Saraikela State

Last updated

Saraikella State
Princely State of British India
Flag of the Saraikela State.svg
Flag
Singhbum-Sairakela-Kharsawan.jpg
Saraikela State in a 1909
Imperial Gazetteer of India map
Capital Saraikela
Area 
• 1892
1,163 km2 (449 sq mi)
• 1901
1,162 km2 (449 sq mi)
• 1941
1,210 km2 (470 sq mi)
Population 
• 1872
66,347
• 1891
93,839
• 1901
104,539
• 1941
154,844
History 
• Established
1620
15 August 1947
13 December 1948
• Merged with Bihar
1 August 1949
Succeeded by
India Flag of India.svg
Today part of Saraikela Kharsawan district, Jharkhand

Saraikela State also spelt Seraikela, Saraikella or Seraikella, was a small princely state in India during the British Raj, in what is now the Seraikela-Kharsawan district of the Jharkhand state. [2] [3] Its capital was at Saraikela.

Contents

The state had an area of 1163 km2 which yielded an average revenue of Rs. 92,000 in 1901, and was one of the nine Chota Nagpur States, a group of small, non-salute states (minor princely states), under the authority of the governor of Bengal Presidency. [4] The last ruler of the state, Raja Aditya Pratap Singh Deo, signed the merger agreement acceding to the Indian Union on 18 May 1948.

History

The state was founded in 1620 by Raja Bikram Singh, from Rathore clan of Rajputs. The state came under the influence of the Maratha rulers of Nagpur in the 18th century, and became a princely state of British India in 1803, at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War at Deogaon of Orissa. After the war, the East India Company included the Saraikela princely state under the governance of the Chhota Nagpur Commissioner.[ citation needed ]

Raja of Saraikela state (1903). 1903 Raja of Saraikela state.png
Raja of Saraikela state (1903).

In 1912 Saraikela came under the authority of the province of Bihar and Orissa, which was newly created from the eastern districts of Bengal. In 1936 the state was placed under the authority of the Orissa Province.

Post independence

Saraikela, along with 24 other princely states of the Eastern States Agency, acceded to the Government of India on 1 January 1948, with a will to merge the princely state with Orissa province of the Indian Republic.

As a result, both Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Orissa in 1948. On 1 January 1948 itself, the tribals of these two princely states, who were in a majority, revolted against the merger with Orissa. This was supported by Patayet Sahib Maharajkumar Bhoopendra Narayan Singh Deo, third son of Raja Aditya , as a result of which he was imprisoned to ensure the popular movement died down. The central government appointed a commission under Mr. Baudkar to look into the matter. On the basis of the Baudkar commission report, Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Bihar on 18 May 1948.

These two princely states became part of Jharkhand when the state was carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000. From 18 May 1948 onward, many non-tribal Oriyas of the districts of Saraikela Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, and West Singhbhum have migrated and settled permanently in Odisha.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
189193,839—    
1901104,539+11.4%
1911109,794+5.0%
1921115,192+4.9%
1931143,525+24.6%
1941154,844+7.9%
Source: Census of British India [5]

Communities

Religion in Saraikela State (1941) [5]
ReligionPercent
Tribal beliefs
 
51.95%
Hinduism
 
46.8%
Islam
 
1.21%
Sikhism
 
0.02%
Christianity
 
0.02%

According to the 1941 Census, the Seraikela State covered an area of 466 square miles (1,210 km2) and had a population of 154,844. Tribal religious beliefs were practiced by 51.95% of the population, followed by Hinduism at 46.8%, Islam at 1.21%, and a combined 0.04% identifying as Sikh or Jain. The state was primarily inhabited by tribal communities, including Santal (20.78%), Ho (15.18%), Bhumij (7.11%), Munda (1.43%), Oraon (0.57%), Mahli (0.5%), and Gond (0.02%). The overall literacy rate stood at 6.39%, with 8,948 literate males and 946 literate females. [5]

Languages spoken in Seraikela and Kharsawan (1931 Census) [6]
  1. Odia (27.4%)
  2. Bengali (24.3%)
  3. Ho (18.4%)
  4. Santali (16.5%)
  5. Hindustani (5.48%)
  6. Mundari (3.36%)
  7. Bhumij (3.24%)
  8. Oraon (0.55%)
  9. Other (0.69%)
*Figures correspond to 186,622 for Seraikela and Kharsawan together, covering 602 sq miles, due to unavailability of separate data for each.

Rulers

The rulers were Rajputs of the Rathore clan and bore the title of 'Kunwar' until 1884. [7] The rulers are descendants of the Porahat royal family.

Kunwars

Rajas

Titular Rajas

See also

References

  1. "The Unfinished Task of Orissa Formation" (PDF). Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 22, page 83 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library. Dsal.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "District Seraikela Kharsawan, Government of Jharkhand | India" . Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chota Nagpur"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 272.
  5. 1 2 3 Archer, W.G. (1941). Tables, Volume-VII, Bihar - Census 1941 (PDF) (Report). Director of Census Operations, Bihar.
  6. 1 2 Lacey, W. G. (1932). Census Of India 1931 – Bihar and Orissa (PDF). Vol. VII. Part II, Tables. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2024. Alt URL
  7. ↑ Princely States of India

Bibliography

22°41′52″N85°58′28″E / 22.69778°N 85.97444°E / 22.69778; 85.97444

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.