Parlakhemundi Estate was a Zamindari estate in the

Orissa Province Orissa Province was a province of British India created in April 1936 by the partitioning of the Bihar and Orissa Province and adding parts of Madras Presidency and Central Provinces. Its territory corresponds with the present-day state of Odi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

during the British era. Before the creation of the

Orissa province Orissa Province was a province of British India created in April 1936 by the partitioning of the Bihar and Orissa Province and adding parts of Madras Presidency and Central Provinces. Its territory corresponds with the present-day state of Odi ...

, it was under the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

. The state was ruled as an independent kingdom till 1769.The royal family belong to the Krishnatreya gotra Odia Kshatriya and traced their lineage to

Eastern Ganga Dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large medieval era Indian royal Hindu dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas rul ...

. It was a zamindari estate lying in the southwestern portion of

Ganjam district Ganjam is a district in the Indian state of Odisha. Ganjam's total area is 8,206 km² (3,168 mi²). The district headquarters is Chhatrapur. Ganjam is divided into three sub-divisions: Chhatrapur, Berhampur, and Bhanjanagar. As of ...

, covering an area of 615 square miles. It was bounded in the south by the district of Visakhapatnam and on the west by the

Jeypore Estate Jeypore Estate or Jeypore Zamindari was a Zamindari estate of the Madras Presidency and later of Orissa Province in British India. Historically it was a kingdom known as Jeypore Kingdom, located in the highlands of the western interiors of the ...

and the tribal agencies of the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

. The zamindars were a branch of the

that survived as the rulers of the

Paralakhemundi Paralakhemundi shortly known as Parala is district Headquarter of Gajapati district and one of the oldest Municipality established in 1885, in the Indian state of Odisha. The city and the district share its boundaries with Andhra Pradesh. The ...

estate, currently part of the Gajapati district, Odisha.

History

The Khemundi kingdom was established by a branch of the Eastern Gangas before the reign of the Suryavamsa

Gajapatis The Gajapati dynasty refers to the ruling dynasty from the region of modern Odisha in the Indian subcontinent, whose monarch carries the regnal title of Gajapati. The institution of Gajapati dynasty or lordship was founded by the monarchs of t ...

, who had ruled the Kalinga region with the dynasty chiefs calling themselves as Chandravamshis. This is traced to the foundation of the Khemundi kingdom by Narashingha Deba, a son of the Eastern Ganga monarch Bhanudeva II during the early 14th century. His descendants would inherit the Khemundi territory while the main Imperial Eastern Ganga line would end after being overthrown by the Suryavamshi

Gajapati Empire The Gajapati Empire was a Medieval India, medieval Hindu monarchy in the Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent, originally from the region of Odisha that reigned from c.1434 to 1541. It succeeded the Eastern Ganga dynasty, Eastern Gangas as ...

. During the 16th cen, the Raja of Parlakhemundi, Subarnalinga Bhanu Deba granted parts of the Khimedi areas to his son Ananga Kesari Ramachandra Deba, whose son Chodanga Deba in turn divided the zamindari among his sons, splitting into two branches-

Pedda Khimedi Badakhemundi estate, also known as Pedda Khimedi estate, was a zamindari in the Ganjam district in the British period. It was an offshoot of Parlakhemundi. It had an area of 505 km2 and a population of 40,650 inhabitants (1871) in 194 villages. ...

(Badakhemundi) and Chinna Khimedi (Sanakhemundi) in 1608. Two scions of the Bodokhemundi family were also instrumental in the foundation of the princely state of Hindol in 1554. Parlakhemundi came under British influence in 1768. The

zamindari state has played much of an important role in assembling the Odia speaking parts, propagating modern education system, building state infrastructures etc. A a large part of the estate now lies in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, even though the Gangas were based in

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. The last king of Paralakhemundi, Maharaja

Krushna Chandra Gajapati Krushna Chandra Gajapati KCIE (26 April 1892 – 25 May 1974), also known as Captain Maharaja Sri Sri Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deva KCIE, was one of the key personality, helping the creation of Odia speaking state - Odisha. He wa ...

, played a key role in the Odisha state movement and is regarded as one of the architects of an independent united Odisha State and also went on to become the first Prime Minister of

formed in 1936. The present-day Gajapati district of Odisha which was earlier a part of the historic

was named after him.

Rulers

The rulers of this line include:

Khemundi Kingdom

* Narasingha Deba (1309–1320) * Madanrudra Deba (1320–1339) * Narayana Rudra Deba (1339–1353) * Ananda Rudra Deba (1353–1354) * Ananda Rudra Deba (1354–1367) * Jayarudra Deba (1367–1399) * Lakhsmi Narasingha Deba (1399–1418) * Madhukarna Gajapati (1418–1441) * Murtunjaya Bhanu Deba (1441–1467) * Madhaba Bhanu Deba (1467–1495) * Chandra Betal Bhanu Deba (1495–1520) * Subarnalinga Bhanu Deba (1520–1550)

Rulers of Paralakhemundi

Rulers of the Paralakhemundi state following the establishment of the Bodokhemundi and Sanakhemundi branches: * Sibalinga Narayan Bhanudeo (1550–1568) * Subarna Kesari Govinda Gajapati Narayan Deo (1568–1599) * Mukunda Rudra Gajapati Narayan Deo (1599–1619) * Mukunda Deo (1619–1638) * Ananta Padmanabh Gajapati Narayan Deo I (1638–1648) * Sarbajgan Jagannatha Gajapati Narayan Deo I (1648–1664) * Narahari Narayan Deo (1664–1691) * Bira Padmanabh Narayan Deo II (1691–1706) * Prataprudra Gajapati Narayan Deo I (1706–1736) * Jagannatha Gajapati Narayana Deo II (1736–1771) * Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo I (1771–1803) * Purushottam Gajapati Narayan Deo (1803–1806) * Jagannath Gajapati Narayan Deo III (1806–1850) * Prataprudra Gajapati Narayan Deo II (1850–1885) * Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo II (1885–1904) * Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo (1913 – 25 May 1974) * Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo (25 May 1974 – 10 January 2020) * Kalyani Gajapati (10 January 2020–present)

References

General references

* Patel, S.K. (1991). Cultural history of early medieval Orissa: Åšulki rule. Sundeep Prakashan. p. 48. {{ISBN, 978-81-85067-71-1. Retrieved 2020-04-13. History of Odisha History of Andhra Pradesh