Udaipur State was one of the princely states of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. The town of Dharamjaigarh was the former state's capital. After the

Independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, Udaipur State was merged with the princely states of Raigarh, Sakti, Sarangarh and Jashpur to form the Raigarh district of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

. Now the district of Raigarh is part of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Geography

The State of Udaipur was bounded by Surguja State and Jashpur State on its northern side, on the east by Gangpur State and the British Ranchi district, on the south by Raigarh State and on the west by the British Bilaspur district of the Central Provinces. In 1881 the State contained 196 villages and covered an area of 2,732 square km. The total population according to the 1901 Census of India was around 45,000, mostly Hindus. The state was mostly covered by forested hills of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

with carboniferous strata, but the extensive coalfields were not exploited. Gold and iron were also found, but in much smaller quantities. The ranges in the area of the state were relatively low, the highest point being Lotta Hill, reaching an elevation of 640 m. The forests were dense, composed mainly of sāl,

mahua Mahua or Mahuaa may refer to: Botany * '' Madhuca longifolia'' or mahua, a tree in the family Sapotaceae * ''Mahua'' (moss), a genus of mosses in family Hypnaceae Culture and entertainment * Mahua (snack), a Chinese fried dough twist * Mahuli ...

, kusum and tendu. The Mand River rises near Girsa in Surguja, draining the southern part of the Mainpat Plateau to the north.

History

Udaipur State was founded in 1818 as an offshoot of Surguja State (Surguja). From 1860 the rulers were Rajputs of the Raksel dynasty. The younger son of Maharaja Amar Singh Deo of Surguja State was granted the rule of Udaipur State. The first Rajput Raksel ruler was

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Bahadur Bindeshwari Prasad Singh Deo CSI. The family of the Raja is very ancient, and is stated to belong to the Rajputs of the Lunar race. The present ruling family is said to be descended from a Raksel Raja of Palamau. The state became a British protectorate in 1818. In 1852 the ruler Kalyan Singh and his two brothers Shivraj Sing and Dheeraj Singh, of Rajgond dynasty were accused by the British of murder and were jailed. There was an

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

during which the state was ruled directly by the British authorities who invoked the doctrine of lapse. Finally in 1860 local rule was restored when Lal Bindeshwari Prasad Singh Deo was granted the rule of Udaipur State by the British for his services in countering the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, which sought to overthrow the rule of the

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

. He was succeeded by Swasti Sri Prabal Pratap Udit Pratap Sampanna Sitare Hind Maharajadhiraj Kumar Rajadhiraj Sri Srimant Raja Bahadur Bindeshwari Prasad Singh Deo CSI (1829–1876), ruling chief Udaipur state. The Chief resided at Partabpur, the headquarters of a tract which he held as a maintenance grant in Surguja, and was a ruler of considerable ability and force of character. In 1871 he aided in the suppression of a rebellion in the Keonjhar State, for which he received the thanks of Government, and gifts of an elephant with gold-embroidered trappings and a gold watch and chain. He obtained the title of Raja Bahadur as a personal distinction, and was also made a Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. The Elder son of the chief succeeded to gaddi Sri Raja Bahadur Dharamjeet Singh Deo and younger son Sri Lal Shaheb Dharampal Singh Deo was granted the estate of Dhourpur. Lal Saheb Dharampal Singh Deo was the Grandson of Maharaja Bahadur Amar Singh Deo of " Surguja state" and younger son of Raja Bindeshwari prasad Singh Deo of Udaipur state (Dharamjaigarh). Dhourpur and Dharamjaigarh were named after both the brother Lal Saheb Dharampal Singh Deo and Raja Bahadur Dharamjeet Singh Deo. Sri Lal Saheb Dhrampal Singh Deo was succeeded by his only son Sri Lal Saheb Chandeshwer Prasad Singh Deo as the head of the '' jagirdari'' estate of Dhourpur. Udaipur was one of the states of the Eastern States Agency. The last ruler of this princely state signed the accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1948.

Rulers

The rulers of Udaipur State bore the title of 'Raja Bahadur'.States before 1947
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Rajas

*1818–1852- Kalyan Singh *1852–1857- Interregnum *1857-1858- Dhiraj Singh *1858-Sheoraj Singh *1858-1859- British raj. The younger son of Maharaja Bahadur Amar Singh Deo of & younger brother of Maharaja Indrajit Singh of Surguja State, from the junior branch of the Surguja royal family, was granted the rule of Udaipur State. *1860–1876 – Swasti Sri Prabal Pratap Udit Pratap Sampanna Sitare Hind Maharajadhiraj kumar Rajadhiraj Sri Srimant Raja Bahadur BINDESHWARI PRASAD Singh Deo C.S.I (1829–1876) *18 March 1876 – 1900 Sri Srimant Raja Bahadur DHARAMJEET Singh Deo (1857–1900?) *December 1900 – 8 December 1927 Sri Srimant Raja Bahadur CHANDRA SHEKHAR PRASAD Singh Deo O.B.E (1889–1927) By adoption 3rd son of Maharaja Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo Surguja State *1927 – 15 August 1947 Raja Bahadur CHANDRA CHUR PRASAD Singh Deo (1923–1979) before and after Independence After Independence *1979 – VIJAY Singh (26 August 1944 – )

References

External links