| Mayurbhanj State | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princely State ofBritish India | |||||||||
| c. 12th century–17 October 1948 | |||||||||
 Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Mayurbhanj State in a 1901 map of theImperial Gazetteer of India. | |||||||||
| Capital | Khiching Haripur(c. 1400) Baripada(c. 1800) | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 1901 | 10,982 km2 (4,240 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1901 | 610,383 | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | c. 12th century | ||||||||
| c. 1508 | |||||||||
| c. 1751 | |||||||||
| c. 1803 | |||||||||
| 15 August 1947 | |||||||||
| 17 October 1948 | |||||||||
• Merged withOdisha | 1 January 1949 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Odisha,India | ||||||||
Mayurbhanj State (Odia:ମୟୂରଭଞ୍ଜ ରାଜ୍ୟ;colloquiallyMorbhanj) was one of theprincely states of India during theBritish Raj.[1] It was one of the largest states of theEastern States Agency and one of the foursalute states of theOrissa States Agency.[1] The emblem of the state was twopeacocks, for according to legend the ancestors of the rulers had originated from a peafowl's eyes.[2][1]
The state included a vast mountainous area inhabited by many different people, such as theSantal,Munda,Ho andKisan.[3] Its former territory lies in the present-day state ofOdisha, borderingWest Bengal. The capital of the state was the town ofBaripada[1] since the 15th century.Daspur was another important town. Large tracts of Mayurbhanj state were covered with forest.
The rulers of Mayurbhanj state were descendants of theBhanj dynasty of the Khijjinga mandala of the ancient local Kshatriya lineage.[4] According to the early inscriptions of Ranabhanja and Rajabhanja, the dynasty has its origins from the mythical peahen likely pointing out to the early peafowl related traditions of the ancient Bhanja clans which is observed on their emblems which is also shared by the successive branches.[5][6]
Their influence likely declined with the dominance of the Somavamshis in theUtkal region, but centuries later came back to prominence in the region with the rise of theEastern Ganga dynasty after uniting the three realms of Trikalinga with the Bhanjas as their feudatories. Traditions point to numerous origins of the dynasty but lack of records renders them unlikely although it is generally accepted that the founder, Adi Bhanja of the 12th century established the current dynasty of the Mayurbhanj state with his brother Jyoti Bhanja founding theKeonjhar State succeeding from the Khijjinga Adi Bhanja dynasty.[7]
Mayurbhanj State had been underMaratha rule during the 18th century and paid an annual tribute of 6000 rupees.[8] It became aBritish protectorate in 1829, many years after theThird Anglo-Maratha War.
During the British Raj, the kings of Mayurbhanj pioneered the upliftment of the region. Under their enlightened rule Mayurbhanj became one of the most progressive areas. The Bhanj dynasty's kings established the first medical college of the state inCuttack, donating funds and land for the establishment of higher education institutions such asRavenshaw College and welfare schemes, such as the one undertaken by theEvangelical Missionary Society of Mayurbhanj (EMSM), established in 1895 at the instance of MaharajaShree Rama Chandra Bhanja Deo.[9]Mayurbhanj Palace was built by Maharani Sumitra Devi Bhanja Deo in 1804.[10][11]
TheMayurbhanj State Railway was started by the erstwhile ruler of MayurbhanjMaharaja Shree Rama Chandra Bhanja Deo. The first section of 52 km fromRupsa toBaripada railway station being opened for traffic on 20 January 1905.[12][13]
After theindependence of India, Mayurbhanj State under Maharaja Pratap Chandra Bhanja Deoacceded to theDominion of India on 1 January 1949, and was merged withOrissa Province, which became later the state ofOdisha.
The rulers of Mayurbhanj State of theBhanja dynasty[14] were entitled to a 9gun salute.[15] The state's rulers were:[16]
| Name | Demography | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Prasanna Kumar Ghoshal | Bengali[17] | Died in 1905 |
| Mohini Mohan Dhar[18] | Only oneOriya Diwan[17][19][20] | 1905 - 1912 (7 years) |
| Hari Das Bose | Bengali[17] | April to May 1912 (1 month) |
| C. L. Philip, I.C.S. | Britisher | 1912 to 1916 (4 years) |
| J. E. Scott, ICS officer | Britisher | 1916 to 1917 (1 year) |
| N. F. Peck, ICS officer | Britisher | 1917 to 1919 (2 years) |
| H. Mc. Pherson, ICS officer | Britisher[17] | 1919 to 1921 (2 years) |
| Hari Das Basu | Bengali[17] | 1921 to 1922 (1 year) |
| E. Mc. Leod Smith | Britisher[17] | 1922 to 1929 (7 years) |
| Vacant | - | 1929 to 1930 |
| Dr. P. K. Sen, (LLB) | Bengali | 1930 to 1936 (6 years) |
| K. C. Neogy | Britisher[17] | 1936 to 1942 (6 years) |
| Major B. P. Pande, (B.A. LL.B.) | Bihari | 1942 to 1948 (6 years)(Last Diwan) |
References:[21]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 258,680 | — |
| 1881 | 385,737 | +49.1% |
| 1891 | 532,223 | +38.0% |
| 1901 | 610,383 | +14.7% |
| 1911 | 729,218 | +19.5% |
| 1921 | 754,314 | +3.4% |
| 1931 | 889,603 | +17.9% |
| 1941 | 984,741 | +10.7% |
| Source: Mayurbhanjdistrict Gazetteer &Census of India[22][23] | ||
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Media related toMayurbhanj State at Wikimedia Commons21°56′N86°43′E / 21.94°N 86.72°E /21.94; 86.72
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