Ghazipur district

Ghazipur district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Ghazipur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Varanasi Division. The region of Ghazipur is famous mainly for the production of its unique rose-scented Spray called Gulab Jal, and for the tomb of the Governor General of British India, Lord Cornwallis, who died here. His tomb is situated in Western part of City, and is conserved by Archaeological Survey of India.

The district has derived its name from its headquarters town of Ghazipur. It was during the reign of Harsha, a Chinese pilgrim known with the name of Xuanzang came to the district. And in his days the place was known as Chen- Chu interpreting in English as the Kingdom of the lord of 'Battles' which has been given various nomenclatures like Yudhpatipura, Yudharanpura, Garzapatipura and the last one probably who the modern Ghazipur as adopted by Lord Cunninghum. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang had stated that a stupa was erected by Ashoka in the memory of Buddha who had been here in the district. Regarding the nomenclature of Ghazipur there has also been a version that it has its derivation from the word "Ghadi", who happened to be a Hindu king in the 9th century the original name of the place was Gadhipura. But, Gandhipura was located little far from the present city of Ghazipur.

According to one story Raja Mandhata was said to have been an heir (descendant) of Prithvi Raj of Delhi and was suffering from a skin disease and wanted to get rid of the affliction by bathing in the tank at Kathot. He did take bath under the direction of Brahmins and cured sometimes later. After overcoming his disease he settled in Ghazipur and built a fort. Subsequently, his nephew and his successors seized a Muslim girl whose mother got worried for her daughter and as a measure for the safety of her daughter, she appealed to the sultan of Delhi, with the result that a band of forty ghazis under the headship of Ghazi Saiyad Mausaud reached Kathot and captured the fort and slew Raja Mandhata and his nephew. Thus the Ghazis got charge of the area and where Masud is supposed traditionally to have founded a city in 1330 commemorating his newly acquired title of Malik-Us-Sadal Ghazi. He established a new city near to the old Gandhipura and the place got name Ghazipur.

The region covered by the present district of Ghazipur once formed part of the ancient kingdom of Kashi, a famous centre of Aryan civilization. The ancient history of Ghazipur can, therefore, be pieced out from that of Kashi. Archaeological finds of Saidpur–Aurihar and Bhitri also proved that it is related to an oldest time. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (630 to 644) visited and described this place. A legend states that the Jamadagani Rishi lived near to the present day Zamania town with his wife. According to the Mahabharat, Haihaya king Kartivirya came to residence of Jamadagni Rishi, after hospitality, he had taken Kamdhenu by force, but Parshuram son of Jamadagani Rishi overcome him and Kamdhenu was recovered. Kartivirya offered a sacrifice in atonement of his sin.

The early political history of this region is complex, Purans and Mahabharat, classical Sanskrit texts, the early Jain and Buddhist texts have given information in this regard. The Jains also testify to the greatness of the region under Kashi king Ashwasena as the father of Tirthankara Parshvanath. During the two or three centuries preceding the birth of Mahavira and the Buddha, the whole of northern India was divided into sixteen principal states known in early Buddhist and Jain literatures as the Solah Mahajanpada. The kingdom of Kashi was predominant in this period and covered the present district of Ghazipur. During the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. Kashi and Kosala fought against each other, which is stated in the Jatakas, early in the sixth century, Kashi kingdom completely collapsed in its struggle with Kosala. After the fall of the Kanvas (27 BC) Kashi seems to have been occupied by the Vatsas of Kaushambi. In the last of first century A.D. the Kushanas had established a state kingdom in the greater part of the northern India. Kushans rules came to end in the beginning of 3rd century in this region and a branch of Nagas, Bharashiva took the region in their hand. For nearly two centuries (from about 325 to 535 AD) this region formed part of the Gupta Empire. Chandragupta I (320–355 AD), Samundragupta, Chandragupta, Vikramaditya (376–415 AD), Kumargupta (415–455 AD), Skandagupta ruled over this region. In the middle of sixth century the Yashodharman of Malwa, the district had come under his meteoric sovereignty after which it passed under the rule of the Maukharis of Kannauj. In the first half of the 7th century A.D. it had come under the Harsha, after the death of Harsha it had gone to the hand of Yashovarman of Kannau (690–740 AD). In 770 AD the district had gone to the Dharampala, king of Bengal and there after Devapala (810–850 AD). After him it gone under Bhojadeva (Cen. 836–882 AD) Pratihara king of Kannauj. About the close of the tenth century the hold of Bhojadeva’s hold of Kannauj on Ghazipur became nominal. There after it had gone under the Pal king Mahipala I (992- 1040 AD), after him, it had gone to the Kalchuri or Chedi king Gangeyadeva (1015–1041). It was during the early part of this period that India suffered from the invasions of Mahmud Ghazni who sacked Kannauj in 1019. Chandradeva, the founder of the Gahadvala dynasty who was, about 1090, occupied this region and Kannauj. His son Madanpala (1100–1114) and his son Govind Chandra (1114–1154) and his son Vijay Chandra (1154–1170) ruled over this region.

Iltutmish conquered the region between 1210 and 1214 during his years as governor of Budaun. In 1322, it gone to the hand of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq and his successor Firoz Shah. In 1394 Khwaja Jahan in charge of Jaunpur government including the Ghazipur region, became independent and established Jaunpur Sultanate, the Ghazipur remained under it till 1479, when Bahlul Lodi defeated its last ruler Sultan Husain and conquered the Jaunpur Sultanate, his successor Sikandar Lodi gave administration of Jaunpur to the hand of Mubarak Khan in which time the Ghazipur took good place. Sikandar Lodi died on 21 November 1517, and Ibrahim Lodi was crowned, his younger brother Jalal Khan declared himself king of Jaunpur and remained independent for a considerable time.

After the battle of Panipat (21 April 1526), the rule of Lodi dynasty came to an end Babur became the ruler of Delhi. He sent Humayun to the east. He came to Jaunpur and punished Nasir Khan and obliged him to flee from Ghazipur, which came into Humayun possession, but he short stayed here as he was recalled by the Emperor Babur to fight against Rajputs and Afghans. District was soon recaptured by the Afghans, so Babur left Agra on 20 January 1529 and reached Ghazipur. Soon after his return Babur died and his successor Humayun had come to the east where Afghan was rising in which Sher Shah was also included. Humayun had defeated all Afghans including Sher Khan ( Sher Shah) and by an agreement the Chunar Fort gave to him by Humayun. In 1539, the district once again fell to the Afghan under Sher Khan who defeated Humayun at Chausa and assumed the title of Sher Shah at Varanasi. Kam Dev's brother name as Dham Dev who lived at Maa khamakhya Dham near Gahmar also helped Sher Shah Suri in the battle of Chausa. Ghazipur had gone to the house of Sur.

In the meanwhile Humayun reoccupied his lost kingdom but died soon after. His young son, Akbar, made himself the master of Hindustan after the battle of Panipat. The Afghans continued to hold sway in the east, including this district till 1559, Ali Quli Khan urf Khan Zaman subdued the region for his young sovereign and founded the town of Zamania, bringing the district of Ghazipur into his possession. In early 1565, Khan Zaman rebelled against Akbar, then Akbar crushed him and the government of Ghazipur was then given to Munim Khan Khan-i-Khanan who administered his territories with great success for many years. After Munim Khan the charge was Given to Sarkar Dewan Raja Quttul Khan jagirdar during late rule of Akbar in 1600 and then to Quttul's cousin, Daud Khan. Quttul Khan was a Sarkar or Governor of Ghazipur Sarkar, Dewan a Jagirdar of Ghazipur. After the death of Quttul his cousin handled all the post. Both brother belonged to Kamsar region of Ghazipur which back then was a large Raja Zamindarana estate and had many jagirs under it during Mughal and Nawab times. In Akbar's time the Ghazipur government had great importance. After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, as his successor Bahadur Shah I he brought Ghazipur directly under his sway. During Aurangzeb a large part of Ghazipur and Kamsar-O-Bar jagirs were given to Raja Deendar Khan, the founder of Dildarnagar.