Amawan Raj
Amawan Raj, also known as the Amawan Estate, was a prominent zamindari estate of the Patna region of Bihar, British India. The estate developed into one of the important landed houses of the region during the nineteenth century and was particularly associated with Raja Bahadur Harihar Prasad Narain Singh of Amawan.
The history of Amawan Raj is connected with the wider network of major zamindari families of Bihar, including the Tikari Raj. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Amawan family acquired substantial interests in Tikari and became one of the most influential landed families in the Patna region.
Early history
According to the Patna district administrative account, the family of Amawan traced its ancestry to Basdeo Rai, described as a Bhumihar who came from Sairpur near Benares (present-day Varanasi) and settled in the Sair area of the Malda pargana.
Basdeo Rai's grandson, Chaudhuri Bhelam Singh, expanded the family's milkiat through purchases in or around 1670. The family subsequently possessed proprietary interests in Malda. During the implementation of the Permanent Settlement, however, the family's ancestors failed to secure their position and their milkiats were settled with outsiders, leaving the family with malikana rights.
The family's fortunes subsequently revived in Bihar. During the nineteenth century, Babu Karan Chand Singh, son of Babu Chaturbhuj Singh, acquired a considerable zamindari in Amawan and Hargawan. His son Baijnath Singh further developed and enlarged the estate.
Baijnath Singh was the father of Harihar Prasad Narain Singh. As Harihar Prasad's father died while he was still an infant, the estate was managed for several years by his maternal uncle, Babu Bansi Singh, who acted as trustee for the young proprietor.
Raja Harihar Prasad Narain Singh
Raja Bahadur Harihar Prasad Narain Singh was the most prominent member of the Amawan family and became the principal figure associated with the estate during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The historical account of the Patna district described the Raja of Amawan as the most powerful landholder in the district. His family belonged to the group of major landed families whose influence extended beyond the villages directly forming their estates.
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh was formally recognized as the Raja of Amawan. A biographical record published in Who's Who in India, brought up to 1914, identifies him as "Raja—of Amawan, District Patna" and states that the title of Raja was conferred upon him as a personal distinction in 1913.
He was also subsequently known by the higher honorific Raja Bahadur. His name appears in British Indian administrative and judicial records in connection with the Amawan estate and its extensive landed interests.
Connection with Tikari Raj
The history of Amawan Raj became closely associated with Tikari Raj, one of the great zamindari estates of Bihar.
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh's family connection with Tikari was strengthened through marriage with Rani Bhuvaneshwari Kuer, a member of the Tikari family. The Hindi biographical account identifies the Amawan and Tikari estates as being connected through this marriage and describes Harihar Prasad Narain Singh as becoming associated with both landed houses.
Public life
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh was active in public affairs in Bihar.
According to the Hindi biographical account, he served as a member of the Central Legislative Assembly and the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council. He was also associated with the Bhumihar Brahman Mahasabha, serving as its president.
His public activities extended beyond politics and landed administration. He was involved in charitable and educational activities and supported a number of institutions.
Philanthropy
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh was noted for substantial charitable expenditure.
According to the biographical account, he donated Rs. 1 lakh to Patna Medical College. He also provided land amounting to several acres to Sang Darshan Vidyalaya, Bhore (Gaya) and contributed to the establishment and support of other institutions.
His philanthropic activities included support for education and public institutions, reflecting the role played by major zamindars in financing educational, medical and charitable organizations in Bihar during the late colonial period.
The Hindi source also states that he established or supported institutions and provided land for public purposes in different places.
Family
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh was married to Rani Bhuvaneshwari Kuer, with whom his family became closely connected to Tikari Raj.
The marriage was significant in the subsequent history of the Amawan family because of the family's acquisition of interests connected with Tikari Raj. The two landed houses became closely linked through marriage, property transactions and inheritance.
Harihar Prasad Narain Singh had several children. Later judicial records identify his sons as Raghubansmani Prasad Narayan Singh, Raghavendra Prasad Narayan Singh, Awadhendra Prasad Narayan Singh, Kaushalendra Prasad Narayan Singh and Awadheshwari Prasad Narayan Singh.
The Hindi biographical account additionally states that he left five sons and five daughters. Because different genealogical sources give differing details concerning the family, the exact family tree should ideally be established from contemporary genealogical or probate records before being stated definitively.
Estate during the twentieth century
By the early twentieth century, Amawan was firmly established among the important zamindari houses of the Patna region.
The estate's prominence is reflected not only in administrative descriptions but also in the number and scale of legal proceedings involving the Raja. Amawan appears in litigation concerning mortgages, property transfers, agricultural income and estate administration.
In 1942, the Patna High Court heard The Province of Bihar v. Raja Bahadur Harihar Prasad Narain Singh, a case concerning the assessment of agricultural income tax on the income of the Amawan estate under the Bihar Agricultural Income-tax Act, 1938.
The estate also became involved in extensive litigation concerning Tikari Raj and associated mortgage transactions during the 1930s.
Death and succession
Raja Bahadur Harihar Prasad Narain Singh died in the mid-twentieth century. After his death, the management and succession of the family's extensive properties became increasingly complicated, with subsequent litigation involving members of the family and various landed interests.
The end of the zamindari system following Indian independence fundamentally changed the position of estates such as Amawan Raj. The abolition of zamindari removed the legal basis upon which the estate's historic landed authority had rested.
Legacy
Amawan Raj occupies an important place in the history of the landed aristocracy of Bihar. Its development illustrates how a relatively modest proprietary family could, through acquisition, inheritance, marriage and property transactions, develop into a major zamindari house.
Its most prominent representative, Raja Bahadur Harihar Prasad Narain Singh, combined the role of large landholder with participation in public affairs and philanthropy. His family's association with Tikari Raj further increased the importance of Amawan in the network of major landed families of Bihar.
The history of Amawan Raj is documented in British Indian district administration records, biographical publications and numerous judicial proceedings of the Patna High Court. Contemporary judicial records in particular provide unusually detailed evidence of the estate's property transactions and its financial relationship with Tikari Raj.
References
* Patna District Gazetteer by N kumar 1970 [1]
* Second Supplement to Who's Who in India, brought up to 1914
*Awadhendra Prasad Narayan Singh and Others Vs Raghubansmani Prasad Narayan Singh and Others