Niyoga ( Sanskrit : नियोग ) was a Hindu practice, primarily followed during the ancient period. It was permitted for the widows or wives who had no child by their spouse to procreate a child with another man. The basic purpose of niyoga is to ensure the continuation of the family lineage and to mitigate the financial and social precariousness that a childless widow would have faced in society. Niyoga was forbidden in the Kali age by Brhaspati and other smrti writers. It has been held that niyoga has nothing to do with polyandry. Sir Henry Maine thinks that the Niyoga is of a later date than the Levirate, but J. D. Mayne justified regarding the Levirate ( custom of the Hebrews in which marry with brother's wife when brother's widow has no son) as merely an enlarged form of the Niyoga, that came into effect after a man's death. The Niyoga system, which enabled a woman to choose and invite a male with the desirable seed, and bear children.
37-423: There were various clauses associated with this process: A wife or a widow must not, however, be forced to have recourse to Niyoga for inheritance or similar purposes. Baudhāyana and Vasistha say that a widow desiring Niyoga should avoid meat, honey etc. and sleep on the ground for a short period not exceeding one year. After six months of the death of her husband, she offers a funeral oblation to her husband and with
74-429: A regiment of irregular cavalry in conjunction with the disaffected Muslims of the city, but was frustrated by the prompt action of the civil authorities, supported by Madras troops from Kamptee . Some of the native officers and two of the leading Muslims of the city were hanged from the ramparts of the fort, and the disturbances ended. The aged princess Baka Bai , widow of Raghoji II , used all her influence in support of
111-575: A son through niyoga on the advice of his Brahmin councilors. Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom The Kingdom of Haihaiyavansi , ruled by the Kalachuris of Raipur was a Garh Under Garha Kingdom which consisted of the central part of the present-day state of Chhattisgarh located in India . In 1740, the Maratha general of Nagpur , Bhaskar Pant conquered the kingdom for Raghoji I Bhonsle . The Raipur branch of
148-505: Is as follows- When the children fall asleep, silence sets in, the Bargis come to our lands Bulbuls have eaten the grains, how shall I pay the nawab's tax demands. Mahadaji Shinde , a distinguished Maratha general from the Shinde royal clan, focused his attention on European artillery and secured the services of the noted Frenchman Benoît de Boigne who had received training from the best of
185-578: The Holkars of Indore and Scindias of Gwalior . Light cavalry mercenaries called Bargi were employed by the Bhonsles during the brutal Maratha invasions of Bengal . The Bargi mercenaries led by the general Bhaskar Pandit into Bengal caused so much destruction that lullabies were composed in which mothers would use the fear of a Maratha raid to get their children to go to sleep. These poems are popular amongst Bengalis even today, one traditional song translated
222-422: The 36 forts, and early records list 48 forts in the area. According to Willis, the term garh referred to a district, which was under the charge of the feudal lords ( thakurs or diwans ), who owed allegiance to the king. The garh was also known as chaurasi (eighty-four) because it was meant to be made up of 84 villages. The garhs were in turn made up of smaller units called taluks . The taluk , which
259-569: The British, and by her example kept the Maratha districts loyal. Though Marathas constituted 30% of the total army, they deployed families across the region that were the main task force in the expansion of Maratha Empire in Gondwana and Northern region. As a part of that, the Bhonsles raised two infantry brigades with modern military training, however without guidance of European officers. They extensively employed Pindaris and silently supported them like
296-549: The Haihaiyavanshi State at the close of 1740. The branch Haihaiyavanshi ruler of Raipur , Amar Singh, did not oppose him. However, the main Haihaiyavanshi ruler of Ratanpur , Raghunath Singh offered resistance by shutting himself in his fort. A fine of one lakh rupees was imposed on Ratanpur , all the wealth that remained in the treasury was confiscated and the country was pillaged thoroughly. However, Raghunath Singh
333-514: The Nagpur kingdom begins in the early 18th century, when it formed part of the Gond Kingdom of Deogarh . Bakht Buland Shah , the ruler of Deogarh, visited Delhi and afterwards was determined to encourage the development of his own kingdom. To this end he invited Hindu and Muslim artisans and cultivators to settle in the plains country, and founded the city of Nagpur. His successor, Chand Sultan, continued
370-683: The Vira-Mitrodaya and Aditya Purana says "The niyoga, and the taking as sons other than the Aurasha and the Dattaka, are prohibited in the Kali age by the wise. Niyoga or Levirate which Apastamba declares as unfit for practice in a degenerate later age or Manu's repudiation of widow-remarriage as unsupported by Vedic hymeneal Mantras or the text purporting to be Baudhayana's cited in the Smrti-candrika. When in almost
407-472: The aid of Raghuji Bhonsla . Akbar Shah was driven into exile and finally poisoned at Hyderabad . However this time, Ragoji Bhonsle did not have the heart to leave such a plentiful and rich country, with it being within his grasp. He declared himself 'protector' of the Gond king. Thus in 1743, Burhan Shah was practically made a state pensionary, with real power being in the hands of the Maratha ruler. After this event
SECTION 10
#1732855178226444-451: The approval and aid of her brother or father, and relatives of her husband, and also in consultation with the Gurus of her family, she chooses the man to have an issue by her. A characterless, mad, diseased or very aged widow is not entitled to Niyoga. Sixteen years after maturity is the proper time for Niyoga. A sickly person is to be avoided for the purpose. She must be economically independent of
481-399: The area of cultivation and revenue continued to increase under a fairly equitable and extremely simple system of government. After the treaty of Deogaon, however, all this changed. Raghoji II was deprived of a third of his territories, and he attempted to make up the loss of revenue from the remainder. The villages were mercilessly rack-rented , and many new taxes imposed. The pay of the troops
518-514: The cession of Cuttack . Chanda , Chhattisgarh , and Sambalpur were added to his dominions between 1745 and 1755, the year of his death. His successor Janoji Bhonsle took part in the wars between the Peshwa and the Nizam of Hyderabad . After he had in turn betrayed both of them, they united against him and sacked and burnt Nagpur in 1765. On Janoji's death on 21 May 1772, his brothers fought for
555-482: The development of the country, and moved his capital to Nagpur. After the death of Chand Sultan, the Bhonsles took over the control of the kingdom. After Chand Sultan 's death in 1739, there were quarrels over the succession, leading to the throne being usurped by Wali Shah, an illegitimate son of Bakht Buland Shah . Chand Sultan's widow invoked the aid of the Maratha leader Raghuji Bhonsle of Berar in
592-527: The eastern province of the tenth-century Tripuri Kalachuri or Chedi kingdom, which was centered in the upper Narmada River valley. The kingdom was located east of the main routes between northern and southern India, and thus was unaffected by the Muslim invasions of the 13th-16th centuries. The Haihaiyavanshi state enjoyed under Garha Kingdom 700 years of peaceful existence due to its borders being protected by precipitous mountain ranges on almost all sides. In
629-628: The greater Kosala, was made common for Dakshin Kosal or Chhattisgarh by the Chedi - Haihaiyavanshi rulers of this region to make their state sound more dignified and their sovereignty seem more pronounced. The town of Amarkantak is said to have been built by the Haihayavanshis. The Bhonsle Maratha armies passed through Chhattisgarh on their way to invade the Odia kingdoms in eastern India. Bhaskar Pant invaded
666-507: The history of the Gond kingdom of Deogarh is not recorded. A series of Maratha rulers came to power following the fall of the Gonds from the throne of Nagpur , starting with Raghoji Bhonsle . Bold and decisive in action, Raghoji was the archetype of a Maratha leader; he saw in the troubles of other states an opening for his own ambition, and did not even require a pretext for plunder and invasion. Twice his armies invaded Bengal, and he obtained
703-428: The interest of her sons Akbar Shah and Burhan Shah. Wali Shah was put to death and the rightful heirs placed on the throne. Raghoji I Bhonsle was sent back to Berar with a plentiful bounty for his aid. The Maratha general judged that Nagpur must be a plentiful and rich country by the magnificence of his reward. However, dissensions continued between the brothers and once again, the elder brother Burhan Shah requested
740-511: The kingdom survived until 1753, also being annexed by the Marathas of Nagpur . The last ruler was Mohan Singh , who ruled under the suzerainty of Raghoji Bhonsle of Nagpur and died in 1758. The Kalachuris of Raipur branched off from the Kalachuris of Ratnapura in the 14th century; the Ratnapura branch was, in turn, an offshoot of the Kalachuris of Tripuri . The Raipur State originated as
777-514: The outbreak of war between the British and the Peshwa, Appa Sahib threw off his cloak of friendship, and accepted an embassy and a title from the Peshwa. His troops attacked the British, and were defeated in the action at Sitabuldi , and a second time close to Nagpur city. As a result of these battles the remaining portion of Berar and the territories in the Narmada valley were ceded to the British. Appa Sahib
SECTION 20
#1732855178226814-417: The person whom she appoints for Niyoga and provide for the necessary ex-penses for food, unguents, etc. herself i.e. from the estate of her husband. The Niyoga has been declared by Manu, and again prohibited by the same ; on account of the successive deterioration of the four ages(Yuga) of the world, it must not be practised by mortals in the present (Kaliyuga) age according to law. Brahma Purana, cited in
851-409: The region with ease. According to a tradition, popularized by Cecil Upton Wills (1919), the principalities Raipur and Ratanpur were "sub-kingdoms", and each had 18 forts; the name " Chhattisgarh " derives from these 36 ( Chhattis ) forts ( garh ). However, experts disagree with this theory for several reasons: the name Chhattisgarh does not appear in early records, no historical records identify
888-574: The same breath the smrti indicates an institution like niyoga (levirate), and the conditions which should govern its application,and also condemns it as an "animal practice" (paśu-dharma), Manusmriti, IX, 59-63 and IX, 64-69, the juxta-position of apparently opposed views should be treated not as an instance of inconsistency, or carelessness in composition, or of interpolation, but, as explained by Brhaspati, as an indication of applicability and inapplicability to different time-cycles or yugas. The Haihaya (Kalachuri) ruler Raja Raj Singh (c. 1689–1712) begot
925-454: The second half of the 12th century, on the accession of Suradeva, the 20th king, the Ratnapura state was divided between him at Ratanpur (Ratnapura) and his younger brother Brahmadeva founded a younger branch at Raipur to the south. At the end of the 16th century, the Haihaiyavanshi kings recognized the suzerainty of the Mughal Empire . It has been conjectured that the name Mahakosal,
962-688: The state was firmly established. After the death of Raghunath Singh in 1745, Mohan Singh a member of the Haihaiyavanshi Raipur branch, was placed on the throne by Raghoji I Bhonsle . He was loyal to the Bhonsle Nagpur Kingdom and paid regular tribute to the Bhonsle treasury. However, in 1758, Bimbaji Bhonsle was sent against him to assume direct control of Chhattisgarh . Mohan Singh started amassing his forces near Raipur , but died shortly after and thus, Bimbaji Bhonsle assumed rule of
999-542: The succession, until Mudhoji Bhonsle shot the other in the Battle of Panchgaon , six miles (10 km) south of Nagpur, and succeeded to the regency on behalf of his infant son Raghoji II Bhonsle who was Janoji's adopted heir. In 1785 Mandla and the upper Narmada valley were added to the Nagpur dominions by treaty with the Peshwa. Mudhoji had courted the favor of the British East India Company , and this policy
1036-418: The walls being already lost to them. On the death of Raghoji II in 1816, his son Parsoji was supplanted by Mudhoji II Bhonsle , also known as Appa Sahib, son of Vyankoji, brother of Raghoji II, in 1817. A treaty of alliance providing for the maintenance of a subsidiary force by the British was signed in this year, a British resident having been appointed to the Nagpur court since 1799. In 1817, on
1073-523: Was a Maratha land administrator and landlord in belt who managed large portions of land from Nagpur to Akola until India got the independence in 1947 The former kingdom was administered as Nagpur Province , under a commissioner appointed by the Governor-General of India , until the formation of the Central Provinces in 1861. During the revolt of 1857 a scheme for an uprising was formed by
1110-640: Was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War , it became a princely state of the British Empire in 1818, and was annexed to British India in 1853 becoming Nagpur Province . The historical record of
1147-448: Was continued for some time by Raghoji II, who acquired Hoshangabad and the lower Narmada valley. But in 1803 he united with Daulat Rao Sindhia of Gwalior against the British. The two leaders were decisively defeated at the battles of Assaye and Argaon , and by the Treaty of Deogaon of that year Raghoji ceded Cuttack , southern Berar , and Sambalpur to the British, although Sambalpur
Niyoga - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-457: Was in arrears, and they maintained themselves by plundering the cultivators. At the same time the raids of the Pindaris commenced, who became so bold that in 1811 they advanced to Nagpur and burnt the suburbs. It was at this time that most of the numerous village forts were built; on the approach of these marauders the peasantry retired to the forts and fought for bare life, all they possessed outside
1221-452: Was not harmed and was allowed to rule at Ratanpur under the suzerainty of the Marathas. Having crushed the Haihaiyavanshi king, the nominal overlord of the many petty chieftains and surrounding states, The Marathas demanded that the petty rulers formerly under Haihaiyavanshi rule submit to them, with which they complied. Raigarh fell to the Bhonsles in 1741, and by 1742 Maratha control over
1258-407: Was not relinquished until 1806. Until the close of the 18th century the Maratha administration had been on the whole good, and the country had prospered. The first four of the Bhonsles were military chiefs with the habits of rough soldiers, connected by blood and by constant familiar interaction with all their principal officers. Up to 1792 their territories were seldom the theater of hostilities, and
1295-510: Was reinstated to the throne, but shortly afterwards was discovered to be again conspiring, and was deposed and sent to Allahabad in custody. On the way, however, he bribed his guards and escaped, first to the Mahadeo Hills , subsequently to the Punjab and finally took asylum in the court of Man Singh of Jodhpur. Man Singh gave him refuge against the wishes of British. A grandchild of Raghoji II
1332-563: Was supposed to contain 12 villages and was also known as bahron (twelve) was held by a dao or barhainya whose authority in the unit closely resembled that of the diwan within the taluk . The village was held by a gaonthia or headman. Several parts of Chhattisgarh country were held by feudatory chiefs who ruled under the suzerainty of the Haihaiyavanshis. Some were Kanker State , Sarangarh State and Sakti State . Nagpur Kingdom#Military The Kingdom of Nagpur
1369-490: Was then placed on the throne, and the territories were administered by the resident from 1818 to 1830, in which year the young ruler known as Raghoji III was allowed to assume the actual government. He died without a male heir in 1853, and the kingdom was annexed by the British under the doctrine of lapse . After Raghoji's ill-health and death the reins of the kingdom were handed over to his cousin Tukaramji Mehere who
#225774