Chandan Hajuri (20 January 1827 – 1870) popularly known as 'Chakhi Khuntia' was a

Jagannath Temple The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

priest and a poet who participated in the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

Life

Chandan Hajuri was born on the auspicious day of Samba Dashami in the year 1827 which fell on 7 January 1827 in Puri of Odisha to father Raghunath Khuntia alias Bhimasen Hajuri and mother Kamalabati. He was married to Sundarmani at the Age of 12. At a young age, he was taught Odia, Sanskrit and Hindi literature to help him perform his duties in the Jagannath temple. He also learned traditional wrestling at Akharas and later, taught Wrestling and military exercises to the youths in Puri.

1857 Rebellion

Chakhi Khuntia happened to be the family priest of Manubai, later renamed Lakshmibai after her marriage to Gangadhar Rao, the King of

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative head ...

. He played a crucial role in mobilizing the sepoys and organizing mutiny while traveling across the country as a Panda of the Jagannath Temple before the

. At the time of the mutiny, he was stationed at a Northern Military Station and fought valiantly with the British.He was known to have maintained a direct contact with the rebel leadership during the Mutiny. Later, he was arrested in Gaya and his properties were confiscated by the East Indian Company Government. In 1858, Hajuri was released from prison after being offered amnesty under the Queen's proclamation of 1858 along with other Rebels.

Later life

Khuntia spent the remainder of his life at Puri by devoting himself to spiritual and literary pursuits. He composed several popular Poems and Songs dedicated to Jagannath. He also composed a palm life manuscript titled Manubai in memory of Lakshmibai. He died in 1870 at Puri.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khuntia, Chakhi 19th-century Indian people People from Odisha Indian revolutionaries 1827 births 1870 deaths Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857