1784–1948 → Established 1784 1901 19,780 | Flag Coat of arms 1901 313 km (121 sq mi) Area 313 km² | |
Baoni State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. It was a small sanad state, the only Muslim-ruled one of the Bundelkhand Agency. Its ruler was granted the right to an 11 gun salute. The Baoni Royal Family claim to be descendants of the Asaf Jahi ruling family of Hyderabad, tracing its origins to Abu Bakr, the First Islamic Caliph.
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Baoni was located in the Betwa-Yamuna doab, Uttar Pradesh, with Kadaura as its seat of government. The state was bounded on the north by the district of Cawnpore, in the west by the district of Jalaun and to the south and east by the district of Hamirpur of the United Provinces —as well as a little part in the SE by Beri State. The word 'Baoni' originated in the Hindustani language word Baon, meaning 52 (fifty-two), and referring to the number of villages that were included in the original sanad at the time when it was granted. Baoni had a population of 19,780 inhabitants in 1901, of whom 87% were Hindu and 12% Muslim.
History
Baoni State was founded in 1784 by Imad al-Din al-Mulk Ghazi Khan, from a branch of the Asaf Jahi dynasty related to the Nizam, and Wazir of the Mughal Empire. At that time he made a deal with the Maratha Peshwa and received a jagir of 52 villages near Kalpi.
The state became a British protectorate in 1806, following the defeat of the Maratha confederacy. The capital was moved from Kalpi to Kadaura after 1815.
The last ruler, Muhammad al-Hasan Mushtaq, signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union on 15 August 1947 and continued to rule the state that joined the Union of States of Vindhya Pradesh on April 2 of 1948, remaining as head of the state until 31 December 1949.
Rulers
Rulers of Baoni State bore the title of Nawab.