Page:The Imperial Durbar Album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars.djvu/92



THE State of Tonk is situated partly in Rajputana and partly in Central India.

Its territory consists of six districts which are separated by varying distances from each other. Of these, Tonk, Aligarh, and Nimbahera come within Rajputana; while Chhabra, Pirawa, and Sironj come in Central India. Each of these districts has its own configuration and climate. The building up and formation of this State has been very peculiar. It has grown out of an accretion of territory conglomerated by an adventurer according to circumstances.

The family of the ruler of Tonk is Pathan or more accurately Afgan. Tale Khan, a Pathan of Buner, left his home and travelled on up to Rohilkhand, where he took up a small service with a Rohila Soldier. His grandson, the famous Amir Khan, a mere adventurer, relying on the strength of his right arm and his good sword rose within the short space of thirty years to be the commander of a large army in the service of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. It was one of the stipulations of the compact between Amir Khan and Holkar that they should share equally in all plunder and conquest; and accordingly, Amir Khan got the district of Sironj in 1798 A.D. To this were added, one after another, the districts mentioned above.

When the British entered Malwa, Amir Khan with his characteristic astuteness sought their protection. After certain amount of negotiation, Amir Khan was guaranteed the possession of all the lands he held under grants from Holkar, on condition of his abandoning his predatory system of conquest and his connection with the Pendharees, disbanding his battalions of disciplined regiments and the Pathan cavalry. A treaty was concluded on these lines in 1817 A.D. Rampura, now called Aligarh, was made a free grant by the British Government to Amir Khan.

Nawab Amir Khan, originally no more than a free-booter, and dreaded everywhere throughout India, died in 1834 A. D.; and was succeeded by his son Wazir Mohammad Khan. During the Mutiny of 1857 A.D., he signally defeated Tatya Topi and the Nawab of Banda in their combined attack on the fort of Tonk. He rendered very good help to the British at this critical period, for which his salute was raised from 15 to 17 guns; and in 1862 A.D. he received the sanad guaranteeing to his family the succession to the masnad according to Mohamedan law of inheritance. His son and successor, Mohammad Ali Khan, made himself very unpopular with his subjects, and was moreover treacherous in his conduct. He was discovered to have abetted the attack on the Thakore of Lawa, for which he was deposed in 1867 A.D. and placed under surveillance at Benares, where he died in 1 895 A.D. As a mark of displeasure the salute of the ruler of the State was reduced to 11 guns, which, however, was restored in the time of Mohammad Ali Khan's successors in 1878 A.D.

Mahammad Ibrahim Ali Khan, the son of the deposed ruler, was placed on the masnad in 1867 A.D., the management of the State was kept in the hands of a Council of Regency for about two years, and it was handed over to the Nawab in 1870 A.D. He introduced a regular survey and settlement in his territory, opened a railway line in the Chhabra district, laid out a number of metalled roads, established regular courts