Balwant Singh: Difference between revisions

'''Balwant Singh''' belonged to the '''Narayan dynasty'''. He was the son of '''Mansaram Singh''', who had established himself as a prominent zamindar in Benares. Mansaram Singh was the son of Manoranjan Singh, a zamindar of Banaras region and resident of Gangapur village. Upon Mansaram Singh's death in '''1738''', Balwant Singh succeeded him as '''Raja of Kaswar'''. During the course of his reign, he expanded his authority and was later recognized as the '''Maharaja of Benares''', becoming the founder of the semi-independent Benares State.

"''Thus, Balwant Singh, by dint of his superior act, diplomacy and strength came to enjoy the status of an esteemed ally and not that of a servile subordinate to the East India Company and stood as a bulwark of the Bengal Presidency against possible inroads from the western and central India.''"

Balwant Singh was born around '''1711''' into a Bhumihar Brahmin family that had established itself as influential zamindars in the Benares region. He was the eldest son of '''Mansaram Singh''', who rose from a local zamindar to become the ''de facto'' ruler of the Benares state.  

Balwant Singh emerged as the founder of the Benares Raj's political power during the declining years of the Mughal Empire. His rise was closely connected to the administrative abilities of his father, Mansa Ram, a Bhumihar Brahmin who served as the revenue manager under Rustam Ali Khan, the lessee of the sarkars of Benares, Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Chunar.<ref>History of Banaras: From the Earliest Times Down to 1937 by A.S. Altekar

<nowiki>https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/tareekh-e-banaaras-volume-number-001-syed-mazhar-hasan-</nowiki></ref><ref name=":1" />

The strategic situation soon became even more critical. Ahmad Khan Bangash himself arrived at Allahabad and laid siege to the fort. This development placed Benares under the immediate threat of invasion and conquest. With the Bangash army advancing from one direction and Allahabad under siege, the region faced the prospect of a severe military and political catastrophe. Contemporary accounts describe widespread panic among the population, reflecting the seriousness of the Bangash offensive and the precarious position of Balwant Singh's administration.<ref>Marathi Riyasat 4 Sthirabuddhi Raja Ram by Govind Sakharam Sardesai, p. 11

https://archive.org/details/jbqf_marathi-riyasat-4-sthirabuddhi-raja-ram-by-govind-sakharam-sardesai-marathi</ref>

The Afghan ascendancy proved short-lived. Before the arrangement could be fully implemented, Balwant Singh expelled Sahib Zaman Khan from Jaunpur and by April 1751 had recovered all his former possessions. However, the restoration of Safdar Jang's authority created a new challenge. Determined to punish those who had sided with his enemies, Safdar Jang marched through Jaunpur into Benares, plundered Gangapore, and dispatched forces across the Ganges to suppress Balwant Singh. Faced with overwhelming odds, Balwant Singh attempted reconciliation by sending his trusted officer Lal Khan with a gift of two lakh rupees and an offer to increase his annual tribute by an additional two lakh rupees. Although initially encouraged to present himself before the Nawab, he declined to do so. Political developments at the Mughal court soon compelled Safdar Jang to abandon the campaign. At the end of March 1752, the Nawab concluded peace with Balwant Singh, confirmed him in possession of his territories through a ''khilat'', fixed his annual revenue at fifteen lakh rupees, and appointed Syed Nurul Hasan Khan Bilgrami as ''sazawal'' to supervise revenue payments.

Following this settlement, Balwant Singh concentrated on consolidating his authority. Taking advantage of the continued difficulties faced by his suzerain between 1752 and 1754, he strengthened his position further by transferring his capital from Gangapore to Ramnagar on the southern bank of the Ganges, where he constructed a substantial stone fort. He also began planning the incorporation of the fertile belt surrounding Benares, bounded by the Ganges in the north, the Karamnasa River in the east, the Son River and the Kaimur Hills in the south, thereby laying the territorial foundations of the Benares Raj.

Following the transfer of his capital to Ramnagar, Balwant Singh embarked upon an ambitious programme of territorial expansion designed to transform the Benares Raj into a cohesive regional power. His immediate objective was the strategically important hill fortress of Bijaygarh, but before attempting its conquest he systematically subdued the intermediate strongholds controlled by local chiefs.

In early 1753, Balwant Singh captured the fort of Patita in the pargana of Bhagwant by exploiting the advanced age of its governor, Jayaait Khan, and launching a sudden attack. Shortly afterwards, he turned against the formidable stone fort of Latifpur in the Kupsa Hills. Taking advantage of a succession dispute following the death of its ruler, Malik Farrukh, Balwant Singh invaded Ahraura, where Malik Ahmad was killed while attempting to escape. Malik Ehsan abandoned Latifpur, enabling Balwant Singh's forces to occupy both the fort and its surrounding territory with little resistance.

Having secured these approaches, Balwant Singh directed his attention towards Bijaygarh. Unable to withstand his advance, Vijay Singh, the governor of the fortress, negotiated its surrender in December 1753 in return for a payment of ₹50,000. Early in 1754 Balwant Singh captured the neighbouring fort of Agore on the banks of the Son River, extending the southern frontier of the Benares Raj into the forested and hilly tracts bordering the Son valley.

These military successes alarmed Nawab Safdar Jang, who marched to Benares in February 1754 to suppress the increasingly independent Raja. Balwant Singh avoided direct confrontation by crossing the Ganges and taking refuge at Chandrauti, east of Benares. Before decisive action could be taken, however, Safdar Jang was compelled by political developments elsewhere to abandon the campaign, allowing Balwant Singh to retain his gains.

Balwant Singh subsequently consolidated his eastern frontier. In 1754 he intervened in a dispute between his uncle Dasa Ram and Daim Khan, the zamindar of Keyra Mangror, eventually bringing the estate under his authority. To legitimize the acquisition, he obtained official recognition from Raja Jankiram, the Naib Subahdar of Patna, agreeing to pay an annual tribute of ₹7,000. He further strengthened his claim by securing a rent-free imperial grant (''madad-i-ma'ash'') of the entire pargana from Emperor Alamgir II, which was later reaffirmed by Emperor Shah Alam II.

His administrative expansion continued in 1755 when he extended direct control over the sarkar of Jaunpur, reducing the autonomy of many lesser zamindars by placing their estates under the supervision of his own officials. He then moved against Himmat Bahadur, the zamindar of Garwara, and Shaikh Kabul Muhammad of Machhlishahr, both of whom had earlier supported Sahib Zaman Khan during the Afghan occupation. Using the expulsion of one of Himmat Bahadur's retainers as a pretext, Balwant Singh launched a campaign against Garwara. Although Himmat Bahadur escaped after his fortifications were breached by artillery, the resistance continued under his son Sukhnandan Singh until Balwant Singh pacified the region by granting Garwara to Budh Singh at an annual revenue assessment of ₹80,000. Later that year he attacked Machhlishahr, treacherously captured Shaikh Kabul Muhammad, and incorporated the zamindari into his dominions.

Encouraged by these repeated successes, Balwant Singh next sought to acquire the strategically vital fortress of Chunar, one of the strongest forts in northern India and the principal military base of the Nawabs of Awadh east of the Ganges. Following the death of Safdar Jang in 1754 and the resulting instability within Awadh, he secretly negotiated with the fort's de facto commandant, Agha Mir, offering a bribe of one lakh rupees in exchange for the surrender of Chunar.

The conspiracy was discovered by the new Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula, who personally marched against Balwant Singh in November 1756. Unable to resist the superior Awadhi forces in the open, Balwant Singh retreated to the strong fortress of Bijaygarh and appealed to the Marathas for assistance. During the campaign, the widow of Bariar Singh, the zamindar of Pindra and Balwant Singh's mother-in-law, mounted a determined defence against the Nawab's forces, compelling them to negotiate rather than storm her position. After occupying Chunar, Shuja-ud-Daula appointed a new commandant, although Balwant Singh treated the young heir of the former killadar, Agha Khale, with generosity after he came into his custody.

Shuja-ud-Daula subsequently attempted to remove Balwant Singh from power altogether. However, several influential advisers warned the Nawab that a prolonged war against the Raja would prove costly and destabilize Awadh. Fazl Ali Khan, the faujdar of Ghazipur, estimated that such a campaign would require at least 10,000 cavalry for a year and enormous financial expenditure. Courtiers sympathetic to Balwant Singh further argued that any attempt to destroy him would unleash widespread disorder across eastern Awadh.

Taking advantage of these divisions, Balwant Singh dispatched his trusted officer Lal Khan to the Nawab with gifts amounting to five lakh rupees and offered to increase his annual tribute by an additional five lakh rupees. Faced with mounting political difficulties, Shuja-ud-Daula accepted the proposal in February 1757. He confirmed Balwant Singh in possession of all his territories and additionally granted him the pargana of Bhadohi as a jagir, effectively recognizing the Raja's authority while avoiding a costly military campaign.

Balwant Singh nevertheless remained determined to eliminate his regional rivals. Angered by Fazl Ali Khan's support for the Nawab, he bribed senior officials in the Awadh administration and launched incursions into Ghazipur. When Fazl Ali attempted to organize resistance, the Awadh government, influenced by officials favourable to Balwant Singh, interpreted his actions as rebellion and dispatched troops against him. Fazl Ali fled to Patna, allowing Balwant Singh to occupy the entire sarkar of Ghazipur. He confiscated the former faujdar's estates and redistributed the twenty-two parganas among his own followers on fixed revenue assignments.

With Ghazipur secured, Balwant Singh consolidated his administration by suppressing refractory taluqdars and neighbouring chiefs. He subdued the Babhandeva, the Hiyobunsi Raja of Ballia, Durg Vijayi Singh of Seringal, and the Rajput zamindars of Lakhnesar. In 1759 he expelled Vikramjit, Raja of Kuntit, from territory administered under the Nazim of Allahabad, further extending the influence of the Benares Raj.

By the time of the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Balwant Singh had transformed what had begun as a revenue lease into a substantial territorial principality through a combination of military conquest, political opportunism, diplomacy, and administrative consolidation. Contemporary observers described his dominions as comprising approximately ninety-six parganas, making him one of the most powerful regional rulers between Awadh and Bengal. As the English East India Company emerged as the dominant power in Bengal after Plassey, Balwant Singh recognized the significance of these developments and sought to establish communication with the new political order, although the Nawab of Awadh remained reluctant to alter his existing policy towards the Raja.

'''Alliance with Ali Gauhar (1759)'''

In early 1759, Balwant Singh, in coordination with Mahammad Quli Khan, encouraged Prince Ali Gauhar (later Emperor Shah Alam II)—the fugitive heir to the Mughal throne—to launch a campaign to reclaim eastern territories from rebel control. Upon the Prince’s arrival at Jhusi on January 23, 1759, Balwant Singh paid homage, pledged 200,000 rupees to fund the expedition, and received a robe of honour from the Prince. Although Balwant Singh did not join the march eastward, he initiated troop recruitment within his domain. Following the failure of the expedition, Ali Gauhar retreated through Benares in late June 1759. Balwant Singh extended civil hospitality and offered assistance approximately 10 miles outside Benares.