Sakarwar

The Sakarwar (alternatively known as Sikarwar) are a clan found in certain parts of North and Eastern India. They belong to either the Rajput or Bhumihar castes.[1] They are found in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Western Bihar with both the Sikarwar Rajputs and the Sikarwar Bhumihars living side by side. Sikarwar Rajputs can also be found south of the Chambal River in modern-day Madhya Pradesh not far from Fatehpur Sikri.[1]

Sikarwar surname also of Jat people mainly found in Western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan[2]

In Bihar, the Sakarwar Rajputs established the settlements of Kudra, Chainpur and Bhabua.[3]

Chainpur

The area of Chainpur in Kaimur district of Bihar was historically ruled by Sakarwar Rajputs.[4] A document called the Kursinama purports to trace the ancestry of the Chainpur family to Fatehpur Sikri where the family was driven out during Babur's invasion. As they fled eastwards under the leadership of Lakshmi Mal, they eventually conquered Chainpur from the Chero tribe. Among the most important rulers of the Chainpur Sakarwars was Raja Salivahana who built Chainpur fort and was prominent in the region prior to the ascendancy of Sher Shah Suri.[3]

Uprising in 1857

Under the leadership of a local chieftain by the name of Meghar Singh, many Sakarwars (both Rajput and Bhumihar) in Zamania in Ghazipur district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh took part in a rebellion against British rule.[5][6] The Sakarwars and the British initially had cordial relations with many Sakarwars serving as soldiers for the East India Company and their villages provided prime recruiting grounds. Meghar Singh's uprising seems to have been influenced by the movement of Kunwar Singh's forces through the region and in May 1858, many Sakarwars began looting in Eastern UP and Western Bihar.

Meghar Singh eventually accepted the leadership of Babu Amar Singh of Jagdishpur and the Sakarwars and the Ujjainiyas became allies.[5] However, by November most of the rebels had surrendered.[5]

References
  1. Saiyad Hasan Ansari (1986). Evolution and Spatial Organization of Clan Settlements: A Case Study of Middle Ganga Valley. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 103–104. GGKEY:E73UZG9UQFE.
  2. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=FpBZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=sikarwar+jat+clan+book&source=bl&ots=mnw-goK8Vs&sig=ACfU3U3BG0PfIDOT4KLuaB6CmRkTfVCOYw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWw5v-4tvpAhX6wzgGHY_nDc8Q6AEwBHoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=sikarwar%20jat%20clan%20book&f=false
  3. Devendrakumar Rajaram Patil (22 December 2017). The antiquarian remains in Bihar. Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute. p. 75.
  4. Peter Gottschalk (2013). Religion, Science, and Empire: Classifying Hinduism and Islam in British India. OUP USA. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-19-539301-9.
  5. Troy Downs (2002). "Rural Insurgency During the Indian Revolt of 1857-59: Meghar Singh and the Uprising of the Sakarwars". South Asia Research. 22 (2): 123–143. doi:10.1177/026272800202200202.
  6. Troy Downs (2007). "Rajput revolt in Southern Mirzapur, 1857–58". Journal of South Asian Studies. 15 (2): 29–46. doi:10.1080/00856409208723166.
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