Historical research on Bhal (Bhale Sultan ) Rajput of Sasni and their old Fort of Sasni in Hathras district


Historical research on Bhal (Bhale Sultan ) Rajput of Sasni and their old  Fort  of Sasni in Hathras district ----

The Bhal or Bhale Sultan clan of Kshatriyas  claim to be Solanki , but are usually regarded as a spurious stock.
  
The Bulandshahr branch of this tribe , according to one story , claim descent from Sidhrao Jai Singh Solanki of Paryatan in Gujrat.After the defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan , Sawai Singh , the ancestor of the family , obtained the title of Bhale Sultan , or "Lords of the Lance" from Shahab-ud-din Ghori .
    Another story is that they are descended from Sarang Deo , a nephew of the Raja Bali of Gujrat , who took service under Prithviraj Chauhan of Delhi , with whom he was distantly connected , and perished in the war against Kannauj , when his descendant was rewarded with lands of Bulandshahar .It was his grandson , Hamir Singh , who took service with the Raja of Kannauj and obtained through him and Shahab-ud-din Ghori the title of Bhale Sultan .The seventh in descent from him came  Kirat Singh , distinguished himself in the campaign of Ghayas-ud-din Tugalaq  against the Meos  and drove out the Meos and got their lands . He obtained possession of 84 villages in Khurja .He settled at the village of Arniyan , and divided the villages between himself and his cousins , who resided at village Kakaur .The seventh in the descent from Kirat Singh , Khan Chande , became a Musalman to please the Muhammad Governor under Khizar Khan , the protege of Timur  and secured the right to half the estate under the name of Malha Khan .His son , Lad Khan , removed his headquarters to Khurja ,and  received the office of Chaudhri from Akbar .His descendant ,Azam Ali Khan , held 44 villages  ,but this at the time of settlement had been reduced to 11 villages and 12 shares.At his death the property was dispersed owing to debt and mismanagement , a small portion only remaining with his widow.
    The Hindu Bhale Sultan have also lost their property from the same cause .In 1870 , they held 32 villages ,and this had decreased by1890 to 7 villages and 13 shares comprising the Sikri estate , but even this was gone from them.

    The M.B records the domination of the Bhal Rajputs in the northern part of pargana Hathras since the 15th century .Utrah ,Nauzarpur ,Rudayen ,Susayet Kalan and Susayet Khurd and Sasni were some of the earliest places found under their control .

Foundation  of Sasni and it's Fort---

According to one tradition Sasni was founded by Thakur Sheo Pal Singh ,a Solanki Raput Chief in 1154 A,D ., who migrated from Khurja to Sasni   and he  constructed the fort of Sasni.  This becoming their central place in this tract .
In addition to the places given in the MB Tilothi ,Barsa ,Bandhnu ,Loharra ,Harauli and Lutsan are said to have been established by them .The Bhal Rajputs says that this tract was full of thicket and forest which was cleared away by their ancestors .
  By1833 ,they had lost much of their earlier possessions ,he supplied number of their villages  which was origionally 15 came down to only 3.In 1868 ,it was reported that they have lost nearly everything in Sasni ,where they now possess  only entire village .They had been expelled by the Jat zamindars  from their other possessions  .
      Rudain village near Sasni was also founded by two brothers of Solanki clan  whose name were Rudra Singh and Padam Singh lived in this village .The village gets its name from Rudra Singh .The village marks the site of a garhi .
    Susayat village near Sasni was settled by a Solanki Rajput ,who was passing by the mound on his way to Ganga .
   Thakur Tara Singh ,Rais and zamindar of Bhartua ,in Aligarh district ,belong to the Solanki clan of rajput .The British government appointed him as an Honorary Magistrate .

Sasni Fort---

The fort ,of which the remains exists was built by the Jat Raja Phup Singh of Mursan family .Tradition makes him out to have been a person of a very arbitrary disposition .It is said that he was specially proud of his place garden ;and once ,when one of his young sons had broken a twig oe a leaf from some favourite tree ,the Raja ordered the lad’s arm to be cut off .The Raja’s  followers however interceded ,and the youth was punished by being forced to go about for several days with his sleeves cut short and his arms bare .
   On another occasion the Raja saw a peasant woman on the road break off the leaf of an overhanging tree to cover the mouth of a pot of Ghi she was carrying ; whereupon she made her empty the whole pot of Ghi over the tree , ‘’to head ,’’ ‘’the wound she had inflicted .’’
Sasni , Akrabad ,Jajali and Sikandra Rao , at the beginning of the 18th century , were included in the dominion of the Nawab Wazir of Qudh (Awadh) .They were ceded by treaty in 1802.
   Raja Bhagwant Singh then held Sasni and Bijaigarh  ,and Thakur Harkishan Singh held Kachaura in SikandraRao .The then Lieutenant Governor ( Hon’ble Gerald Wellesley ) forbade these chiefs to collect transit duties , and offered them a nankar allowance as compensation .They disobeyed  ,and a force was sent to reduce them .Thereupon the Sasni chief offered to surrender , but secretly made preparation to destroy by treachery the small force ( commanded by Coloned Blair ) which was sent to occupy the fort .General St.John was then sent against Sasni with a longe force in the winter of 1802 , but the place held out until some time in 1803 ,when it was taken by Lord Lake in person , not without considerable loss .
   At Sasni are the remains of monuments erected in memory of Lieutenant Blair and other officers who were killed in the attack on the fort .A great portion of the material of the fort was used in the building of the Sasni indigo factories in 1806.
Lord Lake remained for a time at Sasni , whither on the 5thSeptember 1857 General Perron despached a letter to him from Muttra , offering to surrender an assurance of protection to his person and property .The offer was readily accepted and Perron , having sent for his family from Agra , contrived to eldue the vigilance of his troops by giving them liberal bountics  ,and joined the British force at Sasni .

References--

1-Aligarh :A gazetted of the district gazetteers of United Provinces of Agra &Qudh ,Bill .4 , by H.R.Nevill , 1909.
2-Aligarh District :A Historical Survey ,Aligarh ,Chap.VII , p.173-189.by J.M.Siddiqi .
3-Misl Bandobast , Vazibul-Arza , Mauza Tochhi , Pargana Aligarh ,1281 Hi .Fasal ,year 1873A.D.
4-The Jat rulers of Upper Doab by Jagbir Singh.
5-Statistical ,descriptive and historical account of the northwestern Provinces of India ,Meerut division pt.I , Allahabad ,Bill.II.
6-J.Thorton , Report upon .The settlement of pergunnah Moordhany .Zillah Allyaarh ,Vide Allygurh ,Statics.pp.236 ,noted in Aligarh district.
7-Baber 's Memoirs.
8-Elliot History II .Appendix.
9-Indian Journal of Archaeology , Voll 2 ,No .4 ,2017 by Editor Chief Vijay Kumar.
10-Crooke William C.A.1886 .The Tribes and Castes of North-Western India.Voll.I to V.p.254.
11-The Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North -West  Frontier section IV.by H.A.Rose.
12-Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of Punjab and North-West .Vol 1.
13-Sherring M.A.Hindu Tribes and Castes .Vol.I to III.
Investing .Punjab Castes.
14-S.H.M.Elliot .Supplemental Glossary of Terms used in N.W.P
15-An Enthographical Hand Book for the N -W .Provinces and Qudh  by William Crooke ,1890.p.143.
16-Raja Lachhman Singh  Bulandshahr Memo .,158.
17-Census Report , 1865 ,I,App.19.
18-Bulandshahr :A Gazetteer by H.R.Nevill ,Vol .V .1903.pp.108-09.

Author-Dr Dhirendra Singh Jadaun
Village-Larhota near Sasni
District-Hathras ,U.P
Associate Professor in Agriculture
Shahid Captain Ripudman Singh Govt.College , Sawaimadhopur ,Rajasthan ,322001.

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