Surguja State was one of the main princely states of

Central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

during the period of 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 ...

, even though it was not entitled to any

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, 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 British Raj. It was created in 1933, by the unification of the former Chhattisgarh States Agency and the Orissa States Agenc ...

. The state spread over a vast mountainous area inhabited by many different people groups such as the Gond, Bhumij, Oraon,

Panika The Panika are a Hindu community found in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Traditionally they are weaver. They are also known as Panka and Panikar. Etymology They used to made Pankha(fan). ...

, Korwa, Bhuiya, Kharwar, Munda, Chero, Rajwar, Nagesia and

Santal The Santal (or Santhal) are an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic-speaking Munda peoples, Munda ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal in terms of population and are also found ...

. Its former territory lies in the present-day state 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 ...

and its capital was the town of Ambikapur, now the capital of Surguja district.

History

Maharajah Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo with cheetah kill 1948 BNHS

The family of the Maharaja is very ancient, and is stated to belong to the Rajputs of the Lunar race.The family is descended from ruling family of a Raksel Raja of Palamau. The state became a

British protectorate British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...

in 1818 after the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...

. Neighbouring Udaipur State was founded in 1818 as an offshoot of Surguja State. In 1860 The State was conferred to younger son of

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Amar Singh Deo, to

Raja Bahadur Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

Bindeshwari Prasad Singh Deo CSI. The Chief resided at Pratappur Pratappur, 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

as a personal distinction, and was also made a Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India. In 1820 hereditary title of

was conferred on ruling chief of Surguja. Surguja was one of the Chota Nagpur States and its rulers were

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s of the Raksel dynasty. They were the ''de facto'' overlords of the smaller states of

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

, Jashpur, Koriya (Korea) and Changbhakar that were fringing its territory.

Indrajit Singh Deo (1827–1879) of Surguja was described as a

lunatic ''Lunatic'' is a term referring to a person who is seen as Mental disorder, mentally ill, Risk, dangerous, Foolishness, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moo ...

by Anglo-Indian writer

George Robert Aberigh-Mackay George Robert Aberigh-Mackay (25 July 184812 January 1881) was a British educationalist and writer resident in India during his short adult life. Biography George Robert Aberigh-Mackay was the son of the Reverend James Aberigh-Mackay D.D., B.D. an ...

in 1877. Maharaja Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo, the last ruler of this princely state signed the accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1948. The Maharaja has the notorious record of having shot and killed a total of 1710

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

s, the highest known individual score; he doesn't hold the official record of shooting into extinction 3 of the last physically recorded Asiatic cheetahs in India, effectively making the species almost locally extinct in 1947, considering that a female was spotted in what was to be the District of Korea in 1951. The last three Asiatic Cheetas were shot by Maharaja Ramanuj Partap Singh Deo of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Rulers

The rulers of Surguja State bore the title of 'Maharaja', although a few had the title of 'Maharaja Bahadoor', including the last head of the state.Princely States of India
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Rajas

*1678 – 1709 Baiha Dadu Singh Deo *1709 – 1728 Balbhadra Singh I Deo *1728 – 1749 Jaswat Singh Deo *1749 – 1758 Bahadur Sigh Deo *1760 – 17.. Sheo Singh Deo *1792 – 1799 Ajit Singh Deo *1799 – 1800 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (1st time) *1800 – 1813 Lal Singram Singh Deo *1813 – 1816 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (2nd time) *1816 – 1820 interregnum *1820 – 1851 Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja) *1851 – 25 March 1879 Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879) *25 Mar 1879 – 31 December 1917 Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur) *31 Dec 1917 – 1918 Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo (b. 1895 – d. 1965) (with hereditary style Maharaja)

Maharaja

*1820–1851 : Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja) *1851–25 March 1879 : Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879) (Maharaja Bahadur) *25 Mar 1879–31 December 1917 : Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur) *1917–15 August 1947 : Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo (Maharaja Bahadur) *1947–2001 : Madneshwar Saran Singh Deo (Titular Maharaja) *2001–''Incumbent'' : T. S. Singh Deo (Titular Maharaja)

References

External links