From Residency to Raj Bhawan
Rajendra Bora
British government made headquarters of its first resident of Rajputana at Rampura in 1818, in the then Tonk state, but the place just does not exist in any official record now.
Rampura is a forgotten place. Even census reports or revenue records do not mention any place bearing the name of Rampura, says the recently released book “Rajputana Residency to Raj Bhawan,” the first work about Rajasthan that brings residencies and Raj Bhawans to the centre state of history.
The authors of the book V.S.Singh, a senior IAS officer presently posted as secretary to the Rajasthan governor, and B.R.Dubey, an officer on special duty in the Raj Bhawan, however, succeeded in tracing the place chosen for establishing first residency in Rajputana to operate the newly established alliance between British paramountcy and Rajput states.
They dug out some documents from Arabic and Persian institute in Tonk to establish that the present Aligarh, a tehsil headquarters, was the old Rampura where the first residency had its headquarters before shifting to a more suitable place Ajmer.
The nawab of Tonk state changed the name of Rampura to Aligarh around 19th century, says this book commissioned by the Raj Bhawan.
A visit to Rampura, now Aligarh, revealed that neither the government records there nor the oral accounts or even the site observation gave any idea of existence of a residency, say the authors.
Since there existed no building, or any relic thereof which looked like a residency, the book ventured to guess that the first agent to Governor General (AGG) in Rajputana, Major General Sir David Ochterlony lived in Rampura in tents.
The main consideration of selecting Rampura as the headquarters of the resident was political and military advantage of its location on the route of Agra and Ajmer.
“I will be necessary, therefore, for you to fix your permanent residence at Rampura which... is to be station of the main body of the force destined for the protection of Rajputana, and for giving effect to the alliance with the western states. The book quoted a letter from secretary to the Governor General to the newly appointed AGG for Rajputana as saying.
However, establishment of the Rajputana residency at Rampura was a transitory phase as Major General Ochterlony, who was made resident in April 1818 was posted back in Delhi from where he looked after affairs of Rajputana states.
The then British Governor General William Bentick later decided in 1832 in favour of Ajmer as headquarters of AGG for the town’s climate, centrality and strategic importance. Earlier, Rampura was chosen as the residency because Ajmer at that time was in possession of Daulat Rao Sindhia and yet to be ceded to British Government.
The Rajputana residency, the residence of the AGG, was started in 1832 from Daulat Bagh, now known as Subhash Udhyan before shifting to Phoos-ka-Bungalow near the Principal’s old bungalow and Durgadas house in the present Mayo College campus in Ajmer.
However, after the visit to Mount Abu by Col Todd in 1822, the Britishers started gravitating towards the hill resort because of its salubrious climate and scenic beauty and by the year 1842 they started oscillating between Ajmer and Abu during winter and summer respectively.
In August, 1857, the headquarters of the Rajputana agency were transferred to Mount Abu from Ajmer. However, about seven years later the Governor General in council authorised the AGG to make Ajmer his headquarters for six months in a year and remain there as long as necessary in public interest.
Interestingly Mount Abu’s residency building still houses Raj Bhawan, the residence of Rajasthan Governor, where the constitutional head of the state shifts in summer.
When Mayo College for the education of wards of princely states came up, the residency was shifted to a rented building which came to the Rajasthan government after independence. The state government finally purchased the building for Rs 5 lakh in as late as 1972 in pursuance of the judgement of a case pending in Calcutta High Court since 1939.
After independence Jaipur became the capital of newly formed state by merger of 19 princely states and the institute of resident died with the departure of Britishers. A new institution of Rajpramukh emerged which was later converted in to Rajyapal, the Governor.
The present Raj Bhawan also did not come into existence immediately after the formation of the Rajasthan state because the first Rajpramukh, Sawai Man Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur opted to live in his own majestic Ram Bagh Palace.
The institution of Rajpramukh gave way to Governor ina 1956 and the first incumbent was Gurumukh Nihal Singh for whom the Raj Bhawan was created to serve his residence that grew to present glory gradually.
(The piece was published in Times of India on 5 June 2003)
British government made headquarters of its first resident of Rajputana at Rampura in 1818, in the then Tonk state, but the place just does not exist in any official record now.
Rampura is a forgotten place. Even census reports or revenue records do not mention any place bearing the name of Rampura, says the recently released book “Rajputana Residency to Raj Bhawan,” the first work about Rajasthan that brings residencies and Raj Bhawans to the centre state of history.
The authors of the book V.S.Singh, a senior IAS officer presently posted as secretary to the Rajasthan governor, and B.R.Dubey, an officer on special duty in the Raj Bhawan, however, succeeded in tracing the place chosen for establishing first residency in Rajputana to operate the newly established alliance between British paramountcy and Rajput states.
They dug out some documents from Arabic and Persian institute in Tonk to establish that the present Aligarh, a tehsil headquarters, was the old Rampura where the first residency had its headquarters before shifting to a more suitable place Ajmer.
The nawab of Tonk state changed the name of Rampura to Aligarh around 19th century, says this book commissioned by the Raj Bhawan.
A visit to Rampura, now Aligarh, revealed that neither the government records there nor the oral accounts or even the site observation gave any idea of existence of a residency, say the authors.
Since there existed no building, or any relic thereof which looked like a residency, the book ventured to guess that the first agent to Governor General (AGG) in Rajputana, Major General Sir David Ochterlony lived in Rampura in tents.
The main consideration of selecting Rampura as the headquarters of the resident was political and military advantage of its location on the route of Agra and Ajmer.
“I will be necessary, therefore, for you to fix your permanent residence at Rampura which... is to be station of the main body of the force destined for the protection of Rajputana, and for giving effect to the alliance with the western states. The book quoted a letter from secretary to the Governor General to the newly appointed AGG for Rajputana as saying.
However, establishment of the Rajputana residency at Rampura was a transitory phase as Major General Ochterlony, who was made resident in April 1818 was posted back in Delhi from where he looked after affairs of Rajputana states.
The then British Governor General William Bentick later decided in 1832 in favour of Ajmer as headquarters of AGG for the town’s climate, centrality and strategic importance. Earlier, Rampura was chosen as the residency because Ajmer at that time was in possession of Daulat Rao Sindhia and yet to be ceded to British Government.
The Rajputana residency, the residence of the AGG, was started in 1832 from Daulat Bagh, now known as Subhash Udhyan before shifting to Phoos-ka-Bungalow near the Principal’s old bungalow and Durgadas house in the present Mayo College campus in Ajmer.
However, after the visit to Mount Abu by Col Todd in 1822, the Britishers started gravitating towards the hill resort because of its salubrious climate and scenic beauty and by the year 1842 they started oscillating between Ajmer and Abu during winter and summer respectively.
In August, 1857, the headquarters of the Rajputana agency were transferred to Mount Abu from Ajmer. However, about seven years later the Governor General in council authorised the AGG to make Ajmer his headquarters for six months in a year and remain there as long as necessary in public interest.
Interestingly Mount Abu’s residency building still houses Raj Bhawan, the residence of Rajasthan Governor, where the constitutional head of the state shifts in summer.
When Mayo College for the education of wards of princely states came up, the residency was shifted to a rented building which came to the Rajasthan government after independence. The state government finally purchased the building for Rs 5 lakh in as late as 1972 in pursuance of the judgement of a case pending in Calcutta High Court since 1939.
After independence Jaipur became the capital of newly formed state by merger of 19 princely states and the institute of resident died with the departure of Britishers. A new institution of Rajpramukh emerged which was later converted in to Rajyapal, the Governor.
The present Raj Bhawan also did not come into existence immediately after the formation of the Rajasthan state because the first Rajpramukh, Sawai Man Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur opted to live in his own majestic Ram Bagh Palace.
The institution of Rajpramukh gave way to Governor ina 1956 and the first incumbent was Gurumukh Nihal Singh for whom the Raj Bhawan was created to serve his residence that grew to present glory gradually.
(The piece was published in Times of India on 5 June 2003)
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