Dhenkanal State

Dhenkanal State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The area of the former state is now referred to as Dhenkanal district, Odisha, with Dhenkanal town as its district headquarters.

Foundation of Dhenkanal District
In 1530 CE, Dhenkanal is reported to have been a local tribal kingdom under the rule of Sabara. A campaign was launched by Harisingh Vidyadhara, commander and minister of the Gajapati Maharaja Prataparudra Deva, to bring it under the umbrage of the larger kingdom. Harisingh belonged to the Bhoi dynasty, whose brother Govinda Vidyadhara would later overthrow Prataparudra Deva's successors to become the Gajapati ruler of Odisha. Dhenkanal, situated 150 km north of Puri, was conquered by the Vidyadhara using a force of cavalry and foot soldiers in a battle between the Gajapati's army and the ruling chief. Vidyadhara was then appointed by Gajapati Maharaja as the Raja of Dhenkanal, becoming its hereditary ruler. The conquest brought the remote area under the control of the Gajapati Kingdom and strengthened it against further attacks. This laid the foundation of the Bhoi dynasty branch at Dhenkanal.

Maratha Rule
In 1764, during the dismissal of Sheo Bhatt Sathe from the subahdari of Orissa, the Raja of Dhenkanal murdered Buli Khan, Sheo Bhatt's adopted son, and seized his possessions. Concurrently, the Raja of Nilgiri, alongside another chief, plundered parts of Balasore. Bhaskar Pandit, the former aujdar of Balasore who had fallen into arrears, was demanded by the Governor of Orissa to make payment. The Raja of Nilgiri offered Bhaskar Pandit protection and took him along with his belongings. By mid-1769, Jai Narain, the Raja of Dhenkanal, wrote to Muhammad Riza Khan, the British-appointed Naib Nazim of Bengal, expressing his plight as his territory was being plundered by the Marathas. Sambhaji Ganesh, based in Jajpur, had rebelled against Raja Januji, leading to a lack of defense from Balasore to Cuttack, with threats of looting. Jai Narain requested support, sending his brother to Murshidabad to convey the details. In 1781, the Raja of Dhenkanal ceased paying tribute and rebelled against the Maratha government, prompting Chimna Sau to march with a large force to quell the rebellion.

In the 18th century, the kingdom withstood the attack by the Maratha forces during the reign of Trilochana Deva. The events of the Maratha-Dhenakanal war of 1781 was also recorded in the ballad Samara Taranga by Brajanath Badajena. Raja Bhagirathi Pratap was a very popular and effective ruler, who was decorated with hereditary title of Mahindra Bahadur.

20th century
Raja Sri Sura Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur's eldest son, Prince Shankar Pratap, became Raja in the year 1926. He was young and still studying. Subsequently, he went to England to study Bar at Law. After his return to Dhenkanal, he put his mind to administration.

While Raja Sri Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur was in England, his younger brother, Pattayat Nrusingha Pratap Singh Deo was ruling over Dhenkanal. He built his 100-room palace at Jatan Nagar with forced labour. The labourers were tortured badly. Raja's Accountant also extracted money from common men. After all these incidents people expected an improved state of affairs after Raja Sri Shankar Pratap would return from abroad and take over administration from his younger brother.

Revolt
The revolt was organised and mobilized mainly by Harmohan Patnaik, who was the grandson of Dhenkanal Bebarta Jagannath Patnaik and Dewan Damodar Patnaik. Harmohan Patnaik formed the Dhenkanal Praja Mandal and was elected as its president.This was the first Praja Mandal of British India and then Praja Mandals sprang up in all princely states of India as public organizations to resist the practices of the then Rajas and Maharajas.

The Indian Imperial Police was mobilized by Raja Saheb to repress a revolt. A young boy named Baji Rout refused to ferry police officers using his boat. The police then opened fire and killed Baji Rout and five villagers. This incident inflamed the nearby villagers and the revolt spread to the entire Dhenkanal State.

The Praja Mandal movement mobilized mass gatherings and a charter of rights was drawn. During the years of struggle, the Indian National Congress also became associated with the Dhenkanal movement. Arrests and imprisonments were a regular occurrence. Whenever Raja Saheb's forces imprisoned Harmohan Patnaik, the people surrounded the Palace in great numbers. Raja Saheb felt threatened and released Harmohan Patnaik unconditionally.

Independence of India
The independence of India in the year 1947 put a stop to the unrest. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur accepted Harmohan Patnaik as an adviser. Subsequently, princely states were taken over and Rajas and Maharajas were deposed. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap was elected as Member of newly formed Odisha Legislative Assembly. Ranee Smt. Ratna Prabha Devi was an M.L.A. for two terms. Raja Sri Shankar Pratap's son, Brigadier Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo, became a Member of Indian Parliament and a Minister in the Government of India's cabinet. He was the President of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee.

Rulers
List of rulers of the Dhenkanal princely state of the Bhoi dynasty branch:


 * Harisingh Vidyadhara (1530–1594)
 * Loknath Ray Singh Bharamarbar (1594–1615)
 * Balabhadra Ray Singh (1615–1641)
 * Nilakantha Ray Singh (1641–1682)
 * Nrusingh Bhramarbar (1682–1708)
 * Kunja Behari Bhramarbar (1708–1728)
 * Braja Behari Bhramarbar (1728–1741)
 * Damodar Bhramarbar (1741–1743)
 * Trilochana Deva Mahendra Bahadur (1743–1785)
 * Dayanidhi Mahendra Bahadur (1785–1796)
 * Ramchandra Mahendra Bahadur (1796–1807)
 * Krishna Chandra Mahendra Bahadur (1807–1822)
 * Shyam Chandra Mahendra Bahadur (1822–1830)
 * Bhagiratha Mahendra Bahadur (1830–1873)
 * Pitambar Deo (1873–1877)
 * Dinabhandu Mahendra Bahadur (1877–1885)
 * Surya Pratap Mahendra Bahadur (29 August 1885 – 16 October 1918)
 * Shankar Pratap Singh Dev Mahendra (16 October 1918 – 1 January 1948)

Titular

 * Shankar Pratap Singh Dev Mahendra (1 January 1948 – 3 August 1965)
 * Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo Mahindra Bahadur (born 3 August 1965)