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Orchha State (also known as Urchha, Ondchha and Tikamgarh) was a kingdom situated in the
Bundelkhand Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...
region and later a
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, ...
in
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. The state was ruled by
Bundela The Bundela is a Rajput clan. Over several generations, the cadet lineages of Bundela Rajputs founded several states in area what came to be known as Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom from the 16th century. Etymology As per Jaswant ...
clan of
Rajputs 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 ...
. It was located within what is now the state of
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
. The Chaturbhuj Temple was built by the Queen of Orchha, while the Raj Mandir was built by Madhukar Shah during his reign, 1554 to 1591. In 1811, during the period of
Company Rule in India Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...
, it became part of the
Bundelkhand Agency The Bundelkhand Agency was a political agency of the British Raj, managing the relations of the British government with the protected princely states of the Bundelkhand region. History Historical background The Marathas ceded parts of Bu ...
within the
Central India Agency The Central India Agency was created in 1854, by amalgamating the Western Malwa Agency with other smaller political offices which formerly reported to the Governor-General of India. The agency was overseen by a political agent who maintained ...
; 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, it acceded to the Union of India, in 1950.


History


Before company rule

Orchha State was founded in 1531 by the
Rudra Pratap Singh Rudra Pratap Singh Bundela (r. 1501–1531) was the founder and first raja of the kingdom that became the princely state of Orchha, India, during the Lodhi Dynasty . His name is sometimes spelled Rudrapratap Singh and his last name, Bundela, i ...
, who became its first king. He had a fortress at
Garh Kundar Garh Kundar (also spelled Gadhkudhar) is a small village in the city of Tikamgarh, Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh. It has been named so after the splendid fort, or "Garh", of Kundar located here. From 925 to 1507 AD, Garh Kundar fort witnesse ...
and took advantage of the politically unstable environment of the time to make territorial gains. He moved to
Orchha Orchha is a town, near city of Niwari in Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state of covering parts of c ...
on the banks of the river
Betwa The Betwa (Hindi: बेतवा, Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in Central and Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Narmadapuram in Madhya Pradesh and flows northe ...
and established it as his new capital. He died in the same year. Rudra Pratap Singh was succeeded by his son, Bharatichand, who died without leaving an heir in 1554 and was in turn succeeded by his younger brother, Madhukar Shah. Both Bharatichand and Madhukar had to deal with attacks, organised under the Afghan
Islam Shah Suri Islam Shah Suri (reigned: 1545–1554) was the second ruler of the Suri dynasty which ruled the part of India in the mid-16th century. His original name was Jalal Khan and he was the second son of Sher Shah Suri. History On his father's d ...
(r. 1545-53) and the Mughal 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 ...
(r. 1556-1605). Events involving the former were noted by the court poet
Keshavdas Keshavdas Mishra (1555–1617), usually known by the mononym Keshavdas or Keshavadasa, was a Sanskrit scholar and Hindi poet, best known for his ''Rasik Priya'', a pioneering work of the ''riti kaal'' (procedure period) of Hindi literature. Li ...
and those involving Madhukar, who had to relinquish lands to Akbar in 1577 and 1588, were recorded in the ''
Akbarnama The ''Akbarnama'', which translates to ''Book of Akbar'', the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor (), commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. It was ...
''. Madhukar's position had become so precarious in the 1570s that he agreed to Orchha becoming a
tributary state A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This to ...
and to enlistment of himself and his family in the service of the Mughal empire, but another near-contemporary historian, `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni, records him as a rebel in 1583. During the rule of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...
, his vassal,
Vir Singh Deo Vir Singh Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha. He was a vassal of the Mughal Empire. and ruled between 1605 and either 1626 or 1627. Vir Singh Deo assassinated Abul Fazl who was ret ...
, was ruler of the Orchha area. His reign ended in either 1626 or 1627 and it was during this period that Orchha reached its zenith in both political power and architectural splendour. Examples of the architecture include the Jahangir Mahal (built ca. 1605) and the Sawan Bhadon Mahal. In the early-17th century, Raja
Jhujhar Singh Jhujhar Singh was a Raja of the Orchha region in India during the 17th century. Jhujhar Singh was the first-born son of Vir Singh Deo and the senior of his three queens. In 1626, he succeeded his father as ruler and determined not to remain a ...
rebelled against the Mughal emperor but was defeated.
Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
placed the former raja's brother on the throne in 1641. Orchha was the only Bundela state not entirely subjugated by the
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 a M ...
s in the 18th century. The town of Tehri,
Tikamgarh Tikamgarh is a Census town#India, town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri (i.e., a triangle) consisting of three hamlet ...
, about south of Orchha, became the capital of Orchha state in 1783, and is now the district town; Tehri was the site of the fort of Tikamgarh, and the town eventually took the name of the fort. Orchha Fort and Bridge.jpg,
Orchha Fort complex The Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple, and other edifices, is located in the Orchha town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The fort and other structures within i ...
OrchhaPalace.jpg, Jahangir Mahal, Orchha Orchha mausolea.jpg, Memorial
Chhatri ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...
s of the ruler of Orchha, on the bank of the
Betwa River The Betwa (Hindi: बेतवा, Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in Central and Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Narmadapuram in Madhya Pradesh and flows north ...
. Lakshmi Temple, Orchha.jpg, Lakshmi Temple, Orchha


During the British era

On 23rd December 1812, Orchha king made treaty of alliance with Britishers. Hamir Singh, who ruled from 1848 to 1874, was elevated to the style of ''
Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
'' in 1865. During his reign the allied forces of Orchha and Datia invaded
Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...
in 1857 intending to divide the Jhansi territory between them. However they were defeated by
Rani Lakshmibai Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835. was an Indian queen, the Maharani consort of ...
's army and her allies in August 1857. (She intended at this time to hold Jhansi on behalf of the British who had no forces there at the time.) Maharaja Pratap Singh (born 1854, died 1930), who succeeded to the throne in 1874, devoted himself entirely to the development of his state, himself designing most of the engineering and irrigation works that were executed during his reign. In 1908, the boundaries of the state lay between 24° 26′ and 25° 40′ North and 78° 26′ and 79° 21′ East. It formed a part of the
Bundelkhand Agency The Bundelkhand Agency was a political agency of the British Raj, managing the relations of the British government with the protected princely states of the Bundelkhand region. History Historical background The Marathas ceded parts of Bu ...
and had an area of . The 1901 Census of India recorded a population of 321,634. It was the oldest and highest in rank of all the Bundela states, with a 15-gun salute, and its maharajas bore the hereditary title ''First of the Prince of Bundelkhand''. Vir Singh, Pratap Singh's successor, merged his state with the Union of India on 1 January 1950. The district became part of
Vindhya Pradesh Vindhya Pradesh was a former state of India. It occupied an area of 23,603 sq. miles. It was created in 1948 as Union of Baghelkhand and Bundelkhand States, shortly after Indian independence, from the territories of the princely states in the e ...
state, which was merged into the state of Madhya Pradesh in 1956.


Rulers


Rajas

Prior to Company Rule, the rulers of Orchha all held the title of ''Raja''. They were: *
Rudra Pratap Singh Rudra Pratap Singh Bundela (r. 1501–1531) was the founder and first raja of the kingdom that became the princely state of Orchha, India, during the Lodhi Dynasty . His name is sometimes spelled Rudrapratap Singh and his last name, Bundela, i ...
(1501–1531) *Bharatichand (1531–1554) *Madhukar Shah (1554–1592) *Ram Shah (1592–1605) *
Vir Singh Deo Vir Singh Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha. He was a vassal of the Mughal Empire. and ruled between 1605 and either 1626 or 1627. Vir Singh Deo assassinated Abul Fazl who was ret ...
(also spelled Bir Singh Deo) (1605–1626/7) *
Jhujhar Singh Jhujhar Singh was a Raja of the Orchha region in India during the 17th century. Jhujhar Singh was the first-born son of Vir Singh Deo and the senior of his three queens. In 1626, he succeeded his father as ruler and determined not to remain a ...
(1626/7–1635) (brother of Hardaul Singh) *Devi Singh (1635–1641) (brother of Jhujhar Singh) *Pahar Singh (1641–1653) *Sujan Singh (1653–1672) *Indramani Singh (1672–1675) *Jaswant Singh (1675–1684) *Bhagwat Singh (1684–1689) *Udwat Singh (1689–1735) *Prithvi Singh (1735–1752) *Sanwant Singh (1752–1765) *Hati Singh (1765–1768) *Man Singh (1768–1775) *Bharti Singh (1775–1776) *Vikramajit Mahendra (1776–1817) *Dharam Pal (1817–1834) Queen Ladai Sarkar was his wife *Taj Singh (1834–1842) *Surjain Singh (1842–1848) *Hamir Singh (1848–1865) (Queen Ladai Sarkar ruled at this time)


Maharajas

During the British era, initially under Company Rule and then as a part 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 title of ''Raja'' was in use until 1865, when it was replaced with that of ''Maharaja''. The rulers were: *Hamir Singh (1865–1874) (Queen Ladai Sarkar ruled at this time) *Pratap Singh (1874–1930) *Vir Singh II (4 March 1930 – acceded 1 January 1950) (b.1899 - d.1956)


Titular Maharajas

*Vir Singh II (1 January 1950 – 1956) *Devendra Singh (1956 – 1978) *Madhukar Shah (1978 – present)


Postal history

Postage stamps for the state were prepared for use in 1897 but were never issued. The first Orchha State stamps were issued in 1913 (half-
anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
and one anna); in 1914 there was another issue of four stamps (half-anna to four annas). The third issue was in 1939 when a range of stamps bearing the maharajah's portrait were issued which included denominations from half-anna to eight annas and one
rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
to ten rupees. Separate stamps were discontinued on 30 April 1950 after the state was merged with the Union of India early that year.


Coinage

Orchha minted coins in copper and silver. The currency was known as ''Gaja Shahi'' because it most commonly bore the symbol of a mace (''gaja'') on the
reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...
. The mace symbol was imitated on coins issued by
Datia State Datia State ( hi, दतिया राज्य) was a princely state in subsidiary alliance with British India. The state was administered as part of the Bundelkhand Agency of Central India. It lay in the extreme north-west of Bundelkhand, n ...
.


See also

* Hasht-Bhaiya


References

*


External links

* * {{Coord, 25.35, N, 78.64, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Princely states of Bundelkhand States and territories established in 1531 States and territories disestablished in 1950 Tikamgarh district Rajputs 1531 establishments in India 1950 disestablishments in India Orchha