Raja Mahant Digvijay Das was the last ruler of the

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

of Nandgaon in the present-day

Rajnandgaon Rajnandgaon is a city in Rajnandgaon District, in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. the population of the city was 163,122. Rajnandgaon district came into existence on 26January 1973, as a result of the division of Durg district. History O ...

district of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

, India.

Early life

Digvijay Das was born on 25 April 1933 to Sarveshvara Das, the ruler of

Nandgaon State Nandgaon State, also known as Raj Nandgaon, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It was in the present-day Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh. History Nandgaon state's last ruler signed the acce ...

. He completed his primary education from

Rajkumar College, Raipur Rajkumar College (or RKC) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, is one of the oldest K-12 foundations of India. It was founded by Sir Andrew Fraser in the year 1882 at Jabalpur. The School functioned at Jabalpur till 1892 and thereafter, shifted to its presen ...

, then went to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

for further education. He travelled around Europe at this time. He succeeded to the throne of Nandgaon State, aged seven, upon the death of his father in 1940.

Sports

Digvijay Das was dedicated to sports. He established the

Lalbagh Club ''Lalbagh'', also spelled ''Lal Bagh'' is a term in Hindustani and Persian language. Its meanings include "red garden" and "beloved garden". Lalbagh or Lal Bagh may refer to: * Lalbagh, Mangalore, a city in India * Lal Bagh, an old botanical g ...

and was founder president of the All-India Hockey Association.

Digvijay Stadium Digvijay Stadium (''Hindi'': दिग्विजय स्टेडियम) is an international multi-sports stadium in Rajnandgaon, India. The ground is mainly used for organizing matches of football, cricket and other sports as well. ...

is named after him.

Education

Digvijay Das was educated person and realised the need of higher education for children. He donated his fort and of land to his educational department. Digvijay College still operates from the former fort.

Personal life

He married Sanyukta Devi, princess of the former

Baria State The Baria State, also known as Bariya State, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It was under the Rewa Kantha Agency of the Bombay Presidency and had its capital in Devgadh Baria town of present-day ...

, in 1953 and died aged 25 on 22 January 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Das, Digvijai Administrators in the princely states of India History of Chhattisgarh 1933 births 1958 deaths