Kuchesar
Encyclopedia
Kuchesar is a village in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh
, at a distance of 80 km from Delhi
, off the NH 24. It was the seat of Zamindari, or small princely estate, during British Raj
.
The Jat
rulers of Kuchesar, who hailed from Mandoti in Haryana
, built their mud-fort sometime in the mid-18th century. The mud-fort of Kuchesar tells of the chequered history of the Jats who vied with the Sikh
s, Maratha
s, Rohilla
s & Rajput
s, as well as with French
adventurers and the British East India Company
, to fill the vacuum created by the decline of the Mughal empire
.
Part of the Kuchesar Fort
is now a heritage hotel, after its restoration by Neemrana Hotels
.
district of Haryana
, there lived in a long-bygone era a man by name Dhanna Rai, who belonged to the Jat caste. He married a woman of the Badgujar Rajput caste. They had three sons, by name Deswal, Dalle and Maan. The descendants of the three brothers formed three major lineages (gotras) and came to be known as Deswal, Dalal and Maan Jats respectively.
A part of the Kuchesar Fort
is now a heritage hotel.
Ali Beg, the Muslim lord of nearby Chitsauna, obtaining both power and a large estate. His sons helped Jawahar Singh, the Jat ruler of Bharatpur
, to avenge the death of his father Maharaja Suraj Mal
. Najib-ud-daulah called them back and conferred on them the jagir
of Kuchesar with the title of Rao
; he also gave them the sobriquet "chor-maar", or destroyer of thieves.
When Jawahar Singh made war with the rulers of Delhi
, the latter attacked Kuchesar. The Dalal Jats were defeated; their fort of Kuchesar was captured and razed. Rao Maganiram and Ramdhan Singh were arrested and imprisoned in the fort of Koyal.
The two brothers escaped from prison, reached Moradabad
and aligned with the Marathas. In 1782, Maganiram and Ramdhan Singh, along with an army, recaptured Kuchesar from the Muslims. Rao Maganiram died after this victory. As per Jat custom, his widow and his younger brother were married to each other. By 1790, Ramdhan Singh had recaptured all of Kuchesar estate; he had also acquired Pooth, Siana, Thana Farida, Datyane and Saidpur on Malguzari lease from the rulers of Delhi. After 1782, Kuchesar mud-fort remained in unbroken possession of the family; it was granted to them in perpetual lease by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam
in 1790, a grant confirmed by the British
in 1807.
Raja Gulab Singh aided the British during the uprising of 1857
. He had no sons; the estate was managed by Rani Jaswant Kumari pending a settlement. She died quite soon afterwards, and was followed in these offices by Gulab Singh's only daughter, Bhup Kumari. Although she was childless, Bhup Kumari's husband Raja Khusal Singh, nephew of Raja Nahar Singh of Ballabhgarh
, laid claim to the estates; this was disputed by other claimants. In 1868, the Panchyat court divided the estate into three parts:
In 1898, Umrao Singh died and Rao Giriraj Singh inherited the portion held by him.
Family At Mohiuddinpur
Some of the descendants moved to the present day region of Mohiuddinpur (district Meerut) around 1857 where they are based till date. Their successors are as follows (list incomplete yet):
1. Gangabaksh Singh (and two other siblings)
2. Gopal Singh s/o Gangabaksh Singh
3. Girvar Singh, Gajpat Singh, Bishambar Singh, Jaswant Singh (sons of Gopal Singh)
4. Gurbachan Singh (s/o Girvar Singh) who had three daughters
5. Chhajju Singh, Narayan Singh (sons of Gajpat Singh)
6. Harikishan Singh, Srikishan Singh (sons of Bishamber Singh the latter was adopted by Jaswant Singh)
Successive Generations of the same lineage are:
1. Chhajju Singh had two daughters and one son Bhopal Singh
2. Bhopal Singh had three sons Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Shiam Pal Singh, VSM, ASC Sq. Ldr. (Retd.) Ravinder Pal Singh, IAF & Kunwar Chand Pal Singh
3. Maj. Gen.(Retd.) Shiam Pal Singh, VSM has one son Karan Singh & one daughter.
4. Sq. Ldr. (Retd.) Ravinder Pal Singh who has one daughter.
5. Kunwar Chand Pal Singh who has one son Prashant Kumar and one daughter Preeti
6. Narayan Singh had three sons - Kunwar Mahendra Singh, Kunwar (Major) Prahlad Singh, Kunwar Kishan Singh and one daughter.
7. Kunwar Mahendra Singh who has three sons Kunwar Surendra Singh, Kunwar Bijendra Singh and Kunwar Gajendra Singh.
8. Kunwar Surendra Singh has two sons Kunwar Lalit Kumar who has one daughter Aarushi Dalal and one son Kunwar Tejansh Dalal and Kunwar Udaiveer Singh who has two daughters Disha Dalal and Prakarti Dalal.Kunwar Bijendra Singh has one son Kunwar Dharmendra Singh who has one daughter Tanya Dalal and one son Kunwar Abhay Dalal
9. Kunwar (Major) Prahlad Singh who has one daughter and two sons : Kunwar Ashok Kumar, Advocate, Colonel Ajai Kumar (serving) ASC. who has one daughter Aditi Dalal and one son Kunwar Harshvardhan Dalal.
10. Kunwar Kishan Singh had two sons: Kunwar Anil Kumar and kunwar Satish Kumar
11. Harikishan Singh had three sons: Kr. Narendra Singh, Kr. Jeetendra Singh, Kr. Rajesh Kumar
12. Kr. Narendra Singh has two sons Kr. Vikas Kumar who has two sons siddhant & Vedansh and Kr. Kapil Kumar and one daughter Chhavi.
13. Kr. Jeetendra Singh has two sons Kr. Abhinav Singh who has one son Kr.Pratyush and Kr. Abhishek Singh and one daughter Ruchira.
14. Kr. Rajesh Kumar has one son Kr. Manik Singh and one daughter Neha.
15. Srikishan Singh had four sons (Dr. Devendra Singh, Kr. Harendra Singh, Kr. Ravindra Singh and Kr. Yogendra Singh) and three daughters Siya Kumari, Vinay Kumari and Vijay Kumari.
16. Dr. Devendra Singh has two daughters
17. Kr. Harendra Singh one son (Er. Pushpendra Singh) and one daughter Shalu.
18. Kr. Ravindra Singh one son (Er. Siddharth Kumar) and one daughter Sughanda.
19. Kr. Yogendra Singh two sons : Kr. Kapil Kumar and Kr. Rajat Kumar
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, at a distance of 80 km from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, off the NH 24. It was the seat of Zamindari, or small princely estate, during British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
The Jat
Jat people
The Jat people are a community of traditionally non-elite tillers and herders in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subsequently into the Delhi Territory,...
rulers of Kuchesar, who hailed from Mandoti in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, built their mud-fort sometime in the mid-18th century. The mud-fort of Kuchesar tells of the chequered history of the Jats who vied with the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s, Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s, Rohilla
Rohilla
The Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...
s & Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, as well as with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
adventurers and the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, to fill the vacuum created by the decline of the Mughal empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
.
Part of the Kuchesar Fort
Kuchesar fort
Rao Raj Vilas, also known as The Kuchesar Fort, is 18th-century fort a heritage resort formed by restoring a section of Ajit Singh's family's ancestral property belonging former princely state, Kuchesar...
is now a heritage hotel, after its restoration by Neemrana Hotels
Neemrana Hotels
-External links:* * at TEDx...
.
Clan history
The ruling family of Kuchesar belonged to the Dalal clan of the Jat caste. Mr. Crook in his book “The Tribes and Castes of the north western provinces and Avadh” writes about the origin of the Dalal clan of Jats. He recounts that in the village of Sillauti, located in the RohtakRohtak
Rohtak City is a Municipal Corporation in Rohtak district that styles itself as the "Heart of Haryana". It is located 70 km Northwest of New Delhi and 210 km South of the state capital Chandigarh at the NH 10...
district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, there lived in a long-bygone era a man by name Dhanna Rai, who belonged to the Jat caste. He married a woman of the Badgujar Rajput caste. They had three sons, by name Deswal, Dalle and Maan. The descendants of the three brothers formed three major lineages (gotras) and came to be known as Deswal, Dalal and Maan Jats respectively.
A part of the Kuchesar Fort
Kuchesar fort
Rao Raj Vilas, also known as The Kuchesar Fort, is 18th-century fort a heritage resort formed by restoring a section of Ajit Singh's family's ancestral property belonging former princely state, Kuchesar...
is now a heritage hotel.
In Kuchesar
In the lineage of Dalle (i.e., in the Dalal clan) was born a certain Bhual. He and his three brothers Jagram, Jatmal and Gurva, are credited with founding a principality in Kuchesar. Bhaul had one son named Maujiram, who had two sons namely Ramsingh and Chhatar Singh. Chhatar Singh was very brave; he served under MirzaMirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
Ali Beg, the Muslim lord of nearby Chitsauna, obtaining both power and a large estate. His sons helped Jawahar Singh, the Jat ruler of Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
, to avenge the death of his father Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal
Maharaja Suraj Mal was ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan in India. He has been described by a contemporary historian as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Ulysses", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect and clear vision.-Early life:Surajmal was born on...
. Najib-ud-daulah called them back and conferred on them the jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
of Kuchesar with the title of Rao
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
; he also gave them the sobriquet "chor-maar", or destroyer of thieves.
When Jawahar Singh made war with the rulers of Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, the latter attacked Kuchesar. The Dalal Jats were defeated; their fort of Kuchesar was captured and razed. Rao Maganiram and Ramdhan Singh were arrested and imprisoned in the fort of Koyal.
The two brothers escaped from prison, reached Moradabad
Moradabad
Moradabad is a city and a municipal corporation in Moradabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established in 1600 by prince Murad, the son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan; as a result the city came to be known as Moradabad. It is the administrative headquarters of...
and aligned with the Marathas. In 1782, Maganiram and Ramdhan Singh, along with an army, recaptured Kuchesar from the Muslims. Rao Maganiram died after this victory. As per Jat custom, his widow and his younger brother were married to each other. By 1790, Ramdhan Singh had recaptured all of Kuchesar estate; he had also acquired Pooth, Siana, Thana Farida, Datyane and Saidpur on Malguzari lease from the rulers of Delhi. After 1782, Kuchesar mud-fort remained in unbroken possession of the family; it was granted to them in perpetual lease by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
in 1790, a grant confirmed by the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in 1807.
British era
The British formalized their authority over the area in 1803; they recognized the estate of Kuchesar and its estate-holders without alteration to the status quo. Rao Ramdhansingh died in 1816 and was succeeded by Rao Fatehsingh who died in 1839. The latter was succeeded by his son Rao Bahadur Singh, who was killed in 1847.Raja Gulab Singh aided the British during the uprising of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
. He had no sons; the estate was managed by Rani Jaswant Kumari pending a settlement. She died quite soon afterwards, and was followed in these offices by Gulab Singh's only daughter, Bhup Kumari. Although she was childless, Bhup Kumari's husband Raja Khusal Singh, nephew of Raja Nahar Singh of Ballabhgarh
Ballabhgarh
Ballabhgarh is a town and a tehsil in Faridabad District of Haryana, India, and is part of the National Capital Region...
, laid claim to the estates; this was disputed by other claimants. In 1868, the Panchyat court divided the estate into three parts:
- share of 6/16 to Umrao Singh;
- share of 5/16's to Pratap Singh;
- remaining share of 5/16 to Khusal Singh.
In 1898, Umrao Singh died and Rao Giriraj Singh inherited the portion held by him.
Chronology of estate-holders
The chronology of Kuchesar Jat estate-holders is as under:- Bhual
- Maujiram
- Rao Chhatar Singh
- Rao Maganiram
- Rao Ramdhan Singh, brother of Maganiram
- Rao Fateh Singh
- Rao Bahadur Singh
- Rao Gulab Singh
- Rani Jaswant Kumari, widow of Gulab Singh
- Bhup Kumari, daughter of Gulab Singh
- Khusal Singh, husband of Bhup Kumari
- Pratap Singh
- Umrao Singh
- Giriraj Singh.
Family At Mohiuddinpur
Some of the descendants moved to the present day region of Mohiuddinpur (district Meerut) around 1857 where they are based till date. Their successors are as follows (list incomplete yet):
1. Gangabaksh Singh (and two other siblings)
2. Gopal Singh s/o Gangabaksh Singh
3. Girvar Singh, Gajpat Singh, Bishambar Singh, Jaswant Singh (sons of Gopal Singh)
4. Gurbachan Singh (s/o Girvar Singh) who had three daughters
5. Chhajju Singh, Narayan Singh (sons of Gajpat Singh)
6. Harikishan Singh, Srikishan Singh (sons of Bishamber Singh the latter was adopted by Jaswant Singh)
Successive Generations of the same lineage are:
1. Chhajju Singh had two daughters and one son Bhopal Singh
2. Bhopal Singh had three sons Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Shiam Pal Singh, VSM, ASC Sq. Ldr. (Retd.) Ravinder Pal Singh, IAF & Kunwar Chand Pal Singh
3. Maj. Gen.(Retd.) Shiam Pal Singh, VSM has one son Karan Singh & one daughter.
4. Sq. Ldr. (Retd.) Ravinder Pal Singh who has one daughter.
5. Kunwar Chand Pal Singh who has one son Prashant Kumar and one daughter Preeti
6. Narayan Singh had three sons - Kunwar Mahendra Singh, Kunwar (Major) Prahlad Singh, Kunwar Kishan Singh and one daughter.
7. Kunwar Mahendra Singh who has three sons Kunwar Surendra Singh, Kunwar Bijendra Singh and Kunwar Gajendra Singh.
8. Kunwar Surendra Singh has two sons Kunwar Lalit Kumar who has one daughter Aarushi Dalal and one son Kunwar Tejansh Dalal and Kunwar Udaiveer Singh who has two daughters Disha Dalal and Prakarti Dalal.Kunwar Bijendra Singh has one son Kunwar Dharmendra Singh who has one daughter Tanya Dalal and one son Kunwar Abhay Dalal
9. Kunwar (Major) Prahlad Singh who has one daughter and two sons : Kunwar Ashok Kumar, Advocate, Colonel Ajai Kumar (serving) ASC. who has one daughter Aditi Dalal and one son Kunwar Harshvardhan Dalal.
10. Kunwar Kishan Singh had two sons: Kunwar Anil Kumar and kunwar Satish Kumar
11. Harikishan Singh had three sons: Kr. Narendra Singh, Kr. Jeetendra Singh, Kr. Rajesh Kumar
12. Kr. Narendra Singh has two sons Kr. Vikas Kumar who has two sons siddhant & Vedansh and Kr. Kapil Kumar and one daughter Chhavi.
13. Kr. Jeetendra Singh has two sons Kr. Abhinav Singh who has one son Kr.Pratyush and Kr. Abhishek Singh and one daughter Ruchira.
14. Kr. Rajesh Kumar has one son Kr. Manik Singh and one daughter Neha.
15. Srikishan Singh had four sons (Dr. Devendra Singh, Kr. Harendra Singh, Kr. Ravindra Singh and Kr. Yogendra Singh) and three daughters Siya Kumari, Vinay Kumari and Vijay Kumari.
16. Dr. Devendra Singh has two daughters
17. Kr. Harendra Singh one son (Er. Pushpendra Singh) and one daughter Shalu.
18. Kr. Ravindra Singh one son (Er. Siddharth Kumar) and one daughter Sughanda.
19. Kr. Yogendra Singh two sons : Kr. Kapil Kumar and Kr. Rajat Kumar