Dhenkanal (princely state)
Encyclopedia
Dhenkanal is now Dhenkanal district
, which is situated in Orissa
State, India
, with Dhenkanal town
as its district headquarters. This article describes the history of the princely state.
marched 300 KM north of Puri to Dhenkanal with Bebarta (Minister) leading the force of cavalry
and foot soldier
s. There was a fight with the soldiers of the Tribal Chief who was ruling Dhenkanal. The battle was won by Gajapati’s Commander who became the Raja (King) of Dhenkanal and Bebarta was appointed.
The Raja became hereditary ruler of Dhenkanal and Minister post was also hereditary. There was perceptible improvement in all matters of the State. The Maratha
attack was effectively resisted. Raja Bhagirathi Pratap was a very popular and effective ruler, who was decorated with hereditary title of Mahindra Bahadur.
to study Bar at Law. After his return to Dhenkanal, he put his mind to administration.
While Raja Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was in England, his younger brother, Pattayat Narsingh Pratap Singh Deo was ruling over Dhenkanal. He built his palace
at Jatan Nagar with forced labour. The labourers were torture
d badly. Raja’s Accountant also extracted money from common men. After all these incidents people expected that, after Raja Shankar Pratap took over administration from his younger brother, things would improve.
s of India as public organizations to resist the bad practices of the then Raja
s and Maharaja
s.
daily flashing banner headlines. During years of struggle, Indian National Congress
also became associated with the Dhenkanal movement. Arrests and imprisonments were a regular feature. Whenever Raja’s forces imprisoned Harmohan Patnaik, the people surrounded the Palace in great numbers. Raja felt threatened and released Harmohan Patnaik unconditionally.
in the year 1947 put a stop to all this. Raja Shankar Pratap Mahindra Bahadur accepted Harmohan Patnaik as a good friend. Subsequently Princely States were taken over and Rajas were deposed. Former Raja Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was elected as a member of the Orissa Legislative Assembly
. His son Brigadier K.P.Singh Deo was Member of Parliament over a long period and a Minister in Govt of India Cabinet, where he proved his excellence. He was also the President of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee. Dhenkanal has produced ministers, engineers, professors, judges and literary luminaries and is a prosperous district of India. Legendary Nandini Satpathy the only lady CM of Odisha and the 2nd Lady CM of Independent India belonged to Dhenkanal.
Dhenkanal District
Dhenkanal District is an administrative division of Orissa, India. It is bordered by Kendujhar in the north, Jajpur in the east, Cuttack in the south and Anugul in the west. Dhenkanal town, the district headquarters has a cluster of temples, archaeological remains and a mediaeval fort. A former...
, which is situated in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
State, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, with Dhenkanal town
Dhenkanal, India
Dhenkanal is a city and a municipality in Dhenkanal district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Dhenkanal is located at . It has an average elevation of 80 metres .-Demographics:...
as its district headquarters. This article describes the history of the princely state.
16th century
In the year 1529 A.D. the Commander of Pratap Rudra Deb, Gajapati Maharaja of PuriPuri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
marched 300 KM north of Puri to Dhenkanal with Bebarta (Minister) leading the force of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and foot soldier
Foot Soldier
The term foot soldier may refer to:* A generic term for members of the infantry* Characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series belonging to the Foot Clan* The Foot Soldiers, a comic book originally published by Dark Horse Comics...
s. There was a fight with the soldiers of the Tribal Chief who was ruling Dhenkanal. The battle was won by Gajapati’s Commander who became the Raja (King) of Dhenkanal and Bebarta was appointed.
The Raja became hereditary ruler of Dhenkanal and Minister post was also hereditary. There was perceptible improvement in all matters of the State. The Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
attack was effectively resisted. Raja Bhagirathi Pratap was a very popular and effective ruler, who was decorated with hereditary title of Mahindra Bahadur.
20th century
Raja Sura Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was also a popular ruler. Shankar Pratap, son of Raja Sura Pratap became Raja in the year 1926. He was young and still studying. Subsequently he went to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to study Bar at Law. After his return to Dhenkanal, he put his mind to administration.
While Raja Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was in England, his younger brother, Pattayat Narsingh Pratap Singh Deo was ruling over Dhenkanal. He built his palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
at Jatan Nagar with forced labour. The labourers were torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d badly. Raja’s Accountant also extracted money from common men. After all these incidents people expected that, after Raja Shankar Pratap took over administration from his younger brother, things would improve.
Revolt
Against all hopes, Raja Shankar Pratap became more repressive and people rose in revolt. The revolt was organised and mobilized mainly by Harmohan Patnaik, who was the grandson of Raja’s Bebarta. Harmohan Patnaik came from the best educated family of Dhenkanal. He built a good number of dedicated workers like Baishnab Patnaik, Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, Krutibas Pradhan, Lakshmidhar Sahu, Musa Malik and many others.Praja Mandal
Harmohan Patnaik formed the Dhenkanal Praja Mandal and was elected as its President. This was the first Praja Mandal of the country and then Praja Mandals sprang up in all princely statePrincely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s of India as public organizations to resist the bad practices of the then Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
s and Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
s.
Killing of Baji Rout
Once British military force was mobilized by Raja to repress a revolt. A young and aware boy named Baji Rout refused to ferry the British military force by his boat. The British Officer opened fire and killed Baji Rout and five villagers. This incidence inflamed the nearby villagers and the revolt spread like wild fire to entire Dhenkanal State.Charter of rights
Praja Mandal mobilized mass gatherings and a charter of rights was drawn. The entire country vibrated, The StatesmanThe Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
daily flashing banner headlines. During years of struggle, Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
also became associated with the Dhenkanal movement. Arrests and imprisonments were a regular feature. Whenever Raja’s forces imprisoned Harmohan Patnaik, the people surrounded the Palace in great numbers. Raja felt threatened and released Harmohan Patnaik unconditionally.
Indian independence
Independence of IndiaPartition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in the year 1947 put a stop to all this. Raja Shankar Pratap Mahindra Bahadur accepted Harmohan Patnaik as a good friend. Subsequently Princely States were taken over and Rajas were deposed. Former Raja Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was elected as a member of the Orissa Legislative Assembly
Orissa Legislative Assembly
The Orissa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Orissa state in eastern India. The seat of the Legislative Assembly is at Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the state. The Legislative Assembly comprises 147 Members of Legislative Assembly....
. His son Brigadier K.P.Singh Deo was Member of Parliament over a long period and a Minister in Govt of India Cabinet, where he proved his excellence. He was also the President of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee. Dhenkanal has produced ministers, engineers, professors, judges and literary luminaries and is a prosperous district of India. Legendary Nandini Satpathy the only lady CM of Odisha and the 2nd Lady CM of Independent India belonged to Dhenkanal.