Bijawar State was a
princely state of
colonial India, located in modern
Chhatarpur district of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
.
The native state of Bijawar covered an area of 2520 km
2 (973 sq. m.) in the
Bundelkhand Agency
The Bundelkhand Agency was a political agency of the British Raj, managing the relations of the British government with the protected princely states of the Bundelkhand region.
History
Historical background
The Marathas ceded parts of Bu ...
. Forests covered nearly half the total area of the state, which was believed to be rich in minerals, but lack of transport facilities had hindered the development of its resources.
History
The state takes its name from the chief town,
Bijawar
Bijawar is a city the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bijawar Taluk, and was formerly the capital of a princely state of British India of the same name. The people of Bijawar are demanding the distri ...
, which was founded by Bijai Singh, one of the
Gond chiefs of
Garha Mandla, in the 17th century. The first ruler of the state was Bir Singh Deo (1765–93). It was conquered in the 18th century by Chhatarsal, the founder of
Panna, by whose descendants it is still held.
Bijawar became a
British protectorate on 27 Mar 1811 and the rule of the territory was confirmed to Ratan Singh in 1811 by the British government for the usual deed of allegiance. In 1857 Bham Pratap Singh rendered signal services to the British during the
Revolt of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
, being rewarded with certain privileges and a hereditary
salute of eleven guns. In 1866 he received the title of ''
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
'', and the prefix ''Sawai'' in 1877. Bhan Pratap was succeeded on his death in 1899 by his adopted son, Sanwant Singh, a son of the Maharaja of Orchha.
The state acceded to India on 1 January 1950, and became part of the state of
Vindhya Pradesh
Vindhya Pradesh was a former state of India. It occupied an area of 23,603 sq. miles. It was created in 1948 as Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States, shortly after Indian independence, from the territories of the princely states in the ea ...
, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.
Rulers
The rulers of the state belonged to the
Bundela
The Bundela is a Rajput clan. Over several generations, the cadet lineages of Bundela Rajputs founded several states in area what came to be known as Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom from the 16th century.
Etymology
As per Jaswant ...
dynasty.
Rajas
* 1765 – 1793 Bir Singh Deo
* 1793 – 1802 Himmat Bahadur (usurper)
* 1802 – 1810 Keshri Singh
* 1811 – 1833 Ratan Singh
* 1833 – 1847 Lakshman Singh
* 1847 – 1877 Bham Pratap Singh
Sawai Maharajas
* 1877 – 1899 Bham Pratap Singh
* 1900 – 1940 Savant Singh
* 1940 – 1947 Govind Singh
Titular Maharaja
* 1947 – 1983 Govind Singh
* 1983 – present Jai Singh
See also
*
Panna State
Panna State was a princely state of colonial India, located in modern Panna district of Madhya Pradesh.
The state of Panna belonged to the Bundelkhand Agency and covered an area of, 6724 km2 with 1,008 villages within its borders in 190 ...
*
Political integration of India
After the Indian independence in 1947, the dominion of India was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule, and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown, with control over their internal affairs remainin ...
*
Bijawar-Panna Plateau
References
{{Authority control
Princely states of Bundelkhand
Chhindwara district
Rajputs
1765 establishments in India
1950 disestablishments in India