Jhargram Raj
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
Jhargram Raj ঝাড়গ্রাম রাজ | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
British India | |||||||||
1592–1952 | |||||||||
Area | |||||||||
• 1922 | 655 km2 (253 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1922 | 71,350 | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• Established | 1592 | ||||||||
• Accession to the Union of India | 1952 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | Jhargram, West Bengal, India |
Part of a series on |
Zamindars of Bengal |
---|
Jhargram Raj was a
Cooch Behar was the only princely state in Bengal and Tripura. There were several princely states in neighboring Orissa, especially Mayurbhanj that had a presence in Kolkata.
History
Jhargram Raj was founded around 1592 AD by Sarveshwar Singh who along with his elder brother were Generals under
The first fortress was supposed to have existed in Old Jhargram, but the ruins of the fortress are said to have gone underground due to some unknown reasons. He took the title of Raja and named the state capital Jhargram, which means a forest village which is surrounded by walls and canals. It was known as Ugal in the local language. Even today, the day after Durga Ashtami, the four corners (Ugals) are worshiped for the protection of the erstwhile kingdom. The man who was the hero or bull within the surrounded wall and canal were called Ugal Sanda. As such, the full name of the Raja of the State was known as Raja Sarveshwar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, and the title has been continued up to Raja Narasingha Malla Ugal Sanda Deb.
During the
Rajas of Jhargram Raj
- Raja Sarveshwar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, 1st Raja of Jhargram, founder of Royal family of Jhargram. He fortified the new capital with a canal-ed fort known as “Ugal” in local language, and respectfully the title of “Ugal Sanda” (Lord of the Fort) became part of the name and style of the rulers of Jhargram; married and had issue.
Administration
The royal family were
The period 1922–1950 was considered as the golden era for Jhargram Raj, with Rai Bahadur Debendra Mohan Bhattacharya as the Dewan, Jhargram developed into a township, and many educational institutions were established. The Jhargram Kumud Kumari Institution was founded in 1924. In 1925, an annual sports fund was created to encourage athletic activities and to construct a football stadium and the Jhargram Club. Raja Bahadur established Jhargram Agricultural College, which was later renamed Jhargram Raj College, as well as Vidyasagar Polytechnic for industrial training. He provided funds to set up Sri Ramkrishna Saradapeeth Girls High School and Bharat Sevashram Sangha. In 1931, he commissioned a new palace on 23 acres of land; it is a prominent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. During World War II, he constructed Dudhkundi Airfield for the United States Air Force and provided the Allied forces with elephants, vehicles, and other help.[4]
With the consent of the governor of Bengal, a hospital for lower-class residents of Jhargram Raj was established in the name of the 15th king Raja Chandi Charan Malla Deb. Later, similar hospitals were established in every tehsil to serve nearby villages. The raja donated land to the Roman Catholic Church of India and to the Muslim community to build Nurrani Jama Masjid, a mosque, in Jhargram. In 1947, more land was acquired, and the Rani Binode Manjuri Government Girls' School—now one of the premier schools in West Bengal—was built. In Midnapore, Raja Bahadur founded the Tuberculosis Chest Clinic and the Homeopathic College, and gave donations for the construction of the Vidyasagar Memorial and the purchase of books for a library. He also bore all of the expenses to build the Midnapore Club and Jhargram Stadium. (It was renamed Aurobinda Stadium after his death.) Between 1928 and 1950, the estate contributed hundreds of thousands of rupees to welfare causes. In 1947, 10,000 bighas of land to poor farmers, making Raja Narasingha the single largest land donor in West Bengal. His beneficiaries ranged from the Kolkata Bangiya Sahitya Parishad to New Delhi Kali Bari.
Legacy of the Raj family
The last and the 16th king Raja Narasingha Malla Deb reigned from 1916 until his royal powers were abolished by an amendment to the Constitution of India in 1954. After losing his royal title, he served for two terms as a member of the Legislative Council of Bengal. He also served in the Lok Sabha,[5] the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
The royal family was known for working to rehabilitate refugees after the
See also
Further study
- The Indian princes and their states Author Barbara Ramusack ISBN 978-0-521-26727-4[8]
References
- ^ Rajput Provinces of India
- ^ "JhargramEstate". WordPress.com. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Royal Families of India
- ^ "About | JHARGRAM PALACE".
- ^ "1957 Midnapur loksabha vote". www.indiavotes.com.
- ^ Indian Princely States
- ^ "Royal retreats: Jhargram Palace/ Midnapore". The Telegraph. 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-521-26727-4. Retrieved 6 November 2011.