Nilagiri State was one of the Princely States of India during 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 ...

. It belonged to the Orissa States Agency and its capital was at Raj Nilgiri, which is the modern town of

Nilagiri Nilagiri is a town and a Notified Area Council in Balasore district in the Indian state of Odisha. History Nilgiri is a very small town but replete with rich history and heritage. Its history can be traced back to paleolithic age. Its mode ...

. The state was bounded in the north and west by the State of Mayurbhanj and in the south by Balasore District. As of 1940 Nilgiri State had a population of 73,109 and an area of . In 1949 it was merged into Balasore District.

History

According to local traditions, Nilgiri state was founded by a mythical ancestor coming from the Chhota Nagpur region of the Nagabanshi dynasty. In 1525 Raja Narayan Singh distinguished himself by his service to

Emperor Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

in the battles against Afghan invaders. Between 1611 and 1797 there were seven successive rulers. During the rule of Raja Krishnachandra Mardraj Harichandan in 1850s, he adopted the son of the Bhanj king of Mayurbhanj, Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo, who succeeded as the ruler of Nilgiri as Raja Shyamchandra Mardraj Harichandan in 1893. During the time of the

political integration of India After the Indian independence in 1947, the dominion of India was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule, and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown, with control over their internal affairs remaining i ...

freedom fighters such as Balaram Raj, Shyamsundar Parida, Kailashchandra Mohanty, Banamali Das, Baishnab Patnaik and Nanda Kishore Patnaik forced the last Raja of Nilgiri to surrender to the newly formed Indian National Government. The prince signed the accession to the

Indian Union Union of India or Indian Union may refer to: * The country of India * Dominion of India (1947–1950) * The Government of India, whose legal name is "Union of India" as per Article 300 of the Indian constitution * Political integration of India ...

on 1 January 1948.Nilgiri (Princely State)
/ref>

Rulers

The rulers of Nilgiri State. They bore the title of '

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

', '

Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...

' in the case of female ruler Chira Devi.Princely States of India
/ref> *Narayan Singh Bhujang Mandhata Birat Basant Harichandan (1521-1564) *... *Ram Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1797-1832) *Govind Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1832-1833) *

Chira Devi -

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

(1833-1843) *Krishna Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1843-1893) *Shyam Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1893-6 Jul 1913) *Kishor Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (6 July 1913-1 January 1948)

Titular

*Kishor Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (1 January 1948-29 March 1960) *Rajendra Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (29 March 1960-30 May 2001) *Jayant Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (30 May 2001-current)

References

External links

{{coord, 23.46, N, 86.77, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Princely states of Odisha History of Odisha Balasore district