Haihaiyavansi Kingdom

The Haihaiyavansi Kingdom was a kingdom in the upper Mahanadi River basin in eastern India, comprising the central portion of present-day Chhattisgarh state and west-central Orissa. The kingdom was ruled by the Haihaiyavansi from the 12th to the 18th centuries AD. During the reign of the Haihayavanshi, there were thirty-six ''garhs'' (forts), and hence, the region of Chhattisgarh was named after the number of forts it had. In 1740, the Maratha general of Nagpur, Bhaskar Pant conquered the kingdom for Raghoji I Bhonsle. The Raipur branch of the kingdom survived until 1753, also being annexed by the Marathas of Nagpur.

The last ruler was Mohan Singh, who ruled under the suzerainty of Raghoji Bhonsle of Nagpur and died in 1758.

Origin

The kingdom originated as the eastern province of the tenth-century Kalachuri or Chedi kingdom, which was centered in the upper Narmada River valley. The Kalachuris ruled from a capital at Tewar (Tripuri) near modern Jabalpur. By the eleventh century the Ratnapura branch, had settled in the upper Mahanadi basin, and in the twelfth century became independent. For over six centuries the upper Mahanadi basin remained under the control of the Haihayavanshi rajas claiming descent from the Ratnapura Kalachuris.

History

The kingdom was located east of the main routes between northern and southern India, and was spared the Muslim invasions of the 13th-16th centuries. On the accession of Suradeva, the twentieth king, the kingdom was divided between him at Ratanpur and his younger brother founded a younger branch at Raipur to the south. It has been conjectured that the name Mahakosal, the greater Kosala, was made common for Dakshin Kosal or Chhattisgarh by the Chedi - Haihayavanshi rulers of this region to make their kingdom sound more dignified and their sovereignty seem more pronounced. The town of Amarkantak is said to have been built by the Haihayavanshis.

Maratha invasion

The kingdom came under Maratha suzerainty with the Maratha invasions of the 18th century. Marathas of the Bhonsle clan of Nagpur established themselves in Berar at the beginning of the 18th century, and conquered the neighboring Gond kingdom of Deogarh in 1743.
The Bhonsle Maratha armies passed through Chhattisgarh on their way to invade the Odia kingdoms in eastern India. Bhaskar Pant invaded the Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom at the close of 1740. According to Sir Charles Grant, his army is said to have consisted of 40,000 men, chiefly horse. The branch Haihaiyavanshi ruler of Raipur, Amar Singh, did not oppose him. However, the Haihaiyavanshi ruler of Ratanpur, Raghunath Singh offered resistance by shutting himself in his fort.

According to Sir Charles Grant, Raghunath Singh was bowed down with a heavy sorrow, which was the loss of his only son. He refused to take any interest in the government for nearly a year. At best, he was a feeble man, but now worn out with years and afflicted in mind. The ''raja'' made no effort to defend his kingdom and waited till Bhaskar Pant reached his capital. Even then, there was no resistance from the defenders. Bhaskar Pant bought his guns to play on the fort, and soon a part of the palace was in ruins. At this point, one of the ''Ranis'' (queen) named Laxmi hoisted a white flag on the ramparts of the fort. The gates for opened, and the invading Marathas entered the fort and looted the city.

A fine of one lakh rupees was imposed on the town and all the wealth that remained in the treasury was seized. Then the country was pillaged in all directions by the Maratha army. However, Raghunath Singh was not harmed in any manner and allowed to rule at Ratanpur under the suzerainty of the Marathas. Having crushed the Haihaiyavanshi king, the nominal overlord of the many petty chieftains and surrounding states, the Marathas demanded that the petty rulers submit to them, and the rulers did.

Raigarh fell to the Bhonsles in 1741, and by 1742 Maratha control over the kingdom was firmly established.

Administration

As per writer Saurabh Dube, the two kingdoms were each subdivided into 18 districts which were known as ''garhs'' (forts), and were under the charge of '' thakurs'' or '' diwans'', who owed allegiance to the Rajput king. The ''garh'' was also known as ''chaurasi'' (eighty-four) because it was meant to be made up of 84 villages. The ''garhs'' were in turn made up of smaller units called ''taluks''. The ''taluk'', which was supposed to contain 12 villages and was also known as ''bahron'' (twelve) was held by a ''dao'' or ''barhainya'' whose authority in the unit closely resembled that of the '' diwan'' within the ''taluk''. The village was held by a ''gaonthia'' or headman.

Further reading

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See also

*Heheya Kingdom

References

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References

* Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Volume 6. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.
* McEldowney, Philip F. (1980). ''Colonial Administration and Social Developments in middle India: The Central Provinces, 1861-1921.'' Ph.D. dissertation.

Medieval India
Empires and kingdoms of India
History of Chhattisgarh