Gond kingdom of Chandrapur | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 807 AD–1751 | |||||||||
| Status | Tribal monarchy | ||||||||
| Capital | Sirpur (Telangana), Chandrapur | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern | ||||||||
• Established | 807 AD | ||||||||
| 1751 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | India | ||||||||
The Kingdom of Chanda (present day Chandrapur) was one of the main Gond kingdoms, ruling parts of central India. In 1751, it was conquered by the Maratha ruler of Nagpur, Raghoji I Bhonsle.
According to the local Gond traditions, a hero known as Kol Bhill or Kol Bheel rose among them. He gathered the scattered Gond tribes and formed them into a sort of nation, teaching them the extraction of iron from iron ore and other elements of civilization. He led the Gonds against the Mana tribe of present-day Maharashtra, who had dominated the region for about 200 years. After years of warfare the Manas fell to the Gonds, who replaced them. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Kol Bhill was followed by Bhim Ballal Singh, who actually founded the Gond house of Chanda. Bhim Ballal Singh was from the Atram clan who subdued the other petty chiefs and established a kingdom by 870 AD. His capital was Sirpur, on the right bank of the Wardha River (near present-day Chandrapur) and his chief stronghold was the Mana fortress of Manikgarh, situated in the hills behind Sirpur. The next eight generations of Gond kings ruled from Sirpur until 1242. [2] [3] [1] [4] [5] During the reign of Babji Ballal Shah, the Ain-i-Akbari records the kingdom as being fully independent, and it even conquered some territory from nearby sultanates. However, during Akbar's rule, Babji Shah began paying tribute after the Mughals incorporated territory to their south into the Berar Subah. [3] [2]
After Surja Ballal Singh alias Sher Shah, the Gond kings started suffixing the title "Shah" instead of "Singh". [1] [2] Khandkya Ballal Shah succeeded his father Surja Ballal Singh in 1242. He built the fort of Ballarpur and founded the city of Chandrapur, surrounded by several legends. The next 9 generations of Gond kings reigned at Chandrapur. The Kingdom of Deogarh became enemies of the Chandrapur kings due to an unhappy marriage between their royal families and a treaty in which the Chanda kings were forced to recognize Deogarh's independence. At the time of this marriage, both the kingdoms were extremely prosperous and powerful, being feudatory states of the Mughal Empire and having strong military forces. [2]
In Aurangzeb's times both the Gond kingdoms of Deogarh and Chanda were included in the Berar Subah. [2] [6] The kingdom produced great rulers who developed excellent irrigation systems and the first well defined revenue system among the Gond kingdoms. [7]
Kanhoji Bhonsle, a Maratha general and the Sena-Sahib Subah of Berar invaded Chandrapur and Deogarh but was unsuccessful in his invasion of the latter. Hence he plundered some parganas mainly west of the Wardha River. Kanhoji was recalled but disregarded the summons. Hence, Raghuji Bhonsle was sent to force his return, a task which he completed successfully . In 1730, Raghoji I Bhonsle marched on Chandrapur but did not invade since he found its ruler Ram Shah to be a saintly and pious person. [3]
Ram Sah was succeeded by his son Nilkanth Sah (1735-1751), who became notorious as a tyrant given to vices. He put his father's trusted dewan Mahadajee Vedya to death and interfered in the politics of Deogarh. [1] [3] In about 1748, Raghunath Singh, the diwan of the King of Deogarh, with the help of Nilkanth Shah, rebelled in 1748 when Raghoji I Bhonsle was busy with expeditions in Bengal. [8] [9] Raghuji in 1748, seeking respite from the Bengal campaign invaded Deogarh and killed Raghunath Singh. [10] He then completely took over the administration of Deogarh, making Burhan Shah a state pensionary. [11] He next proceeded against Nilkanth Shah of Chanda and defeated him. Nilkanth Shah had to sign a treaty with him, dated 1159 Phasali year, i.e., 1749 A.D. This treaty gave twothirds of the kingdom's revenue to the Marathas.
In 1751, when Nilkanth Shah rebelled against Raghoji, he was defeated with ease imprisoned him permanently in the Ballarpur Fort. [4] This brought the Gond house of Chandrapur to an end. [4]
Gondwana, also known as Gondaranya, the land of Gondwana, is a region of India named after the Gond people who live there. The name of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland was derived from Gondwana, because some of the earliest rock formations of this continent were first investigated in part of the region in modern Odisha.
The Gondi (Gōṇḍī) or Gond people, who refer to themselves as "Kōītōr", are an ethnolinguistic group in India. Their native language, Gondi, belongs to the Dravidian family. They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of India's system of reservation.
Chandrapur is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort city founded by Khandkya Ballal Shah, a Gond king of the 13th century. The city sits at the confluence of the Erai river and Zarpat river. The area around the city is rich in coal seams.. Hence, Chandrapur is also known as the "Black Gold City".
The Kingdom of Nagpur was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of Nagpur was the capital of the state.
Sirpur (T) is a town and a mandal in Komaram Bheem district of the Indian state of Telangana.
Raghuji I was a Maratha general of the Bhonsle clan who established the Nagpur Kingdom in much of east-central India during the reign of Chhatrapati Shahu I. His successors ruled the kingdom until 1853.
Raghuji II or Raghuji was the Maratha ruler of the Kingdom of Nagpur in Central India from 1788 to 1816.
Narnala Fort or Narnala Qila Sarkar, also known as Shahnoor Fort, is a hill fortress in the Satpura Range of Vidarbh, Maharashtra, India, named after the Rajput Solanki Chaulukya Ruler, Raja Narnal Singh, also known as Narnal Singh Swami. It was renamed as "Shahnoor" by Islamic rulers but again acquired, rebuilt and got its name "Narnala" by ruler Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki, who migrated from Patan in Gujarat.
The history of Nagpur, in central India, spans over 5,000 years, including the Kingdom of Nagpur in the 18th and 19th century. Human existence around present-day Nagpur city can be traced back 3,000 years to the 8th century BC. Menhir burial sites at Drugdhamna indicate megalithic culture existed around Nagpur and is still followed in present times.
The Rajgonds are the ruling class of the Gonds. The region of Gondwana consisted of neighbouring kingdoms. To the south was the Kingdom of Chanda and to the north was the powerful Garha-Mandla kingdom. In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Deogarh rose as a powerful state with the Kherla Kingdom in its western past.
Bakht Buland Shah was a ruler of the Rajgond dynasty. He added to his kingdom, the territories of Chanda and Mandla, and portions of Nagpur, Balaghat, Seoni, Bhandara and the adjoining Rajput kingdom of Kherla/Khedla. The present districts of Chhindwara and Betul also fell under his control. A great warrior, he went on to conquer Pauni, Dongartal, Sivni, and Katangi.
Raghuji III or Raghuji, was the Maratha ruler of the Principal States of Nagpur in Central India from 1818 to 1853.
Chand Sultan (1706-1739) was a Gond king of Nagpur. He was the eldest son and successor of Bakht Buland Shah of Deogarh. He ascended the throne of Deogarh in 1706 and shifted his capital from Deogarh to Nagpur. He carried out further reforms in his kingdom and planned layout of the new city of Nagpur and under him, the kingdom prospered. He was a kind ruler who loved his people and extended his territory considerably to the east of the river Wainganga.
The Gondwana Kingdoms were the ruling kingdoms in the Gondwana region of India. The Gondwana region includes the core region of the eastern part of the Vidarbha of Maharashtra, Garha Kingdom, the parts of Madhya Pradesh immediately to the north of it, and parts of western Chhattisgarh. The wider region extends beyond these, also including parts of northern Telangana, western Odisha and southern Uttar Pradesh.
The Bhonsles of Nagpur were a Maratha royal house that ruled the Kingdom of Nagpur from 1739-1853. They hailed from the Bhonsle clan of Marathas and were one of the most important and powerful Maratha chiefs in the Maratha Confederacy.
The Gonds of Deogarh were a Gond royal house that ruled large parts of the Vidarbha region and parts of present-day southern Madhya Pradesh. Their Kingdom consisted of the area which later became the Nagpur Kingdom. They made Nagpur region a prosperous and plentiful kingdom, founding the city of Nagpur and building further infrastructure. However, internal bickering led to their decline and they were practically made state pensioneries by the Maratha general Raghoji I Bhonsle in the 1743.
Raghunath Singh was the Diwan of the Gond king of Deogarh. He tried to unsuccessfully overthrow Raghuji Bhonsla's sway with the help of the Gond king of Chandrapur, Nilkanth Shah.
Mohan Singh was the last ruler of the Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom, the dynasty which ruled Chhattisgarh for over 700 years. He ruled Chhattisgarh under the suzerainty of the Bhonsles of Nagpur Kingdom.
Baka Bai was a Maratha stateswoman and favourite wife of Raghoji II Bhonsle, the king of Nagpur. After her husband's death, she played a key role in the intrigues at the royal court of Nagpur.
The Bhonsle dynasty is an Indian Marathi royal house of the Bhonsle clan. The Bhonsles claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Marathas.
