Rairakhol State ( or, ରେଢ଼ାଖୋଲ ରାଜ୍ୟ) was a
princely state during 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 ...
in what is today India. It was one of the
Chota Nagpur States and had its capital at
Rairakhol (Redhakhol), located in the present-day
Sambalpur district of
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 ...
. It had an area of and a population of 26,888 in 1901, the average revenue was Rs.55,000 in 1904.
Most of the state was covered by forest where wild
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
s used to roam. Rairakhol State's inhabitants spoke mostly the
Odia language, although there were also large
Kol people groups speaking
Munda and
Oraon language. The
Chasa caste was the predominant caste in the state.
History
Although records are obscure but according to traditions, around 17th century a branch of
Kadamba dynasty of the
Bonai State was ruling in the region and the chiefs were feudatories of the
Bamra State until the 18th century, when the rulers of the
Sambalpur State freed it from its dependence.
[''Imperial Gazetteer of India,'' v. 21, p. 61.](_blank)
/ref>
During the 19th century, Raja Bishan Chandra Jenamuni whose reign lasted 75 years, was recognized as Raja and in 1867 a sanad was granted by the British recognizing Rairakhol as a state in its own right. The state was under the political control of the Commissioner of the Chhattisgarh Division of the Central Provinces until 1905, coming then under the Bengal Presidency. His successor Gaura Chandra Deo adopted Bir Chandra Jadumani Deo Jenamuni, a scion of the Kadamba dynasty branch of Bonai as his successor. On 1 January 1948, he signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union. The princely state then became part of the Sambalpur district.
Rulers
The rulers of Rairakhol State of the Kadamba dynasty branch:
Titular
* 3 Bir Chandra Jadumani Deo Jenamuni ( – )
* 4 Girish Chandra Jadumani Deo Jenamuni ( – )
* 5 Hari Shankar Jadumani Deo Jenamuni ( – )
* 6 Nav Chandra Deo ( - current)
See also
* Eastern States Agency
* Orissa Tributary States
References
Princely states of Odisha
History of Odisha
Sambalpur district
States and territories disestablished in 1948
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