Nilagiri State was one of the princely states of India during 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 ...

. It belonged to the Orissa States Agency and its capital was at Raj Nilgiri, which later became the modern town of

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 the Palaeolithic age. I ...

. The state was bounded in the north and west by the State of Mayurbhanj and in the south by

Balasore District Balasore District, also known as Baleswar District, is an administrative district of Odisha state, in eastern India. Balasore is one of the coastal districts of Odisha and lies on the northernmost part of the state. Etymology Baleswar is sa ...

. As of 1940, Nilgiri State had a population of 73,109 and an area of . In 1949 it was merged into Balasore District.

History

In 1525 Raja Narayan Singh distinguished himself by his service to

Emperor Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand ...

in the battles against Afghan invaders. Between 1611 and 1797, there were seven successive rulers. Raja Krishnachandra Mardraj Harichandan, who ruled Nilgiri in 1850s, adopted the son of the Bhanj king of

Mayurbhanj Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts of Odisha state in eastern India and the largest in the state by area, nearly equivalent to Tripura. The district's headquarters is located in Baripada, with other major towns including Rairangp ...

, Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo, who succeeded as the ruler of Nilgiri as Raja Shyamchandra Mardraj Harichandan in 1893. During the time of the

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 ...

freedom fighters such as Balaram Raj, Shyamsundar Parida, Kailashchandra Mohanty, Banamali Das, Baishnab Patnaik and Nanda Kishore Patnaik forced the last Raja of Nilgiri , Kishor Chandra, to surrender to the newly formed Indian National Government. The prince signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1948.

Rulers

The rulers of Nilgiri State. They bore the title of '

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 ...

', '

Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

' in the case of female ruler Chira Devi.Princely States of India
/ref> # Bhanukaran Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1125–1143) # Sasikaran Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1143–1167) # Charribrana Birar Bhujanga Mandhara (1167–1208) # Kalakar Birar Bhujanga Mandhara (1208–1249) # Sadhukar Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1249–1329) # Dinaram Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1329–1341) # Chunusaha Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1341–1363) # Nounsaha Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1363–1381) # Biraliswar Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1381–1414) # Dibya Singh Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1414–1450) # Janardan Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1450–1486) # Jagannath Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (1486–1520) # Narayan Basanr Birat Bhujanga Mandhata Harichandan (1520–1564) # Utreswar Harichandan Birat Bhujanga Mandhata (''Satuda Behuda Bhuyan Mohapatra'') (1564–1610) # Ramkrushna Das Harichandan Mardraj (1610–1633) # Gopinarh Das Harichandan Mardraj (1633–1664) # Lukhyan Das Harichandan Mardraj (1664–1695) # Goinda Das Mardraj Harichandan (1695–1712) # Narayan Das Mardraj Harichandan (1712 :6 months) # Chakradhar Mardraj Harichandan (1712–1741) # Tribikram Mardraj Harichandan (1741–1742) # Raghunath Mardraj Harichandan (1742–1752) # Nayanund Mardraj Harichandan (1752–1753) # Oebya Singh Mardraj Harichandan (1753–1771) # Ncryanund Mardraj Harichandan (1771–1774) # Sarveswar Mardraj Harichandan (1774–1778) # Lakshmikama Mardraj Harichandan (1778–1780) # Radhika Dei Rajmata (1780–1781) # Dasarath Mardraj Ilarichandan (1781–1784) # Govardhan Mardraj Harichandan (1784–1795) # Gopinath Mardraj Harichandan (1795–1796) # Ramchandra Mardraj Harichandan (1796 (15 days)) # Darathi Mardraj Harichandan (1796–1799) # Ramchandra Mardraj Harichandan (1799–1801) # Gopinarh Mardraj Harichandan (1801–1802) # Ramchandra Mardraj Harichandan (1802–1819) # Gobinda Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1819–1832) #*

Chira Devi -

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

(1833-1843) # Krishna Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1843–1893) # Shyam Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1893 – 6 Jul 1913) # Kishor Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (6 July 1913 – 1 January 1948)

Titular

*Kishor Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1 January 1948 – 29 March 1960) *Rajendra Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (29 March 1960 – 30 May 2001) *Jayant Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (30 May 2001 – current)

References

External links

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