strength of the Kalhoros were the Sayyid waderos, who along with their inherited sanctitiy had a formidable combination of roles.[11] The invasion of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah placed the Kalhoro regime under severe stress. These threads also had salutary effect.[12] Kalhora army consisted of a large number of Sindhi Baloch tribes from Sibi, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Jatts from Southern Punjab.[13] These Sindhi Balochis had by this time become the strongest military force in the land. The whole army of Kalhoras consisted of Balochis. After the successful revolt of the army the Talpur - Mirs became rulers of Sindh, the Kalhoras were completely wiped out.[14]
Rulers
| Personal Name | Titular Name | Reign | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | |||
| Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro | 1657 | 1692 | Governor appointed by Mughals. | |
| Mian Deen Muhammad Kalhoro | 1692 | 1700 | Elder Son of Mian Nasir Kalhoro. | |
| Mian Yaar Muhammad Kalhoro | 1700 | 1720 | Younger Son of Mian Nasir Kalhora. | |
| Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhoro | Amir Nawab Khudayaar Khan | 1720 | 1756 | Son of Mian Yaar Muhammad. Sultan and Sufi Saint of Kalhoro Dynasty. Kolhora Dynasty Declared as an Independent State by Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah in 1736. |
| Muhammad Muradyab Kalhoro | Nawab Sarbuland Khan | 1756 | 1758 | Son of Mian Noor Muhammad. |
| Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro | Nawab Shah Wardi Khan | 1758 | 1772 | Son of Mian Noor Muhammad. |
| Mian Sarfaraz Kalhoro | Nawab Khudayaar Khan | 1772 | 1775 | Son of Mian Ghulam Shah. |
| Mian Haji Abdul Nabi Kalhoro | 1775 | 1782 | Son of Mian Sarfaraz Kalhoro. | |
See also
References
- Ibbetson, Sir Denzil; Maclagan (1990). Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0505-3.
- Tod, James; Crooke, William (2010-01-01). Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (3 Vols): Or the Central and Western Rajput State of India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0380-0.
- Hodivala, Shahpurshah Hormasji (1979). Studies in Indo-Muslim History: A Critical Commentary on Elliot and Dowson's History of India as Told by Its Own Historians, with a Foreword by Sir Richard Burn : Supplement. Islamic Book Service.
- Sarah F. D. Ansari (31 January 1992). Sufi Saints and State Power: The Pirs of Sind, 1843-1947. Cambridge University Press. pp. 32–34. ISBN 978-0-521-40530-0.
- Feroz Ahmed (1998). Ethnicity and politics in Pakistan. p. 65.
- Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1851). Sindh, and the Races that Inhabit the Valley of the Indus. W. H. Allen.
The Kalhora family as will afterwards be seen claimed an Arab and a holy origin. The imposture was admitted because it was properly supported by sword and flame.
- Cumming, John (2005). Revealing India's Past. Cosmo Publications.
The Kalhoras, a tribe of Arab extraction, claiming descent from Abbas, the Prophet's uncle.
- Brohī, ʻAlī Aḥmad (1998). The Temple of Sun God: Relics of the Past. Sangam Publications. p. 175.
Kalhoras a local Sindhi tribe of Channa origin...
- Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1851). Sindh, and the Races that Inhabit the Valley of the Indus. W. H. Allen. p. 410.
Kalhoras...were originally Channa Sindhis , and therefore converted Hindoos.
- Wink, A. (2002). Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam 7th-11th centuries. Vol. 1. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 158-159. ISBN 978-0-391-04125-7. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
Samma, Sahtah, Chand(Channa)....which appear, at least in the Muslim sources, to be subdivisions of the Jats or to be put on a par with the Jats.
- David Cheesman (2013). Landlord Power and Rural Indebtedness in Colonial Sind.
- Tirthankar Roy (2007). An Economic History of India 1707–1857.
- Syed Khundniri (2013). Muqaddama-E-Sirajul Absar:Volume 2. p. 1129.
- Mirepoix, Camille (1967). Now Pakistan. Grenich.