Dhenkanal State was one of the
princely states of
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 period of the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
. The area of the former state is now referred to as
Dhenkanal district
Dhenkanal district is one of the 30 districts of the state of Odisha in Eastern India.
History
Geography
Dhenkanal district is one of the centrally located districts in Odisha. It lies between Longitude: 85° 58' to 86° 2' East and Latitude ...
,
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 ...
, with
Dhenkanal town as its district headquarters.Dhenkanal state was ruled by several rulers from the year 1530 to 1948, meaning an astounding 418 years.Dhenkanal state had the major parts of Dhenkanal,Angul and some parts of Keonjhar and southern areas.
History
Foundation of Dhenkanal District
In 1530 CE, Dhenkanal is reported to have been a local tribal kingdom under the rule of Sabara. A campaign was launched by Harisingh Vidyadhara, commander and minister of the Gajapati Maharaja
Prataparudra Deva
Prataparudra Deva (Odia language, Odia: ଗଜପତି ପ୍ରତାପରୁଦ୍ର ଦେବ) was the third Gajapati (title), Gajapati emperor of Odisha from the Suryavamsa Gajapati Empire founded by his grandfather Kapilendradeva, Kapi ...
, to bring it under the umbrage of the larger kingdom. Harisingh belonged to the
Bhoi dynasty
The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa (IAST: Yaduvaṃśa) dynasty
were a medieval Hindu dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Odisha that reigned from 1541 to 1560 CE. Govinda Vidyadhara had usurped the throne f ...
, whose brother
Govinda Vidyadhara
Govinda Vidyadhara was the founder of Bhoi Dynasty in Eastern India.
Early life
He belonged to writer caste and came from a community of accountants or Bhoi.
According to Historian KC. Panigrahi Bhoi rulers belonged to Karana caste. Hi ...
would later overthrow Prataparudra Deva's successors to become the Gajapati ruler of Odisha. Dhenkanal, situated 150 km north of
Puri
Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...
, was conquered by the Vidyadhara using a force of
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
and
foot soldiers in a battle between the Gajapati's army and the ruling chief. Vidyadhara was then appointed by Gajapati Maharaja as the
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
of Dhenkanal, becoming its hereditary ruler. The conquest brought the remote area under the control of the Gajapati Kingdom and strengthened it against further attacks. This laid the foundation of the
Bhoi dynasty
The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa (IAST: Yaduvaṃśa) dynasty
were a medieval Hindu dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Odisha that reigned from 1541 to 1560 CE. Govinda Vidyadhara had usurped the throne f ...
branch at Dhenkanal.
In the 18th century, the kingdom withstood the attack by the
Maratha
The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...
forces during the reign of Trilochana Deva. The events of the Maratha-Dhenakanal war of 1781 was also recorded in the ballad ''Samara Taranga'' by
Brajanath Badajena. Raja Bhagirathi Pratap was a very popular and effective ruler, who was decorated with hereditary title of Mahindra Bahadur.
20th century
Raja Sri Sura Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur's eldest son, Prince Shankar Pratap, became Raja in the year 1926. He was young and still studying. Subsequently, he went to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to study Bar at Law. After his return to Dhenkanal, he put his mind to administration.
While Raja Sri Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was in England, his younger brother, Pattayat Nrusingha Pratap Singh Deo was ruling over
Dhenkanal
Dhenkanal is a town and a municipality in Dhenkanal district in the state of Odisha, India.
Geography
Dhenkanal is at . It has an average elevation of 80 metres (262 feet).
Demographics
As per the 2011 India census, Dhenkanal had a p ...
. He built his 100-room palace at Jatan Nagar with
forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
. The labourers were
tortured
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties.
Some definitions restrict torture to ac ...
badly. Raja's Accountant also extracted money from common men. After all these incidents people expected an improved state of affairs after Raja Sri Shankar Pratap would return from abroad and take over administration from his younger brother.
Revolt
The revolt was organised and mobilized mainly by Harmohan Patnaik, who was the grandson of Dhenkanal
Bebarta Jagannath Patnaik and
Dewan Damodar Patnaik. Harmohan Patnaik formed the Dhenkanal
Praja Mandal
The All India States Peoples Conference (AISPC) was a conglomeration of political movements in the princely states of the British Raj, which were variously called ''Praja Mandals'' or ''Lok Parishads''.; The first session of the organisation w ...
and was elected as its president. This was the first Praja Mandal of British India and then Praja Mandals sprang up in all
princely states of India as public organizations to resist the practices of the then
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
s and
Maharaja
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
s.
The
Indian Imperial Police
The Indian Imperial Police, referred to variously as the Indian Police or, by 1905, the Imperial Police, was part of the Indian Police Services, the uniform system of police administration in British India, as established by Government of India Ac ...
was mobilized by Raja Saheb to repress a revolt. A young boy named
Baji Rout
Baji Rout (5 October 1926 11 October 1938) ( Odia language, Odia: ସହିଦ୍ ବାଜି ରାଉତ) was an Indian boy best known for his role in the Indian independence movement. Rout, who worked as a boatman, was shot by the Ind ...
refused to ferry police officers using his boat. The police then opened fire and killed Baji Rout and five villagers. This incident inflamed the nearby villagers and the revolt spread to the entire Dhenkanal State.
The Praja Mandal movement mobilized mass gatherings and a charter of rights was drawn. During the years of struggle, the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
also became associated with the Dhenkanal movement. Arrests and imprisonments were a regular occurrence. Whenever Raja Saheb's forces imprisoned Harmohan Patnaik, the people surrounded the Palace in great numbers. Raja Saheb felt threatened and released Harmohan Patnaik unconditionally.
Independence of India
The independence of India in the year 1947 put a stop to the unrest. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur accepted Harmohan Patnaik as an adviser. Subsequently, princely states were taken over and Rajas and Maharajas were deposed. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap was elected as Member of newly formed Odisha Legislative Assembly. Ranee Smt. Ratna Prabha Devi was an M.L.A. for two terms. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap's son, Brigadier
Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo
Brigadier Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo AVSM (born 6 August 1941), the scion of Dhenkanal is a former Member of Parliament and a retired Indian Territorial Army officer. He was a member of the 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 13th Lok Sabha. He wa ...
, became a Member of Indian Parliament and a Minister in the Government of India's cabinet. He was the President of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee.
Rulers
List of rulers of the Dhenkanal princely state of the
Bhoi dynasty
The Bhoi dynasty or the Yaduvamsa (IAST: Yaduvaṃśa) dynasty
were a medieval Hindu dynasty from the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Odisha that reigned from 1541 to 1560 CE. Govinda Vidyadhara had usurped the throne f ...
branch:
*Harisingh Vidyadhara (1530–1594)
*Loknath Ray Singh Bharamarbar (1594–1615)
*Balabhadra Ray Singh (1615–1641)
*Nilakantha Ray Singh (1641–1682)
*Nrusingh Bhramarbar (1682–1708)
*Kunja Behari Bhramarbar (1708–1728)
*Braja Behari Bhramarbar (1728–1741)
*Damodar Bhramarbar (1741–1743)
*Trilochana Deva Mahendra Bahadur (1743–1785)
*Dayanidhi Mahendra Bahadur (1785–1796)
*Ramchandra Mahendra Bahadur (1796–1807)
*Krishna Chandra Mahendra Bahadur (1807–1822)
*Shyam Chandra Mahendra Bahadur (1822–1830)
*Bhagiratha Mahendra Bahadur (1830–1873)
*Pitambar Deo (1873–1877)
*Dinabhandu Mahendra Bahadur (1877–1885)
*Surya Pratap Mahendra Bahadur (29 August 1885 – 16 October 1918)
*Shankar Pratap Singh Dev Mahendra (16 October 1918 – 1 January 1948)
Titular
*Shankar Pratap Singh Dev Mahendra (1 January 1948 – 3 August 1965)
*
Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo
Brigadier Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo AVSM (born 6 August 1941), the scion of Dhenkanal is a former Member of Parliament and a retired Indian Territorial Army officer. He was a member of the 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 13th Lok Sabha. He wa ...
Mahindra Bahadur (born 3 August 1965)
See also
*
Eastern States Agency
The Eastern States Agency was an agency or grouping of princely states in eastern India, during the latter years of the British Raj. It was created in 1933, by the unification of the former Chhattisgarh States Agency and the Orissa States Agenc ...
*
Eastern States Union
The Eastern States Union was a short-lived (1947–48) union of princely states in newly independent India that gathered most of the princely states of the former Orissa Tributary States and Chhattisgarh States Agency in order to fill the vacu ...
*
Political integration of India
Before it gained independence in 1947, India (also called the Indian Empire) was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule (British India), and the other consisting of princely states under the suzerainty of the Briti ...
References
External links
*
Indian Princely State Dhenkanal Fiscal Court fee and Revenue Stamps
{{Coord, 20.67, N, 85.6, E, source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title
Princely states of Odisha
1530 establishments in India
1948 disestablishments in India
Dhenkanal district
States and territories disestablished in 1948