Group of princely states in Odisha, India
The
Orissa Tributary States
, also known as the
Garhjats
[1]
and as the
Orissa Feudatory States
,
[2]
were a group of
princely states
of
British India
now part of the present-day Indian state of
Odisha
.
The Orissa Tributary States were located in the
Garhjat Hills
, the hilly and former heavily forested region of eastern Orissa, on the border with present-day
Chhattisgarh
and
Jharkhand
states.
History
[
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]
In the 18th century, the entire region came under the control of the
Maratha Empire
, in particular the
Bhonsle
maharajas of
Nagpur
. Meanwhile, the
British
had become established in
Bengal
, and were expanding their influence into the lowland tracts of Orissa. The British and the Marathas came into conflict in the late 18th century, and at the conclusion of the
Second Anglo-Maratha War
in 1803, the Maharaja of Nagpur ceded Orissa to the British. Some of the former Maratha territory was ruled directly by the British, and attached to the
Bengal Presidency
; other territories became
princely states
, under the control of local rulers under a treaty of
subsidiary alliance
to the British monarch following the
annexation
in 1803. The local chiefs' status was recognised by the British as 'tributary chiefs' and their estates became the 'Tributary Mahals' of Orissa.
These territories were managed the Political Department and were not subject to any regular Settlement and Revenue system. Originally there were nineteen Tributary States, but two of them were confiscated and annexed by the British;
Angul State
in 1847 for the rebellion of its Raja when he opposed the British officers that had been sent to suppress the
Meriah sacrifice
among the
Khonds
, and
Banki State
in 1840, after its ruler had been convicted of murder.
[3]
The status of the Orissa Tributary States, the largest of which were
Mayurbhanj
,
Keonjhar
,
Dhenkanal
,
Baudh
, and
Nayagarh
, was unclear until 1888, when the
Secretary of State for India
accepted the view that they did not form part of British India, and modified powers were handed over to the Orissa chiefs under the control of a superintendent.
[4]
In 1905 five
Oriya
-speaking states of
Bamra
,
Rairakhol
,
Sonpur
,
Patna
, and
Kalahandi State
) were added from the
Central Provinces
and two states,
Gangpur
and
Bonai
, from the
Chota Nagpur States
.
[4]
With the addition of these states, the total area was 72,638 km
2
(28,046 sq mi) and the population was 3,173,395 per the 1901 census.
[4]
In 1912, the province of
Bihar and Orissa
was detached from Bengal, and the Orissa Tributary States were under the authority of the governor of Bihar and Orissa. In 1936 Orissa became a separate province, but the Orissa Tributary States were merged into the
Eastern States Agency
, which was under the direct authority of the
Governor-General of India
rather than that of the provincial governor. After the
Indian independence
in 1947, the rulers of the states acceded to the
Government of India
. They established the
Eastern States Union
in the same year. Their aim was to establish a unit that would be large enough to exist as a separate state within the
Indian Union
.
[5]
But the union failed and the former Orissa Tributary States, except the Oriya speaking princely states of
Saraikela
and
Kharsawan
, were integrated into the state of Orissa.
Princely states
[
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]
The list of princely states under Orissa States Agency:
See also
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]
References
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]
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Bengal States Agency
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Chhattisgarh States Agency
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Orissa States Agency
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