Historically Purvanchal is the region ruled by the king of Kashi (Kashi Naresh), which reigons are Mirzapur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Sonbhadra,Deoria, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, some main parts of Gorakhpur and also Sant Kabir Nagar. This territory was ruled by the Bhumihar Brahmin which have their strong Brahmin army. The Kingdom of Kashi was founded by Khsetravridha, the son of Ayus, of the Somavansa dynasty of Pratishthana. It lost independence in 1194 and was eventually ceded by the Nawab of Oudh to the British Raj in 1775, who recognized Benares as a family dominion. Benares became a state in 1911[2]. It was given the privilege of 13-gun salute.The governor of Benares gave most of the area currently known as Varanasi to Mansa Ram, a Gautam Bhumihar Brahmin zamindar of Utaria. In 1737 AD Balwant Singh, ruler of Utaria, later received the territories of Jaunpur, Varanasi and Chunar in 1740 AD from the Mughal Emperor of Delhi. The Kingdom of Benaras started in this way under the Mughal dynasty. Other places under the kingship of Kashi Naresh were Chandauli,Gyanpur, Chakia, Latifshah, Mirzapur, Nandeshwar, Mint House and Vindhyachal.
With the decline of the Mughal Empire, the military or Bhumihar Brahmin strengthened their sway in the area south of Avadh and in the fertile rice growing areas of Benares, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ghazipur, Ballia and Bihar and on the fringes of Bengal. The strong clan organisation on which they rested, brought success to the lesser Hindu princes. There were as many as 100,000 Bhumihar Brahmin clansmen backing the power of the Benares rajyas in what later became the districts of Benares, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh. This proved a decisive advantage when the dynasty faced a rival and the nominal suzerain, the Nawab of Awadh, in the 1750s and the 1760s. An exhausting guerrilla war, waged by the Benares ruler against the Avadh camp, using his Brahmin clan troops, forced the Nawab to withdraw his main force.
According to Orthodox Brahmin traditions, no one has seen Kashi Naresh eat food, and none of the kings have travelled abroad, in keeping with strict Brahmin rules.[4] Kashi Naresh has played host to a list of dignitaries which includes Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Indira Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, PresidentKocheril Raman Narayanan and his Burmese wife.[citation needed]
About Purvanchal[edit]
A carpet seller inGopiganj, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Bhadohi, India
Purvanchal is one of the most ancient regions of India and enjoys a rich heritage and culture, particularly because of its association with cities like Varanasi, Gorakhpur etc. However, the economic and industrial growth of this region had been greatly hindered because of caste-guided political in-fighting and a huge population.[citation needed] The major issues are lack of civicinfrastructure, proper rural education and employment. Bleak law and order is a major area of concern. Negligence on the part of Uttar Pradesh government and Central Government of India have also added to its present condition of chaos.[citation needed]
The region played a very important role in the freedom struggle of India. It was for this reason thatBritishers were always apprehensive of the strong nationalist and pro-independence spirit of the people. Mangal Pandey is one of the most prominent freedom fighters from this region, known as the true son of Purvanchal. In popular culture, Purvanchal is well known as "The land of warriors".Hinduism and its subsets Buddhism and Jainism also owe their origin to this region only.
GI tag holders Sant Ravidas Nagar, Bhadohi and Mirzapur are major players in the carpet manufacturing in Asia. Another GI tag holder district Varanasi is a center of Indian tourism and special saari manufacturing. Sonbhadra, a district of Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh produces 7000 MW electricity, almost half of the total electricity generation in the state of Uttar Pradesh and largest and only major mine of limestone in India. Varanasi and Kushinagar attract more than 65% of the total tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh. Mirzapurand Sonbhadra are very rich with natural resources.
With the decline of the Mughal Empire, the military or Bhumihar Brahmin strengthened their sway in the area south of Avadh and in the fertile rice growing areas of Benares, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ghazipur, Ballia and Bihar and on the fringes of Bengal. The strong clan organisation on which they rested, brought success to the lesser Hindu princes. There were as many as 100,000 Bhumihar Brahmin clansmen backing the power of the Benares rajyas in what later became the districts of Benares, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh. This proved a decisive advantage when the dynasty faced a rival and the nominal suzerain, the Nawab of Awadh, in the 1750s and the 1760s. An exhausting guerrilla war, waged by the Benares ruler against the Avadh camp, using his Brahmin clan troops, forced the Nawab to withdraw his main force.
According to Orthodox Brahmin traditions, no one has seen Kashi Naresh eat food, and none of the kings have travelled abroad, in keeping with strict Brahmin rules.[4] Kashi Naresh has played host to a list of dignitaries which includes Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Indira Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, PresidentKocheril Raman Narayanan and his Burmese wife.[citation needed]
About Purvanchal[edit]
A carpet seller inGopiganj, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Bhadohi, India
Purvanchal is one of the most ancient regions of India and enjoys a rich heritage and culture, particularly because of its association with cities like Varanasi, Gorakhpur etc. However, the economic and industrial growth of this region had been greatly hindered because of caste-guided political in-fighting and a huge population.[citation needed] The major issues are lack of civicinfrastructure, proper rural education and employment. Bleak law and order is a major area of concern. Negligence on the part of Uttar Pradesh government and Central Government of India have also added to its present condition of chaos.[citation needed]
The region played a very important role in the freedom struggle of India. It was for this reason thatBritishers were always apprehensive of the strong nationalist and pro-independence spirit of the people. Mangal Pandey is one of the most prominent freedom fighters from this region, known as the true son of Purvanchal. In popular culture, Purvanchal is well known as "The land of warriors".Hinduism and its subsets Buddhism and Jainism also owe their origin to this region only.
GI tag holders Sant Ravidas Nagar, Bhadohi and Mirzapur are major players in the carpet manufacturing in Asia. Another GI tag holder district Varanasi is a center of Indian tourism and special saari manufacturing. Sonbhadra, a district of Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh produces 7000 MW electricity, almost half of the total electricity generation in the state of Uttar Pradesh and largest and only major mine of limestone in India. Varanasi and Kushinagar attract more than 65% of the total tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh. Mirzapurand Sonbhadra are very rich with natural resources.