BABU AMAR SINGH AND UPRISING OF SAKARWAR UNDER THAKUR MEGHAR SINGH - IMMORTAL RAJPUTS

 

Babu Amar Singh was a revolutionary in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the brother of Babu Kunwar Singh, the zamindar of Jagdishpur.

Maharaja Of Jagdishpur

Predecessor - Babu Veer Kunwar Singh

Successor - Raja Shriniwas Prasad Singh

Born - Jagdispur, Bihar

Died - 1859

House - Ujjainiya

Father - Raja Sahebzada Singh

Mother - Rani Panchratan Kunwari Devi Singh

Babu Amar Singh was the second son of Sahebzada Singh born much after his older brother. He was described as being tall, of fair complexion and having a mole on the right side of his nose. He was a fond huntsman and enjoyed hunting big game including elephants, bears and wolves. He was also a deeply religious person and had the Mahabharata recited to him every night. He was initially reluctant to join the rebellion but agreed to do so on the insistence of his brother and the commander-in-chief, Hare Krishna Singh.

Picture of the Siege of Arrah in which Babu Amar Singh was part of the attacking forces

Babu Amar Singh originally assisted in his brothers campaign including the infamous Siege of Arrah.

After the death of Babu Kunwar Singh on 24 April 1858, Babu Amar Singh became the chief of the army and despite heavy odds, continued the struggle and for a considerable time ran a parallel government in the district of Shahabad. Four days after the death of his brother, he heard reports about British tax collectors in Arrah. He subsequently led an attack on them and defeated them. He was assisted by his commander-in-chief, Hare Krishna Singh.

A soldier who served Amar Singh and was captured in 1858 gave some details about his forces. He stated that after Amar Singh retreated into the hills, he had around 400 cavalry-men and six guns. The guns were obtained from a mechanic in Calcutta who served Amar Singh directly. The force also had cannon balls that were manafuctured in Jagdispur with lead they obtained from raids on British boats. Amar Singh was also planning to join his force with fellow rebel leader Nana Sahib.

One the 6th of June 1858, Amar Singh and his force of 2000 sepoys and 500 sawars arrived in the village of Gahmar in Ghazipur near the border with Bihar. The Sakarwar Rajput rebels from this region, under the leadership of Meghar Singh, were keen for Amar Singh's support and a letter was composed in a village requesting his help. Amar Singh accepted their request. Meghar Singh personally presented Amar Singh with a nazrana or gift worth Rs 20,000. They exchanged supplies and Amar Singh left Gahmar on the 10th of June. Meghar Singh eventually accepted the leadership of Babu Amar Singh of Jagdishpur and the Sakarwars and the Ujjainiyas became allies. Among the motivations for this alliance were the marital ties shared between the Sakarwars and the Ujjainiyas.

The  Sakarwar (alternatively known as Sikarwar) are a clan found in certain parts of North and Eastern India. They belong to Rajput caste.

In Bihar, the Sakarwar Rajputs established the settlements of Kudra, Chainpur and Bhabua

CHAINPUR

The area of Chainpur in Kaimur district of Bihar  was historically ruled by Sakarwar Rajputs. A document called the Kursinama purports to trace the ancestry of the Chainpur family to Fatehpur Sikri where the family was driven out during Babur's invasion. As they fled eastwards under the leadership of Lakshmi Mal, they eventually conquered Chainpur from the Chero tribe. Among the most important rulers of the Chainpur Sakarwars was Raja Salivahana who built Chainpur fort and was prominent in the region prior to the ascendancy of Sher Shah Suri.

Uprising in 1857

Under the leadership of a local chieftain, Meghar Singh, many Sakarwars in Zamania in Ghazipur district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh took part in a rebellion against British rule. The Sakarwars and the British initially had cordial relations with many Sakarwars serving as soldiers for the East India Company and their villages provided prime recruiting grounds. Thakur Meghar Singh's uprising seems to have been influenced by the movement of Kunwar Singh's forces through the region and in May 1858, many Sakarwars began looting in Eastern UP and Western Bihar, However, by November most of the rebels had surrendered.

In October 1859, after subsequent guerilla  skirmishes with the British, Amar Singh have to retreat with other rebel leaders to the Nepal Terai. He presumably went into hiding after this and disappeared before being captured later that same year and dying in prison.

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