Kingdom Of Chanda
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The Kingdom of Chanda (present day
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
) was one of the main Gond kingdoms, ruling parts of central India. In 1751, it was conquered by the Maratha ruler of Nagpur, Raghoji I Bhonsle.


Establishment

According to the local Gond traditions, a hero known as Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel rose among them. He gathered the scattered Gond tribes and formed them into a sort of nation, teaching them the extraction of iron from iron ore and other elements of civilization. He led the Gonds against the Mana tribe of present-day Maharashtra, who had dominated the region for about 200 years. After years of warfare the Manas fell to the Gonds, who replaced them.


History

Kol Bhill was followed by Bhim Ballal Singh, who actually founded the Gond house of Chanda. Bhim Ballal Singh was from the Atram clan who subdued the other petty chiefs and established a kingdom by 870 AD. His capital was Sirpur, on the right bank of the
Wardha River The Wardha River, also known as the Varada River, is a major river in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, which originates in the Satpura Range and flows into the Wain ganga river to form the Pranhita river which finally joins the Godavari river. Origin ...
(near present-day
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
) and his chief stronghold was the Mana fortress of Manikgarh, situated in the hills behind Sirpur. The next eight generations of Gond kings ruled from Sirpur until 1242. During the reign of Babji Ballal Shah, the '' Ain-i-Akbari'' records the kingdom as being fully independent, and it even conquered some territory from nearby sultanates. However, during Akbar's rule, Babji Shah began paying tribute after the Mughals incorporated territory to their south into the
Berar Subah The Berar Subah was one of the Subahs (imperial first-level provinces) of the Mughal Empire, the first to be added to the original twelve, in Dakhin (Deccan, central India) from 1596 to 1724. It bordered Golconda, Ahmandagar (both conquered 1 ...
. After Surja Ballal Singh alias Sher Shah, the Gond kings started suffixing the title "Shah" instead of "Singh". Khandkya Ballal Shah succeeded his father Surja Ballal Singh in 1242. He built the fort of Ballarpur and founded the city of
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
, surrounded by several legends. The next 9 generations of Gond kings reigned at
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
. The Kingdom of Deogarh became enemies of the Chandrapur kings due to an unhappy marriage between their royal families and a treaty in which the Chanda kings were forced to recognize Deogarh's independence. At the time of this marriage, both the kingdoms were extremely prosperous and powerful, being feudatory states of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
and having strong military forces. In Aurangzeb's times both the Gond kingdoms of Deogarh and Chanda were included in the
Berar Subah The Berar Subah was one of the Subahs (imperial first-level provinces) of the Mughal Empire, the first to be added to the original twelve, in Dakhin (Deccan, central India) from 1596 to 1724. It bordered Golconda, Ahmandagar (both conquered 1 ...
. The kingdom produced great rulers who developed excellent irrigation systems and the first well defined revenue system among the Gond kingdoms.


Decline

Kanhoji Bhonsle, a Maratha general and the ''Sena-Sahib Subah'' of Berar invaded
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
and Deogarh but was unsuccessful in his invasion of the latter. Hence he plundered some '' parganas'' mainly west of the
Wardha River The Wardha River, also known as the Varada River, is a major river in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, which originates in the Satpura Range and flows into the Wain ganga river to form the Pranhita river which finally joins the Godavari river. Origin ...
. Kanhoji was recalled but disregarded the summons. Hence, Raghuji Bhonsle was sent to force his return, a task which he completed successfully . In 1730, Raghoji I Bhonsle marched on
Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort cit ...
but did not invade since he found it's ruler Ram Shah to be a saintly and pious person. Ram Sah was succeeded by his son Nilkanth Sah (1735-1751), who became notorious as a tyrant given to vices. He put his father's trusted
dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...
Mahadajee Vedya to death and interfered in the politics of Deogarh. In about 1748,
Raghunath Singh Raghunath Singh (1911 – 26 April 1992) was an Indian politician Indian National Congress leader and was the first Member of Parliament. He belongs to a village Khewali, Lok Sabha from Varanasi, being elected in 1952, 1957 and 1962. He was ...
, the diwan of the King of Deogarh, with the help of Nilkanth Shah, rebelled in 1748 when Raghoji I Bhonsle was busy with expeditions in Bengal. Raghuji in 1748, seeking respite from the Bengal campaign invaded Deogarh and killed Raghunath Singh. He then completely took over the administration of Deogarh, making Burhan Shah a state pensionary. He next proceeded against Nilkanth Shah of
Chanda Sanskrit prosody or Chandas refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies.James Lochtefeld (2002), "Chandas" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, , page 140 It is the study of poetic metr ...
and defeated him. Nilkanth Shah had to sign a treaty with him, dated 1159 Phasali year, i.e., 1749 A.D. This treaty gave twothirds of the kingdom's revenue to the Marathas. In 1751, when Nilkanth Shah rebelled against Raghoji, he was defeated with ease imprisoned him permanently in the Ballarpur Fort. This brought the Gond house of Chandrapur to an end.


Further reading

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References

{{ci, date=June 2022 History of India Maratha Empire