Sakarwar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sikarwar (also known as Sikarwar) are a clan found in certain parts of North and Eastern India. They belong to Rajput caste. This branch of Rajputs get their name from Vijaypur Sikri (now Fatehpur Sikri), before it was conquered and passed into the hands of Turkic sultans. As Sikri fell under Turkic administration, Sikarwars broke up into two branches, which migrated in different regions.[1][2] In Uttar Pradesh, they established Gahmar village in Ghazipur. In Bihar, the Sikarwar Rajputs established the settlements of Kudra, Chainpur and Bhabua.[3]

Chainpur[]

The area of Chainpur in Kaimur district of Bihar was historically ruled by Sikarwar Rajputs.[4] A document called the Kursinama purports to trace the ancestry of the Chainpur family to Fatehpur Sikri where the family was driven out during the Turkic Muslim ruler Babur's invasion. As they fled eastwards under the leadership of Lakshmi Mal, they eventually conquered Chainpur from the Chero dynasty which was ruled by the Chero tribe. Among the most important rulers of the Chainpur Sikarwars was Raja Salivahana who built Chainpur fort and was prominent in the region prior to the ascendancy of the Afghan warlord Sher Shah Suri.[3]

Role in 1857 uprising[]

Under the leadership of a local chieftain, Meghar Singh, many Sikarwars in Zamania in Ghazipur district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh took part in the 1857 rebellion against British rule.[5][6] The Sikarwars and the British initially had cordial relations with many Sikarwars serving as soldiers for the East India Company and their villages provided prime recruiting grounds. Meghar Singh's uprising seems to have been influenced by the movement of Kunwar Singh's forces through the region and in May 1858, many Sikarwars began attacking and looting British forces stationed in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Western Bihar.[citation needed]

Meghar Singh eventually accepted the leadership of Babu Amar Singh of Jagdishpur and the Sikarwars and the Ujjainiyas became allies. However, by November most of the rebels had surrendered and accepted British rule.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Rezavi, Syed Ali Nadeem (2013). Sikri before Akbar
  2. ^ Saiyad Hasan Ansari (1986). Evolution and Spatial Organization of Clan Settlements: A Case Study of Middle Ganga Valley. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 103–104. GGKEY:E73UZG9UQFE.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Devendrakumar Rajaram Patil (22 December 2017). The antiquarian remains in Bihar. Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute. p. 75.
  4. ^ Peter Gottschalk (2013). Religion, Science, and Empire: Classifying Hinduism and Islam in British India. OUP USA. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-19-539301-9.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Troy Downs (2002). "Rural Insurgency During the Indian Revolt of 1857-59: Meghar Singh and the Uprising of the Sakarwars". South Asia Research. 22 (2): 123–143. doi:10.1177/026272800202200202.
  6. ^ Troy Downs (2007). "Rajput revolt in Southern Mirzapur, 1857–58". Journal of South Asian Studies. 15 (2): 29–46. doi:10.1080/00856409208723166.
Retrieved from ""