Barha family

According to family tradition, the dynasty traced its origin to Abul Farah al-Wasiti, who migrated to India in the 13th century from Wasit in Iraq following the Siege of Baghdad. Tradition further holds that after the death of Hulegu Khan in 1265 Abul Farah returned to Persia, leaving four of his twelve sons in India to establish four branches of the Barha family there.^[7]

The family was Indian Muslim and belonged to the Sadaat-e-Bara clan. This clan claimed to be Sayyids, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, although some modern historians dispute this claim.^[1][3] For example, according to the American historian Richard M. Eaton their clan was "as native to India as were Jats, Rajputs or Marathas."^[8] Dutch historian and Indologist Dirk H. A. Kolff argued that the ancestors of the Barha moved at an uncertain date from their homeland in Punjab to a barren region in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.^[9]

However, by the time of the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century the dynasty was firmly regarded as "old nobility" and held prestigious subahs (provinces) such as Ajmer and the Deccan (Dakhin).^[10] In the late Mughal period they formed a Hindustani faction of Mughal nobility as opposed to the Turkic Turani and Persian Irani.^[11]

The four children of Abdullah Abul Farah al-Wasiti who remained in India settled in various towns, each eventually forming its own branch of the family: Sayyid Daud settled in Tihaanpur, giving rise to the Tihaanpuri branch; Sayyid Abul Fazl settled in Chhatbannur, giving rise to the Chhaturai branch; Sayyid Najmudin Hussain settled in Jagner, giving rise to the Bithaul branch; and Sayyid Fazail settled in Kundli, giving rise to the Kundliwal branch.^[12] All the branches eventually migrated to the Doaba, with the Tihaanpuri occupying Kumhera and Dharsi; the Chatrauris occupying Sambalhera; the Bithaul occupying Jagneri; and the Kundliwal occupying Majhera.

The Tihaanpuri branch began with Sayyid Jalal Khan Emir, an eighth-generation descendant of Abdullah al Wasiti, and produced several high-ranking nobles including Nawab Abdullah Khan I. Khan Emir left Tihanpur and settled in Dharsi in the pargana (administrative district) of Jauli. He had four sons of whom the eldest, Umar Shahid, settled in Jansath; the second, Chaman, in Chitaura; the third, Hassan, in Bihari; and the fourth, Ahmad, in Kawal, in the pargana of Jansath.^[4]

Umar Shahid

See also: Sayyid brothers

When Umar Shahid arrived in Jahsad he found the area was already occupied by Jat and Brahmin communities. However, the branch's influence grew so significantly during the late Mughal era that Jansath was administratively separated from the Jauli pargana.

Nawab Abdullah Khan I – better known as Sayyid Mian in places like Ajmer – also emerged from this branch of the Barha family, which benefitted under Aurangzeb's reign. By the time Aurangzeb died the branch had considerable influence, with Sayyid Mian's sons Nawab Hussain Ali Khan and Nawab Abdullah Khan II – also known as the Sayyid brothers – attached to the future emperor Bahadur Shah I. The two brothers were positioned such that when Bahadur Shah I ascended to the throne with their assistance he granted Nawab Hussain Ali Khan the government of Patna and Nawab Abdullah Khan II the government of Allahabad.

The family's influence increased during this period, though it later declined following the death of the Sayyid brothers. For in 1709 Sayyid Ahmad, Sayyid Khan, Sayyid Hussain Khan, and Sayyid Ghairat Khan participated in the suppression of a rebellion by Hindu princes along the Narmada River, fought in the vanguard, and were killed along with their followers. However, the Tihaanpuris still remained active in later campaigns in Punjab, Gujarat, and along the Indus River.

In 1712 the sons of Sayyid Mian found themselves in a dangerous position and, being distrustful of other ministers in Delhi, took it upon themselves to place Prince Furrukhsiyar on the throne as emperor. The sons of Sayyid Mian participated in the battles of Sarai Alam Chand (Allahabad) and Agra, with Sayyid Nurudin Ali Khan killed in action at Allahabad.

Nawab Sayyid Hassan Ali Khan was thereafter known as Abdullah Khan II and was appointed grand vizier with the title of Qutb al Mulk, while Nawab Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan was appointed commander-in-chief with the title of Amir ul Mammalik. With the demise of the Sayyid brothers, many other notable Sayyids fell, beginning with the assassination of Hussain Ali Khan and the later capture of Abdullah Khan II at the Battle of Hasanpur. The Tihaanpuri branch declined significantly after this, as many of its leaders were killed or captured in conflicts with rival nobles such as Muhammad Amin Khan and Qamar ud din Khan.^[13]

Ahmad

The descendants of Sayyid Ahmad, who had settled in Kawal, gained much acclaim during the reign of Aurangzeb, with Tatar Khan and Diwan Muhammad Yar Khan becoming distinguished in imperial service.^[2]

The Chatrauri branch lived near Sambelhera and changed their name from Chatbanauri to Chatrauri. One member of this branch, Sayyid Hasan Fakhrudin, lived during the reign of Emperor Akbar and used his influence at court to help the Raja of Sambelhera confirm his dignity in the male line to his son, Ram Chand. When Ram Chand later died childless Sayyid Hasan helped Ram Chand's widow inherit the state. Pleased with the service rendered to her she passed on the entirety of her estate to him, and he was later confirmed in its possession as the Nawab of Sambelhera.^[16]

Sayyid Hasan had a child named Sayyid Hussain, who in turn had four children: Sayyid Sher Ali, who died without issue; Sayyid Ahmad, who was killed fighting Ratan Sen of Chitor and whose descendants settled in Kailawada while another fought under the emperor Muhammad Shah; Sayyid Tajudin, whose son Sayyid Umar founded Kakrauli and colonised the local towns of Rauli Nagla and Bera; and finally, Sayyid Salar Auliya, who obtained Kaithora from his grandfather. Sayyid Salar Auliya had two sons: Sayyid Haider Khan, whose descendant Sayyid Shahamat Khan settled in Miranpur and founded the Haider Khan family; and Sayyid Muhammad Khan, whose descendants remained in Kaithora and formed the Muhammad Khani family.

Of the Muhammad Khani family, Nusrat Yar Khan and Rukhan ad Daula became prominent during the reign of Muhammad Shah, gaining the governance of Agra, Gujarat, and Patna. They additionally held a jagir of 28 villages in Ahmedabad, which they gained in return for their service in annihilating their Tihaanpuri brethren, and which they retained until 1850. The Chatrauris of Morna received land grants to the west of Kali near Charthawal. A mosque built in 1725 for 1,900 rupees still stands in Morna in honor of the wife of Nawab Hasan Khan, the bakshi of Muhammad Shah.^[17]

The Jagneri branch was descended from Sayyid Najmudin Hussain, who first settled in Bidauli. Several generations later his descendant Sayyid Fakhrudin moved to Palri in the Jauli pargana, where he purchased proprietary rights in Palri, Chanduri, Chandura, Tulsipur, and Khera. Members of this branch attained high positions during the reign of Akbar and subsequent emperors, but none achieved the prominence typical of other branches of the dynasty. The Jagneri branch was heavily affected by drought, leading to reduced economic prosperity. Nevertheless, the head of the family in Bidauli continued to serve as nazim to the Nawabs of Oudh while his nephew held the post of Chakladar.^[18]

Members of the Kudliwal branch settled in Mujhera, where their family estates and a fort are recorded in district histories. Accounts compiled in the early 20th century identify Sayyed Mahmud Khan as an early figure of the Barha Sayyids in imperial service, with prior employment under the Sur rulers. He entered Mughal service during the siege of Mankot and subsequently served under Akbar in campaigns during the 1550s and early 1560s. He was granted a jagir near Delhi and is noted in regional histories for operations against local powers. He died in 1574 and was buried at Mujhera.^[19]

A local anecdote recorded in the district gazetteer relates that when challenged about his lineage Sayyid Mahmud is said to have declared, "If I am a Sayyid, the fire will not hurt me; if I am no Sayyid, I shall get burnt".^[19]

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  Mohsin-ul-Mulk was a Barha Syed of Etawah who converted to Sunni Islam.^[20]
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  Khan Bahadur Barha of Jansath with Liaqat Ali Khan.

• Sayyid brothers