Raigarh State

Raigarh was a princely state in India during the British Raj. The state was ruled by the Gond dynasty of Gond clan.

History
Raigarh estate was founded in 1625 by Madan Singh. He was descended from the Gond kings of Chanda. In 1911 Raigarh estate was recognized as a state. The state had an area of 3,848 square km and a population of 174,929, according to the 1901 census. The capital of the state was the city of Raigarh, which had a population of 6,764 inhabitants in 1901.

The Rajas of Raigarh also owned the Estate of Bargarh and so held the title of Chief of Bargarh. Around 1625, the Raja of Sambalpur, created Daryo Singh as Raja of Raigarh. However, under British, it became a princely state only in 1911, during the reign of Raja Bahadur Bhup Deo Singh.

Among the notable rulers of State were Deonath Singh, who assisted the British in the Mutiny of 1857. Other rulers were Raja Bahadur Bhup Deo Singh, Raja Chakradhar Singh. Chakradhar Singh is noted for his contributions to Kathak and Hindustani music, especially for founding of Raigarh Gharana. The last ruler was Lalit Kumar Singh, his son succeeded him to the throne of Raigarh and ruled briefly before the Raigarh State was merged into Union of India on December 14, 1947. The princely states of Jashpur, Raigarh, Sakti, Sarangarh and Udaipur were united later to form the Raigarh district in present Chhattisgarh.

Rajas

 * c. 1800 - c. 1830        Jujhar Singh
 * c. 1830 - 1863           Deonath Singh
 * 1863 - 1890              Ganshyam Singh
 * 1890 - 1911              Bhup Deo Singh                     (b. 1867 - d. 1917)

Raja Bahadurs

 * 1911 - 22 Mar 1917        Bhup Deo Singh
 * 22 Mar 1917 - Feb 1924    Natwar Singh                       (b. 1891 - d. 1924)
 * 23 Aug 1924 - 15 Aug 1947 Lal Chakradhar Singh               (b. 1905 - d. 1947)
 * 15 Aug 1947 - 1 Aug 1948  Lalitkumar Singh                    (b 1924 - d. 2000)