Asman Jah

His Excellency Amir e Paigah Basheer-Ud-daula Azam-Ul-Umra Amir-e-Akbar Nawab Sir Muhammad Mazharuddin Khan Bahadur Rifa’at Jang KCIE (1839 – 18 July 1898), commonly known as Sir Asman Jah or Nawab Sir Asman Jah Bahadur, was an Indian noble and member of the Paigah Family who served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad from 1887 to 1894. As the grandson of the premier noble Fakhr Uddin Khan Amir e Kabir Shams-ul-Umra I and of a princess of the blood, his social position was a great one; but the personal qualities he possessed, inherited largely from his grandfather, were unquestionably the means of bringing him to the front. Singularly gifted by nature as far as the outward man was concerned and excelling in all manly pursuits, he easily took the lead among his peers. But it was his mental and moral equipment which attracted the notice of his royal master while yet the young noble was in early manhood. Such was the promise he showed that His Highness the Afzal-ud-Daulah gave him his daughter in marriage and bestowed on him the highest distinction in his gift, the title of Jah.

Nawab Sir H.E Asman Jah Bahadur Bahadur KCIE
28th Prime Minister of Hyderabad
In office 1887–1894
Monarch	Mahbub Ali Khan
Governors General	The Earl of Dufferin The Marquess of Lansdowne
Preceded by	Salar Jung II
Succeeded by	Viqar-ul-Umra
Personal details
Born	Muhammad Mazharuddin Khan 1839 British Raj
Died	18 July 1898(1898-07-18) (aged 58–59) Basheer Bagh Palace, Hyderabad, Hyderabad State (present-day Telangana, India)
Resting place	Paigah Tombs
Spouse	Parwarishunnisa Begum
Children	Moin-ud-Daula bahadur asmah jahi
Relatives	Viqar-ul-Umra (cousin) Mahbub Ali Khan (brother-in-law) Afzal-ud-Daulah (father-in-law)

In 1869, Asman Jah embarked on his public career as Minister of Justice. A little later on, while still retaining the portfolio of Justice, he acted as prime minister and co-regent. Later still he became a Member of the Council of Regency, and finally in 1887 he was appointed prime minister and continued to hold the office till 1893. In this connection it may be noted that throughout his long official career, Sir Asman Jah refused to take any salary while steadily refusing the emoluments of office. His regime as Premier was marked by several reforms, notably the advances made in education, the extension of medical aid by the State, especially to women, and the establishment of a permanent Board of Irrigation and city water supply, which has since been of excellent service to the State. Asman Jah was in London when he got the news of his appointment of Prime Minister and one of the first to congratulate him was King Edward VII, then Prince of Wales. Asman Jah built several structures throughout the city, including Asman Garh Palace, Basheer Bagh Palace, Saroor Nagar palace and Mahboob Chowk Clock Tower. Before he was appointed to the premiership, he was deputed by His Highness Nizam Mahboob Ali Khan to proceed in 1887 to London as his representative at the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. While in England he won golden opinions by the tact, savoir faire and high breeding he displayed. His handsome presence, imposing address and polished manner impressed all classes of English Society and became a great favourite in court circles. Indeed, the late Nizam could not have had a more dignified or worthier representative.^{[citation needed]}

Early life and ancestry

Asman Jah was born as Mazharuddin Khan in 1839, although his exact date of birth is not recorded. His biological father Sultanuddin Khan was the third son of Fakhruddin Khan. After Sultanuddin's death, Asman Jah was adopted by his uncle Rafiuddin Khan Shams-ul-Umra II. Jah's maternal grandmother was Bashirunnisa Begum, a daughter of Nizam Nizam Ali Khan.^[1][2]

He was a member of the noble Paigah family which was only second to the Nizam of Hyderabad. The members of the family were staunch Nizam loyalists.^[3] The family descends from the Second Rashidun caliph Umar. Sufi saint Fariduddin Ganjshakar is also an ancestor of the family. One of Jah's ancestors Muhammad Abu’l Khair Khan was a mansabdar during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reign. Jah's cousin Viqar-ul-Umra also served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad.^[4]

Political career

In 1869, Asman Jah was appointed as Minister for Justice and served in that position until 1888. After the death of Sir Salar Jung I in 1883, Jah was made a member of the Council of Regency. He also went on to become the administrator of the Hyderabad State during the Nizam's visit to Kolkata during the same year.^[1]

In 1887, Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan chose Jah to represent him at the Golden Jubilee celebration of Queen Victoria held at the Windsor Castle. After returning from England, he was appointed Prime Minister of the state.^[1] He was replaced by his cousin Viqar-ul-Umra in 1894.^[5]

On the occasion of Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Queen Empress marked her appreciation of Sir Asman Jah and her recognition of the work he had put in both as councillor and as prime minister, as well as her recollection of his engaging personality and staunch loyalty, by bestowing on him the high honour of a K.C.I.E.^{[citation needed]}

Architecture

Jah built the Mahboob Chowk Clock Tower in 1892. The clock tower had clocks on its four sides and was constructed in the middle of a garden.^[6] He also built the Basheer Bagh Palace at a cost of about ₹400,000 (equivalent to ₹190 million or US$2.3 million in 2023) in c. 1880.^[7] Jah also constructed the Asmah Garh Palace in 1885 at the top of a hillock in Hyderabad. It was built in the Gothic architecture style and had pointed arches supported by Corinthian pillars. Jah's brother-in-law and Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan enjoyed living in the palace and he later gifted it to the Nizam. The building presently houses the St. Joseph's Public School.^[7][8]

Personal life

Jah was married to Parwarishunnisa Begum, the daughter of the fifth Nizam Tahniyath Ali Khan.^[9] They had one son Moin-Ud-Dowlah Bahadur who was born in 1891. Jah died at Basheer Bagh Palace on 16 July 1898 and is buried at Paigah Tombs.^[10] Jah brought up cricketer Syed Mohammad Hadi after his father died. Hadi scored the first-ever century in the Ranji Trophy.^[11]

Asmah Jah's full name with titles is Asmah Jah, Amir-i-Akbar, Azam-ul-Umra, Umdat-ul-Mulk, Bashir-ud-Daulah, Nawab Sir Muhammad Mazharuddin Khan Bahadur, Rifat Jung KCIE.^[1]