Surguja State
| Surguja State | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princely StateofBritish India | |||||||||
| 1613–1948 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
 Surguja State in theImperial Gazetteer of India | |||||||||
| Capital | Ambikapur | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 1901 | 15,770 km2(6,090 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1901 | 351,011 | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1613 | ||||||||
| 1948 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Surguja Statewas one of the mainprincely statesofCentral Indiaduring the period of theBritish Raj,even though it was not entitled to anygun salute.Formerly, it was placed under theCentral India Agency,but in 1905 it was transferred to theEastern States Agency.
The state spread over a vastmountainousarea inhabited by many different people groups such as theGond,Bhumij,Oraon,Panika,Korwa,Bhuiya,Kharwar,Munda,Chero,Rajwar,NagesiaandSantal.[1]Its former territory lies in the present-day state ofChhattisgarhand its capital was the town ofAmbikapur,now the capital ofSurguja district.
History[edit]
According totradition,the family of theMaharajawere theRajputsof the Lunar raceHaihaivansh.The present ruling family is said to be descended from aRakselRaja ofPalamau.The state became aBritish protectoratein 1818 after theThird Anglo-Maratha War.Neighbouring Udaipur State was founded in 1818 as an offshoot of Surguja State. In 1860 The State was conferred to younger son ofMaharajaAmar Singh Deo, toRaja BahadurBindeshwari Prasad Singh DeoCSI.The Chief resided at Partabpur, the headquarters of a tract which he held as a maintenance grant inSurguja,and was a ruler of considerable ability and force of character. In 1871 he aided in the suppression of a rebellion in theKeonjhar State,for which he received the thanks of Government, and gifts of an elephant with gold-embroidered trappings and a gold watch and chain. He obtained the title ofRaja Bahaduras a personal distinction, and was also made aCompanion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India.In 1820 hereditary title ofMaharajawas conferred on ruling chief ofSurguja.Surguja was one of theChota Nagpur States[3]and its rulers wereRajputsof the Raksel dynasty. They were thede factooverlords of the smaller states ofUdaipur,Jashpur,Koriya(Korea) andChangbhakarthat were fringing its territory.[4]
MaharajaIndrajit Singh Deo (1827–1879) of Surguja was described as alunaticby Anglo-Indian writerGeorge Robert Aberigh-Mackayin 1877.[5]
Maharaja Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo, the last ruler of this princely state signed the accession to theIndian Unionon 1 January 1948.[6]The Maharaja has the notorious record of having shot and killed a total of 1710Bengal tigers,the highest known individual score;[7][8]he doesn't hold the official record of shooting into extinction 3 of the last physically recordedAsiatic cheetahsin India, effectively making the species almost locally extinct in 1947, considering that a female was spotted in what was to be theDistrict of Koreain 1951. The last three Asiatic Cheetas were shot by Maharaja Ramanuj Partap Singh Deo ofKorea.[9][2]
Rulers[edit]
The rulers of Surguja State bore the title of 'Maharaja', although a few had the title of 'Maharaja Bahadoor', including the last head of the state.[10]
Rajas[edit]
- 1678 – 1709 Baiha Dadu Singh Deo
- 1709 – 1728 Balbhadra Singh I Deo
- 1728 – 1749 Jaswat Singh Deo
- 1749 – 1758 Bahadur Sigh Deo
- 1760 – 17.. Sheo Singh Deo
- 1792 – 1799 Ajit Singh Deo
- 1799 – 1800 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (1st time)
- 1800 – 1813 Lal Singram Singh Deo
- 1813 – 1816 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (2nd time)
- 1816 – 1820 interregnum
- 1820 – 1851 Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja)
- 1851 – 25 March 1879 Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879)
- 25 Mar 1879 – 31 December 1917 Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur)
- 31 Dec 1917 – 1918 Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo (b. 1895 – d. 1965) (with hereditary style Maharaja)
Maharaja[edit]
- 1820 – 1851 Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja)
- 1851 – 25 March 1879 Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879) (Maharaja Bahadur)
- 25 Mar 1879 – 31 December 1917 Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur)
- 1918 – 15 August 1947 Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo ( Maharaja Bahadur)
- 2001 - (present day)T. S. Singh Deo( Titular Maharaja )
See also[edit]
- Balrampur district, Uttar Pradesh
- Bhaiyathan
- Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh
- Chota Nagpur States
- Eastern States Agency
- Political integration of India
- Rehar River
- Surajpur district
References[edit]
- ^The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
- ^abDivyabhanusinh (1999).The End of a Trail: the Cheetah in India.Banyan Books, New Delhi.
- ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.
- ^Malleson, G. B.:An historical sketch of the native states of India,London 1875, Reprint Delhi 1984
- ^G. R. Aberigh-Mackay,The Native Chiefs and Their States in 1877:A Manual of reference.
- ^Rajput Provinces of India – Surguja (Princely State)
- ^The scent of shikar
- ^Tiger Hunting in India 1924
- ^"Article: Interesting Shikar Trophies: Hunting Cheetah Acinonyx Jubatus".Journal of the Bombay Natural History.47:718. 1947 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^Princely States of India
External links[edit]
Media related toSurguja Stateat Wikimedia Commons
