Ranpur palace, Ranpur, Raj-Ranpur, Odisha, India

Ranpur State was one of many

princely A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

non-

salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

s of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

during the period of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

. It was one of the four native states located in present-day

Nayagarh district Nayagarh district is one of the 30 districts of Odisha state in eastern India. It was created in 1st April 1993 when the erstwhile Puri District was split into three distinct districts, namely Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri. The district is borde ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

. The state was bounded in the west by

Nayagarh State Nayagarh State was one of the princely states of India from the period of the British Raj. It was located in present-day Nayagarh district, Odisha. The state was bounded in the north by Khandpara State and Puri District. The capital was at Nay ...

and in all other directions by

Puri district Puri district is a coastal district of the Odisha state of India. It has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks and comprises 1722 revenue villages. Puri is the only municipality of the district. Konark, Pipili and Nimapara are the thre ...

. It was very close to the seashore but had no coastline. Its southwestern part was thickly forested and was mostly uninhabited. The Ranpur ruling family claimed to belong to the most ancient lineage of the princely rulers of the

Orissa Tributary States The Orissa Tributary States, also known as the Garhjats and as the Orissa Feudatory States, were a group of princely states of British India now part of the present-day Indian state of Odisha. The Orissa Tributary States were located in the Ga ...

. The capital of the state was Ranpur, a small town near Kalupara Ghat railway station where the Raja resided.''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', v. 21, p. 240.
/ref>

History

According to legendary tradition, Ranpur State is of very ancient origin. The legendary date of its foundation is placed some time in the 18th century BC when the founder, a hunter named Basara Basuk, having defeated a giant demon named Ranasura, established his rule in the area. The name of the place is derived from the demon's name and was initially known as Ranasurapura, shortened to Ranpur in the course of time. The Ranpur state rulers claimed to be the most ancient of all the lineages of the

, with a list of generations of rulers covering a period of 3,600 years with the Raja declaring indigenous origin in an inquiry in 1814. According to the family history, the founder of the kingdom was Biswabasab, a Sabara who hailed from the

Nilagiri Nilagiri is a town and a Notified Area Council in Balasore district in the Indian state of Odisha. History Nilgiri is a very small town but replete with rich history and heritage. Its history can be traced back to paleolithic age. Its ...

hills region, established his rule in the region after subduing the Bhuiyas of the neighbouring villages. Later the chiefs received the title of ''Narendra'' from the

Eastern Ganga Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

monarch Ananga Bhimadeva owing to his prowess in battle. The state became a British protectorate in 1803 after the British defeated the Marathas in the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha W ...

and took over the region. The last Raja of Ranpur signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union, on 1 January 1948, merging his state into

Rulers

The rulers of Ranpur State:Princely States of India
/ref> *Narayan Narendra (1683–1692) *Ramachandra Narendra (1692–1727) *Sarangadhar Bajradhar Narendra (1727–1754) *Narsingh Bajradhar Narendra (1754–1789) *Brujdaban Bajradhar Narendra (1789–1821) *Brajsundar Bajradhar Narendra (1821–1842) *Benudar Bajradhar Narendra Mahapatra (1842–12 July 1899) *Birbar Krishna Chandra Narendra Mahapatra (12 July 1899–21 June 1945) *Brajendra Chandra Singh Deo Bajradhar Narendra Mahapatra (21 June 1945 – 1 January 1948)

Titular

*Brajendra Chandra Singh Deo Bajradhar Narendra Mahapatra (1 January 1948–1980) *Pradeep Chandra Singh Deo Bajradhar Narendra Mahapatra (1980–1982) *Dileep Chandra Singh Deo Bajradhar Narendra Mahapatra (1980–current)

References

Princely states of Odisha History of Odisha Nayagarh district {{india-hist-stub

History

Rulers

Titular

See also

References