Karnagarh

Karnagarh (also written as Karnagar) is a village and a gram panchayat in the Salboni CD block in the Medinipur Sadar subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.

History

According to Binoy Ghosh, the kings of Karnagarh ruled over a zamindari that included Midnapore and the surrounding areas. The dynasty that ruled over Karnagarh included Raja Lakshman Singh (1568-1661), Raja Shyam Singh (1661-1668), Raja Chhotu Roy (1667), Raja Raghunath Roy (1671-1693), Raja Ram Singh (1693-1711), Raja Jaswant Singh (1711-1749), Raja Ajit Singh (1749) and Rani Shiromani (1756-1812).Sur,Atul,''Atharo shotoker Bangla o Bangali'', ,1957 edition, page 16 ,সাহিত্যলোক,32/7 Bidan Street, Kolkata 6.

The kings of Karnagarh had a close link with the Sadgop rulers of Narajole Raj.Ghosh,Sarat,Chandra,''Sadgop Tatwa'', ,part I,1938 edition, page 40,The Fine Printing Works, 43-A Nimtola Street, Calcutta 3.
The last king of Karnagarh, Raja Ajit Singh died childless. His property went into the hands of his two queens, Rani Bhabani and Rani Shiromani. During the Chuar rebellion, the leader of the Chuars, Gobardhan Dikpati, occupied the palace. Both the queens met the king of Narajole, Raja Trilochan Khan, who provided them shelter and promised to recover their property. Rani Bhabani died in 1161 Bangabda (1754 AD) and Rani Shiromani handed over the entire property to Anandalal of the Narajole family even before she died in 1219 Bangabda (1812 AD). However, the East India Company were suspicious that Rani Shiromani had links with those involved in the Chuar rebellion, and as a result they considerably restricted the amount of sovereignty she held in response.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', , part II, 1976 edition, pages 86-90, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.

There, however, are other sources that say that the Chuar rebellion took place as a series of insurrections by people who lived off the jungles and a sort of primitive agriculture in the old Manbhum, Bankura and Midnapore districts between 1771 and 1809, generally under dispossessed zamindars that included Rani Shiromani of Karnagarh.

Geography

Location

Karnagarh is located at .

Area overview

Paschim Medinipur district (before separation of Jhargram) had a total forest area of 1,700 km², accounting for 14.31% of the total forested area of the state. It is obvious from the map of the Midnapore Sadar subdivision, placed alongside, is that there are large stretches of forests in the subdivision. The soil is predominantly lateritic. Around 30% of the population of the district resides in this subdivision. 13.95% of the population lives in urban areas and 86.05% lives in the rural areas.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Karnagar had a total population of 2,812, of which 1,392 (50%) were males and 1,420 (50%) were females. There were 387 persons in the age range of 0–6 years. The total number of literate persons in Karnagar was 1,257 (51.84% of the population over 6 years).

.*For language details see Salboni (community development block)#Language and religion

Karnagarh fort

Karnagarh fort consisted of about 100 bighas of land, stretching for about 4 miles, that was surrounded by the Parang River. It was about 4 miles north of Midnapore. The inside of the fort was divided into two parts, the andar mahal for the royal family and the sadar mahal for others. The temples of Dandesvara and Mahamaya, the ruling deities of Karnagarh, were located to the south of the fort. Now, hardly anything, other than memory, remains.
The Karnagarh family had two other forts nearby – at Abasgarh and Jamdargarh.

Culture

David J. McCutchion mentions the Dandesvara temple as having a pirha larger than the main temple, measuring 13’ 6” square + 25’ square, built of laterite having stucco decoration.

The 60’ high Anadilinga Dandesvara and the Devi Bhagabati Mahamaya temples are the main attractions at Karnagarh. Both these temples were built by Karna Keshari of the Keshari/ Somavamsi dynasty of Odisha in the 10th century. A big fair is held on the Poush Sankranti day (mid-January).

“Both temples have been painted pink and the magic of black stone is lost. However, the surrounding walls are still in black and the ambience magical.”

Both the Dandesvara and Mahamaya temples are state protected monuments.List of State Protected Monuments as reported by the Archaeological Survey of India
.

Karnagarh picture gallery

File:Anadilinga Dandeshwar Dandeswar (R) and Devi Bhagavati Mahamaya Temple at Karnagarh at Paschim Medinipur district In West Bengal 01.jpg, Dandesvara and Mahamaya temples
File:Anadilinga Dandeshwar Temple at Karnagarh at Paschim Medinipur district In West Bengal.jpg, Dandesvara temple
File:Bhagabati Mahamaya Temple at Karnagarh at Paschim Medinipur district In West Bengal 03.jpg, Mahamaya temple
File:Jogamaya Temple at Karnagarh at Paschim Medinipur district In West Bengal 01.jpg, Jogmaya temple
File:Ruins of fort of Rani Shiromani at Karnagarh in Paschim Medinipur district 29.jpg, Ruins of fort of Rani Shiromani
File:Ruins of fort of Rani Shiromani at Karnagarh in Paschim Medinipur district 04.jpg, Ruins of fort of Rani Shiromani

See also

*Midnapore Raj
*Narajole Raj

References

External links

{{Temple towns in West Bengal

Villages in Paschim Medinipur district