Bonai State ବଣାଇ
Princely State ofBritish India
16th century–1948
Bonai State in theImperial Gazetteer of India
Area
• 1892	8,907 km2 (3,439 sq mi)
Population
• 1892	24,026
History
• Established	16th century
• Accession to the Union of India	1948
Succeeded by India

Bonai State (Odia:ବଣାଇ) was a minorprincely state during theBritish Raj in what is today India. It was one of theChota Nagpur States and had its capital atBonaigarh,^[1] located in the present-daySundergarh district ofOdisha. It had an area of 8,907 square kilometres (3,439 sq mi), a population of 24,026 in 1892 and an average annual revenue of Rs. 60,000 in 1901.

As per legend, the founders of the dynasty claimed numerous obscure origins but lack of written archival records dispute them as untenable due to the mythical legends which shrouds the ancestry of the founding clans. Most research into the origins of the dynasty points that the founders of the Bonai State belonged to the head of theBhuyan clans of the region which was later acquired mythical characteristics.^[2][3][4][5]

The founding of the Bonai State led to the establishment of the Kadamba dynasty, named after the flowers of the Kadamba tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) which is also present in the founding legendary myths of the dynasty and also remains the symbol of one of its collateral branch ofAthmallik State. The Kadamba tree also plays a central element in the legends of the dominantBhuyan clans of the region demonstrating the close relationship that the clans play in the royal traditions and rituals of the dynasty. Reconstruction of the court records points that the founder of the dynasty Pratap Bhanu Deo founded the State with the help of local Bhuyan landlords and subjugated the region. The localBhuyan landlords maintained a strong presence at the royal court, administrative levels and socio-religious traditions of the kingdom.^[6][7][8]

On 1 January 1948 the last ruler of Bonai signed the certificate of accession to the Indian Union after independence and following which it merged with the state ofOdisha (then Orissa). It is located inWestern Odisha, forming a part of theSundergarh district. The Bonai region is mostly inhabited bySambalpuri speaking people.

The rulers of the Bonai State of Kadamba dynasty:^[9]

• Pratap Bhanu Deo
• ...
• Dayanidhi Chandra Deo (1804–1851)
• Chandra Deo (1851–12 September 1876)
• Indra Deo (12 September 1876 – 1898)
• Nilambar Chandra Deo (1898 – 19 February 1902)
• Dharani Dhar Deo (19 February 1902 – 1 January 1948)

• Dharani Dhar Deo (1948)
• Kadamba Keshari Chandra Deo (1948 – 17 December 2002)
• Bir Keshari Deo (17 December 2002 – current)

• Eastern States Agency
• Chota Nagpur States

21°45′N84°58′E / 21.75°N 84.97°E /21.75; 84.97

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