Samthar State was 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
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
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 state was administered as 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 Bun ...
of
Central India
Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...
. The state was ruled by Khatana clan of
Gurjars
Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...
. Its capital was
Samthar
Samthar is a city and a municipal board in Jhansi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Historically before independence of India, it was also known as Samshergarh erstwhile capital of Samthar State
Demographics
census, Samthar had a ...
town, located in a level plain 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 crossed by the
Pahuj and the
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 ...
rivers.
The founder was Ranjith Singh who in 1760, profiting from the troubled times of 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 ...
invasion, proclaimed his state independent and was acknowledged as a Raja by the Marathas. In 1817 Samthar was recognized as a state by the British
.They received a
sanad of adoption in 1862. In 1884 the state had to cede some territories for the construction of the railways.
Rulers
The ruling dynasty were
Gurjars
Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...
of the Khatana clan and had the right to an 11
gun salute
A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world.
Histo ...
.
[Leading Famlies And Officials In The States Of Central India 1935 pg.89]
Rajas
*1817 - 1827 Ranjit Singh II (d. 1827)
*1827 - 1864 Hindupat Singh (b. 1823 - d. 1890)
*1858 - 3 Feb 1865 Rani .... (f) -Regent
* 3 Feb 1865 - 1877 Chhatar Singh (b. 1843 - d. 1896)
Maharajas
*1877 - 16 Jun 1896 Chhatar Singh (s.a.)
*17 Jun 1896 - 9 Oct 1935 Bir Singh (b. 1864 - d. 1936) (from 3 Jun 1915, Sir Bir Singh)
* 9 Oct 1935 – 15 Aug 1947 Radha Charan Singh (b. 1914 - d. 1972)
See also
*
Jhansi District
Jhansi district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Jhansi is the district headquarters. The district is bordered on the north by Jalaun District, to the east by Hamirpur and Mahoba districts, to the ...
References
{{coord, 25, 51, N, 78, 55, E, source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title
Princely states of Bundelkhand
Jhansi district
Gurjar
Princely states of Uttar Pradesh