Benares State
| Benares State | ||||||
| Kingdom of Kashi in ancient history Princely state of the British Raj after 1775 |
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| History | ||||||
| • | Established | TBD | ||||
| • | Accession to the Union of India | 1948 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| • | 1892 | 2,266 km2(875 sq mi) | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| • | 1892 | 115,773 | ||||
| Density | 51.1 /km2 (132.3 /sq mi) | |||||
| Today part of | India | |||||
Benares or Banaras State was a princely state in what is today India during the British Raj. On 15 October 1948 Benares' last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union.
Its roots go back to the Kingdom of Kashi, which was an independent Bhumihar state until 1194. It became a British territory in 1775, and a state in 1911. It is the site of Ramnagar Fort and its museum, which are the repository of the history of the kings of Varanasi and, since the 18th century, has been the home of the Kashi Naresh. Even today the Kashi Naresh is deeply revered by the people of Varanasi. He is a religious leader and the people of Varanasi consider him an incarnation of Shiva. He is also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The ruling family claims descent from the God Shiva and benefits greatly from pilgrimages to Benares.
The predecessor state was the Kingdom of Kashi whose origins are very ancient. The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is believed to be a descendent of Shiva. Still, during the religious occasion of Shivratri, the Kashi Naresh is the chief officiating priest and no other priest is allowed entry into the garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum. Only after he performs his religious offerings may anyone else be allowed to enter.
The earliest rulers of the latter princely state of Benares were zamindaris for the Awadh (Oudh) province of the Mughal Empire. As the Mughal suzerainty weakened, the Benares zamindari estate became Banaras State, thus the rulers they regained control of their territories and declared themselves Maharajas of Benares between 1739 and 1760. The region eventually ceded by the Nawab of Oudh to the British Raj in 1775, who recognized Benares as a family dominion. Benares became a state in 1911. It was given the privilege of 13-gun salute.
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