Classical era There is little mention of the Mewat region in the classical era, although there are many speculative stories and legends. However, the earliest supposed records of this region and its surroundings can be found in the
Mahabharata. The Bhadanakas are clearly related to the ancient Bhadras mentioned in the Sanskrit epic as a republic or oligarchy that
Karna conquered during his expeditions. These Bhadanakas are located in the
Rewari-
Bhiwani area, and Bhadavasa, a present-day village located nearby confirms their historic presence.
Medieval era After the fall of the
Maurya Empire, this place has seen foreign invaders like the
Bactrians,
Greeks,
Parthians,
Scythians, and the
Kushanas.
Samudragupta and
Yashovarman had also ruled the area. The Mewat region was also part of the
Harsha Empire during the first half of the century 7th century, then
Gurjara-Pratiharas. The
Tomaras, who were once the Pratiharas' feudatories but eventually gained independence, established the foundation of Delhi, then known as
Dhillika, in 736 AD. The northern Mewat region was ruled by the Tomaras until
Visaladeva (Chahamana) captured Delhi around the year 1156. In 1266, after ascending the throne as Sultan, Balban conducted his third major campaign against Mewat. The Meo leader during this period was Kaku Rana, who attempted to resist Balban's forces with limited success. Balban's army subdued the region. The aftermath of this campaign saw the establishment of police posts and forts to maintain control, with Balban implementing policies to clear the forests and settle loyal soldiers in the region.
Sonpar Pal converted to
Islam through
Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1355 and adopted the new name,
Nahar Khan Mewati (not to be confused with Jat king
Nahar Singh). He became the patriarch of
Khanzada Rajputs. He had also constructed the Kotla Bahadur Nahar fort in the Kotla village of present-day Nuh. In March 15, 1527, the
Battle of Khanwa occurred, between
Rana Sanga of
Mewar and Babur. Hasan Khan Mewati, once again, went against Babur and joined the
Rajput Confederation of
Rana Sanga with 5,000 allies. When Rana Sanga was struck by an arrow and fell from his elephant, the Mewati king took charge of the commander's flag and led the attack against Babur's forces. Hasan Khan Mewati along with his 12,000 Meo horse soldiers, fiercely confronted Babur's army. They were initially successful and seemed to be overpowering the Mughal forces. During the battle, Hasan Khan Mewati was struck by a cannonball that hit his chest. the injury proved fatal, and Hasan Khan Mewati lost his life in the midst of the battle.
Mughal era The consequences of the
Battle of Khanwa affected the fortunes of a number of Indian chiefs, though in varying degrees, but the
Khanzadas of Mewat were the worst hit. The territory of Mewat was annexed by Babur and this shifted the control of Mewat from the Khanzadas to the Mughals. The Khanzadas ceased to be a significantly influential regional political entity. Nevertheless, the Mughal emperors endeavored to integrate the Khanzadas by establishing matrimonial alliances or incorporating them into the administration. For example, when
Humayun regained his power in 1555 CE, he sought to consolidate his position by marrying the elder daughter of Jamal Khan Mewati, the nephew of
Hasan Khan. Simultaneously, his prominent Turkish noble,
Bairam Khan, married the younger daughter. According to
Arzang-i-Tijara, the infamous Mughal emperor,
Akbar, also married the daughter of Hasan Khan's brother, although this event is not recorded in Persian chronicles. Additionally, Akbar also married
Bairam Khan’s widow, who was the daughter of Jamal Khan. in 1911 with the Gurgaon district (northern Mewat) in the southwest.
British era During the
British Raj, the east and west of Mewat came under the
Alwar State and the
Bharatpur State. These kingdoms were princely states that were entities of the
East India Company. Parts of northern Mewat (modern-day
Palwal,
Faridabad of
Haryana) remained under the local Jat kings.
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 During
Indian Rebellion of 1857, Meos played an active role against the British. The rebellion mostly erupted due to the long resentment amongst the sepoys based on the introduction of new cartridge which was coated with the fat of pigs and cows. As the rebellion began in
Meerut, the Meos threw themselves into the war with the British and the
Khanzada Rajputs. The Khanzadas allying with the British as well as the historical class divide between the Meos and Khanzadas were the main reason as to why the Meos turned against them. During the
Siege of Delhi, the Meos enthroned
Bahadur Shah Zafar as the emperor of India. Mufti Nizamuddin of
Lahore and his
Fatwa issued against the British forces which called upon the local population to support the forces of
Rao Tula Ram also played a major role in the Meo uprising. Mufti Nizamuddin was later hanged in Tijara, Alwar. The villages of Pinangwan, Mahu, Rupraka, Raisina, Ghasera, Ferozepur Jhrika and Nuh were key players in the revolt. The Meos sided with the Gurjars, Ahirs and other ethnic groups of the region and defeated William Ford, the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon. The British decided to withdraw and without a commonly accepted leader, the Meos ousted the British and formed their own government under the different
chaudharies of the villages. Meos continued to fight the British for up to 2 months after Delhi was reconquered by the British. The Meos although Muslim, then had adopted Hindu traditions, attitudes and
syncretism as Muslim political power declined long ago in the region, lacking the necessary acumen required to resist the cultural and religious influence of majority Hindus, prior to the arrival of Tablighi Jamaat. Tablighi Jamaat heavily influenced the culture in the region leading the Meos to mostly re-adopt traditionalist
Sunni Islam under the
Deobandi Hanafi school of thought.
Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi was responsible for establishing the first Madrasah of Mewat in modern-day Nuh, Moin Ul Islam, which is still functional till this day.
The Alwar Movement and Yasin Khan During the early 1930s, The rulers of the princely states of
Alwar and
Bharatpur imposed heavy taxes on the peasants, who were mostly Meos. The King of Alwar,
Jai Singh Prabhakar also began to suppress the Meo peasantry and increased the land revenue and other taxes in his dominion, which directly affected the Meo population. The agriculturist farmers and peasants in the Alwarr region were the Meos who were already living under heavy taxation and miserable life. The enhanced tax was the great burden on Meo peasants and beyond their paying capacity so the Meo peasants showed their resentment and decided not to pay taxes and revenue until they were reduced.
Chaudhary Mohammad Yasin Khan led the Meos in their struggle. The rebellion was called the Alwar Movement. It was a big challenge for Raja Jai Singh and he attempted the movement. Having failed in his attempt to the control the Meos struggle, the Raja switched the entire movement into a communal movement. The Muslims of Alwar were forced to abandon the city. They camped near Jama Masjid in Delhi and demanded central intervention by the British.
Yasin Khan, called a conference at
Ferozepur Jhirka, which was popularly known as the Alwar conference. Khan received the advice and assistance of national leaders, including Marxist leader
Kunwar Mohammad Ashraf, Sayyed Mufti Faridabadi from the
Indian National Congress, and the
Majlis-e Ahrar-e Islam party volunteers. The violence, alongside the reformist movement of
Tablighi Jamaat, lead the Meos to embrace a more Islamic identity in contrast to the Hindu nationalist ideology held by the kings, including
Sawai Tej Singh Naruka. During this period, around 800,000 Meos had decided to leave for Pakistan. On 19 December 1947,
Mahatma Gandhi visited the village of
Ghasera in the
Punjab Province (present day
Haryana) and requested
Meos not to leave India.
Yasin Khan was responsible for bringing Gandhi to
Ghasera. This is when Gandhi said his iconic quote: Mahatama Gandhi championed the resettlement of some Meos in
Laxmangarh,
Nagar,
Kaman,
Deeg of
Alwar district and
Bharatpur district. Ghasera celebrate "Mewat Day" on 19 December as a tribute to him.
Tayyab Husain due to the region of Mewat spanning across different regions and states became the first and only person to date in Indian political history to serve as a cabinet minister for three separate state governments at three different times. The legacy of
Tayyab Husain,
Khurshid Ahmed and
Rahim Khan continue to have significant influence in the politics and culture of the Mewat region to present-day.
Mewat district In 1996, after the
Punjab Reorganization Act, the northern area of Mewat came under the
Gurgaon district of the newly established state of
Haryana, which included the modern day districts of
Gurgaon,
Rewari,
Faridabad and
Nuh. On 4 April 2005, the
Government of Haryana, officially established the
Mewat district, named after the historical region. The district was created by taking parts of the previous Gurgaon district (
Nuh,
Ferozepur Jhirka,
Punahana,
Taoru) and
Hathin from the previous Faridabad district of Haryana. However, in 2008, Hathin sub-division was reorganized into the new district of
Palwal. In 2016, the district was renamed from the Mewat district to the
Nuh district to avoid confusion between the vast historical region and the district. The Nuh district, although was called Mewat, did not encompass the vast historical region, rather the district only a small part of it. == Culture ==