The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur (also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy), was an ancient Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region (modern-day

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

) during much of ancient, medieval and modern period. Phani Mukut Rai is considered the first king of dynasty claim to be son of Pundrika Naga a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India.

Origin

The origins of the Nagvanshis are shrouded in mystery. Nagvanshi claim descent from Nagas. According to Nagvanshavali (genealogy of Nagvanshi), Nagvanshi dynasty originated with ''Pundarika Naga'' the son of

Takshaka Takshaka (Sanskrit: तक्षक, IAST: Takṣaka) is a Nagaraja in Hinduism and Buddhism. He is mentioned in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described to be a king of the Nagas. He is one of the sons of Kadru. Takshaka also known i ...

. The son of Pundarika Naga, Phani Mukut Rai was founder of Nagvanshi dynasty. Phani Mukut Rai was born on return journey from

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. The Pundarika Naga turned Cobra after revealing his identity and his wife Parvati commited Sati. Later the Sakaldwipiya Brahmin found the child and took the child to Madura Munda, the chief of Sutiambe village. Madura Munda and other Raja such as King of

Surguja Surguja district is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The district is one of the oldest districts of Chhattisgarh. The headquarters of the district is Ambikapur. The district lies in its eponymous Surguja dialectal region (where ...

and Aditya king of Patkum elected Phani Mukut Rai as King due to his qualities. His empire was named ‘Nagpur’. However, the story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth and an invented story of Brahminacal origin of the dynasty. Many scholar put the date of establishment of Nagvanshi dynasty in 4th century CE taking into account of average ruling period of 25 years for each king. According to different source, the dynasty was founded in the 5th century AD as a successor state to the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

. According to many historians Nagvanshi dynasty was possibly established in 10th century AD.

Lineage

The lineage of Nagvanshi is Kashyap gotra. According to

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

, Sage

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, ...

and his wives, generated various beings, including the Naga. Hence,

Mleccha Mleccha (from Vedic Sanskrit ', meaning "non-Vedic", "foreigner" or "barbarian") is a Sanskrit term, initially referring to those of an incomprehensible speech, later foreign or barbarous invaders as contra-distinguished from elite groups. The ...

s, i.e followers of non-vedic tradition were being bestowed by Kashyap gotra. Kashyap gotra is also used for vedic ritual performances for those who have forgotten their gotra. In this process, several people adopted Kashyap gotra during 1st millennium CE.

History

Ancient Period

According to Nagvanshi annals, Phani Mukut Rai was founder of Nagvanshi dynasty who was son of Sakaldwipiya Brahmin girl Parvati from Varanasi and Pundarika Naga, the descendant of Naga king

. He was elevated to throne by Madra Munda and other king such as King of Suguja and Aditya king of Patkum in Sutiambe which is located around 20 km north of Ranchi. His rule extended to

Ramgarh Ramgarh may refer to: Bangladesh * Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District India * Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar * Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar * Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainital ...

, Gola, Tori and Gharwe. He built sun temple in Pithoria and established Brahmin from Puri by donating villages. But the remains of Sun Idols in Pithoria are dated to 12th century CE. The story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth by scholar. According to ''Nagvanshavali'', third Nagvanshi king Pratap Rai shifted his capital from ''Sutiambe'' to present day ''chutia''.

Medieval Period

A Sanskrit inscription of Mahamaya temple in

Gumla district Gumla district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Gumla town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Etymology For centuries, the place was a meeting center for people from the hinterland who flocked ...

mention the establishment of temple by the king Gajghat Rai in

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

965 (908 CE) and his rajguru Rastrakuta Brahmin Shianath Dev. The Brahmanda Purana (c.400 CE - c.1000 CE) mentioned Nagvanshis as Naga king. It gives descriptions of five ''dwips'' i.e land. It includes the ''Sankha dwip'' where

Sankh river The Sankh River flows across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha states in India. The river flows for before it meets the Koel River in Odisha. Course The river starts above sea level in Lupungpat village in Gumla district in Jharkhand and f ...

flows from the hill near the kingdom of the Naga King, where precious stones are found. In 12th century, Raja Bhim Karn defeated Raksel of

when they invaded the region. Then he conquered territory as far as Surguja and Palamu. He shifted his capital from present day ''Chutia'' to

Khukhragarh Khukhragarh was one of the capitals of Nagvanshi dynasty, who once ruled in parts of the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is located in the Bero block in the Ranchi Sadar subdivision of Ranchi district. Geography History Nagvanshi ruler Bhim Karn ...

. There are ancient fort, temple, coins and pottery remains found in the region. Shivdas Karn established Vishnu idol in the Hapamuni temple in

in Vikram Samvat 1458 (1401 CE) according to an inscription in sanskrit. According to ''Nag vanshavali'' during reign of

Pratap Karn Pratap Karn (c.1451-c.1469) was Nagvanshi king in 15th century. According to ''Nag vanshavali'' written by Beniram Mahata, during reign of Pratap Karn, king of Sandhya, Tamar, ghatwar kings rebelled. The king of Tamar indulged in plunder and l ...

, king of Sandhya, Tamar, ghatwar kings rebelled. The king of Tamar indulged in plunder and loot. He seized fort of Nagvanshi king in

. Pratap Karn sought help of chief Baghdeo of Khayaragarh. Baghdeo was made Fauzdar of Karra Pargana and he supressed the rebellion in Tamar. The son of king of Tamar made king of Karnpura but he did not paid tax for three years. Baghdeo was sent to Karnpura to extract tax. Baghdeo defeated king of Kapardeo and killed him. He also destroyed their fort Mahudigarh. Then He declared himself king of Karnpura. For this help Pratap Karn declared Baghdeo as King of Karnpura which gives rise to

Ramgarh Raj Ramgarh Raj was the major ''Zamindari'' estate in the era of the British Raj in the former Indian province of Bihar. Territories which comprised the Ramgarh Raj presently constitute districts of Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Giridih, Kode ...

Modern period

During 16th century, king Madhu Karn was ruling the region. Mirza Nathan refers to the region as ''Khokhradesh''. In 1585, There was mughal invasion during reign of Raja Madhu Karn. He became a vassal ruler under the Mughals. He participated in expedition against Afghan ruler in Odisha. After Madhu Karn, his son Bairisal became king and he also participated in several expeditions with Akbar. When Akbar died, Bairisal withdraw tribute to Mughal. Mughal launched expedition against Nagvanshi king but failed to subjugate them. Raja Durjan Shah the son of Bairisal was taken to Prison in Agra for withdrawal of tribute to Mughals, later he was released for identifying real diamonds. He built palaces, temples and ponds in Navratangarh. During this period, Baraik, Rautia and

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

held Jagirs from Nagvanshi kings and provided military services. Land grants were made to

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

for their priestly services. Nawratan gadh

Ram Shah Ram Shah ( ne, राम शाह; reign before 16061636) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom (present-day Gorkha District, Nepal). He was the son of King of Gorkha Purna Shah and brother of Chatra Shah. He acceded in the throne in c. 1606 after ...

built Kapilnath Temple in 1643 CE in Navratangarh. Raghunath Shah(1663-1690) built several temples, including Madan Mohan temple in Boera and Jagannath temple. According to Lal Pradumn Singh, the writer of book Nagvansh, Mughal invaded Khukhra during reign of Raghunath Shah. Mughal officials were sent by Aurangzeb to attack Khukhra. The invasion was strongly resisted which resulted in death of Mughal officials. Later he agreed to pay tax to Mughal. Thakur

Ani Nath Shahdeo Ani Nath Shahdeo was Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur, Nagvanshi king in 17th century. He was king of Barkagarh estate. He founded his capital at Satrangi near Subarnarekha River, Subarnarekha river. He built Jagannath Temple, Ranchi, Jagannath temple in ...

made Satranji as capital of

Barkagarh estate The Barkagarh estate was a zamindari estate situated in modern-day Jharkhand, India, in erstwhile Lohardaga district (now in Ranchi). It was established by Ani Nath Shahdeo, the son of Nagvanshi king Ram Shah in 17th century. The capital of the es ...

near Subarnarekha river. He built

Jagannath temple The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

in 1691.

In 1719, during the reign of Emperor

Muhammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...

, Sarbuland Khan invaded to Chotanagpur plateau. Raja Yadunath Shah agreed to pay Rs. One Lakh as Nazrana. Then Yadunath Shah shifted the capital from Navratangarh to

Palkot Palkot is a village in the Palkot CD block in the Basia subdivision of the Gumla district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History During 18th century, Nagvanshi king Yadunath Shah shifted his capital from Navratangarh to Palkot due to Mug ...

upon realising the weakness of the capital from a defensibility point of view. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Shivnath Shah(1724-1733). Due to non-payment of tribute, Fakhr-ud-daula invaded Khokhra in 1731. He faced considerable resistance from the Raja of Khokhra but both parties reached a compromise and he paid Rs. 12,000 as tribute. When Fakhr-ud-daula was removed from the post of Subedar of Bihar Suba in 1733, the Khokhra chief discontinued payment of tribute to Mughals. Maninath Shah(1748-1762) consolidated his authority over the estates of

Bundu Bundu may refer to: * Bundu (state), a former state in what is now Senegal * Also known as the place where Aditya Kumar (BE/10023/12) was born and brought up * Bundu, India, a town in Jharkhand, India ** Bundu block, the larger administrative u ...

Silli Silli is a village in the Silli CD block in the Ranchi Sadar subdivision of the Ranchi district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Geography Location Silli is located at . The Subarnarekha River forms the boundary with Purulia district in We ...

, Barwe, Rahe, Tamar and the chief of these estates were compelled to acknowledge the Nagvanshi ruler as their Chief. After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

got the right to collect revenue from Bihar, Bengal and Odisha by Mughal Empire. In 1771, During the reign of Dripnath Shah, Nagvanshi became a vassal of East India Company due to conflicts with neighbouring kings and tribes. Between 1795 to 1800,

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

invaded Chotanagpur and looted and collected revenue forcefully. The British defeated the Maratha force in 1772. The British stationed military forces at Chotanagpur to check the incursions of Marathas. During reign of Govind Nath Shah, due to the rebellion, refusal of payment of revenue by subordinate Jagirdar and

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

under Nagvanshi king due to excessive tax imposition by East India company, Chotanagpur was brought under direct control by British East India company in 1817 and they reduced Nagvanshi rulers to Zamindars. The disposition of some Mankis in Sonepur Pargana and mistreatment with a Manki by contractors resulted in Kol uprising in 1831 to 1833, when Munda plundered and burned properties of Sikh and muslim contractors houses. Then these activities spread to Ranchi district and tribal Munda, Hos and Oraon indulged indiscriminate plunder and killings of muslim, sikh as well as villages of hindus. They destroyed Mahamaya temple built by Gajghat Rai in Hapamuni village of Gumla. These activities speard to Palamu and joined by

Kharwar Kharwar is a community found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal. Etymology The ''Khar'' grass is totem of the Kharwar. They don't cut or injure it while growing. Kharwar tribe of pres ...

and

Chero The Chero is a caste found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in India. History and origin The community claims to have originally been tribal people. The Chero are essentially one of many tribal communities, such as the Bhar ...

. These insurgency was suppresed by Thomas Wilkinson. In 1855, during reign of Jagannath Shah Deo, the king of

, Vishwanath Shahdeo stopped following order of East India company, defeated British forces in Hatia and independent for two years. During the Rebellion of 1857, he led the rebels of Ramgarh Battalion. He organised an army with the assistance of nearby zamindars including

Pandey Ganpat Rai Pandey Ganpat Rai (1809-1858) was a revolutionary and rebel leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a chieftain in Lohardaga district of Bihar (now a part of Jharkhand). Early life He was born on January 17, 1809 in Bhounro village of Lohar ...

, Tikait Umrao Singh, Sheikh Bhikhari, Jaimangal Singh, Nadir Ali Khan. He fought against East India company force in

Battle of Chatra The Battle of Chatra was a conflict that took place during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 between the East India Company and the mutinying sepoys who were allied certain local zamindars. The rebels had amassed a force of 3000 men and had taken the ...

but got defeated. King of Pithoria Jagatpal Singh helped British to fight against rebels and British were successful in defeating rebels. Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo was caught and hanged in Ranchi along with other rebels in April 1858. Later Barkagarh estate was confiscated for rebellion against company rule. LowerBengal1870Map

The Nagvanshi rulers shifted their capital from Palkot to

Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...

in 1870.

Udai Pratap Nath Shah Deo Udai Pratap Nath Shahdeo (23 March 1866 - 21 September 1950), was the Nagvanshi Maharaja of Chotanagpur Zamindari estate. He donated large tracts of land to build infrastructure of Ranchi city. He built the Ratu Palace in Ranchi in 1901. He was ...

built Ratu Palace in 1900. The last ruler of Nagvanshi dynasty was Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo(1931 – 2014).

Zamindari A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

was abolished after independence of India in 1952.

Branches

Following are the states and estates established by Nagvanshi princes: *

of Satrangi (now in Ranchi) *

Khairagarh State Khairagarh State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. Khairagarh town in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district of Chhattisgarh was the capital of the state and the see of the Raja's residence. History Kh ...

of Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district , Chhattisgarh *

Kalahandi State Kalahandi State, also known as Karond State, was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It was recognized as a state in 1874 and had its capital in Bhawanipatna. Its last ruler signed the accession to the India ...

of Kalahandi,

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 ...

Nilgiri State Nilagiri State was one of the Princely state, Princely States of India during the British Raj. It belonged to the Orissa States Agency and its capital was at Raj Nilgiri, which is the modern town of Nilagiri. The state was bounded in the north ...

of Nilagiri, Baleswar,

*Jariagarh Estate of

Khunti district Khunti district is one of the twenty-four districts in South Chotanagpur division of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The district of Khunti was carved out of Ranchi district on 12 September 2007. , it is the second least populous district of Jhar ...

Post Independence

In modern period, Nagvanshi are divided into two subgroups i.e Rajdariya, the descendants of royal family and Lohardagiya, the inhabitants of Lohardaga district. They have only one gotra '' Kashyap''. Nagvanshi practice exogamy and establish relationship with other royal families. Nagvanshi use ''Shahdeo'' as their surname. They speak Nagpuri language and hindi with other. They are non-vegetarian and eat rice, wheat and pulses.

Rulers

Following is the list of Nagvanshi rulers according to "Nag Vanshavali" (1876) written by Beniram Mehta during reign of Jagannath Shah Deo and book "Nagvansh" (1951) written by Lal Pradumn Singh during reign of Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo. There is considerable disagreement among historians about chronology of various kings and it's authenticity. 57th Nagvanshi king Dripnath Shah (c.1762-1790 CE) submitted list of Nagvanshi kings to Governor general of India in 1787.

Raja

Maharaja

*Maharaja Govind Nath Shah (1806-1822) *Maharaja Jagannath Shah Deo (1822-1869) *Maharaja

(1869/72–1950) *Maharaja Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1950-1952)

Notable people

, King of Barkagarh * Vishwanath Shahdeo - Freedom fighter in 1857 rebellion * Lal Pingley Nath Shahdeo - Jurist and political activist * Lal Ranvijay Nath Shahdeo - Lawyer, Writer and Political activist * Lal Vijay Shahdeo, Director * Gopal Sharan Nath Shahdeo - Prince and Politician

References

{{Reflist Dynasties of India Nagpuria people History of Jharkhand History of Bihar