Sonepur also known as Sonpur State, was one of the

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, ...

s of

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 period 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 ...

. Its ruler was entitled to a nine

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 ...

. Formerly it was placed under 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 ...

, but in 1905 it was transferred to the

Eastern States Agency The Eastern States Agency was an agency or grouping of princely states in eastern India, during the latter years of the Indian Empire. It was created in 1933, by the unification of the former Chhattisgarh States Agency and the Orissa States Agen ...

. Its capital was Sonepur, the only significant town in the area. The former state's territory is in the present-day Subarnapur district,

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 ...

History

The Sonepur state was founded in 1650 when the fourth Chauhan ruler of

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Sam ...

Madhukar Dev, conquered the region from the Bhanja rulers of Boudh and entrusted it to his younger son Madan Gopal who hence became the founder of the Chauhan dynasty branch of Sonepur. The state came under the control of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

post the Maratha defeat and later the king Niladhar Singh Deo was awarded with titles for services rendered to the British during the Sambalpur uprising.''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', v. 23, p. 90.
/ref> After Indian independence, Sonepur's last ruler acceded to the newly independent

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

, on 1 January 1948 with the state forming much of the present day Subarnapur district.

Rulers

The rulers of Sonepur state of the Chauhan Dynasty:Princely States of India
/ref> *Madan Gopal (1650 - 1680 CE) *Lal Sai Deo (1680 - 1689) *Purusottam Deo (1689 – 1709) *Raj Singh Deo (1709 – 1729) *Achal Singh Deo (1729 – 1749) *Divya Singh Deo (1749 – 1766) *Jarawar Singh Deo (1766 – 1767) *Sobha Singh Deo (1767 – 1781) *Prithvi Singh Deo (1781 – 1841) *Niladhar Singh Deo (1841 – 11 September 1891) *Pratap Rudra Singh (11 September 1891 – 8 August 1902) *Bir Mitrodaya Singh Deo (8 August 1902 – 29 April 1937) *Sudhansu Shekhar Singh Deo (29 April 1937 – 1 January 1948)

Titular

*Sudhansu Shekhar Singh Deo (1 January 1948 - ...) *Bir Pratap Singh Deo (... - 1970) *Prithvi Bir Singh Deo (1970 - current)

References

External links

Sonepur State – Heritage of Indian Stamps
Subarnapur district History of Odisha Princely states of Odisha States and territories disestablished in 1948 Rajputs 1650 establishments in India 1948 disestablishments in India {{india-hist-stub

History

Rulers

Titular

See also

References

External links