Benares State

Benares State
*Banārasa rājya*
Benares State Banārasa rājya
1740–1948
	Flag Coat of arms
	Benares State (in red) in India 1940 (in green)
	Benares State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India
Capital	Benares (Kashi)
Common languages	Bhojpuri
Religion	Hinduism (official)
Raja
• 1740 – 1770 (first)	Balwant Singh
• 1939 – 1947 (last)	Vibhuti Narayan Singh
History
• Established	1740
• Accession to the Union of India	1948
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Mughal Empire
	Oudh State
	Chero dynasty
Indian Union
Today part of	Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh, India

Banaras State initially known as Banaras kingdom or Kashi Kingdom was a kingdom and later princely state under the Narayan Dynasty in what is today Uttar Pradesh, India. On 15 October 1948, Benares' last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union.^[1]

The state was founded by the dynasty of Gautam Bhumihar Brahmins who first became revenue Contractors for Awadh then Maharajas of Benaras between 1739 to 1760. ^[2]^[3] Raja Balwant Singh, who assumed the title of "Raja of Benares" in mid 18th century, taking advantage of the Mughal Empire's disintegration. His descendants ruled the area around Benares after liberation from Awadh and as feudatories East India Company. In 1910, Benares became a full-fledged state of India.^[4] The state was merged in India after India's independence in 1947, but even today the Kashi Naresh (the titular ruler) is highly respected by the people of Varanasi. The Ruler of Benaras was the state's religious head and the people of Benares considered him to have been ordained the throne of Kashi by Lord Shiva (making him Kashi Naresh by proxy). He was also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations. In 1948, the 88th ruler of Kashi Sir Vibhuti Narayan Singh accepted the request of the first Indian Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and signed the accession to the Indian Union.^[1]

^ ^a ^b "Benares Princely State". Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
^ Cite error: The named reference CABayly1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Lethbridge, Roper (1893). The golden book of India, a genealogical and biographical dictionary of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire. Robarts - University of Toronto. London Macmillan. p. 66.
^ Swati Mitra 2002, pp. 124–126.

[Benares_Princely_State-1] "Benares Princely State". Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2014.

[CABayly1988-2] Cite error: The named reference CABayly1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] Lethbridge, Roper (1893). The golden book of India, a genealogical and biographical dictionary of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire. Robarts - University of Toronto. London Macmillan. p. 66.

[FOOTNOTESwati_Mitra2002124–126-4] Swati Mitra 2002, pp. 124–126.

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