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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Short description|Kotwal and Motilal Nehru's father (1827 – 1861)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}
| office = [[Kotwal]] of [[Delhi]]
 
| monarch = [[Bahadur Shah II]]
{{infobox person
| birth_date = {{Birth-date|23 September  1827}}
| name = Gangadhar Nehru
| death_date = {{death date and age|1861|2|4|1827|09|23}}
| image =
| spouse = Jeorani Nehru
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1827}}
| parents = [[Laxmi Narain Nehru]]
| birth_place =
| children = Bansidhar<br>[[Nandlal Nehru|Nandlal]]<br>Patrani<br>Maharani<br>[[Motilal Nehru|Motilal]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1861|02|10|1827|df=y}}
| relatives = See [[Nehru-Gandhi family]]
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], British India
| nationality =  
| occupation =  
}}
}}


'''Gangadhar Nehru''' (23 September 1827 - 4 February 1861) was an Indian police officer, who served as the last [[kotwal]] of [[Delhi]] (Chief of [[Police]]) in the court of the [[Mughal emperors|Mughal]] emperor [[Bahadur Shah II]], before the position was abolished following the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]].
'''Gangadhar Nehru''' (1827 – 10 February 1861) was the [[kotwal]] (chief police officer) of [[Delhi]] during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|1857 Indian rebellion]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Agrawal |first=Meena |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=btJADQAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PT7 |title=Indira Gandhi |date=2016-10-14 |publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-5083-008-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=M.K.Singh |first=Ravi Ranjan & |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PIdCEAAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PA23 |title=Indira Gandhi |date=2021-09-11 |publisher=K.K. Publications |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nehru |first=Motilal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MY5HAAAAMAAJ&q=gangadhar+nehru |title=Selected Works of Motilal Nehru: 1899-1918 |date=1982 |publisher=Vikas |isbn=978-0-7069-1885-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-25 |title=पंडित जवाहर लाल नेहरू के दादा थे दिल्ली के आखिरी कोतवाल, पढ़ें रोचक तथ्‍य... |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/delhi-ncr/jawaharlal-nehru-gangadhar-nehru-grandfather-was-last-kotwal-of-delhi-read-interesting-facts-3431468.html |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=News18 हिंदी |language=hi}}</ref> He was the father of [[Indian National Congress]] leader [[Motilal Nehru]] and the grandfather of the first [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2NoVNSyopVcC&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PA124 |title=Remembering Our Leaders |date=1989 |publisher=Children's Book Trust |isbn=978-81-7011-842-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Clifton |first=Ana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n9BHzQEACAAJ |title=100 Greatest Leaders |date=2019-07-20 |publisher=Rupa Publications |isbn=978-93-5333-549-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Agrawal |first=S. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-IJwBgAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PP2 |title=Jawaharlal Nehru: Jawaharlal Nehru: S.K. Agrawal's Comprehensive Portrait of India's First Prime Minister |date=2021-01-01 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-93-5186-352-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Anil Kumar / Manish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-rKaDAAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PA49 |title=Bharat Ratnas: Bharat Ratnas: Celebrating India's Greatest Achievers and Legends |date=2021-01-19 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-81-8430-406-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Akbar |first=M. J. |date=2016-05-27 |title=Remembering Nehru: From the Mughal Court to Jawaharlal |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/remembering-nehru-from-the-mughal-court-to-jawaharlal |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref>


He was the father of Indian independence activist [[Motilal Nehru]] and grandfather of India's first [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], and thus part of the [[Nehru–Gandhi family]].<ref name="Navhind">{{cite news|title=The Founder of the Nehru Dynasty|url= http://www.navhindtimes.in/panorama/founder-nehru-dynasty|newspaper=Navhind Times|date=23 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125121055/http://www.navhindtimes.in/panorama/founder-nehru-dynasty|archive-date=25 November 2013|author=Phadnis, Shekhar|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref>
== Early life ==
__TOC__
He was born in 1827,<ref>{{Cite web |last=وششٹھ |first=اندر |date=2019-02-16 |title=دہلی پولس کا یوم تاسیس: دہلی کا پہلا کوتوال فخرالدین ایمانداری کی مثال...خصوصی پیشکش |url=https://www.qaumiawaz.com/national/first-kotwal-of-delhi-fakhruddin-was-very-honest |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Qaumi Awaz |language=ur}}</ref> was appointed the [[kotwal]] of [[Delhi]] sometime before 1857. He was the last Kotwal of Delhi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Parvez |first=At̤har |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdMGAQAAIAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=Anmol ratan |date=1967 |publisher=Urdū Ghar |language=ur}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cg9uAAAAMAAJ&q=gangadhar+nehru |title=Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny |date=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-510073-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=RAJ |first1=RISHI |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0qaAEAAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PT70 |title=Histories of The Indian Freedom Struggle: Bestseller Book by RISHI RAJ; RAM KUMAR; RAM CHANDRA PRADHAN: Histories of the Indian Freedom Struggle |last2=KUMAR |first2=RAM |last3=PRADHAN |first3=RAM CHANDRA |date=2022-08-10 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |isbn=978-2-02-208100-7 |language=en}}</ref> After the revolt of 1857,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sahgal |first1=Manmohini Zutshi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8QYDQAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PT26 |title=An Indian Freedom Fighter Recalls Her Life |last2=Forbes |first2=Geraldine Hancock |last3=Nehru |first3=B. K. |date=2016-09-16 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-48403-7 |language=en}}</ref> when the British police took over the city of Delhi and started the massacre,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rau |first=M. Chalapathi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmKzgMfl5vEC&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PA7 |title=Nehru for Children |date=1967 |publisher=Children's Book Trust |isbn=978-81-7011-035-4 |language=en}}</ref> he moved to Agra with his wife Jiorani Devi and their three children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nehru |first=Jawaharlal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_aakAAAACAAJ |title=Letters from a Father to His Daughter |date=2004 |publisher=Puffin Books |isbn=978-0-670-05816-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Roychoudhury |first=Hari Pada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xky_EAAAQBAJ&dq=gangadhar+nehru&pg=PT98 |title=The Dark Side of Gandhi: 2nd Edition |date=2023-05-25 |publisher=Notion Press |isbn=979-8-88975-588-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Truth about Nehru: Why conspiracy theorists are wrong about him |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/truth-about-nehru-why-conspiracy-theorists-are-wrong-about-him/story-0fcHGicBnzGwu72Juw0dEO.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-08 |title=نہرو خاندان حیران کن انکشافات |url=http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/mazamine/08-Feb-2012/108812 |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=Nawaiwaqt |language=ur}}</ref>


==Biography==
== Sons ==
During the early part of the 19th century, Gangadhar's father, Laxmi Narain Nehru, worked as a scribe in Delhi for the [[East India Company]].<ref name="Gupte2012">{{cite book|author=Pranay Gupte|title=Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OOmK1lPWq80C&pg=PA139|date=February 2012|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-306826-6|pages=138–139}}</ref>
He had three sons. The eldest, Banshidhar Nehru, started working in the Justice Department after the establishment of Victoria's rule in India and was continuously appointed to various places across the country, which kept him away from the family. The second son, Nandlal Nehru, served as the Diwan of Khetri,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ram |first=Malik |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GGtIAgAAQBAJ&dq=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88&pg=PT473 |title=Letters by Abu al Kalam Azad: Urdu |publisher=Urdu-Books |language=ur}}</ref> a princely state in Rajasthan, for about ten years.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeIHAAAAIAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=Dayā Narāʼin Nigam ke risālah Zamānah Kānpūr, 1903-1942 se intik̲h̲āb |date=1993 |publisher=K̲h̲udā Bak̲h̲sh Oriyanṭal Pablik Lāʼibrerī |language=ur}}</ref> Later, he returned to Agra,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Muṣt̤afá |first=G̲h̲ulām Muḥammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GOIsAAAAIAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=Musalmānān-i Sahāranpūr aur taḥrīk-i Dārulʻulūm Devband ba-maʻ dīgar ʻilmī taḥārīk ...: taḥqīqī jāʼizah |date=1990 |publisher=Sāʼūth Eshiyan Prinṭarz ainḍ Pablisharz |language=ur}}</ref> obtained his legal education, and began practicing law there, becoming one of Agra's successful lawyers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=حسىنى |first=شاهد، |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kLo5AQAAIAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=امر جىون |date=1964 |publisher=Anjuman Taraqqī Urdū Āndhrā Pardesh |language=ur}}</ref> Due to the formation of the [[Allahabad High Court]], he had to spend most of his time in Allahabad for work, so he moved his family there permanently and practiced law in both [[Prayagraj|Allahabad]] and Kanpur.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dheer |first=Kewal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HckGAQAAIAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=Javāhir Lāl Nahrū |date=1968 |language=ur}}</ref>


Gangadhar Nehru was appointed the [[Kotwal]] (a rank similar to [[Chief of police]]) of [[Delhi]] in the court of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Bahadur Shah II]].<ref name=Sahgal>{{cite book|last1=Sahgal|first1=Manmohini Zutshi|author-link1=Manmohini Zutshi Sahgal|title=An Indian Freedom Fighter Recalls Her Life|date=1994|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=9781563243394|pages=3–4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3Wsf38G7uwC&pg=PA3&}}</ref> He was the last person to hold that post, as the institution was soon abolished as a result of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]].<ref name="DelhiPolice">{{cite web|url=http://www.delhipolice.nic.in/home/history.htm|title=History of Delhi Police|publisher=Delhi Police|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref> Later when the British troops began shelling their way into the city, he fled to [[Agra]] along with his wife Jeorani and their four children (two teenage sons, Bansidhar and [[Nandlal Nehru|Nandlal]], and two daughters, Patrani and Maharani). His youngest child, Motilal, was born posthumously, three months later.<ref name=san/><ref name="Rau1967">{{cite book|last=Rau|first=M. Chalapathi|author-link=Manikonda Chalapathi Rau|title=Nehru for Children|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmKzgMfl5vEC&pg=PA7|year=1967|publisher=Children's Book Trust|isbn=978-81-7011-035-4|page=7}}</ref>
The third son was [[Motilal Nehru]], who was deeply influenced by his elder brother, Nandlal Nehru. Since Nandlal was considered one of the best lawyers in Kanpur, Motilal started his practice there as his assistant. Motilal later became a famous lawyer in his own right. His son (Gangadhar's grandson), Jawaharlal Nehru, became the first Prime Minister of India.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-02-06 |title=Remembering Motilal Nehru, founder of the Nehru-Gandhi family |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/motilal-nehru-959215-2017-02-06 |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ḥaidarī |first=Karam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkoaAAAAMAAJ&q=%DA%AF%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%A7+%D8%AF%DA%BE%D8%B1+%D9%86%DB%81%D8%B1%D9%88 |title=ملّت کا پاسبان |date=1981 |publisher=Qāʾid-i Aʻẓam Akādmī |language=ur}}</ref>


Gangadhar's eldest son, Bansi Dhar Nehru worked in the judicial department of the British Government and, being appointed successively to various places, was partly cut off from the rest of the family. The second son, Nandlal, entered the service of an Indian State and was Diwan of [[Khetri]] State in [[Rajputana]] for ten years. Later he studied law and settled down as a practising lawyer in Agra.<ref name=san>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117060351/http://www.congresssandesh.com/AICC/history/presidents/pandit_motilal_nehru.htm| archive-date=17 November 2009|url=http://www.congresssandesh.com/AICC/history/presidents/pandit_motilal_nehru.htm|title=Pandit Motilal Nehru (1861-1931), President- Amritsar, 1919; Calcutta, 1928 |website=Congress Sandesh|publisher=Indian National Congress|access-date=17 November 2014}}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}


</ref>
[[Category:1827 births]]
[[Category:1861 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Delhi]]
[[Category:Nehru–Gandhi family]]
[[Category:People from Agra]]


==References==
{{Authority control}}
{{reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehru, Gangadhar}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehru, Gangadhar}}
[[Category:Indian police officers]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehru, Gangadhar}}
[[Category:Kashmiri people]]
[[Category:Delhi Police]]
[[Category:Nehru–Gandhi family]]
[[Category:Indian people of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:1827 births]]
[[Category:1861 deaths]]
[[Category:Mughal Empire people]]

Latest revision as of 10:13, 28 February 2026


Gangadhar Nehru
BornTemplate:Birth date text
Died10 February 1861(1861-02-10) (aged 33–34)
New Delhi, British India

Gangadhar Nehru (1827 – 10 February 1861) was the kotwal (chief police officer) of Delhi during the 1857 Indian rebellion.[1][2][3][4] He was the father of Indian National Congress leader Motilal Nehru and the grandfather of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.[5][6][7][8][9]

Early life[edit | edit source]

He was born in 1827,[10] was appointed the kotwal of Delhi sometime before 1857. He was the last Kotwal of Delhi.[11][12][13] After the revolt of 1857,[14] when the British police took over the city of Delhi and started the massacre,[15] he moved to Agra with his wife Jiorani Devi and their three children.[16][17][18][19]

Sons[edit | edit source]

He had three sons. The eldest, Banshidhar Nehru, started working in the Justice Department after the establishment of Victoria's rule in India and was continuously appointed to various places across the country, which kept him away from the family. The second son, Nandlal Nehru, served as the Diwan of Khetri,[20] a princely state in Rajasthan, for about ten years.[21] Later, he returned to Agra,[22] obtained his legal education, and began practicing law there, becoming one of Agra's successful lawyers.[23] Due to the formation of the Allahabad High Court, he had to spend most of his time in Allahabad for work, so he moved his family there permanently and practiced law in both Allahabad and Kanpur.[24]

The third son was Motilal Nehru, who was deeply influenced by his elder brother, Nandlal Nehru. Since Nandlal was considered one of the best lawyers in Kanpur, Motilal started his practice there as his assistant. Motilal later became a famous lawyer in his own right. His son (Gangadhar's grandson), Jawaharlal Nehru, became the first Prime Minister of India.[25][26]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Agrawal, Meena (14 October 2016). Indira Gandhi. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-5083-008-6.
  2. ↑ M.K.Singh, Ravi Ranjan & (11 September 2021). Indira Gandhi. K.K. Publications.
  3. ↑ Nehru, Motilal (1982). Selected Works of Motilal Nehru: 1899-1918. Vikas. ISBN 978-0-7069-1885-4.
  4. ↑ "पंडित जवाहर लाल नेहरू के दादा थे दिल्ली के आखिरी कोतवाल, पढ़ें रोचक तथ्‍य..." News18 हिंदी (in हिन्दी). 25 January 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Remembering Our Leaders. Children's Book Trust. 1989. ISBN 978-81-7011-842-8.
  6. ↑ Clifton, Ana (20 July 2019). 100 Greatest Leaders. Rupa Publications. ISBN 978-93-5333-549-6.
  7. ↑ Agrawal, S. K. (1 January 2021). Jawaharlal Nehru: Jawaharlal Nehru: S.K. Agrawal's Comprehensive Portrait of India's First Prime Minister. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5186-352-6.
  8. ↑ Kumar, Anil Kumar / Manish (19 January 2021). Bharat Ratnas: Bharat Ratnas: Celebrating India's Greatest Achievers and Legends. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-8430-406-0.
  9. ↑ Akbar, M. J. (27 May 2016). "Remembering Nehru: From the Mughal Court to Jawaharlal". TheQuint. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  10. ↑ وششٹھ, اندر (16 February 2019). "دہلی پولس کا یوم تاسیس: دہلی کا پہلا کوتوال فخرالدین ایمانداری کی مثال...خصوصی پیشکش". Qaumi Awaz (in اردو). Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  11. ↑ Parvez, At̤har (1967). Anmol ratan (in اردو). Urdū Ghar.
  12. ↑ Wolpert, Stanley A. (1996). Nehru: A Tryst with Destiny. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-510073-0.
  13. ↑ RAJ, RISHI; KUMAR, RAM; PRADHAN, RAM CHANDRA (10 August 2022). Histories of The Indian Freedom Struggle: Bestseller Book by RISHI RAJ; RAM KUMAR; RAM CHANDRA PRADHAN: Histories of the Indian Freedom Struggle. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-2-02-208100-7.
  14. ↑ Sahgal, Manmohini Zutshi; Forbes, Geraldine Hancock; Nehru, B. K. (16 September 2016). An Indian Freedom Fighter Recalls Her Life. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-48403-7.
  15. ↑ Rau, M. Chalapathi (1967). Nehru for Children. Children's Book Trust. ISBN 978-81-7011-035-4.
  16. ↑ Nehru, Jawaharlal (2004). Letters from a Father to His Daughter. Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-05816-7.
  17. ↑ Roychoudhury, Hari Pada (25 May 2023). The Dark Side of Gandhi: 2nd Edition. Notion Press. ISBN 979-8-88975-588-3.
  18. ↑ "Truth about Nehru: Why conspiracy theorists are wrong about him".
  19. ↑ "نہرو خاندان حیران کن انکشافات". Nawaiwaqt (in اردو). 8 February 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  20. ↑ Ram, Malik. Letters by Abu al Kalam Azad: Urdu (in اردو). Urdu-Books.
  21. ↑ Dayā Narāʼin Nigam ke risālah Zamānah Kānpūr, 1903-1942 se intik̲h̲āb (in اردو). K̲h̲udā Bak̲h̲sh Oriyanṭal Pablik Lāʼibrerī. 1993.
  22. ↑ Muṣt̤afá, G̲h̲ulām Muḥammad (1990). Musalmānān-i Sahāranpūr aur taḥrīk-i Dārulʻulūm Devband ba-maʻ dīgar ʻilmī taḥārīk ...: taḥqīqī jāʼizah (in اردو). Sāʼūth Eshiyan Prinṭarz ainḍ Pablisharz.
  23. ↑ حسىنى, شاهد، (1964). امر جىون (in اردو). Anjuman Taraqqī Urdū Āndhrā Pardesh.
  24. ↑ Dheer, Kewal (1968). Javāhir Lāl Nahrū (in اردو).
  25. ↑ "Remembering Motilal Nehru, founder of the Nehru-Gandhi family". India Today. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  26. ↑ Ḥaidarī, Karam (1981). ملّت کا پاسبان (in اردو). Qāʾid-i Aʻẓam Akādmī.



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