Benares State

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.

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. 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. 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.