Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo: Difference between revisions
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
===Early life=== |
===Early life=== |
||
He was only eleven years old when his illustrious father & ruler of the State, Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo died. So Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo succeeded to the throne on 29th May 1882. However, at that time the State was ruled under a British Commissioner till Maharaja came of age and was installed 15th August 1892. |
He was only eleven years old when his illustrious father & ruler of the State, Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo died. So Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo succeeded to the throne on 29th May 1882. However, at that time the State was ruled under a British Commissioner till Maharaja came of age and was formerly installed as the Maharaja 15th August 1892. The affairs of the state remained in the hands of his grandmother, the Dowager Maharani of Mayurbhanj, until he took charge on a full time basis some years later. The first Indian Divisional Commissioner (Acting) of Orissa, [[Romesh Dutt|R.C. Dutt]] [[esq.]], ICS, was the Superitendent of the tributary mahals of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Nilgiri at this time. |
||
===Matrimonial alliances=== |
===Matrimonial alliances=== |
||
Revision as of 08:19, 3 September 2012
HH Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo (17 December 1871 - 22 February 1912) ( reign : 1882 - 1912 ) was the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj State of India.[1][2]
Personal life
Early life
He was only eleven years old when his illustrious father & ruler of the State, Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj Deo died. So Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo succeeded to the throne on 29th May 1882. However, at that time the State was ruled under a British Commissioner till Maharaja came of age and was formerly installed as the Maharaja 15th August 1892. The affairs of the state remained in the hands of his grandmother, the Dowager Maharani of Mayurbhanj, until he took charge on a full time basis some years later. The first Indian Divisional Commissioner (Acting) of Orissa, R.C. Dutt esq., ICS, was the Superitendent of the tributary mahals of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Nilgiri at this time.
Matrimonial alliances
He was married to firstly HH Maharani Lakshmi Kumari Devi, a daughter of the zamindar of Panchkot in Bengal, who died in 1902. In 1904, he married HH Maharani Sucharu Devi, a daughter of Maharshi Keshav Chandra Sen, the eminent Brahmo reformer. He had two sons, Purna Chandra Bhanj Deo and Pratap Chandra Bhanj Deo of his first wife. Purna Chandra Bhanj Deo succeeded him to the throne, while Pratap Chandra Bhanj Deo succeeded his elder brother to the throne after the former's death. He had a son, Dhrubendra Chandra Bhanj Deo and two daughters of his second wife. Dhrubendra Chandra Bhanj Deo became an air force pilot and died in action during the second world war.[3] The elder daughter was married to the Maharaja of Vizianagram and the younger daughter, Rani Jyoti Manjari Devi was married to Mahant Sarveshwar Das, the Raja Bahadur of Rajnandgaon, a princely state of the erswhile Central Provinces and Berar, which is now Rajnandgaon district in the newly constituted state of Chattisgarh.
Work
Administration
He worked for the all around development of Mayurbhanj and implemented various welfare schemes designed to help the people. He was revered as a philosopher king. He constituted the state council for administration in the state and brought about reforms in the sphere of language, health and administration.[4]
During his reign, the scientific operation of iron mines was started for the first time and Gorumahsini mines were leased to the Tatas. In 1903, he commissioned a narrow gauge railway line from Rupsa to Baripada known as Mayurbhanj State Railway.[4] During his reign 474 miles of road were built in State connecting all divisional towns with Baripada.[4] The Bripada Municipality was constituted by him in 1905. He also started an English High School with boarding facility, a government Press, a fully equipped hospital and a leper asylum in Baripada.[4]
He appointed Mohini Mohan Dhar the Dewan of Mayurbhanj.[4] Impressed with the noble qualities of Utkal Mani Gopabandhu Das he made him his advocate.[1]
Art and culture
He was a great patron of Oriya art and culture. The famous Chhau dance of Orissa or "war-dance" was presented by him for a show in 1912 in Calcutta in honor of George V, the British emperor, who was impressed by its beauty and splendour.[5]
He was also a patriot and great patron of the Oriya language and presided over the first meeting of Utkal Samilani held on 3 December 1903.
Architecture
In 1892, he built the royal palace of Mayurbhanj, which has 126 rooms. The front of the palace resembles the Buckingham Palace, which was built in 1908. Two colleges, Maharaja Purna Chandra College, and the Government Women's College are now located inside the palace.Mayurbhanj Palace wallows in royal neglect
Legacy
He died on 22nd February 1912 at Mayurbhanj.[1] He and his father Maharaja Krushna Chandra Bhanja Deo[6] are widely acknowledged as the makers of modern Orissa.[7] The Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College at Cuttack was named after him in year 1951, in recognition of the donation and efforts made by the ruler in his lifetime.[8] A college in Ragdha founded by him has been named after him as Sriram Chandra Bhanja Degree College.[9]
References
- ^ a b c [1]
- ^ Biography of the Maharaja Sri Ram Chandra Bhanj Deo by Sailendra Nath Sarkar. Published - 1918.
- ^ [[2] Sucharu Devi, Maharani of Coochbehar, a biography, 1979
- ^ a b c d e [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ Makers of Modern Orissa: Contributions of Some Leading Personalities of ... By J. K. Samal, P. K. Nayak, Pradip Kumar Nayak. 1996. pp. 131–150.
- ^ Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo ...statement pointed out that it would be a dishonour to the "Maker of modern Orissa" if the statue was removed by the government.
- ^ In 1951, the Orissa Medical College was subsequently renamed as SRIRAM CHANDRA MEDICAL COLLEGE in recognition of the donation and efforts made by Mayurbhaj Maharaja SRIRAM CHANDRA BHANJA.
- ^ [5]