History
Mughal period
During the 1630s, the Mughal rule in Odisha was de-stabilized due to the rebellions of the Afghans and the local gadjat kings. Under the order of Emperor Shahjahan himself, a military general of Nadia named Syed Luftullah Ali Mirza was sent to the Mughal cantonment at Jajanagar (established by Man Singh) to aid the then Mughal Subedar of Odisha, Shehzada Shah Shuja (the son of Emperor Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram Shahjahan). [4]
Lutfullah had a brother named Syed Karimullah Ali Mirza, who was a Qazi (jurist) by profession, who came to Odisha along with his brother. Having successfully crushed the local rebellions, both the brothers returned to the Jajpur cantonment. It was during this time that the neighbouring tribal kingdom of Sabaragada refused to submit their territories and accept the Mughal suzerainty, they also killed the Safeer (Rajdoot, messenger of the Subedaar). Lutfullah marched towards Sabaragada (lying in the northwest part of today's Jajpur district), with his army. [5]
Sabaragada was ruled by the Sabara tribe and hence it got its name from it Sabara (the tribe) and gada (meaning fort) hence it literally meant the 'fort of the Sabaras'. Lutfullah surrounded the fort from all sides and seized the fort. Having no other option the Sabara chieftain submitted to Luftullah Ali Mirza and accepted the Mughal suzerainty and the overlordship of the King Emperor. Luftullah changed the name of Sabaragada to Shergarh, symbolising the Mughal imperialism and dominance in the area. However to honor the tribal leader, he built a new fort over the ruins of Sabaragada fort and named it after him Bangar-e-kot (kot, in Persian meaning fort) [present day : Bangarkote]. [6]
Lutfullah then built four other forts in Shergarh, namely Uttarkot (towards the north of Shergarh), Paschimkot (present day: Pacchikote, towards the west of Shergarh), Purabkot (towards the east of Shergarh) and finally Tarakote (at the centre of Shergarh). During the reign of Shahjahan, Orissa was reorganised into 12 Sarkars and 276 Mahals in places of 3 Sarkars and 62 original Parganas. This reorganisation took place in 1692 A.D., after Orissa being separated from Bengal constituted a separate Subah under the Imperial Mughal Empire. Luftullah's newly made Shergarh formed a new Sarkar/Dandapada and gained recognition of the Emperor as Choti Jajpur Sarkar or Shergarh Sarkar. It had 5 Mahals under it, namely Purbakot, Uttarkot, Tarakote, Pacchikote and Bangarkote. A total sum of Rs 1, 27, 208 was assessed from these five Mahals. [7]
In that very year, Lutfullah was duly recognized as the Shiqdaar-e-Sarkaar and later as the ruler of Shergarh, Raja Miyan (under the suzerainty of the Emperor) by the newly made Subedar of Odisha, Mutaqad Khan Mirza Makki. Lutfullah hence assumed the title of Meherbaan Raja Miyan and made Tarakote his capital and appointed his brother Syed Karimullah Ali Mirza as the Shahi Qazi of Shergarh. [8]
Under Maratha rule
The rulers of Shergarh became more autonomous, when the Mughal rule in Odisha weakened and Odisha fell under the control of the Nawabs of Bengal. They successfully resisted many attacks of the Bargis during the Maratha invasions of Bengal and Orissa. [9]
During the Battle of Phulwari in 1741, Alivardi Khan marched from Midnapore through Jalasore, crossing the Subarnarekha River and encamped at Ramachandrapur. Although his forces were positioned close to the camp of Lutfullah Tabrizi, Alivardi found himself unable to launch an attack. A severe shortage of provisions had crippled his army, caused primarily by the failure of the Midnapore zamindars to supply him. Resistance to Alivardi’s advance had further consolidated when Syed Ruknuddin Ali, the Raja of Tarakote openly supported Lutfullah Tabrizi by remaining loyal to Orissa and played a decisive role in severing supply lines at Ramachandrapur. This coordinated disruption of provisions ultimately halted Alivardi’s forward march forcing him to entrench his forces through the monsoon and renew the campaign once conditions improved. [10]
However, after Odisha was handed over to the Marathas by Alivardi Khan in 1751, Shergarh's territories got eroded away gradually. By the second half of the eighteenth century, more than half of Shergarh had been ceded to the Marathas, who reduced it to an intermediary Quasi Princely Zamindari state. In 1767 the Marathas occupied Pacchikote fort and installed a new ruler in the domain, confining the rulers of Shergarh to their capital at Tarakote. Shergarh then was only left with Bansipur, Gourpur, Icchapur, Jaintria, Jugala, Jugalakana, Khosalpur, Kundapur, Nayahat Patna, Sahaspur, Talia, Tulasipur, Bangarkote, Barundai, Biruanapada, Khajuribindha, Khajurinaula, Santsahi, Tarapada, Uttarakhajira, Uttarkot, Godarapal, Kadamba Paramanandpur and Pataranga [4]
Under British rule
After the British occupation of Odisha on 17 December 1803, Tarakote along with the other subsidiary Maratha zamindari states in Odisha fell under the East India Company's rule. Shergarh was recognised as a British protectorate in 1807 following the defeat of the Maratha Empire in the area. In 1810, Permanent Settlement was effected by Col. Harcourt, Mr. Melville and the Board of Commissioners with Raja Syed Nuruddin Ali and Tarakote was enlisted as a Qilazat Estate.
"Copy of a kabulyat executed by Syed Nuruddin Ali Khan, Raja, Killa Tarakote.
I, Syed Nuruddin Ali Khan, Raja, Killa Tarakote, in the province of Orissa, do hereby execute this kabulyat out of my full and free consent, that having been appointed to hold the service of the hereditary zamindar in the killa by Government, I will collect the rents, according to former rates, agreeably to the laws of the Government.
That I will pay the annual revenue due to Government in instalments specified below, without any excuse. That I will keep the rayats prosperous and contented, and exert myself to improve the lands so that they will bring forth more crops than they did before. That I shall not allow an inch of cultivable land to fall waste. That I will never allow the growing of inferior crops in salt soil lands. That I will not be prodigal in my expenses, nor allow my rayats to be so. That I will never grant any land in gift or jagir without a sanad of the Government. That I will keep a watchful eye over the boundaries of my zamindari. That I will vigilantly watch the roads, the ghats and rivers, and prevent the manufacture in my estate. That there shall never occur any thefts or murders within the same. Should any robbery occur, I will trace out the offenders and recover the property stolen and send them over to the authorities accordingly. I do hereby execute this kabulyat which will serve whenever it be required hereafter.
Jama pashkash in perpetuity, 5,000 kohans Instalments. Fagun: 1,000 Chaitra: 1,500 Bysakh: 1,500 Jeith: 1,000 Total: 5,000
Rate being 4 kohans to the rupee.."
In 1821, 23 villages of Tarakote Raj were confiscated and annexed by the British, when Raja Miyan Nuruddin Ali failed to pay the exorbitant taxes to the British.
In 1886 Raja Syed Ekram Ali built the first girls school in Jajpur district, which is presently known as Tarakot Urdu girls Makhtab school. Later in the 1920s the largest source of revenue of Raja Syed Ekram Ali, the "haat" or the local bazaar was also sold off by the British. With the abolition of the Zamindari system in India in 1956, Shergarh-Tarakote state was formally abolished. [4]
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.
