Kingdom of Kashi
| Benares State | ||||||
| Princely state of the British Raj | ||||||
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| History | ||||||
| • | Established | 18th century | ||||
| • | 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.
The state was founded by the local zamindar Raja Balwant Singh, who assumed the title of "Raja of Benares" in 18th century, taking advantage of the Mughal Empire's disintegration. His descendants ruled the area around Benares as feudatories of Nawab of Awadh and East India Company. In 1910, Benares became a full-fledged state of British India. The state was merged in India after India's independence in 1947, but even today the Kashi Naresh (the titular ruler) 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 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.
Most of the area currently known as Varanasi was acquired by Mansa Ram, a zamindar of Utaria. Balwant Singh, the ruler of Utaria in 1737, took over the territories of Jaunpur, Varanasi and Chunar in 1740 from the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah of Delhi. The Kingdom of Benaras started in this way during the Mughal dynasty. Other places under the kingship of Kashi Naresh were Chandauli, Gyanpur, Chakia, Latifshah, Mirzapur, Nandeshwar, Mint House and Vindhyachal.
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