HISTORY OF NILGIRI ROYAL PALACE AND DYNASTY

   The forefather of Nilgiri king dynasty was the King Narayan Basanta Bhujanga Baliar Singh Deo Mandhata who reigned from 1521 AD to 1546 AD . He had his fort in both Kainsari and Kaptipada region . At the same period the Mayurbhanj King Raja Nilakantha Bhanja was reigning, the whole Mayurbhanj state, attacked King Raja Narayan Basanta and occupied the Kainsari forte .With no other way and due to the irresistible force of Bhanja soldiers ,King Raja Basanta left the Kaptipada fort along with some soldiers and ministers and fled away secretly into the jungles and mountains of Panchalingeswar . It was a dense forest indeed . King Narayan Basanta and his fellow beings, including the queen concealed themselves in the dense jungle in panchalingeswar mountains . The Mayurbhanja king and his soldiers searched incessantly and traced King Narayan Basanta and again a fierce bloody battle that lasted for several days .Finally all the soldiers of the Mayurbhanja king got killed and he lost all his arms and ammunition .After this huge defeat, King of Mayurbhanja surrendered and a treaty of peace got settled between both kings . The King Narayan Basanta Bhujanga Baliar Singh Deo Mandhata again got his lost empire . The king had two sons , Ananta Mandhata and Sadhu Mandhata .When both the princes were of minor age, their father King Narayan Basanta Bhujanga Baliar Singh Deo Mandhata died .Later on Prince Ananta Mandhata became the King of Kaptipada and Prince Sadhu Mandhata become the king of the hilly area Gadadih (Now Garadi). Currently people can see the ancient remnants of their fort in that hilly area as the only mute witness and conveyer of that historical era. During those historical period the Nilgiri area was under the reign and occupation of a tribal king known as Nila Sardar . The King Sadhu Mandhata attacked Nilgiri and killed Nila Sardar and his four brothers ; Shankara,Hadia,Mahana,Madhu along with sister Kalarei .The present palace and fort in Nilgiri was built by this king Sadhu Mandhata and thereafter his predecessors had been reigning the Nilgiri estate . Nilgiri king Sadhu Mandhata had saved all the temples (including Sujunagarh Chandi temple) of his state from the attack and demolition of the great robber Kalaa Pahaada .The moghul emperor Jahangir also had awarded him the title “Mardharaj” in the year 1611 AD and also gifted him a sword sculpted with the word “Mardharaj” .King Sadhu Mandhata had extended a great support to Emperor Jahangir during his attack and war with Kalinga empire . Later on the moghul reigning weakened and subsequently the Marhattas invaded the entire Kalinga Odisha state into their reign .During the period of Marhattas there is no evidence or record available about the Nilgiri estate . In 1803 AD when East India company occupied the whole Kalinga/Odisha state Nilgiri estate was still isolated from other parts of Odisha. In 1807 AD during the period of King Mandhata Bhujanga Baliar Singh Deo Mardharaj Harichandan Nilgiri estate got annexed with the British ruling empire .After King Ramchandra Mardharaj his son prince Govind Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan throned as the king .He ruled Nilgiri estate from 1811 AD to 1848 AD .

THE NEXT PREDECESSORS

King Krushna Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan    reigned from 1849 to 1893 AD.

King Shyam Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan    reigned from 1893 AD to 1913 AD ( adopted in 1882, son of Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj of Mayurbhanj, married, and had issue, one son and one daughter)

King Kishor Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan    reigned from 1913 AD to 1960 AD. born 2nd February 1904 and succeeded as the 37th Raja Saheb of Nilgiri on 6th July 1913

King Rajendra Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan    reigned from 1960 AD to 2001 AD

At present the 39th king of Nilgiri is King Jayanta Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan

Praja Andolan was initiated against the and then ruler Raja Kishor Chandra Mardharaj Harichandan of Nilgiri State.The state of Nilgiri merged with state of Orissa in January,1948 and became a part of Balasore district.


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