Maharajah Sir Vikram Dev III KCIE or Vikram Dev was the king of Jeypore, Kalinga, from 1889 to 1920. He is well known for his administration, altruism, education reforms, tribal welfare, and various construction works that developed the kingdom of Jeypore.

Early life

Vikram Dev III was born to Maharajah Ramachandra Dev III and Maharani Lakshmi Devi Rajeshwari on 6 December 1874. He was the only son and, therefore, the heir apparent to the throne. His sister Rajkumari Subardna Devi was married to Raja Goura Chandra Gajapati of Paralakhemundi. After the death of his father in 1889, the estate went under the management of the Court of Wards, who also took keen interest in the education of the young crown prince. A British gentleman, J.S. Marsh, was appointed as the tutor of Vikram Dev, who tutored him in the subjects of English, Humanities, and Law. Before his coronation, the prince travelled with Marsh to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, where he had the opportunity to formally meet and converse with puissant personalities like Lord Elgin – the then

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 1950, from 1858 to 1947 the viceroy and governor-general of India, commonly shortened to viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

, and Lord Wenlock – the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

. He was married to Princess Sita Devi, daughter of Raja Dharamjeet Singh Deo of

Udaipur State The Kingdom of Mewar was an independent Hindu Monarchy, kingdom that existed in the Rajputana region of the Indian subcontinent and later became a dominant state in medieval India. The kingdom was initially founded and ruled by the Guhila dyna ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Reign

Vikram Dev ascended the throne on 27 November 1895 after the expiration of his minority. Essentially, he became the first king of the dynasty to build a good rapport with 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 ...

, unlike his ancestors who kept a rancorous approach due to the contentious history between the British and Jeypore. The young king aspired to develop his kingdom and improve the livelihood of his people, which seemed possible only with the support of the British, who governed India with the help of numerous princely states and Estates. He led the construction of a new palace called ‘Moti Mahal’ and new robust bridges upon the regional rivers Kolab and Indravati. This also proved to be an economic merit for the local population as it provided them employment. Apparently, the liberal king donated considerable amounts for the construction of Victoria Memorial in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and to Victoria Caste and Ghosh Hospital. He also donated to the

Indian famine of 1899–1900 The Indian famine of 1899–1900 began with the failure of the Monsoon#Southwest monsoon, summer monsoons in 1899 over Western India, Western and Central India and, during the next year, affected an area of and a population of 59.5 million. Th ...

Relief Fund and to the Transval War Fund. His education proved vital in improving the status of his kingdom, and he was formally awarded the title of "

Maharajah Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

" by the British, although it was used "informally" by his ancestors. He also received the distinction of a Knight Commander (KCIE) under the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

, along with the style of ‘

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjec ...

’ conferred upon him and his descendants. In 1901, he was invited to Madras by

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

, the then Viceroy of India, and Sir

Arthur Havelock Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, (7 May 1844 – 25 June 1908) was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, of Natal, of Madras, of Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and of Tasmania from 1901 to 1904. Early life ...

, Governor of Madras.

Expansion of territories

When Vikram Dev took up the mantle, the territories of Jeypore Samasthanam measured at 12,000 square miles. However, the king further expanded the dominion of his kingdom by purchasing the zamindaris of

Pachipenta Pachipenta is a village in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Pachipenta mandal. History Pachipenta gained sudden significance in the later medieval history of Kalinga (historical region), Kalinga unde ...

and Madugula in the year 1910, and henceforth, the limits of the kingdom were extended down to the Ghat near Itikavalsa. However, half of the Madugula zamindari was retained by the Estate Queen and was relinquished by her in 1928 after a court order ruled in favour of Maharajah Ram Chandra Dev IV. Due to these administrative measures, the territories of Jeypore were expanded to 15,000 square miles.

Contribution in the First World War

Sir Vikram Dev provided essential financial aid to the British in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He donated an amount of one

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

Indian rupees The Indian rupee (Currency symbol, symbol: Indian rupee sign, ₹; ISO 4217, code: INR) is the official currency of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''Indian paisa, paise'' (Hindi plural; singular: ''paisa''). The issuance of the currenc ...

to the

Fund and a thousand rupees every month till the end of the war. His only son Prince Ramchandra Dev IV was awarded the rank of a Lieutenant. He also contributed 25,000 for a fighter plane to be named after Jeypore. Apparently, keeping these aids in regard, the British government named a street in London, ‘Jeypore Road’.

Death and legacy

Vikram Dev III died in 1920 at the age of 46 and was succeeded by his only son Maharajah Ram Chandra Dev IV. In 1926, the then governor of Madras, Viscount George Goschen, along with the Lady Viscount, inaugurated the statue of Maharajah Vikram Dev III in the premises of Surya Mahal Palace.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vikram Dev III Indian maharajas Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire 1874 births 1920 deaths