Syed Mir Nasar Ali

SYED MIR NISAR ALI

Date of Birth: 1782 and Date of Death: 1832

            Wahabi movement enjoyed a special status in the history of revolt against the British rule in India, when Titu Mir, whose real name was Syed Mir Nisar Ali, added militancy to it.  It became the source of inspiration for several movements in the Struggle for Independence of India.  Titu Mir was born in a peasant family in 1782 at Hyderpur village, Narkelbaria paragana of West Bengal.  Syed Mir Hasan Ali, Abida Roqayya Khatun was his parents.  He was renowned wrestler during his younger age and engaged in several petty jobs.  Syed Mir Nisar Ali went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1822 and met the founder of the Wahabi movement, Syed Ahmed Barelwi and the founder of the Farazi movement, Haji Shariatullah.  The meeting of the three leaders had strengthened the ‘Wahabi-Farazi’ movements.  After his return from Mecca, he settled in Hyderpur.  He travelled extensively and saw the atrocities of the officials of the East India Company, Zamindars and Mahajans.  Syed Mir Nisar Ali witnessed the woes of the people who suffered in the clutches of these exploiters.  Titu decided to put an end to the exploitation and undertook a campaign to arouse people for a rebellion against the foreign rulers along with his spiritual campaign.  He started armed struggle against the British Police and East India Company armed forces, which were supporting Zamindars and Mahajans.  Zamindars and their men even collecting taxes for wearing beards harassed Muslims.  Opposing the oppressive taxes levied by the Company rulers and in human activities of local Zamindars, Titu Mir himself personally led several revolts.  Titu Mir was irked by atrocities and attacks on the common people by Zamindars, Mahazans and British force.  Syed Mir Nisar Ali was so courageous that he was even informing the East India Company officials and police about his attacks in advance.  His courageous approach attracted the poor towards him.  Thousands of people, irrespective of religious and class barriers, followed him in his rebellion and fought for him against police and British force.  Titu Mir built a bamboo fort in Narkelbaria where he trained his followers in armed struggle and frightened the Company rulers for about a decade.  The British commanders attacked the fort of Syed Mir Nisar Ali (Titu Mir) on 19^th November, 1831 at Narkelbaria, where he succumbed to injuries in 1832.

Tipu Sultan Nawab of Karnataka

TIPU SULTAN

Date of Birth: 10^th November, 1750 and Date of Death: 4^th May, 1799

            Tipu Sultan, the ‘Tiger of Mysore’, was a great visionary who exposed the expansionist designs of the British imperial forces and gave a clarion call to his fellow countrymen and native rulers to united and fight against the East India Company.  Tipu was born on 10^th November, 1750 at Devanahalli village of Kolar district, Karnataka state of Hyder Ali and Fatima Fakhr-un-Nissa.  He received proper training in martial arts and participated in several wars along with his father.  Tipu became the ruler of Mysore in 1782, after the death of his father Hyder Ali in the middle of battle.  While taking charge of Mysore he declared to his people: ‘If I opposed you I could lose my paradise, my life and my happiness.  The happiness of the people is my happiness.  I don’t think that whatever I like is good.  But, I consider that whatever is the wish of my people is my wish.  Those who are the enemies of my people are my enemies.  And those who are fighting with my people are deemed to be declaring war against me’.  Tipu kept his promise all through his life.  While facing continuous attacks by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas, Tipu Sultan was able to spread his kingdom from River Krishna in the North to Dindigal in the South, for about 400 miles and from Malabar in the West to the Eastern Ghats, about 300 miles, in his 17 year rule.  Tipu Sultan encouraged modern trade, industry, agriculture and civil engineering.  He tried to reform petty criminals by assigning them community work just like plantation etc., as punishment, Tipu Sultan was a polyglot, he was well versed in Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and French.  He worked hard for the promotion of education.  Tipu, like his father held a secular outlook and was impartial towards all religions.  The British identified Tipu as their enemy number one in south India.  The jealous Nizam of Hyderabad and Marathas could not digest the success of Tipu and joined hands with the East India Company against him.  They all attacked Srirangapatnam, capital of Mysore state, which led to the historical fourth war of Mysore.  Tipu Sultan entered the battlefield of Srirangapatnam to defend his people and the state, Due to treason committed by his diwan, Mir Sadiq and others who paved the way to enter into the fort of Srirangapatnam, Tipu Sultan suffered defeat.  He died by the evening of 4^th May, 1799 fighting against enemy surrounded his fort from all sides, in the battle field.

Hyder Ali Nawab of Karnataka

HYDER ALI

Date of Birth: 1722 and Date of Death: 7^th December, 1782

            Hyder Ali, who is famously known as ‘the Napoleon of South India’ for his relentless fighting against the conspiracies of the East India Company and its henchmen and for checkmating the British ambitions of expansion in South India, was born in 1722 at Devanahalli village, Karnataka state.  His father was Fateh Mohammad Ali and mother Mujidan Begum.  Though he did not have any formal learning, he received training in martial arts.  Hyder Ali was sharp in intellect, strong in will, capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously and was brave at heart.  He had participated in Devanahalli war in 1749 as a young soldier of Mysore state.  Recognising his gallantry, Nanjaraj, the Minister of Mysore kingdom, honoured Hyder Ali with the title of ‘Khan’ and promoted him as the Chief of a battalion in the Mysore army.  Hyder Ali gradually rose to become the Commander-in-Chief of Mysore Army in 1758.  Later, he became the ruler of Mysore.  Hyder Ali was secular in outlook.  He treated all religions equally.  Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad grew jealous at Hyder’s success and of his reputation among the people.  They attacked Mysore several times with the help of the East India Company.  Though Hyder Ali suffered initial losses, he resisted successfully and proved a virtual nightmare to East India Company.  Even then, the British rulers provoked Hyder Ali again which led to the second Mysore war in July, 1780.  He went to the battlefield along with his son, Tipu Sultan.  While Hyder Ali captured the Arcot, his son Tipu defeated the East India Company troops and captured Kanjeevaram, which was about 50 miles from Madras.  This sent shivers to Warren Hastings, the Governor General of East India Company.  He immediately sent additional troops from Calcutta, Madras with abundant funds under the control of his Commander General, Sir Eyre Coote.  While fighting against the foreign enemy on one side, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan taught a befitting lesson to Malabar Nayars and chieftains on the other, who revolted against him with the active support of Nizam of Hyderabad.  Hyder Ali, while leading his troops towards successive victories, fell ill and died in the battlefield on 7^th December, 1782, near Narasingarayuni Peta village, which is now in Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

Mir Khasim Ali Khan Nawab of Bengal

MIR KHASIM ALI KHAN

Date of Death: 1777

            Mir Khasim Ali Khan was a warrior Nawab who fought against the East India Company till his end with the conviction that he could ensure safety to his kingdom and liberty and prosperity to his people only by driving the British out of India.  Khasim Ali became the Nawab of Bengal on 27^th September, 1760, as the company rulers dethroned Mir Jafar.  Nawab Mir Khasim Ali was the nephew of Mir Jafar.  By that time, the excesses of the officers and employees of the East India Company and the traders had reached very notorious proportions.  People who dared to protest against British had to face severe punishments like imprisonment and physical torture.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan could not tolerate the atrocities of the East India Company employees.  Hence Nawab started taking independent decisions.  He wrote a letter to the council of the East India Company, protesting against the atrocities of the company officials and employees in May, 1762.  But there was no response.  Meanwhile, the atrocities by the Company officials increased manifold.  Left with no other option, Mir Khasim Ali decided to fight with the East India Company.  He shifted the capital of Bengal from Murshidabad to Monghyr in 1762.  Mir Khasim started war against the East India Company force on 10^th June, 1763.  But, he had to leave the battlefield as the British force had gained upper hand.  Then Mir Khasim reached Ouadh.  He garnered support from Shuja-ud-Doulah, the Nawab of Ouadh and Shah Alam-II, the Delhi emperor.  They agreed to be with him in the war with Company.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan faced the East India Company troops at Buxar with the hope of getting help from Ouadh and Delhi troops.  But the Oudh and Delhi troops did not came forward and they were confined only to spectator role in war because of the conspiracy of the British rulers.  As a result of the act of treachery, Mir Khasim had to face defeat and was forced to leave the battlefield.  Avoiding surrendering himself to the enemy, Mir Khasim Ali escaped from the battlefield.  And he moved secretly approaching different native rulers to garner support, so that he can fight against the British once again.  He made several in-fructuous attempts to fight back against the British.  Mir Khasim Ali Khan died in and around Delhi in 1777.

Siraj-ud-daula Nawab of Bengal

SIRAJ-UD-DOULAH, NAWAB OF BENGAL

Date of Birth: 1733 and Date of Death: 2^nd July, 1757

Siraj-ud-Doulah, the Nawab of Bengal was the first Indian king to foresee the threat posed to the future of the country by the English East India Company which entered India in the name of trade but transgressed its limits.  He took bold initiatives to thwart the company’s evil designs.  The last independent Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Doulah was born in 1733 and took the reins of power at the age of 23 years.  Taking advantage of the troubles faced by Siraj-ud-Doulah from his kinsmen, the East India Company started exploiting the people including the farmers and businessmen.  Siraj, then took initiative to curb those atrocities.  Though he succeeded initially, because of his attitude of forgiveness, towards the enemy, had to pay heavy price which proved catastrophic to the future of India.  Under those adverse circumstances, his adversaries’ like Siraj’s aunt Ghasitee Begum, her adopted son Shaukat Jung, his supporter Krishna Das, who was the son of Diwan Raj Vallabh, Siraj’s Commander-in-Chief, Mir Jafar who was his uncle, influential traders Manik Chand, Ameer Chand and Banker Jagath Sethi had hatched a conspiracy along with Robert Clive to overthrow Siraj.  As Siraj was unaware of the clique against him, he reached Plassey with about 50,000 troops to fight against the British force.  The Battle of Plassey, which marked a watershed in Indian history started on 23^rd June, 1957.  The East India Company’s troops were only 3,200 and the British troops among them numbered just 950.  But the treacherous Commander-in-Chief, Mir Jafar, and another Commander, Roy Durlabh, deserted Nawab Siraj-ud-Doulah alone in the middle of battle field in order to help the East India Company’s troops.  As a result, Siraj-ud-Doulah was forced to face the defeat and he returned to Murshidabad, the capital on 24^th June.  Even there, the situation was unfavourable to young Nawab.  With no option left for him, Siraj left the capital.  Meanwhile, Mir Jafar was appointed as the Nawab of Bengal by Robert Clive.  Mir Jafar sent his son, Mir Miran, with troops to catch Siraj.  Young Siraj was caught and brought to the court and beheaded on 2^nd July, 1757.  Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Doulah will be remembered in the Indian history as the ‘first warrior’, who sensed the danger from the British and fought against them heroically.

Dhurga raaju

Dhurga raaju was the 4th ruler in Kaakatheeya dynasty.
Dhurga raaju was the son of Betharaaju2.
Dhurga raaju's title - 'Chalamarthiganda'.
According to Kaajipet inscription Dhurga raaju donated Bethedhvara temple to  Raameshvara Bandit, a kaalamukheshvaraachaarya.