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The Nizam of Hyderabad
Though the forebears of the
Osmania Dynasty came to India from Samarkhand, in Central Asia, the family belonged to Baghdad. In 1724, the Moghul Governor of the Deccan, Asaf Jah Nizam ul-Mulk Qamar ud-din Khan, established himself as an independent ruler. Hyderabad became the capital and later lent its name to that of the state he created.
The first Nizam's successors became closely allied to the British, frequently
assisting them in subduing their enemies, the Marathas, Tipu Sultan of
Mysore, and the French. Later, the Nizam's troops invariably took part in all the main
campaigns of the Indian Army. Many troops took part in the First and Second
World Wars. These contributions earned for the Nizam unequalled titles and
honours from a grateful Emperor.
The Nizam ruled over a population of more than 16 million people, with lands extending to 83,000
sq. miles. These advantages persuaded the Nizam to attempt an independent existence, when the British withdrew from the sub-continent in 1947. He refused to join either India or Pakistan, preferring to form a separate kingdom within the British Commonwealth of nations. Unfortunately, the majority of his subjects were Hindus and Indian territory surrounded his territory on all sides.
Attempts by certain groups of Muslim fundamentalists to create trouble and seize power, prompted the new Indian government to invade and annex Hyderabad in 1949. Although the Nizam then acceded to the Dominion of India, power simply slipped from his grasp. He received the ceremonial post of Rajpramukh in 1950, but resigned from this office when the states were
re-organized in 1956. Hyderabad was then split and dismembered along linguistic lines.
The state that was once so well noted for its religious and ethnic toleration, ruled by a highly cultured and intellectually brilliant elite who maintained all that was best in the old Mughal order, was now no more.
Prince
Mukkaram Jah
The
grandson of the last Nizam Of Hyderabad
How
Hyderabad escaped the fate of Kashmir
The fabulous Jewellery collection of the Nizam is on display at the
Salarjung Museum
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