What do you think?
Rate this book
Bahawalpur: The Kingdom That Vanished
A work of historical non-fiction, in which the author examines the history and the folklore and legends that surround the once important princely state of Bahawalpur, which became part of Pakistan after the Partition.
- GenresIndia
285 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 1, 2020
In her foreword to her book Bahawalpur: The Kingdom That Vanished, Anabel Loyd mentions a mnemonic a British viceroy used to remember the names of the Indian princely states entitled to a twenty-one gun salute: “hot kippers make a good breakfast”. Hyderabad, Kashmir, Mysore, Gwalior and Baroda. Not among the twenty-one gun states, but not too far from them when it came to stature and wealth was Bahawalpur, with a seventeen gun salute to its name. Bahawalpur, now situated in one of the most arid zones of Pakistan, abutting Rajasthan in India but with a primarily Muslim population—and a ruling family which traces its ancestry back over more than sixty generations, through the Abbasid caliphs to none other than the uncle of the Prophet Mohammad.
Not that that is an indisputable fact. Like much of the rest of the pre-colonial history of Bahawalpur, this lineage too is a matter of some debate. Bahawalpur itself, as emerges from Loyd's history of the state and its line of nawabs, has been all too often torn in different directions, caught between opposing interests. From its unique culture (part of the larger Saraiki tradition) which struggles to survive against the overwhelming presence of the adjacent Punjab, to the constant war the nawab must wage against corruption in Pakistan's political scenario in order to keep Bahawalpur's interests alive: this fascinating area appears to have a long history of conflict of various types.
Loyd delves into the history of Bahawalpur, using sources as varied as historical accounts by British officials across the centuries and written histories by modern Pakistani writers. This is embellished by folklore, legend, and the memories of Salahuddin Abbasi, the current amir of Bahawalpur. Beginning from the somewhat sketchy origins of the Abbasi family, Loyd’s history of Bahawalpur weaves its way through the glamorous-bizarre times of the Anglicized Bahawalpuri nawabs of the 1800s, with their European wives and their eccentric, expensive tastes. Through the turbulent years of Partition (when Bahawalpur was largely free of the violence that tore apart much of the India-Pakistan border), to Bahawalpur’s absorption into Pakistan, and the subsequent leaching away of Bahawalpur’s substantial wealth, Loyd traces the post-colonial history of this kingdom, once very wealthy and powerful, now almost unknown.
The history of Bahawalpur and its ruling family is written in chronological order, with the focus initially on the early rulers. This narration, since it draws from limited sources (and a mix of lore and conjecture) is at times dry and even confusing, with one name after the other, all of them blending into a blur. It is with the later nawabs—specifically, Sadiq Mohammad Khan IV—that Loyd seems to hit her stride, or perhaps it is just that the wealth of information available from this period on makes it easier to write more impactfully about the nawabs.
The way she does it is to combine state with individual, politics with persona. On the one hand, she shows how the Bahawalpur nawabs’ equations with the ‘paramount power’ changed over time—whether the power was the Mughal ruler, the British East India Company, the British Raj, or the government of Pakistan. On the other hand, she allows us a peek into the (somewhat) private lives of the nawabs: the love for philately of one man, the obsession with Rolls Royces of another. The accompanying photographs of Bahawalpur and its rulers, from the very earliest days of photography to the present day, are invaluable.
The book, in the final analysis, is an eye-opener, but also a poignant tale of a once powerful, beautiful and wealthy state that now, thanks to dirty politics, corruption and greed, is possibly on the brink of losing what little remains of its heritage. Bahawalpur: The Kingdom That Vanished is a sad riches-to-rags story, as well as an insight into the mess that Pakistan’s politics and the radical Islamization of the country have made of what was once the wealthiest of the princely states in the country.
(From my review for The New Indian Express: https://www.newindianexpress.com/life...)
Not that that is an indisputable fact. Like much of the rest of the pre-colonial history of Bahawalpur, this lineage too is a matter of some debate. Bahawalpur itself, as emerges from Loyd's history of the state and its line of nawabs, has been all too often torn in different directions, caught between opposing interests. From its unique culture (part of the larger Saraiki tradition) which struggles to survive against the overwhelming presence of the adjacent Punjab, to the constant war the nawab must wage against corruption in Pakistan's political scenario in order to keep Bahawalpur's interests alive: this fascinating area appears to have a long history of conflict of various types.
Loyd delves into the history of Bahawalpur, using sources as varied as historical accounts by British officials across the centuries and written histories by modern Pakistani writers. This is embellished by folklore, legend, and the memories of Salahuddin Abbasi, the current amir of Bahawalpur. Beginning from the somewhat sketchy origins of the Abbasi family, Loyd’s history of Bahawalpur weaves its way through the glamorous-bizarre times of the Anglicized Bahawalpuri nawabs of the 1800s, with their European wives and their eccentric, expensive tastes. Through the turbulent years of Partition (when Bahawalpur was largely free of the violence that tore apart much of the India-Pakistan border), to Bahawalpur’s absorption into Pakistan, and the subsequent leaching away of Bahawalpur’s substantial wealth, Loyd traces the post-colonial history of this kingdom, once very wealthy and powerful, now almost unknown.
The history of Bahawalpur and its ruling family is written in chronological order, with the focus initially on the early rulers. This narration, since it draws from limited sources (and a mix of lore and conjecture) is at times dry and even confusing, with one name after the other, all of them blending into a blur. It is with the later nawabs—specifically, Sadiq Mohammad Khan IV—that Loyd seems to hit her stride, or perhaps it is just that the wealth of information available from this period on makes it easier to write more impactfully about the nawabs.
The way she does it is to combine state with individual, politics with persona. On the one hand, she shows how the Bahawalpur nawabs’ equations with the ‘paramount power’ changed over time—whether the power was the Mughal ruler, the British East India Company, the British Raj, or the government of Pakistan. On the other hand, she allows us a peek into the (somewhat) private lives of the nawabs: the love for philately of one man, the obsession with Rolls Royces of another. The accompanying photographs of Bahawalpur and its rulers, from the very earliest days of photography to the present day, are invaluable.
The book, in the final analysis, is an eye-opener, but also a poignant tale of a once powerful, beautiful and wealthy state that now, thanks to dirty politics, corruption and greed, is possibly on the brink of losing what little remains of its heritage. Bahawalpur: The Kingdom That Vanished is a sad riches-to-rags story, as well as an insight into the mess that Pakistan’s politics and the radical Islamization of the country have made of what was once the wealthiest of the princely states in the country.
(From my review for The New Indian Express: https://www.newindianexpress.com/life...)
June 14, 2025
Bahawalpur, The Kingdom that Vanished by Anabel Loyd, tells us the story of Bahawalpur, the biggest princely state to join Pakistan after India's partition, and the struggle of Salahuddin Abbasi, amir of Bahawalpur, to restore the provincial status of Bahawalpur, which was promised by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the last ruling Nawab of Bahawalpur, Sadiq Muhammad Khan V. Amongst the 565 princely states of undivided India, Hyderabad, Kashmir, Mysore, Gwalior, and Baroda were twenty-one-gun salute states; Bahawalpur, a seventeen-gun-salute state, was ruled by the Abbasi family, who claim descent from the Abbasid caliphs of Cairo and Baghdad to Al Abbas Ibn Abdul al Muttalib, uncle of Prophet Muhammad. The book is meant for serious history readers.
October 27, 2023
I have never wanted to read a book this much. This is one of the books I get myself so attached to. Engulfing, shattering, amazing, shocking, all at once. I have always loved my city, and the book has increased that love 100 times more. The tale of once powerful, beautiful, and wealthy princely state, now on the verge of losing what little remains of its heritage. Discussing the lores, The Nawabs, the Diamond crown, their love lives, and the LEGENDARY Rolls Royce, this book has taken me through the history, making me believe that everything is happening right here, right now, page after page and sentence after sentence ❤️ Totally Worth the Wait ❤️😭💯
August 27, 2021
Interested in royal history of Pakistan
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews