Modern History of Jharkhand | Jharkhand State (JPSC) PSC: Preparation - JPSC (Jharkhand) PDF Download

 Page 1


Jharkhand : General Knowledge Amar Ujala Publications
The Chero and the Kharwar Zagirdars had their hold over Deogarh,
Bishrampur and Maratu. The court of Raja Jai Krishna Rai was facing intrigues
and conspiracies making the situation favourable for external invasion.
However, Ramgarh was ruled by Dalel Singh during the time of Aurangzeb
and afterwards (1667-1 724) Dalel defeated the ruler of Chai, Magar Khan and
killed him in 1718 A.D. He occupied the capital of Chai, Pargna Jagodih and other
eight Taluks. Chai remained in possession of Dalel Singh from 1717 to 1724. Two
years later in 1719, he helped the Palamu ruler Ranjit Singh in capturing the Tori
Pargana of the Nagbanshi rulers. Later on Dalel Singh was defeated and as a
result Ranbast Khan, who was the son of Magar Khan, regained his lost areas.
In the same year Dalel Singh died and was succeeded by Vishnu Singh who
fraudulently annexed Chai. Mahipat Khan played a trick with the help of ruler
of Itkhori and the ruler of Tekari Raja Sunder Singh and took Vishnu Singh
captive. But the latter paid Rupees ten thousand to the Tekari ruler and freed
himself. In the mean time Sunder Singh of Tekari seized the fort of Bigha and
Mahipat Khan captured eight taluks which remained in their position for five
years.
Vishnu Singh ignored the Nawab of Bengal and stopped paying tributes to
him. This attitude compelled Nawab Alivardi Khan to send Hidayat Khan in 1740
against the Ramgarh ruler, who was ultimately defeated. The Ramgarh ruler had
to pay rupees eighty thousand by way of arrears. The annual tribute of Ramgarh
was fixed at ` 12,000 per annum, which continued till the entry of the British.
Vishnu Singh remained in control of Chai till 1747. After the death of Vishnu
Singh, his elder brother Mukund Singh ascended the throw. Mukund Singh
ascended the throne. Mukund Singh regained the lost area of Chai after three
MODERN PERIOD
The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II gave the Diwani (revenue administration)
of Bengal. Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company on August 12, 1765 A.D.
The British assumed that Chotanagpur and Palamu were liable to pay revenue
to the East India Company. They thought that these two formed part of Bihar
but the reality was different. They were almost independent in their territory but
they were required to pay tribute to the representative of Mughal Emperor. They
held their princely courts, maintained their army and administered justice in their
own territory. Thus they enjoyed a political state similar to the feudatory chief
of the Mughal Empire. Even the tribute was not considered necessary to secure
the recognition of the Mughal rulers. This state was quite different from those
prevailing in Bengal, which had been brought under regular Mughal administration
after their conquest. In this way the British penetration in Chotanagpur and
Palamu amounted to clear intervention the internal affairs of independent chieftains.
Page 2


Jharkhand : General Knowledge Amar Ujala Publications
The Chero and the Kharwar Zagirdars had their hold over Deogarh,
Bishrampur and Maratu. The court of Raja Jai Krishna Rai was facing intrigues
and conspiracies making the situation favourable for external invasion.
However, Ramgarh was ruled by Dalel Singh during the time of Aurangzeb
and afterwards (1667-1 724) Dalel defeated the ruler of Chai, Magar Khan and
killed him in 1718 A.D. He occupied the capital of Chai, Pargna Jagodih and other
eight Taluks. Chai remained in possession of Dalel Singh from 1717 to 1724. Two
years later in 1719, he helped the Palamu ruler Ranjit Singh in capturing the Tori
Pargana of the Nagbanshi rulers. Later on Dalel Singh was defeated and as a
result Ranbast Khan, who was the son of Magar Khan, regained his lost areas.
In the same year Dalel Singh died and was succeeded by Vishnu Singh who
fraudulently annexed Chai. Mahipat Khan played a trick with the help of ruler
of Itkhori and the ruler of Tekari Raja Sunder Singh and took Vishnu Singh
captive. But the latter paid Rupees ten thousand to the Tekari ruler and freed
himself. In the mean time Sunder Singh of Tekari seized the fort of Bigha and
Mahipat Khan captured eight taluks which remained in their position for five
years.
Vishnu Singh ignored the Nawab of Bengal and stopped paying tributes to
him. This attitude compelled Nawab Alivardi Khan to send Hidayat Khan in 1740
against the Ramgarh ruler, who was ultimately defeated. The Ramgarh ruler had
to pay rupees eighty thousand by way of arrears. The annual tribute of Ramgarh
was fixed at ` 12,000 per annum, which continued till the entry of the British.
Vishnu Singh remained in control of Chai till 1747. After the death of Vishnu
Singh, his elder brother Mukund Singh ascended the throw. Mukund Singh
ascended the throne. Mukund Singh regained the lost area of Chai after three
MODERN PERIOD
The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II gave the Diwani (revenue administration)
of Bengal. Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company on August 12, 1765 A.D.
The British assumed that Chotanagpur and Palamu were liable to pay revenue
to the East India Company. They thought that these two formed part of Bihar
but the reality was different. They were almost independent in their territory but
they were required to pay tribute to the representative of Mughal Emperor. They
held their princely courts, maintained their army and administered justice in their
own territory. Thus they enjoyed a political state similar to the feudatory chief
of the Mughal Empire. Even the tribute was not considered necessary to secure
the recognition of the Mughal rulers. This state was quite different from those
prevailing in Bengal, which had been brought under regular Mughal administration
after their conquest. In this way the British penetration in Chotanagpur and
Palamu amounted to clear intervention the internal affairs of independent chieftains.
British entered Jharkhand because of many reasons particularly in Palamu
and Chotanagpur Before the grant of Diwani the East India Company’s trade
through the Gangetic Valley of Bihar and the hills of Santhal Pargana was
exposed to the hostilities of Mir Qasim and the Marathas. Secondly Palamu and
Chotanagpur became the shelter place of the zamindars of south Bihar. Whenever
they were coerced for payment of tribute or arrears of revenue, they escaped into
these areas and defied the company officers. Lastly Palamu and Chotanagpur
became strategically very important for the British in view of the mounting threat
to the company’s western frontiers of Bihar form the Marathas. This was only
possible when they controlled the hills and forts of Palamu and Chotanagpur.
Through Singbhum, British entered Chotanagpur in 1760. They command
over Midnapur and try to enter in adjoining area of Singhbhum.
The rulers of Ramgarh, Jambani and Silda became so frightened that they
surrendered before the British. Then the company forces defeated the ruler of
Dhalbhum.
The vanquished ruler tried his best to check the advance of the British
toward Ghatshila but could not succeed. At the time of leaving, he set his fort
ablaze and Ferguson was compelled to take position of the fort in the burning
stage in 1767. At last the ruler was taken captive and was sent to Midnapur. This
battle ended in the accession of Jagannath Dhal on the throne. The new ruler
agreed to pay a tribute of rupees fifty five hundred.
After ascending throne, Jagannath Dhal change his attitude and assume the
status of independent ruler. He continued to wage war against the British. As
a result the company recognized him as the ruler of Dhalbhum in 1777A.D. In
return Jagannath Dhal agreed to pay tribute to the company, which was increased
subsequently.
The agreement with Dhalbhum became a model for entering into similar
agreement with others. Such an intervention was made in case of Porhat in 1773.
Captain Forbis signed an agreement wilh the ruler of Porhat. The agreement
stipulated that the ruler of Porhat would not provide shelter to the erring tenants
and traders. He also promised to maintain peace and order in Haldipokhar. Similar
agreements were also concluded with the rulers of Kharsawan and Saraikela.
Both of them had to guarantee to the British that they would not shield the
rebellious elements. The Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1810 altered the policy of
British. They decided to annex Singhbhum. In the same way parts of Orissa like
Cuttack and Sambalpur were also amalgamated in British Empire.
In 1720, Ghanshyam Singh also signed an agreement for safety and security
at his territory. The ruler of porhat had separate motivations for his agreement
with the British. Firstly he aspired to establish his supremacy over Saraikela and
Kharsawan. Secondly he also wanted to obtain the statue of Pauri Devi from the
ruler of Saraikela. Lastly he wanted the British assistance in the suppression of
the Hos.
Page 3


Jharkhand : General Knowledge Amar Ujala Publications
The Chero and the Kharwar Zagirdars had their hold over Deogarh,
Bishrampur and Maratu. The court of Raja Jai Krishna Rai was facing intrigues
and conspiracies making the situation favourable for external invasion.
However, Ramgarh was ruled by Dalel Singh during the time of Aurangzeb
and afterwards (1667-1 724) Dalel defeated the ruler of Chai, Magar Khan and
killed him in 1718 A.D. He occupied the capital of Chai, Pargna Jagodih and other
eight Taluks. Chai remained in possession of Dalel Singh from 1717 to 1724. Two
years later in 1719, he helped the Palamu ruler Ranjit Singh in capturing the Tori
Pargana of the Nagbanshi rulers. Later on Dalel Singh was defeated and as a
result Ranbast Khan, who was the son of Magar Khan, regained his lost areas.
In the same year Dalel Singh died and was succeeded by Vishnu Singh who
fraudulently annexed Chai. Mahipat Khan played a trick with the help of ruler
of Itkhori and the ruler of Tekari Raja Sunder Singh and took Vishnu Singh
captive. But the latter paid Rupees ten thousand to the Tekari ruler and freed
himself. In the mean time Sunder Singh of Tekari seized the fort of Bigha and
Mahipat Khan captured eight taluks which remained in their position for five
years.
Vishnu Singh ignored the Nawab of Bengal and stopped paying tributes to
him. This attitude compelled Nawab Alivardi Khan to send Hidayat Khan in 1740
against the Ramgarh ruler, who was ultimately defeated. The Ramgarh ruler had
to pay rupees eighty thousand by way of arrears. The annual tribute of Ramgarh
was fixed at ` 12,000 per annum, which continued till the entry of the British.
Vishnu Singh remained in control of Chai till 1747. After the death of Vishnu
Singh, his elder brother Mukund Singh ascended the throw. Mukund Singh
ascended the throne. Mukund Singh regained the lost area of Chai after three
MODERN PERIOD
The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II gave the Diwani (revenue administration)
of Bengal. Bihar and Orissa to the East India Company on August 12, 1765 A.D.
The British assumed that Chotanagpur and Palamu were liable to pay revenue
to the East India Company. They thought that these two formed part of Bihar
but the reality was different. They were almost independent in their territory but
they were required to pay tribute to the representative of Mughal Emperor. They
held their princely courts, maintained their army and administered justice in their
own territory. Thus they enjoyed a political state similar to the feudatory chief
of the Mughal Empire. Even the tribute was not considered necessary to secure
the recognition of the Mughal rulers. This state was quite different from those
prevailing in Bengal, which had been brought under regular Mughal administration
after their conquest. In this way the British penetration in Chotanagpur and
Palamu amounted to clear intervention the internal affairs of independent chieftains.
British entered Jharkhand because of many reasons particularly in Palamu
and Chotanagpur Before the grant of Diwani the East India Company’s trade
through the Gangetic Valley of Bihar and the hills of Santhal Pargana was
exposed to the hostilities of Mir Qasim and the Marathas. Secondly Palamu and
Chotanagpur became the shelter place of the zamindars of south Bihar. Whenever
they were coerced for payment of tribute or arrears of revenue, they escaped into
these areas and defied the company officers. Lastly Palamu and Chotanagpur
became strategically very important for the British in view of the mounting threat
to the company’s western frontiers of Bihar form the Marathas. This was only
possible when they controlled the hills and forts of Palamu and Chotanagpur.
Through Singbhum, British entered Chotanagpur in 1760. They command
over Midnapur and try to enter in adjoining area of Singhbhum.
The rulers of Ramgarh, Jambani and Silda became so frightened that they
surrendered before the British. Then the company forces defeated the ruler of
Dhalbhum.
The vanquished ruler tried his best to check the advance of the British
toward Ghatshila but could not succeed. At the time of leaving, he set his fort
ablaze and Ferguson was compelled to take position of the fort in the burning
stage in 1767. At last the ruler was taken captive and was sent to Midnapur. This
battle ended in the accession of Jagannath Dhal on the throne. The new ruler
agreed to pay a tribute of rupees fifty five hundred.
After ascending throne, Jagannath Dhal change his attitude and assume the
status of independent ruler. He continued to wage war against the British. As
a result the company recognized him as the ruler of Dhalbhum in 1777A.D. In
return Jagannath Dhal agreed to pay tribute to the company, which was increased
subsequently.
The agreement with Dhalbhum became a model for entering into similar
agreement with others. Such an intervention was made in case of Porhat in 1773.
Captain Forbis signed an agreement wilh the ruler of Porhat. The agreement
stipulated that the ruler of Porhat would not provide shelter to the erring tenants
and traders. He also promised to maintain peace and order in Haldipokhar. Similar
agreements were also concluded with the rulers of Kharsawan and Saraikela.
Both of them had to guarantee to the British that they would not shield the
rebellious elements. The Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1810 altered the policy of
British. They decided to annex Singhbhum. In the same way parts of Orissa like
Cuttack and Sambalpur were also amalgamated in British Empire.
In 1720, Ghanshyam Singh also signed an agreement for safety and security
at his territory. The ruler of porhat had separate motivations for his agreement
with the British. Firstly he aspired to establish his supremacy over Saraikela and
Kharsawan. Secondly he also wanted to obtain the statue of Pauri Devi from the
ruler of Saraikela. Lastly he wanted the British assistance in the suppression of
the Hos.
The centre of the Hos was Kolhan, which could not be captured by either
the Mughals or the Marathas. The rulers of Porhat could not dominate them.
They did not pay any tax to the Singh rulers but they exchanged gifts on many
occasions. The lack of subjection, transformed the Hos into a  freedom loving
and warrior class. The rulers of Singhbhum succeeded in exploiting them. They
used them in their struggle against their own rivals. The Hos began to attack the
Nagbanshi areas because the Nagbanshi ruler had conducted compaigns against
them in 1770 and 1800. Thus, the ruler of Singhbhum accepted the subordination
of British in 1890 A.D. But they could not establish complete control over the
HOS. In 1820 A.D., Major Rufsez went to the Ho area with a strong contingent
of forces. Rufsez was able to suppress Ho. Inspite of this British also controlled
over Singh rulers, those who had a strong hold over Dhalbhum, Chotanagpur
Khas, Baman Ghati. They participated very actively in the Kol rebellion of 1831-32.
The Chaos of Palamu facilitated its subjection by the British. Here finally
Patna Council instructed camac on 19 February to take position of Palamu and
to install Gopal Rai as the ruler. Meanwhile the local ruler (zamindar) also helped
British in order of supress the Chaos of Palamu.
Thakurai Jainath Singh returned to Palamu from Ramgarh in June 1771 and
he started fresh disturbances. Lt. Mackenzie, Lt. Keating and Captain Camac
engaged him. Ultimately he was expelled from Palamu and he took shelter in
Surguja. In order to check his return towards Palamu, Camac established two out
posts on the Surguja border. In July 1771 Gopal Rai was declared to be the ruler
of Palamu. Thus by the middle of July 1771, the East India Company established
its authority over the whole of Palamu.
The fall of Palamu fort and the surrender of the Chero ruler paved the way
for occupation of Chotanagpur. The Nagbanshi ruler, Drip Nath Shah did not
have friendly relation with Mukund Singh who was the contemporary ruler of
Ramgarh. Mukund Singh carried on several expeditions in’ to Nagbanshi territory
on the pretext of realizing arrears of revenue. Compelled by the all these adverse
conditions, the Nagbanshi ruler sent his Vakeel to meet Camac,
When he was camping at Jai Nagar in February 1771. He had supported
camac in his Palamu campaigns by extending supplies and other necessities. The
help of Drip Nath Shah had mitigated the difficulties of camac. Drip Nath Shah
went personally to meet camac at Satbarwa. Drip Nath Shah exchanged his
turban with the cap of Camac which further confirmed the agreement.
Finally, British got great control over Jharkhand but at the same time company
tried to establish control over Saraikela and Kharsawan but their efforts ended
in fiasco. The contemporary Saraikela was spread over seven hundred square
kilometers over and two hundred twenty five square kilometer. The dreams of the
British were realized after many decades in 1934 when the two areas were
amalgamated in the British Empire. Kharsawan was entrusted to the Eastern State
agency.