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2021-08-29T17:57:15Z

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{{short description|Princely State of India}}
{{about|the Princely State of Tonk|the city of Tonk|Tonk, India|the district of Tonk|Tonk district}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|native_name = <big>टोंक रियासत/ ریاستِ ٹونک</big>
|conventional_long_name =Tonk State
|common_name = Tonk
|nation = [[British India]]
|subdivision = [[Princely State]]
|era =
|year_start = 1806
|date_start =
|event_start=
|year_end = 1949
|date_end =
|event_end= [[Independence of India]]
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
| p2 = Maratha Empire
| flag_p2 = Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg
| s1 = Republic of India
|flag_s1 = Flag of India.svg
|image_flag = Flag of Tonk.svg
|image_coat = Tonk State CoA.png
|image_map = Jhalawar-Tonk map.jpg
|image_map_caption =Tonk State in the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]]
|motto = '"Nasr min Allah"'' <br> (Victory in God)
|stat_area1 =6512
|stat_year1 =1931
|stat_pop1 = 317,360
|capital = [[Tonk, India|Tonk]]
|today = [[Rajasthan]] ([[India]])
}}
'''Tonk''' was a [[Princely State]] of [[India]] at the time of the [[British Raj]]. The town of [[Tonk, India|Tonk]], which was the capital of the state, had a population of 273,201 in 1901. The town was surrounded by a wall and boasted a mud fort. It had a high school, the Walter hospital for women, under a matron, and a separate hospital for men. It has a bridge on river Banas.

Amir Khan was originally enlisted by the [[Holkar]] dynasty in 1806. Tonk and the surrounding regions were captured from [[Jaipur State]] and rewarded to Amir Khan for his services. In 1817 the British acknowledged Amir Khan as the ruler of Tonk on the condition that he disbanded his army. The army of Amir Khan consisted of 52 battalions of infantry, 15,000 Pashtun cavalry and 150 artillery. Amir Khan surrendered on the condition that the British enlist his men and buy his artillery. Rampura and Aligarh{{Clarify|reason=|date=May 2020}} were presented as gift by the British to Amir Khan for his cooperation.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/imperialgazette19huntgoog|quote=tonk state .|title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India|last=Hunter|first=Sir William Wilson|date=1887|publisher=Trübner & Company|language=en}}</ref> It was the only princely state of [[Rajasthan]] with a [[Muslim]] ruling dynasty.

==Geography==
The state was formed of several enclaves located in an area covered by the alluvium of the Bands, and from this, a few rocky hills composed of schists of the [[Aravalli Range]] protrude, together with scattered outliers of the Alwar quartzites. [[Nimbahera]] is for the most part covered by shales, limestone, and sandstone belonging to the Lower Vindhyan group, while the Central India districts lie in the Deccan trap area, and present all the features common to that formation.

Besides the usual small game, antelope or [[Blackbuck|ravine deer]], and [[nilgai]] ''(Boselaphus tragocamelus)'' used to be common in the plains, and [[leopard]]s, [[sambar deer]] ''(Cervus unicolor)'', and [[wild hog]] were found in many of the hills. Formerly an occasional tiger was met in the south-east of [[Aligarh]], the north-east- of [[Nimbahera]], and parts of [[Pirawa]] and [[Sironj]].

The total area of the [[princely state]] was 2553 sq. mi, with a total population in 1901 of 273,201.
By [[treaty]] Tonk became a British [[protectorate]] in 1817. Following the [[Independence of India]], Tonk acceded to the newly independent [[dominion of India]] on 7 April 1949. It was located in the region bordering present-day [[Rajasthan]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]] states that are now the [[Tonk district]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

==History==
The founder of the state was Nawab [[Muhammad Amir Khan]] (1769–1834), an adventurer and military leader of Pashtun descent. Amir Khan rose to be a military commander in the service of [[Yashwantrao Holkar]] of the [[Maratha Empire]] in 1798. In 1806, Khan received the state of Tonk from Yashwantrao Holkar.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iOsNUZ2MXgC&q=holkar+tonk&pg=PA542|title=The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated of the Indian Empire|first=Sir Roper|last=Lethbridge|date=27 May 2005|publisher=Aakar Books|via=Google Books|isbn=9788187879541}}</ref> In 1817, after the [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]], Amir Khan submitted to the British [[British East India Company]]. As a result, he kept his territory of Tonk and received the title of [[Nawab]].<ref>[https://www.royalark.net/India/tonk.htm Tonk State: Brief history] ''Royal Ark''. Retrieved 29 August 2021</ref> While retaining internal autonomy and remaining outside [[British India]], the state came under the supervision of the [[Rajputana Agency]] and consisted of six isolated districts. Three of these were under the [[Rajputana Agency]], namely, [[Tonk district|Tonk]], Aligarh (formerly [[Rampura, Nagaur|Rampura]]) and [[Nimbahera]]. The other three, [[Chhabra]], [[Pirawa]] and [[Sironj]] were in the [[Central India Agency]]. The [[Haraoti-Tonk Agency]], with headquarters at [[Deoli, Rajasthan|Deoli]], dealt with the states of Tonk and [[Bundi State|Bundi]], as well as with the state of [[Shahpura State|Shahpura]].<ref>''Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV'' (1907), The Indian Empire, Administrative, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxx, 1 map, 552</ref>

A former minister of Tonk state, [[Sahibzada Obeidullah Khan]], was deputed on political duty to [[Peshawar]] during the [[Tirah campaign]] of 1897.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Tonk|volume=27|page=10}}</ref>

In 1899–1900, the state suffered much distress due to [[drought]]. The princely state enjoyed an estimated revenue of [[Pound sterling|£]]128,546 in 1883–84;<ref name="auto"/> however, no tribute was payable to the government of [[British India]]. Grain, cotton, opium and hides were the chief products and exports of the state. Two of the outlying tracts of the state were served by two different railways.

Nawab [[Sir]] Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]] (ruled 1867–1930) was one of few chiefs to attend both [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton|Lord Lytton]]'s Durbar in 1877 and the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1903 as ruler.<ref name="EB1911"/>

In 1947, on the [[Partition of India]] whereby [[India]] and [[Pakistan]] gained independence, the Nawab of Tonk decided to join India. Subsequently, most of the area of the state of Tonk was integrated into [[Rajasthan]] [[states and territories of India|state]], while some of its eastern enclaves became part of [[Madhya Pradesh]].

The foundation of the principality of Tonk led to the creation of a large [[Pathans of Rajasthan|Rajasthani Pathan]] community.

==Rulers==
The rulers of the state, the [[Salarzai]] Nawabs of Tonk, belonged to a Pashtun [[Tarkani]] tribe. They were entitled to a 17-[[gun salute]] by the British authorities.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} The last ruler before Indian independence, Nawab Muhammad Ismail Ali Khan, has no issue.

===Nawabs===
* [[Muhammad Amir Khan]] (1806–1834)
* [[Muhammad Wazir Khan]] (1834–1864)
* Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan (1864–1867)
* [[Ibrahim Ali Khan|Nawab Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan]] (1867{{snd}}23 June 1930)
* Nawab Muhammad Saadat Ali Khan (23 June 1930{{snd}}31 May 1947)
* Nawab Muhammad Faruq Ali Khan (1947–1948)

===Titular Nawabs===
* Nawab Muhammad Ismail Ali Khan (1948–1974)
* Nawab Masoom Ali Khan (1974–1994)
* Nawab Aftab Ali Khan (1994–)

==See also==
*[[Lawa Thikana]]
*[[Pathans of Rajasthan]]
*[[Political integration of India]]
*[[List of Sunni Muslim dynasties]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{Princely states of India}}
{{coord|26.17|N|75.78|E|source:kolossus-cawiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Princely states of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1817]]
[[Category:Muslim princely states of India]]
[[Category:Tonk district]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1949]]
[[Category:1806 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1817 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1949 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:Pashtun dynasties]]

Tonk State - Revision history

imported>Billjones94: /* History */