Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur

The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur (also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy), was an ancient Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region (modern-day Jharkhand) during much of ancient, medieval and modern period. Phani Mukut Rai is considered the first king of dynasty claim to be son of Pundrika Naga a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India.^[1][2][3][4]

Nagavanshis of Chotanagpur Nagvanshi dynasty
c.94 CE (according to legend) 4th century (according to scholar)–1952 CE
Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur in East-central India in 10th Century CE
Status	Sovereign monarchy (until 1585 CE) Vassal state of the Mughal Empire (1585-1615) Annexed by the Mughal Empire (1615) Tributary state of the Mughal Empire (1627-1733) Sovereign monarchy (c 1733-1771 CE) Vassal state of the British East India Company (1771-1817) Zamindari state of the British East India Company (1817-1858) and British India (1858-1947)
Capital	Sutiambe (near Pithoria)(1st century to 3rd century) Present day Chutia (in Ranchi) ( 3rd century - 12th century) Khukhragarh (12th century - 17th century) Navratangarh (17th century -18th century) Lalgarh, Palkot (c.1720 -1870 CE ) Ratu (1870 - 1952 CE)
Common languages	Nagpuri (court language, lingua franca and literature) Sanskrit (for religious ceremonies)
Religion	Hinduism
Government	Monarchy
Raja (King or Chief)
• c. 94 - 162 CE	Phani Mukut Rai (first) (according to legend)
• 1950–1952 CE	Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (last)
History
• Established	c.94 CE (according to legend) 4th century (according to scholar)
• Disestablished	1952 CE
Succeeded by Ramgarh Raj Republic of India
Today part of	Jharkhand, India

Origin

The origins of the Nagvanshis are shrouded in mystery.^[5] Nagvanshi claim descent from Nagas.^[6][7] According to Nagvanshavali (genealogy of Nagvanshi), Nagvanshi dynasty originated with Pundarika Naga the son of Takshaka. The son of Pundarika Naga, Phani Mukut Rai was founder of Nagvanshi dynasty.^[8] Phani Mukut Rai was born on return journey from Puri to Varanasi. The Pundarika Naga turned Cobra after revealing his identity and his wife Parvati commited Sati. Later the Sakaldwipiya Brahmin found the child and took the child to Madura Munda, the chief of Sutiambe village. Madura Munda and other Raja such as King of Surguja and Aditya king of Patkum elected Phani Mukut Rai as King due to his qualities.^[9] His empire was named ‘Nagpur’. However, the story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth and an invented story of Brahminacal origin of the dynasty.^{[10][11][12][8]}

Many scholar put the date of establishment of Nagvanshi dynasty in 4th century CE taking into account of average ruling period of 25 years for each king.^[13] According to different source, the dynasty was founded in the 5th century AD as a successor state to the Gupta Empire.^[14] According to many historians Nagvanshi dynasty was possibly established in 10th century AD.^[15]

Lineage

The lineage of Nagvanshi is Kashyap gotra.^[16] According to Bhagavata Purana, Sage Kashyapa and his wives, generated various beings, including the Naga. Hence, Mlecchas, i.e followers of non-vedic tradition were being bestowed by Kashyap gotra. Kashyap gotra is also used for vedic ritual performances for those who have forgotten their gotra. In this process, several people adopted Kashyap gotra during 1st millennium CE.^[17]

History

Ancient Period

According to Nagvanshi annals, Phani Mukut Rai was founder of Nagvanshi dynasty who was son of Sakaldwipiya Brahmin girl Parvati from Varanasi and Pundarika Naga, the descendant of Naga king Takshaka. He was elevated to throne by Madra Munda and other king such as King of Suguja and Aditya king of Patkum in Sutiambe which is located around 20 km north of Ranchi. His rule extended to Ramgarh, Gola, Tori and Gharwe. He built sun temple in Pithoria and established Brahmin from Puri by donating villages. But the remains of Sun Idols in Pithoria are dated to 12th century CE.^[18] The story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth by scholar.^[10] According to Nagvanshavali, third Nagvanshi king Pratap Rai shifted his capital from Sutiambe to present day chutia.^[13]

Medieval Period

A Sanskrit inscription of Mahamaya temple in Gumla district mention the establishment of temple by the king Gajghat Rai in Vikram Samvat 965 (908 CE) and his rajguru Rastrakuta Brahmin Shianath Dev.^[19][20] The Brahmanda Purana (c.400 CE - c.1000 CE) mentioned Nagvanshis as Naga king. It gives descriptions of five dwips i.e land. It includes the Sankha dwip where Sankh river flows from the hill near the kingdom of the Naga King, where precious stones are found.^[21]

In 12th century, Raja Bhim Karn defeated Raksel of Surguja when they invaded the region. Then he conquered territory as far as Surguja and Palamu. He shifted his capital from present day Chutia to Khukhragarh.^[22] There are ancient fort, temple, coins and pottery remains found in the region.^[23][24] Shivdas Karn established Vishnu idol in the Hapamuni temple in Gumla district in Vikram Samvat 1458 (1401 CE) according to an inscription in sanskrit.^[25] According to Nag vanshavali during reign of Pratap Karn, king of Sandhya, Tamar, ghatwar kings rebelled. The king of Tamar indulged in plunder and loot. He seized fort of Nagvanshi king in Khukhragarh. Pratap Karn sought help of chief Baghdeo of Khayaragarh. Baghdeo was made Fauzdar of Karra Pargana and he supressed the rebellion in Tamar. The son of king of Tamar made king of Karnpura but he did not paid tax for three years. Baghdeo was sent to Karnpura to extract tax. Baghdeo defeated king of Kapardeo and killed him. He also destroyed their fort Mahudigarh. Then He declared himself king of Karnpura. For this help Pratap Karn declared Baghdeo as King of Karnpura which gives rise to Ramgarh Raj.^[13]

Modern period

During 16th century, king Madhu Karn was ruling the region. Mirza Nathan refers to the region as Khokhradesh.^[1] In 1585, There was mughal invasion during reign of Raja Madhu Karn. He became a vassal ruler under the Mughals. He participated in expedition against Afghan ruler in Odisha. After Madhu Karn, his son Bairisal became king and he also participated in several expeditions with Akbar. When Akbar died, Bairisal withdraw tribute to Mughal. Mughal launched expedition against Nagvanshi king but failed to subjugate them. Raja Durjan Shah the son of Bairisal was taken to Prison in Agra for withdrawal of tribute to Mughals, later he was released for identifying real diamonds. He built palaces, temples and ponds in Navratangarh. During this period, Baraik, Rautia and Rajput held Jagirs from Nagvanshi kings and provided military services.^[26] Land grants were made to Brahmins for their priestly services.^[27]

 

Navratangarh fort

Ram Shah built Kapilnath Temple in 1643 CE in Navratangarh.^[28] Raghunath Shah(1663-1690) built several temples, including Madan Mohan temple in Boera and Jagannath temple. According to Lal Pradumn Singh, the writer of book Nagvansh, Mughal invaded Khukhra during reign of Raghunath Shah. Mughal officials were sent by Aurangzeb to attack Khukhra. The invasion was strongly resisted which resulted in death of Mughal officials. Later he agreed to pay tax to Mughal. Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo made Satranji as capital of Barkagarh estate near Subarnarekha river. He built Jagannath temple in 1691.^[29]

 

Jagannath temple at Ranchi built by king Ani Nath Shahdeo in 1691

In 1719, during the reign of Emperor Muhammad Shah, Sarbuland Khan invaded to Chotanagpur plateau. Raja Yadunath Shah agreed to pay Rs. One Lakh as Nazrana. Then Yadunath Shah shifted the capital from Navratangarh to Palkot upon realising the weakness of the capital from a defensibility point of view. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Shivnath Shah(1724-1733). Due to non-payment of tribute, Fakhr-ud-daula invaded Khokhra in 1731. He faced considerable resistance from the Raja of Khokhra but both parties reached a compromise and he paid Rs. 12,000 as tribute. When Fakhr-ud-daula was removed from the post of Subedar of Bihar Suba in 1733, the Khokhra chief discontinued payment of tribute to Mughals. Maninath Shah(1748-1762) consolidated his authority over the estates of Bundu, Silli, Barwe, Rahe, Tamar and the chief of these estates were compelled to acknowledge the Nagvanshi ruler as their Chief.^[2][30]

After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the East India Company got the right to collect revenue from Bihar, Bengal and Odisha by Mughal Empire. In 1771, During the reign of Dripnath Shah, Nagvanshi became a vassal of East India Company due to conflicts with neighbouring kings and tribes.

Between 1795 to 1800, Maratha invaded Chotanagpur and looted and collected revenue forcefully. The British defeated the Maratha force in 1772. The British stationed military forces at Chotanagpur to check the incursions of Marathas. During reign of Govind Nath Shah, due to the rebellion, refusal of payment of revenue by subordinate Jagirdar and Zamindar under Nagvanshi king due to excessive tax imposition by East India company, Chotanagpur was brought under direct control by British East India company in 1817 and they reduced Nagvanshi rulers to Zamindars. The disposition of some Mankis in Sonepur Pargana and mistreatment with a Manki by contractors resulted in Kol uprising in 1831 to 1833, when Munda plundered and burned properties of Sikh and muslim contractors houses. Then these activities spread to Ranchi district and tribal Munda, Hos and Oraon indulged indiscriminate plunder and killings of muslim, sikh as well as villages of hindus. They destroyed Mahamaya temple built by Gajghat Rai in Hapamuni village of Gumla. These activities speard to Palamu and joined by Kharwar and Chero. These insurgency was suppresed by Thomas Wilkinson.^[8]

In 1855, during reign of Jagannath Shah Deo, the king of Barkagarh estate, Vishwanath Shahdeo stopped following order of East India company, defeated British forces in Hatia and independent for two years. During the Rebellion of 1857, he led the rebels of Ramgarh Battalion. He organised an army with the assistance of nearby zamindars including Pandey Ganpat Rai, Tikait Umrao Singh, Sheikh Bhikhari, Jaimangal Singh, Nadir Ali Khan. He fought against East India company force in Battle of Chatra but got defeated. King of Pithoria Jagatpal Singh helped British to fight against rebels and British were successful in defeating rebels. Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo was caught and hanged in Ranchi along with other rebels in April 1858. Later Barkagarh estate was confiscated for rebellion against company rule.^[31][32]

 

Chotanagpur in the map of Lower Bengal in 1870

The Nagvanshi rulers shifted their capital from Palkot to Ratu in 1870. Udai Pratap Nath Shah Deo built Ratu Palace in 1900. The last ruler of Nagvanshi dynasty was Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo(1931 – 2014). Zamindari was abolished after independence of India in 1952.^[23][33]

Branches

Following are the states and estates established by Nagvanshi princes:

• Barkagarh estate of Satrangi (now in Ranchi)
• Khairagarh State of Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district , Chhattisgarh
• Kalahandi State of Kalahandi, Odisha
• Nilgiri State of Nilagiri, Baleswar, Odisha
• Jariagarh Estate of Khunti district^[34]

Post Independence

In modern period, Nagvanshi are divided into two subgroups i.e Rajdariya, the descendants of royal family and Lohardagiya, the inhabitants of Lohardaga district. They have only one gotra Kashyap. Nagvanshi practice exogamy and establish relationship with other royal families. Nagvanshi use Shahdeo as their surname. They speak Nagpuri language and hindi with other. They are non-vegetarian and eat rice, wheat and pulses.^[16]

Rulers

Following is the list of Nagvanshi rulers according to "Nag Vanshavali" (1876) written by Beniram Mehta during reign of Jagannath Shah Deo and book "Nagvansh" (1951) written by Lal Pradumn Singh during reign of Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo. There is considerable disagreement among historians about chronology of various kings and it's authenticity. 57th Nagvanshi king Dripnath Shah (c.1762-1790 CE) submitted list of Nagvanshi kings to Governor general of India in 1787.^[2]

Raja

• Raja Phani Mukut Rai
• Raja Mukut Rai
• Raja Ghat Rai
• Raja Madan Rai
• Raja Pratap Rai
• Raja Kandrap Rai
• Raja Udaimani Rai
• Raja Jaimani Rai
• Raja Srimani Rai
• Raja Phani Rai
• Raja Gendu Rai
• Raja Hari Rai
• Raja Gajraj Rai
• Raja Sundar Rai
• Raja Mukund Rai
• Raja Udai Rai
• Raja Kanchan Rai
• Raja Magan Rai
• Raja Jagan Rai
• Raja Mohan Rai
• Raja Gajdant Rai
• Raja Gajghat Rai (9th century)
• Raja Chandan Rai
• Raja Anand Rai
• Raja Sripati Rai
• Raja Jaganand Rai
• Raja Nripendra Rai
• Raja Gandharva Rai
• Raja Bhim Karn (12th century)
• Raja Jash Karn
• Raja Jai Karn
• Raja Go Karn
• Raja Hari Karn
• Raja Shiv Karn
• Raja Benu Karn
• Raja Phenu Karn
• Raja Tihuli Karn
• Raja Shivdas Karn (14th century)
• Raja Udai Karn
• Raja Pritvi Karn
• Raja Pratap Karn (15th century)
• Raja Chhatra Karn
• Raja Virat Karn
• Raja Sindhu Karn
• Raja Madhu Karn Shah (16th century)
• Raja Bairisal
• Raja Durjan Shah (17th century)
• Raja Deo Shah
• Raja Ram Shah (1640-1663)
• Raja Raghunath Shah (1663-1690)
• Raja Yadunath Shah (1690-1724)
• Raja Shivnath Shah (1724-1733)
• Raja Udainath Shah (1733-1740)
• Raja Shyamsundar Nath Shah (1740-1745)
• Raja Balram Nath Shah (1745-1748)
• Raja Maninath Shah (1748-1762)
• Raja Dripnath Shah (1762-1790)
• Raja Deo Nath Shah (1790-1806)

Maharaja

• Maharaja Govind Nath Shah (1806-1822)
• Maharaja Jagannath Shah Deo (1822-1869)
• Maharaja Udai Pratap Nath Shah Deo (1869/72–1950)
• Maharaja Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1950-1952)

Notable people

• Ani Nath Shahdeo, King of Barkagarh
• Vishwanath Shahdeo - Freedom fighter in 1857 rebellion
• Lal Pingley Nath Shahdeo - Jurist and political activist
• Lal Ranvijay Nath Shahdeo - Lawyer, Writer and Political activist
• Lal Vijay Shahdeo, Director
• Gopal Sharan Nath Shahdeo - Prince and Politician

See also

• Chota Nagpur Division
• Chota Nagpur Tributary States

References

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