ABSTRACT
This chapter is a profile of Shamraj Bahadur Rayrayan, one of the Nizam’s jagirdars. It begins with a description of the location of Takli Rayrayan, the headquarters of his jagir. Then follows a short account of the elaborate jagir system in the Nizam’s State and the lifestyle of most of the jagirdars.
The narrative continues with a brief historical and biographical sketch of a few generations of Shamraj Bahadur’s direct ancestors, from the time of Emperor Shahjahan in the seventeenth century, and then an account of Shamraj Bahadur’s life, his deodi or mansion and his library: which is now with the library of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University at Aurangabad.
Shamraj Bahadur was made minister for public works in the Nizam’s cabinet in June 1935. The silver jubilee of the Nizam’s coronation was celebrated in 1937. As minister for public works, Shamraj Bahadur supervised new constructions as well as the renovation of old buildings etc for the occasion.
After the police action by India, the Nizam’s surrender and Hyderabad’s integration with India in 1948, Hyderabad underwent a complete transformation almost overnight and most jagirdars found it very difficult to adjust and adapt to the new environment. How Shamraj Bahadur coped with this challenge is recounted in the concluding paragraphs. He passed away in 1988.
