Carved guns, jewelled swords: Inside Rampur's royal armoury

RAMPUR: Eight months after the Supreme Court passed judgment for the division of the property among the family members of the erstwhile Rampur Nawab, the locks of armoury were opened on Monday to count the weapons kept in the family’s Khasbagh Palace in the presence of administrative officials and the erstwhile royal family members. Carved vintage guns, gem-studded swords, knives with handles made of precious stones – the armoury, according to collectors, is a minefield of antiquity.The rare firearms are more than a century old and have been manufactured by renowned names, like Charles Lancaster, Henry Marton, Colt, Manchester, Rifle & Co., Enfield, Holland & Holland, W&C Scott London, HW Marton, CC Smith, RT Martimer, Greener, S & Smith, John Manton London, Thomas Smith, Wellington & Sons. medium73952373Local historian Nafees Siddiqui, who has written two books ‘Tariq-e-Rohilla’ and ‘Tariq-e-Rampur’, said, “Rampur Nawabs were extremely fond of their arms. They particularly liked carved weaponry, for which they hired professionals from abroad and made frequent purchases from manufacturing units in Europe and Middle-East. In 1853 and 1855, arms of Rampur were displayed at exhibitions in Calcutta and Lucknow.” Rashid Khan, a local arms dealer, who has also been appointed by the administrative authorities to inspect and count the weapons of the erstwhile princely state, said, “The armoury is invaluable in terms of antiquity. Muzzle-loading guns, pistols with gold carvings, revolvers, rifles with bayonets and swords forged out of rare metals together make up a collector’s dream.” medium73952408District magistrate Aunjaneya Singh said, “Adequate security has been provided at Khasbagh Palace. After evaluation, it will be decided what valuable goes to which family member. Since most of the arms are antique, they might be kept in museums, like in the case of other princely states. But any further decision will depend on the court.”Royal succession: One of India’s longest running civil suitsThe case was one of India’s longest running civil suits, which the SC finally brought to a close after 47 years of trial in July 2019. It was appealed that the private property of a Nawab cannot be treated as the personal property of any other common citizen. Therefore, the property should be passed on to the “eldest male heir” while others should not get any stake in it.The bench rejected the contention and held that the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 will apply and since Nawab Raza Ali Khan was a Shia, his estate will devolve upon his heirs under the Muslim personal law.The bench of then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said one thing was clear that the rulers enjoyed right to privy purses, private properties and privileges only because of the Constitution and in other respects "they were ordinary citizens". It held the princely rule of primogeniture (the right of succession belonging to the firstborn child) will not apply in the succession of the private properties of a former ruler.The bench also ordered that the properties of the erstwhile ruler of Rampur would be divided by metes and bounds (an older system is often used to define larger pieces of property) among his successors as per the Muslim law. medium73952576It directed the district Judge of Rampur to appoint a commissioner to ensure division of movable and immovable properties among the successors.“As the suit has been pending for almost half a century and the parties have been litigating for more than five decades and some of the parties are at an advanced age, we direct the trial court to dispose of the matter in terms of our directions above at the earliest but, in any case, not later than December 31, 2020,” it held. medium73956115Rampur: Birth of an empireRampur State was a 15 gun-salute princely state of British India. The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid and the city of Rampur founded in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. A great patron of scholarship, Nawab Faizullah Khan, who ruled for 20 years, began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the world-famous Rampur Raza Library. In 2016, PM Modi had gifted a specially commissioned reproduction of a rare seventh-century manuscript of the Holy Quran attributed to Hazrat Ali, which is a prized possession of Raza Library, to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. medium73953566Among other prominent rulers of Rampur was Nawab Kalb Ali Khan, who was a member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence and was knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. Nawab Raza Ali Khan, who became the king in 1930, was a very progressive ruler. The Rampur Nawabs gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, including Mirza Ghalib.The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during Indian Rebellion of 1857 and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India. The Nawabs' patronage to music gave rise to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of Hindustani classical music, the latter being their ancestral place, Sahaswan, in present day Badaun district. Many Mughal cooks moved to Rampur after the fall of Delhi and they helped in development of a distinct Rampuri cuisine, which include Rampuri fish, Rampuri korma, Rampuri mutton kebabs, Doodhiya biryani and adrak ka halwa among other delectables. medium73955372boxcontent medium73952250What the Supreme Court said"We have held that they were rulers only as a matter of courtesy, to protect their erstwhile titles, the properties which were declared to be their personal properties had to be treated as their personal properties and could not be treated as properties attached to the Gaddi""It is apparent that the rulers were rulers only in name. They held no land except the personal properties. There were no subjects. They were Maharajas or Rajas without a Praja; without any sovereignty; and without any territory"Photos: Kashif Khan