Rampur was recognised as a princely state by the British colonial powers in the late 1700s, it grew to prominence after 1857. The Nawab of Rampur had stayed aloof from the uprising and Rampur state emerged as the only Muslim state in the North Indian plains to survive the mutiny. The decline of the Mughal and Avadh court meant that many of the poets, scholars and leading luminaries drifted towards Rampur, encouraged by successive Rampuri Nawabs who prized learning and the arts. Thus was born a noted Hindustani classical music school (Rampur-Sahaswan gharana). Poets like Mirza Ghalib, Mir Hussain Taskin, and Daagh Dehlvi, singers like Begum Akhtar, musicians like Ahmed Jan Thirakwa and dancers like Acchan Maharaj and Lacchu Maharaj received patronage and support. Over a period of time, the royals built a world-renowned archive of rare manuscripts, now collected in the Raza Library.