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The main question asked by everyone is where Awadh is and the answer to that is that the Awadh Empire covered the modern day state of India, Uttar Pradesh. This was established as subhas which belonged to the original twelve subhas under the Mughal empire. The name was derived from the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya which used to be the capital of another ancient kingdom named Kosala. This article will try to uncover the roots that Awadh or Oudh has on the Bengal region and the whole of India.
History of Awadh
Awadh used to be a very fertile plain which was strategically situated in the midst of Ganges and Yamuna river bodies. Awadh was more popularly known as the granary of India and was under strategic control of Doab. The kingdom was quite strong and resisted the invasion from Marathas, Afghans and British. Under the Mughal rule, Awadh or Oudh became one of the twelve subhas. As such, subahdars were appointed for Awadh as well which is equivalent to governor post in the modern world. Awadh was placed as a strategic centre and the ones who controlled the lands would benefit immensely from the province. Due to its favourable position it was a hub of trade and that led to the conflict for the lands. Awadh prospered most under the rule of nawabs. The nawabs provided jobs, luxury and a better revenue system which was beneficial for the citizens. The British saw this as an opportunity after the battle of Buxar and decided to intervene thus leading to the annexation of Awadh.
Empire in Bengal
Major power came into the hands of north Indian nawabs during the later parts of 18th century in purview of the nawabs of Murshidabad. Those nawabs previously served as subahdars for the Mughal Empire’s Bengal section. They also had a conflict with the East India Company. In the year 1704, Nawabs Murshid Kuli shifted his capital of Bengal from Dacca to Muxadabad. He later renamed the city to Murshidabad under his own name to gain dominance.
Annexation of Awadh
After the battle of Buxar, Faridabadh was deemed as the capital of Awadh. In 1775 AD, the capital was shifted to Lucknow from Faridabad. On 7th of February, 1856 Lord Dalhousie ordered the disposal of Wajid Ali Shah on the alleged crime of misruling internally. The question here arises: when was Awadh annexed? The answer to that is Awadh was annexed in February of 1856. The British divided the provinces and took away the livelihood of the local’s thus giving rise to tensions which would last for almost 18 months.
Aftermath of the annexation
Awadhi’s loss had fuelled the tension that was previously there between the local purpose and the British. This resentment towards the move by the East India Company came as a boiling revolt of 1857 with Awadh. This became the main focal point of the rebellion which was raided by the local purpose groups. The rebellion was enough to make the British lose control temporarily during the rebellion. There were lots of uprising occurring between 5th of July 1857 and 3rd of March 1858. The campaign for reprisal lasted for eighteen long months which was quite a big hit for the East India Company. In later years Awadh was amalgamated with north eastern provinces and led to gains of larger provinces. In 1902 the province was finally renamed as the united provinces of Agra and Awadh. This was eventually renamed as Agra province after certain fallouts.
Results of this annexation
One crucial question which comes up from the annexation of Awadh is that did the people benefit from this? The initial results were not productive and led to certain negativities with rising tensions. Initial results of the annexation were definitely not in the favour of the Indians. The East Indian company increased taxation which led to a lot of extension between the provinces. This in fact disrupted the normal life of the citizens. Apart From that, the Nawabs’ treasures were looted and the women’s were dishonoured thus leading to further tensions. Thousands of the nawabs soldiers were dismissed from duty and they were not allowed to do any other jobs. This impacted their livelihood and eventually hurt the sentiments of the locals who prospered under the rule of nawabs. This arrangement neither benefited the locals nor the East India Company and the annexation is still considered to be unjust due to obvious reasons.
The strategic advocate that Dalhousie wished to gain from the annexation of Awadh ultimately backfired. This led to loss of control. Life, prosperity and economy were impacted severely due to the rise of rebellions and tension.
Conclusion
Awadh was a lan of great strategic value and was ruled as one of the top twelve provinces under the Mughal emperor Akbar. It was called the subhas and the governing bodies were named as the subahdars. They later came into power as the Mughal dynasty crumbled and lost control. The nawabs took good care of the alone and made its citizens preposterous. After the battle of Buxar the British became aware of the mass and tried to gain from it which was followed by the annexation of the province in 1856.
