Qaim Khan

Qaim Khan

Khan-e Jehan Nawab Qaim Khan Shaheed who was the son of Raja Motay Rai Chauhan, the ruler of Dorayra or Dadrewa (presently situated in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan). The first progenitor of Qaimkhanis was Karamchand born in the family of Moterao of Chauhan clan, the ruler of Dadrewa. Firuz Shah Tughluq converted him to Islam and named him Qaimkhan. Thus his descendants were called Qaimkhani. He embraced Islam along with his brothers, Nawab Zainuddin Khan and Nawab Jabaruddin Khan, in the times of Sultan Feroz Shah (born in 1310 CE and crowned in 1351 CE). Descendants of Nawab Zainuddin Khan and Nawab Jabaruddin Khan are also 'Qaim Khanis'.

Nawab Qaim Khan was an Ameer of the Delhi Sultanate. Tuzk-e-Mehboobia of Sultan-e-Deccan Mir Mehboob Ali Khan mentions:

"Nawab Qaim Khan embraced Islam in 754 Hijra. In 760 Hijra, Sultan Feroz Shah appointed him the Governor of Hisar Ferozah with the title of Khan-e-Jehan".

The above indicates he coverted to Islam in about 1352. Nawab Qaim Khan continued as the Governor of Hisar in the times of Sultan Mehmood Shah Tughlaq and Khizar Khan. Khizar defeated Daulat Khan Lodi and imprisoned him under Nawab Qaim Khan at Hisar Ferozah. (It is the same Daulat Khan Lodi who was at the helms of the Delhi Sultanate for one year and three months).

Khizar Khan then developed differences with Nawab Qaim Khan. Khizar Khan was on a military campaign when he received the information that Ameers Qaim Khan, Ikhtiar Khan, and all remnants belonging to the household of Sultan Mehmood Shah Tughlaq were planning to dethrone him. Khizar Khan left the campaign and while going back to Delhi, invited with deceit Nawab Qaim Khan and others at a meeting held at the banks of Jumna and murdered them all on 20th Jamadi-ul-Awal, 822 Hijra,

Tareekh-e-Farishta and Tarik-e-Tabqat-e-Akbari also corroborate this incident. It appears that Nawab's body was then thrown in the river Jumna as his burial place is not given in the history books.