Makran (princely state)
Makran state | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c.1740s–1955 | |||||||||
.svg) Flag | |||||||||
 Makran state in Pakistan 1955 (in red) | |||||||||
| Status | independent kingdom (1740s–1839) princely state under British Raj (1839–1947) princely state of Pakistan (1947–1955) | ||||||||
| Capital | Kech (Main) Panjgur (Cadet branch) Tump (Cadet branch) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Balochi Brahui | ||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||
| Demonym | Makrani | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
| Nawab | |||||||||
• 1898-1917 | Sardar Mir Mehrullah Khan (first known) | ||||||||
• 1948-1955 | Nawab Mir Bai Khan Gichki (last) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Mulla Murad Gichki conquers Kech valley | c.1740s | ||||||||
• Disestablished under One Unit Scheme | 1955 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 23,196 sq mi (60,080 km2) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1951 census | 138,691 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  Pakistan | ||||||||
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| This article is part of the series |
| Former administrative units of Pakistan |
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Makran (Urdu: ریاستِ مکران) was an autonomous princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British Indian Empire until 1947, before acceding as an autonomous princely state of Pakistan.[1] It ceased to exist in 1955. It was located in the extreme southwest of present-day Pakistan; the areas it covered are now parts of the districts of Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur. The state did not include the enclave of Omani Gwadar, which was under Omani rule until 1958. At the time of first Pakistani census in 1951, it covered an area of 23,196 sq mi (60,080 km2) and had a population of 138,691 people.[2]
History
[edit]Makran state was ruled by Gichki Nawabs,[3] who were of Rajput origins.[4][5] Their ancestor, Jagat Singh, had migrated from Rajputana in the 17th century and converted to Islam.[6] The political turmoil in Makran during the 17th and 18th centuries attracted several bands of raiders from the neighbouring regions; among them were Buledi, Gichki, and Nausherwanis, the latter of whom were said to have originated in northeast Iran, who later established their state in Kharan.
According to a locally well-known tradition from Makran, the ancestors of Gichki were forty Rajput horsemen from north; in an alliance with Buledi, Gichki killed the then ruler of Kech, a certain Malik Mirza. Soon conflict broke out between the two tribes and Gichki ousted Buledi as well, hence gaining complete control over Makran. Fabietti considers the factuality of some of the details mentioned in this account uncertain, although he believes that the migration of Gichki Rajputs and the struggle between them and Buledi probably had a historical basis.[7] The Gichki now identify as Baloch.[6]
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Historically, Gichki appeared in Makran in the 16th century. They drove out Buledi after 1740 under their chief, Mulla Murad. Gichki were Zikris like Buledi, and Mulla Murad Gichki is considered one of the major Zikri figures. He organised Zikrism as a faith and chose Koh-e-Murad as its central pilgrimage site. During the rule of Murad's son Malik Dinar Gichki, Makran was invaded nine times by the Khan of Kalat, Nasir Khan Brahui and Gichki were forced to pay half of their revenue to him. The advent of British rule weakened the influence of Kalat, allowing Gichki Nawabs to assert their internal independence again.[7]
Accession to Pakistan
[edit]On 21 March 1948, after the partition of India, the rulers of Makran, Kharan, and Las Bela all announced that they were ceding their states to the Dominion of Pakistan. Their rulers signed the official documents.[8] The last Nawab, Mir Baian Gichki acceded to Pakistan in 1947.[9][10]
Society and Administration
[edit]The administration of the realm was subdivided between various branches. Two major branches of the Gichkis, Isazai and Dinarzai ruled Panjgur and Kech respectively.[11] Gichki castles in Kech were surveyed by Fiorani Piacentini et al. between 1987 and 1991, who described their architecture as a blend of Rajput heritage of Gichki Nawabs and the Persian culture followed by them.[12]
Demographics
[edit]| Religious group |
1911[13] | 1921[14] | 1931[15] | 1941[16] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam 
|
71,758 | 99.74% | 71,625 | 99.67% | 68,213 | 99.64% | 86,406 | 99.72% |
Hinduism 
|
137 | 0.19% | 216 | 0.3% | 233 | 0.34% | 206 | 0.24% |
Christianity 
|
40 | 0.06% | 11 | 0.02% | 11 | 0.02% | 20 | 0.02% |
Sikhism 
|
2 | 0% | 8 | 0.01% | 3 | 0% | 17 | 0.02% |
Zoroastrianism 
|
4 | 0.01% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
Buddhism .svg){kind=small}
|
1 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Judaism 
|
0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 1 | 0% |
Jainism 
|
0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Tribal | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total population | 71,942 | 100% | 71,860 | 100% | 68,462 | 100% | 86,651 | 100% |
See also
[edit]- Khanate of Kalat
- Baluchistan States Union
- Kadu Makrani, 19th century revolutionary.
References
[edit]- ^ Pillalamarri, Akhilesh. "A Brief History of Balochistan". The Diplomat.
- ^ "Census of Pakistan, VOLUME 2 1951. Baluchistan: Report & Tables" (PDF). Manager of Publications, Government of Pakistan, Karachi. 1951.
- ^ Malik, Fida Hussain (14 October 2020). Balochistan: A Conflict of Narratives. Saiyid Books. p. 11. ISBN 978-969-2200-02-8.
- ^ Quddus, Syed Abdul (1990). The Tribal Baluchistan. Ferozsons. p. 63. ISBN 978-969-0-10047-4.
The former rulers of Makran and Lasbela, Gichki and Jamots respectively, are Rajputs.
- ^ Spooner, Brian (1964). "Kūch u Balūch and Ichthyophagi". Iran. 2: 53–67. doi:10.2307/4299552. ISSN 0578-6967. JSTOR 4299552.
The Gichki are the descendants of a Rajput family which settled in 17th century.
- ^ a b Ahmed, Manzoor; Khan, Gulawar (2017). "The History of Baloch and Balochistan: A Critical Appraisal" (PDF). South Asian Studies. 32: 39–52.
The Gichki (the ruling family of British Makran during mid 18th century) are said to have migrated from the Rajputana under Jagat Singh and settled in Kech (Makran). Their descendants, called Gichkis, have ruled over Makran for decades. The Gichki have been living in Balochistan since 18th century and identify as Baloch.
- ^ a b Fabietti (2011), pp. 94–101.
- ^ Siddiqi, Farhan Hanif (2012), The Politics of Ethnicity in Pakistan: The Baloch, Sindhi and Mohajir Ethnic Movements, Routledge, p. 60, ISBN 978-0-415-68614-3,
The rulers of the states of Kharan, Makran and Lasbela announced their decision to join the Pakistan dominion on 21 March 1948 and their respective rulers signed the official documents
- ^ Pastner (1978), pp. 251–257.
- ^ Spooner (1988).
- ^ Pastner (1978), pp. 248–249.
- ^ Fiorani Piacentini & Redaelli (2016), pp. 157–175.
- ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : pt. 1, Report; pt. 2, Tables". 1911. p. 11. JSTOR saoa.crl.25393764. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 1921. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1921. p. 165. JSTOR saoa.crl.25394124. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 1931. Vol. 4, Baluchistan. Pts. 1 & 2, Report [and] Imperial and provincial tables". 1931. p. 390. JSTOR saoa.crl.25797115. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 14, Baluchistan". p. 17. JSTOR saoa.crl.28215993. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
Bibliography
[edit]- Fiorani Piacentini, Valeria; Redaelli, Riccardo, eds. (2016) [2003]. Baluchistan: Terra Incognita. Studies in the Archaeology and History of Baluchistan. Vol. I. Oxford, England: BAR Publishing. doi:10.30861/9781841715131. ISBN 978-1-84171-513-1.
- Fabietti, Ugo (2011). Ethnography at the Frontier: Space, Memory and Society in Southern Balochistan. Peter Lang. doi:10.3726/978-3-0352-0104-8. ISBN 978-3-0352-0104-8.
- Pastner, Stephen (1978). "Conservatism and Change in a Desert Feudalism: The Case of Southern Baluchistan". In Weissleder, Wolfgang (ed.). The Nomadic Alternative: Modes and Models of Interaction in the African-Asian Deserts and Steppes. De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 247–260. doi:10.1515/9783110810233.247. ISBN 978-3-11-081023-3.
- Spooner, Brian J. (1988). "Baluchistan i. Geography, History and Ethnography". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. III/6: Baḵtīārī tribe II–Banān. London and New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 598–632. ISBN 978-0-71009-118-5.