Siege of Nowah
| Siege of Nowah | ||
|---|---|---|
| Part of Hatkar Rebellion | ||
| Date: | 8-31 January 1819 | |
| Location: | Umarkhed, Nagpur, Maharashtra | |
| Presidency: | Madras | |
| Co-ordinates: | 19.593982°N 77.688295°E | |
| Result: | Fort captured | |
| Combatants | ||
| Gov. of Hyderabad | Arabs | |
| Commanders | ||
| Major Robert Pitman | Novsaji Naik | |
| Strength | ||
| Casualties | ||
The Hatkar Rebellion 1819
(Based upon the account from The Freedom Struggle' in'Hyderabad, Vol. I, (1800-1857)
The community of the Hatkars were a nightmare in the districts of Nanded, Parbhani and in the country across the river Painganga for more than 20 years led by their brave leader Novsaji Naik. They had taken possession of a number of strongholds, in the district of Nanded and in Berar. After the conclusion of the Maratha War, the Government of Hyderabad took action to deal with their rebellions. The Contingent Forces marched against the stronghold of the Hatkars at Nowah, situated in the Hadganv Taluk of the Nanded district. Novsaji Naik put up a stiff resistance. He was also assisted by a number of Arabs, who had recently left Nagpur and were on their way to Hyderabad. The siege of Nowah was a prolonged one. It was started at the end of January with a bloody conflict. The garrison consisted of more than 500 Arabs, of whom more than 80 were dreadfully wounded and nearly 400 were killed. The besiegers' loss was 24 Killed and 180 wounded. There were 6 European officers among the wounded. So important was siege of Nowah that the word Nowah was displayed upon colours and the badges of the regiments, which took part in siege, lasting from 8th Jansuary 1819 to 31st January 1819.
With the capture of Nowah the rebellion of the Hatkar Naiks, which had lasted for 20 years, was brought to an end. The; following is a detailed account of the siege of Nowah as given in Major R. G. Burton's book: A History of the Hyderabad Contingent (pp. 76-78), and the official papers extracted from A Memoir of the Operations of the British Army in India during the Mahratta War of 1817, 1818 and 1819 by Lieut. Colonel Valentine Blacker, published in 1821 (pp. 480-483).
Extract from Maharashtra Gazetteer Scroll down to Hatkar Rebellion