Saraikella [1]
Long nameSaraikella State
ଷଢ଼େଇଖଳା ରାଜ୍ୟ
NationBritish India
SubdivisionPrincely State
CapitalSaraikela
Year start1620
Event 1Independence of India
Date event 115 August 1947
Date end13 December 1948
Event endAccession to the Union of India
Event postMerged with Bihar
Date post1 August 1949
S 1India
Stat pop 166347
Stat year 11872
Stat pop 293839
Stat year 21891
Stat area 31163
Stat year 31892
Stat year 41901
Stat area 41162
Stat pop 4104539
Stat year 51941
Stat area 51210
Stat pop 5154844
TodaySaraikela Kharsawan district, Jharkhand

Saraikela State also spelt Seraikela, Saraikella or Seraikella, was a small princely state in India during the British Raj, in what is now the Seraikela-Kharsawan district of the Jharkhand state.[2][3] Its capital was at Saraikela.

The state had an area of 1163 km2 which yielded an average revenue of Rs. 92,000 in 1901, and was one of the nine Chota Nagpur States, a group of small, non-salute states (minor princely states), under the authority of the governor of Bengal Presidency.[4] The last ruler of the state, Raja Aditya Pratap Singh Deo, signed the merger agreement acceding to the Indian Union on 18 May 1948.

History

The state was founded in 1620 by Raja Bikram Singh, from Rathore clan of Rajputs. The state came under the influence of the Maratha rulers of Nagpur in the 18th century, and became a princely state of British India in 1803, at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War at Deogaon of Orissa. After the war, the East India Company included the Saraikela princely state under the governance of the Chhota Nagpur Commissioner.[citation needed]

In 1912 Saraikela came under the authority of the province of Bihar and Orissa, which was newly created from the eastern districts of Bengal. In 1936 the state was placed under the authority of the Orissa Province.

Post independence

Saraikela, along with 24 other princely states of the Eastern States Agency, acceded to the Government of India on 1 January 1948, with a will to merge the princely state with Orissa province of the Indian Republic.

As a result, both Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Orissa in 1948. On 1 January 1948 itself, the tribals of these two princely states, who were in a majority, revolted against the merger with Orissa. This was supported by Patayet Sahib Maharajkumar Bhoopendra Narayan Singh Deo, third son of Raja Aditya , as a result of which he was imprisoned to ensure the popular movement died down. The central government appointed a commission under Mr. Baudkar to look into the matter. On the basis of the Baudkar commission report, Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Bihar on 18 May 1948.

These two princely states became part of Jharkhand when the state was carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000. From 18 May 1948 onward, many non-tribal Oriyas of the districts of Saraikela Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, and West Singhbhum have migrated and settled permanently in Odisha.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
189193,839—
1901104,539+11.4%
1911109,794+5.0%
1921115,192+4.9%
1931143,525+24.6%
1941154,844+7.9%

Census of British India[5]

Communities

According to the 1941 Census, the Seraikela State covered an area of 466 square miles (1,210 km2) and had a population of 154,844. The state was primarily inhabited by tribal communities, including Santal (20.78%), Ho (15.18%), Bhumij (7.11%), Munda (1.43%), Oraon (0.57%), Mahli (0.5%), and Gond (0.02%). The overall literacy rate stood at 6.39%, with 8,948 literate males and 946 literate females.[5]

Language

Bengali formed the largest single language group at 27.50%, serving as a prominent language across the eastern and rural boundaries of the princely state. This was followed by Odia at 23.23%, which held a significant historical presence and served as an administrative anchor within the state territory.

Austroasiatic languages also made up a robust portion of the population, dominated by Ho at 19.34% and Santali at 17.15%, aligning with the large tribal population within the state's boundaries. The remainder of the population spoke Bhumij (3.99%), Hindustani (3.77%), Mundari (3.36%), Oraon (0.55%), and other unclassified tribal or regional tongues (1.11%).

Rulers

The rulers were Rajputs of the Rathore clan and bore the title of 'Kunwar' until 1884.[6] The rulers are descendants of the Porahat royal family.

Kunwars

  •  1620 – 1677 Bikram Singh I
  •  1677 – 1728 Nru Singh
  •  1728 – 1743 Satrughan Singh
  •  1743 – 1818 Abhiram Singh
  •  1818 – 1823 Bikram Singh II
  •  1823 – 1837 Ajamber Singh
  •  1837 – 1883 Chakradhar Singh
  •  25 Nov 1883 – Nov 1884 Udit Narayan Singh (b. 1849 – d. 1931)

Rajas

  • Nov 1884 – 9 December 1931 Udit Narayan Singh (s.a.)
  • 9 December 1931 – 15 August 1947 Aditya Pratap Singh (b. 1887 – d. 1969)

Titular Rajas

  • Tribhuvan Singhdeo 1969 – 1993 ( b. 1930 – d. 1993)
  • Vikram Singhdeo 1993 – Present

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Unfinished Task of Orissa Formation". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ^ Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 22, page 83 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library. Dsal.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  3. ^ "District Seraikela Kharsawan, Government of Jharkhand | India". Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  4. ^ Vol. 6. p. 272.
  5. ^ Archer, W.G. (1941). Tables, Volume-VII, Bihar - Census 1941. Director of Census Operations, Bihar.
  6. ^ Princely States of India

Bibliography