Loharu
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Loharu is a non-descript town in the Indian state of Haryana, and was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj.
Vital statistics
The princely state of Loharu encompassed an area of 222 square miles, and was situated in the south-east corner of the undivided Punjab province, between the district of Hissar and the Rajputana agency. In 1901, the state had a population of 15,229 people, of whom 2,175 were resident in the town of Loharu.
Villages of Loharu tehsil, Bhiwani district, Haryana
Princely history
The princely state of Loharu was founded in 1803, when Ahmad Baksh Khan, a Muslim mercenary whose family purportedly hailed from Bokhara in Central Asia, received the town of Loharu from the ruler of Alwar, and the territory named Ferozepur Jhirka from Lord Lake, for services rendered during the Maratha wars. Much of this already small territory was confiscated by the British in 1835, after the murder, at the then nawab's behest, of a British officer who gave offence.
The ruling family of Loharu was linked by blood or marriage to several important Muslim personalities of the 19th century, including:
- Mirza Ghalib, renowned Urdu and Persian poet
- Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, educationist
After the Independence of India in 1947, the state acceded unto the Union of India.
Post-Independence: The last ruling nawab, Amin ud-din Ahmad Khan, served in the Indian Army, seeing action during the liberation of Portuguese India in 1961. He was later elected to the legislature of Rajasthan state, and ended his chequered career as Governor of Himachal Pradesh.