Deo Raj, was a

zamindari A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

(estate) situated in what is now Aurangabad district of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. The Deo Raj family were notable for being the protectors of Deo Sun shrine (Deo Surya Mandir). The dynasty came to an end in 1934, as Jagannath Prasad Singh Kinkar, its last ruler, died without leaving a descendant.

Origins

During either 14th or 15th century, there was a migration of Sisodia

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s from

Mewar Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...

to South Bihar. These migrant Rajputs, along with local

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

rulers, played a significant role in renovating and maintaining numerous Hindu shrines and temples. The region contains a 15th-century inscription that records the dedication of a temple by King Bhairavendra. The inscription names twelve of his ancestors and suggests that the area was once under the rule of his dynasty. The migrant Deo Rajas eventually became the overlords of Umga through a matrimonial alliance with this lineage. The Deo Rajas were among a number of Rajput migrant groups to arrive in Southern Bihar and they replaced the previous Umga chiefs.

Relations with the British

The zamindars of the Deo estate generally maintained cordial relations with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. They refused to join other rebellious zamindars in the 1781 rebellion and the

1857 rebellion 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 form ...

. They also refused to join the nearby tribal uprisings including the

Santhal rebellion The Sonthal Rebellion, also known as the Santhal Rebellion, Santal Rebellion, or Santhal Hool, was a rebellion in present-day Jharkhand against the East India Company (EIC) and zamindari system by the Santals. It started on 30 June 1855, and on ...

. It is notable that the Rajas of Deo did not provide help to

Kunwar Singh Veer Kunwar Singh, also known as Babu Kunwar Singh was a chief organiser of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from the Bhojpur region of Bihar. He was originally the ruler of Jagdishpur estate. He led a selected band of armed soldiers against th ...

despite Raja Fateh Narayan Singh, the then ruler of Deo, marrying his daughter of to Kunwar Singh.

References

{{reflist History of Bihar Zamindari estates Deo, Bihar Rajput estates Kingdoms of Bihar

Origins

Relations with the British

See also

References