Barha family

The Barha family (also Bahera or Bara) was a prominent Sunni^{[citation needed]} Sayyid noble family in India during the Mughal Empire. Its members traditionally held high military ranks and frequently led armies in the service of Mughal emperors, particularly during the reigns of Akbar, Aurangzeb, and into the early 18th century.^[1]

Barha
Tomb of Abdullah Khan Barha in Ajmer
Current region	South Asia
Founded	13th Century
Founder	Abul Farah al-Wasiti
Titles	Subahdar of Bijapur Nawab of Ajmer Nawab of Aurangabad Nawab of Allahabad Nawab of Sambalhera Faujdar of Hisar
Members	Abdullah Khan Barha Hussain Ali Khan Barha Hassan Ali Khan Barha Sayyed Mahmud Khan Saif Khan Barha
Cadet branches	Tihanpur branch Chatrauri branch Jagneri branch Kudliwal branch

Under the Sayyid brothers, Hussain Ali Khan and Hassan Ali Khan, the Barhas became the de facto ruling family of the Mughal court from 1713 to 1720.^[2][3]

Ancestry

A cavalryman of the Saadat-e Barah.

According to family tradition, the dynasty is believed to have been founded by Abul Farah al-Wasiti, who migrated to India from Wasit in the 13th century following the Siege of Baghdad, accompanied by his twelve sons.^[4] Tradition further holds that after the death of Hulegu Khan in 1265, Abul Farah returned to Persia, leaving four of his sons in India, who later established the four branches of the Barha family. ^[4]

The family were Indian Muslims belonging to the Sadaat-e-Bara clan, who also claimed to be Sayyids, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. However, some modern historians dispute this claim,^[5][6] and according to the American historian Richard M. Eaton, their clan was "as native to India as were Jats, Rajputs or Marathas."^[7] Also, Dutch historian and indologist Dirk H. A. Kolff argues that the ancestors of the Barhas moved at an uncertain date from their homeland in Punjab to a barren region in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.^[8]

By the time of Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century, the dynasty was firmly regarded as "Old Nobility" and held prestigious Subahs (provinces) such as Ajmer and the Deccan (Dakhin).^[9] They formed a Hindustani faction of Mughal nobility as opposed to the Turkic Turani and Persian Irani in the late Mughal period.^[10]

Branches

The children of Abdullah Abul Farah al-Wasiti settled in various towns, each eventually forming its own branch:

• Sayyid Daud settled in Tihaanpur, giving rise to the Tihaanpuri branch.
• Sayyid Abul Fazl settled in Chhatbannur, giving rise to the Chhaturai branch.
• Sayyid Najmudin Hussain settled in Jagner, giving rise to the Jagner branch.
• Sayyid Fazail settled in Kundli, giving rise to the Lundliwal branch.^[11]

All the branches eventually migrated to the Doab, where the branches occupied the following towns:

• Kumhera and Dharsi by Tihaanpur
• Sambalhera by Chatrauris
• Jagneri by Bithauli
• Majhera by Kundliwal

Tihanpur branch

The Tihaanpuri branch is the most notable of all the branches of the dynasty. The branch began with Sayyid Jalal Khan Emir, an 8th-generation descendant of Abdullah al Wasiti. Khan Emir left Tihanpur and settled in Dharsi, located in the pargana (an administrative district) of Jauli. He had four sons, of whom the eldest, Umar Shahid, settled in Jansath. The second son, Chaman, settled in Chitaura, a third son, Hassan, settled in Bihari, and a fourth, Ahmad, made his home in Kawal, in the pargana of Jansath.^[12]

Jansath

See also: Sayyid brothers

Abdullah Khan Barha, a Mughal nobleman.

The Sayyid brothers played an important role during the decline of the Mughal Empire.

Upon his arrival, Umar found Jansath already occupied by Jat and Brahmin communities. However, during the branch's ascendancy in the late Mughal era, its influence grew so significantly that Jansath was administratively separated from the Jauli pargana.

It is also from this branch that Nawab Abdullah Khan I emerged, better known in places like Ajmer as Sayyid Mian. The branch benefited from Aurangzeb's reign. By the time Aurangzeb passed away, the branch had considerable influence, with Sayyid Mian's sons, Nawab Hussain Ali Khan and Nawab Abdullah Khan II, being attached to the future emperor Bahadur Shah. Nawab Hussain Ali Khan and Nawab Abdullah Khan II, also known as the Sayyid Brothers, were positioned such that when Bahadur Shah I ascended to the throne with the help of the brothers, he granted the former the government of Patna and the latter the government of Allahabad.

In 1709, Sayyid Ahmad, Sayyid Khan, Sayyid Hussain Khan, and Sayyid Ghairat Khan all distinguished themselves in crushing a rebellion of Hindu Princes on the Narbada. During this, they fought in the vanguard and all perished to a man with their followers. The Tihaanpuris continued to distinguish themselves in Punjab, Gujrat, and along the Indus until they reached supremacy and became masters over South Asia.

In 1712, the sons of Sayyid Mian, having found themselves in a dangerous position and being distrustful of other ministers at Delhi, took it upon themselves to raise Prince Furrukhsiyar to the throne as Emperor. During the process, the sons of Sayyid Mian distinguished themselves in battle, with Sayyid Nurudin Ali Khan, Najmudin Ali Khan, and Saifudin Ali Khan fighting gallantly in the battles of Sarai Alam Chand (Allahabad) and Agra. Nurudin Ali Khan lost his life at Allahabad.

Nawab Sayyid Hassan Ali Khan, who thereafter became known as Abdullah Khan II, was appointed as Grand Vezier with the title of Qutb al Mulk, while Nawab Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan was appointed as Commander-in-Chief with the title of Amir ul Mammalik. In the demise of the Sayyid Brothers, many other Sayyids of note fell with them, first with the assassination of Hussain Ali Khan and later at the Battle of Hasanpur, where Abdullah Khan II was captured. Much of the Tihanpur Branch was destroyed by the efforts of Muhammad Amin Khan and Qamar ud din Khan, with only the Rohilla Dynasty having survived the general destruction of the Tihaanpuris.^[13]

Chaman

The Chaman branch comes next in line to the Jansath branch. Descending from Sayyid Chaman, who settled in Chitura, this branch gained much influence during the reign of Shah Jahan when Sayyid Jalal became a high-ranking Mansabdar and was given possession of Kharwa Jalalpur in the Sardhan pargana of Meerut. However, the branch fell into decline when Sayyid Shams, son of Sayyid Jalal, left the Imperial service. He had two sons, Sayyid Asghar Ali and Sayyid Asad Ali. The former died childless, while the descendants of the latter remained in Chitura until the British era.^[14]

Hassan

Sayyid Hassan had six sons, many of whom rose in imperial service and later became Zamindars.^[15]

Ahmad

The descendants of Sayyid Ahmad, who had settled in Kawal, gained much acclaim during the reign of Aurangzeb when Tatar Khan and Diwan Muhammad Yar Khan became distinguished in imperial service.^{[citation needed]}

Khan Jahan

Portrait of Sayyid Abu'l Muzaffar Khan, Khan Jahan Barha.

Sayyid Nasirudin, the sixth son of Sayyid Hasan, gained fame in the form of Sayyid Khanjahan-i-Shahjahanil, who attained much power under the emperor Shahjahan and was consequently granted forty villages in the parganas of Khatauli and Sarwat, along with several bighas of land in free revenue for perpetuity with the title of Abul Muzaffar. He began to build a new town, which was completed by his son and named Muzaffarnagar.^[16]

Chatrauri branch

They lived near Sambelhera and changed their name from Chatbanauri to Chatrauri. One of the members of this branch, Sayyid Hasan Fakhrudin, lived during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He used his influence at court to help the Raja of Sambelhera confirm his dignity in the male line to his son, Ram Chand. Later, when Ram Chand died childless, he helped the widow of Ram Chand inherit the state. Being so pleased with the service rendered to her, she passed on the entirety of her estate to Sayyid Hasan, who was later confirmed in its possession as the Nawab of Sambelhera.^[17]

Sayyid Hasan had a child named Sayyid Hussain, who in turn had four children: Sayyid Sher Ali, who died without issue; Sayyid Ahmad, who was killed fighting Ratan Sen of Chitor and whose descendants settled in Kailawada, and another descendant who fought under the emperor Muhammad Shah; Sayyid Tajudin, whose son Sayyid Umar founded Kakrauli and colonized the local towns of Rauli Nagla and Bera; and the last son, Sayyid Salar Auliya, who obtained Kaithora in a similar manner to his grandfather. He had two sons: Sayyid Haider Khan, whose descendant Sayyid Shahamat Khan settled in Miranpur and founded the Haider Khan family; and Sayyid Muhammad Khan, whose descendants remained in Kaithora and formed the Muhammad Khani family.

Of the Muhammad Khani family, Nusrat Yar Khan and Rukhan ad Daula gained prominence during the reign of Muhammad Shah, gaining the governance of Agra, Gujarat, and Patna. They additionally held a jagir of twenty-eight villages in Ahmedabad, which they gained in return for their service in annihilating their Tihanpuri brethren, and which they retained until 1850. The Chatrauris of Morna received land grants to the west of Kali near Charthawal. There is still a mosque in Morna built in the name of the wife of Nawab Hasan Khan, the bakshi of Muhammad Shah, constructed in 1725 at the cost of 1,900 rupees.^[18]

Jagneri branch

They are descendants of Sayyid Najmudin Hussain, who first settled at Bidauli. Some generations later, his descendant Sayyid Fakhrudin moved to Palri in the Jauli pargana, where he purchased proprietary rights in Palri, Chanduri, Chandura, Tulsipur and Khera. Members of this branch reached high positions during the reign of Akbar and subsequent Emperors, but none gained the prominence which characterised other branches of the dynasty. The Jagneri Branch was heavily affected by drought, resulting in less prosperous conditions. However, the head of the Bidauli family still served as Nazim to the Nawabs of Oudh while his nephew was a Chakladar.^[19]

Kudliwal branch

Saif Khan Barha, 1620.

Members of this branch settled in Mujhera. Ain-i-Akbari makes mention of Sayyid Mahmud as being the first member of the Barha dynasty to enter into the Timurid service. Having formerly gained employment under the Sur Empire, he defected to the Mughals during the siege of Mankot, during which he was with Sikander Sur, but later sided with the emperor Akbar. In the first year of Akbar's reign, he fought in a campaign against Muhammad Shah, whose forces were led by Raja Hemu. In 1557, he took part in the Ajmer campaign, and in the year after, he took part in the capture of the fort of Jitasaran, along with an expedition against the Bhaduriyas of Hatkanth in Agra. In 1561, he was granted a Jagir near Delhi and later took part in a campaign with the Amorha Sayyids against the Raja Madhukar of Orcha. He died in 1574 and was buried in Majhera, where his fort remains.^[20]

In a famous incident, Sayyid Mahmud was once asked how many generations back the Barha dynasty traced its sacred descent. Incidentally, a fire was burning at a spot nearby, and, offended by the question, Sayyid Mahmud jumped into the fire exclaiming, "If I am a Sayyid the fire will not hurt me; if I am no Sayyid I shall get burnt". He stood for an hour in the fire and only left after the earnest request of bystanders. His velvet slippers showed that indeed he had no sign of being burned by the fire.^[21]

Gallery

• 
  Mohsin-ul-Mulk was a Barha Syed of Etawah who converted to Sunni Islam.^[22]
• 
  Khan Bahadur Barha of Jansath with Liaqat Ali Khan.

See also

• Sayyid brothers