Turkagarh Royal Family

Last updated
Khandrui Garh Raj Family
Turka Raj
Khandaruigarh Royal logo 2025-11-11 at 11.13.06 PM.jpg
Royal Seal of the Family
Country India
Current region Medinipur, West Bengal
Place of origin Puri, Odisha
Founder Raja Krishnadas Singha
Titles Raja, Samanta, Bhuiyan, Singha Gajendra Mahapatra
Connected members Tamluk Raj, Moyna Raj, Birkul Raj
Estate Khandruigarh Estate

The Turkagarh Raj Family, also known as Khandarui Garh Raj or Singha Gajendra Mohapatra dynasty, was a feudal royal lineage, established in the present day Khandrui village of the Dantan block of Medinipur region in the 16th century under the Gajapati Dynasty, which later emerged from being a feudatory to an independent royal lineage. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

During the reign of Gajapati Raja Harichandan Mukundadev, the Telengi Raja was appointed as a feudal lord of the Turkachour Pargana. When the Turkachour Samanta Raja rebelled by refusing to pay taxes to Harichandan for a long time, the Raja Mukunda Deva sent his Samanta, Krishnadas Singha, a Mahishya by caste, [4] to suppress the Telengi Raja. [1] General Krishnadas with great martial skill defeated the Telengi Raja. He cut off his head and presented it to Raja Mukundadev as a gift. Impressed by his bravery Harichandan Mukundadev appointed his General Krishnadas Singha as the new Samanta of Turkachour Pargana. [2] [5] Presenting him, with the Royal title of "Gajendra Mohapatra". [2]

Krishnadas's grandson, Raja Rajballabh Singha Gajendra Mohapatra, was invited to the Mughal Court at Delhi, and was presented with a royal firman by the Shah Shuja, the Diwan of Bengal, Rajballabh's grandson, Jashodanandan Singha Gajendra Mohapatra was the Raja of Turka, when the East India Company took over Medinipur. Furthermore, he was also recognised as the successor to the throne of the Birkul Raj maternally. [6]

Raja Kali Prasanna Singha Gajendra Mohapatra ascended the throne of Turka in the 1880s. During this time, Midnapore district became the hotbed for the Indian independence movement. The Raja also actively involved himself in the movement. In 1903, he was among the two persons from Midnapore to have attended the session of the Indian National Congress being held in Madras. [7] He also actively helped his nephew, the stalwart revolutionary, Hemchandra Kanungo to gather funds for his journey and sojourn to learn the techniques of revolution, in Europe, more specifically in Paris and London. [8]

The Raja became involved in the movement to such an extent that in the aftermath of the Alipore bomb case, his name emerged along with the names of many other prominent personalities of the district in the list of conspirators of the Midnapore conspiracy case. But fortunately enough, Lord Sinha, the then Advocate-General of Bengal withdrew the case, and Kali Prasanna was held to be absolved of the supposed offence against the British Raj. [9]

It is also to be noted that the famous revolutionary, Hemchandra Kanungo was maternally related to the family. His mother Komal Kamini Debi was the sister of Raja Kali Prasanna Singha Gajendra Mohapatra. As a result of which Hemchandra spent a part of his childhood in the Turkagarh estate, a time about which he wrote in his books on the revolutionary movement. [10] Later, after laying the foundations of the Medinipur branch of the Anushilan Samiti, he used the Palace grounds for training of the revolutionaries. [11] Some of the revolutionaries who visited the Palace grounds being Khudiram Bose, Kanailal Dutta, and Satyendranath Basu. [12] [13]

Origin and Family

Raja Krishnadas Singha was the founder of the present Turkagarh royal family, whose ancestors are believed to have originally resided in Khorda near Puri district of Odisha. [14] The Mahishya community considers the Turka Raja and the Gajapati rulers of Khurda to belong to the same lineage. The Turka Raja Mukundadev, who held the title 'Singha Gajendra Mahapatra' was conferred with the honorific title ‘Gajendra'. [15]

Family Tree

Source: [16]

Raja Krishnadas Singha Gajendra Mahapatra

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kanungo, Dr. Harihar. "The origin of the Ganga Dynasty" (PDF). OHRJ. XLVII (2): 17.
  2. 1 2 3 Jānā, Yudhishṭhira (1965). Br̥hattara Tāmraliptera itihāsa (in Bengali). Kalikātā Pustakālaẏa. pp. 270, 271.
  3. ↑ Mukhopadhyay, Dr Mahitosh Gayen & Subhajit. Paschimbanger Jela-Bhittik Gabeshana Grantha Part - IV (in Bengali). Barnashram Publishing House. ISBN   978-93-91281-73-1.
  4. ↑ Bhaumik, Sudarshana (2022-08-26). The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas c. 1700–1931. Taylor & Francis. pp. 171 to 172. ISBN   978-1-000-64143-1.
  5. ↑ Das, Bishnupada (1996). Some Aspects of Socio-economic Changes in South Western Frontier Bengal Since Introduction of Neo-Vaiṣṇavism. Firma KLM Private Limited. ISBN   978-81-7102-049-2.
  6. ↑ Ray, Ratnalekha (1979). Change in Bengal Agrarian Society: 1790-1850. Manohar.
  7. ↑ Chatterjee, Pranab Kumar (August 2004). Midnapur's tryst with struggle (1st ed.). Kolkata: West Bengal State Archives. p. 53.
  8. ↑ Chatterjee, Pranab Kumar (August 2004). Midnapur's tryst with struggle (1st ed.). Kolkata: West Bengal State Archives. p. 56.
  9. ↑ Chatterjee, Pranab Kumar (August 2004). Midnapur's tryst with struggle (1st ed.). Kolkata: West Bengal State Archives. pp. 62 & 63.
  10. ↑ Datta, Bhupendranātha (1983). Bhāratera dvitīẏa svādhīnatāra saṃgrāma: aprakāśita rājanītika itihāsa (in Bengali). Nababhārata Pābliśārsa.
  11. ↑ Sengupta, Subodhchandra Ed (1976). Samsad Bangla Charitabhidhan. p. 606.
  12. ↑ Samaddar, Ranabir (2007-08-01). The Materiality of Politics: Volume 1: The Technologies of Rule. Anthem Press. p. 103. ISBN   978-1-84331-765-4.
  13. ↑ "Khudiram Bose Birth Anniversary: Why Was One of India's Youngest Revolutionaries Sentenced to Death?". News18. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  14. ↑ Heehs, Peter (1993). The Bomb in Bengal: The Rise of Revolutionary Terrorism in India, 1900-1910. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-563350-4.
  15. ↑ "Welcome to Midnapore.in-Royal Families of Midnapore". www.midnapore.in. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
  16. ↑ The Orissa Historical Research Journal. Superintendent of Research and Museum. 1996.
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