Keonjhar State ( or, କେନ୍ଦୁଝର), also known as Keunjhar, was one 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, ...

s of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

during the period of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. The second largest of the states of the

Orissa States Agency The Eastern States Agency was an agency or grouping of princely states in eastern India, during the latter years of the Indian Empire. It was created in 1933, by the unification of the former Chhattisgarh States Agency and the Orissa States Agen ...

, it was located in present-day

Kendujhar district Kendujhar District, is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar (or Kendujhargarh) is the district headquarters. The district has 3 Sub-Divisions, Anandapur, Cham ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

. The state was bounded in the north by

Singhbhum District Singhbhum was a district of India during the British Raj, part of the Chota Nagpur Division of the Bengal Presidency. It was located in the present-day Indian state of Jharkhand. Chaibasa was the district headquarters. Located in the southern li ...

, in the east by the State of Mayurbhanj and Balasore District, in the south by

Dhenkanal State Dhenkanal State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state is now referred to as Dhenkanal district, Odisha, with Dhenkanal, India, Dhenkanal town as its district headquarters. History Foundation o ...

and Cuttack District, and in the west by the states of Pal Lahara and

Bonai Bonai State ( or, ବଣାଇ), was a princely state during the British Raj in what is today India. It was one of the Chota Nagpur States and had its capital at Bonaigarh,Malleson, G. B.: An historical sketch of the native states of India, Londo ...

. The state consisted of two clearly differentiated areas: Low Keonjhar, a region of flat river valleys — the main river being the

Baitarani The Baitarani (also spelled Vaitarani) is one of six major rivers of Odisha, India. Venerated in popular epics and legends, the Baitarani River is a source of water for agricultural irrigation. The coastal plain of Odisha has the name of "H ...

, and the High Keonjhar, an area of forests dominated by mountain ranges with the Gandhamadan reaching a height of 1078 m. The capital was at

Keonjhar Kendujhar is a town with municipality in Kendujhar District in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kendujhar district, and it is one of the fifth scheduled areas of Odisha. Climate Politics Mohan char ...

. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 15, p. 202
/ref>

History

According to traditions, Keonjhar State was founded sometime during the 12th century during the rule of the

Eastern Ganga dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...

when the founder Jyoti Bhanj of the

Bhanj dynasty The Bhanja dynasty is a dynasty that originated in the northern and central regions of modern Odisha (in the Khiching region of Utkala and Khinjali mandalas) before the Gupta Empire became an imperial power. The dynasty, of ancient local Kshatr ...

, who was the brother of Adi Bhanj of Mayurbhanj, was enthroned as the Raja of Keonjhar with the help of dominant local

Bhuyan The Bhuyan (Also known as Bhuiya, Bhuiyan and Bhuinya) are an ethnic group found mainly in many districts of Odisha. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 220,859. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government. ...

clans. The influence of Bhuyans on the enthronement rituals and regnal traditions of Keonjhar suggests a long-standing relationship with the kingdom. Around 14th cen a prince from Keonjhar named Ananga Bhanja, who was nephew of the Raja of Keonjhar was named the King of Baudh by the local chieftains under Ganga rule. After the

independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

in 1947 Keonjhar merged into

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

on 1 January 1948 following which it became the part of

Keonjhar district Kendujhar District, is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar (or Kendujhargarh) is the district headquarters. The district has 3 Sub-Divisions, Anandapur, Cha ...

(now Kendujhar).

Rulers

The rulers of Keonjhar State of the

. The Keonjhar royal family adopted the emblems of the neighbouring State of Mayurbhanj, a

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

and the yellow and blue colours.Princely States of India
/ref> *Jyoti Bhanj (12th cen CE) *... *Jagannath Bhanj (1688 - 1700) *Raghunath Bhanj (1700 - 1719) *Gopinath Bhanj (1719 - 1736) *Narsingh Narayan Bhanj (1736 - 1757) *Daneswar Narayan Bhanj (1757 - 1758) *Jagateswar Narayan Bhanj (1758 - 1762) *Pratap Balbhadra Bhanj (1762 - 1794) *Janardan Bhanj (1794 - 1825) *Gadadhar Narayan Bhanj Deo (1825 - 22 March 1861) *Dhanurjai Narayan Bhanj Deo (4 September 1861 – 27 October 1905) *Gopinath Narayan Bhanj Deo (27 Oct 1905 – 12 August 1926) *Balbhadra Narayan Bhanj Deo (12 Aug 1926 – 1 January 1948)

Titular

*Balbhadra Narayan Bhanj Deo (1 January 1948 – 1963) *Nrusingh Narayan Bhanj Deo (1963 – 2016) *Anant Narayan Bhanj Deo (2016 – 1 December 2019) *Dhananjay Bhanj Deo (1 December 2019 – current)

References

Princely states of Odisha History of Odisha Kendujhar district 12th-century establishments in India 1948 disestablishments in India {{india-hist-stub

History

Rulers

Titular

See also

References