Jhargram Raj Palace

Jhargram Palace

The Jhargram Raj Palace is the current residence of the Malla Deb Royal family. Situated in Jhargram district, West Bengal. About 10 rooms on the ground floor have been converted into a Heritage Hotel run by the family.

Jhargram is a melting pot of culture, tradition, rich heritage and natural beauty. It is where you will find some of the oldest tribes of this land co-existing together and still keeping their individual identity intact. The enthralling scenic beauty and traditions of Jhargram have mesmerized tourists all over, time and again. It has attracted them to visit the place and experience the culture and life of people who stay here. It is a place where the rivers meet the hills and the wilderness of the forests beckon the exploring travelers. The hill ranges and the thick canopy of Mahua, Teak, Sal and Peasal trees add to the charm of the place. Jhargram has the history of a royal past, the hindu temples and palaces testify to it.

The Jhargram Palace is the current residence of the Malla Dev Royal family. Situated in Jhargram district, West Bengal, it is a structure combining the Italian and Islamic architecture model. About 10 rooms on the ground floor have been converted into a Heritage Hotel run by the family. The Palace is an opulent Italianate structure, set in carefully laid lawns and gardens which was built in 1922 CE, during the reign of Raja Narasingha Malla Dev Bahadur. In the Palace campus, so evocative of a regal lifestyle, the past comes alive.

A stay at the Jhargram Palace will bring the legends of the famous Malla Dev rulers to the fore. Here you can experience the royal lifestyle that was once the tradition of the Jhargram Kings. The rich heritage and the history of the royal family is sure to excite guest who are interested to know and explore the rulers of ancient India.

Jhargram Raj Palace

History

Jhargram Raj Palace was founded around 1592 AD by Sarveshwar Singh who along with his elder brother who were Generals under Man Singh of Amer and came to conquer Bengal when Emperor Akbar granted Subehdari of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to Raja Man Singh Sarveshwar Singh belonged to the Chauhan clan of Rajputs from Fatehpur Sikri. He defeated and vanquished the local Mal tribal kings who were ruling the region known as Junglekhand, even today in order to commemorate this victory, every year an idol of Mal Raja is made and slain on Vijayadashami day.As a reward, Raja Man Singh, granted mansabdari of the entire region of Junglekhand to his victorious generals Sarveshwar Singh Chauhan and his elder brother, under suzerainty and subordination as a tributary vassal state to the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He named his capital Jhargram which means 'a village surrounded by deep forests', hence the rulers of Jhargram assumed the title "Malla Deb"
In 1799, the ruler of Jhargram, revolted against the East India Company along with rulers of Bishnupur and others and the revolt was termed as Chuar Mutiny. The ruler was forced to surrender and the status Jhargram kingdom made to a Zamindari estate under the British authority. The kingdom had eight sardars under the system and one Sub Zamindar of Beliaberah
The royal family ruled their dominions and estates from Jhargram Palace. The kingdom had its golden era during the reign of Raja Narasingha Malla Deb, under the guidance of his mentor and Dewan Rai Bahadur Debendra Mohan Bhattacharya, he developed Jhargram town into a modern planned township and commissioned the new Palace in 1931 which is one of the finest example of Indo Saracenic architecture in Eastern India and spread over 30 acres.

List of Raja at Jhargram Raj Palace

Raja Sarveshwar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Vikram Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Bhim Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Prithwi Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Sansar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Chakku Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Gadadhar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Shatrughna Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Ananda Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Man Govind Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1741-1772)
Raja Vikramjit Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1772-1806)
Raja Shyam Sundar Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1806-1832)
Raja Vikramaditya Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1832-1855)
Yuvraj Narayan Malla Ugal Sanda Deb
Raja Raghunath Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1855-1912)
Raja Chandi Charan Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1912-1916)
Raja Narasingha Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (1925-1976)
Raja Birendra Bijoy Malla Deb (1976-2000)

Lineage of Raja

Shri Sarveshwar Singhji was Senapati (Military General) of Raja Man Singh I of Amer who had come to conquer Bengal when Emperor Akbar granted Subahdari of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to Raja Man Singh.He together with the rajput infantry and cavalry invaded the deep forest region in Bengal known as Jungle Mahal.The region was popularly ruled by the local Mal chieftains who were defeated and vanquished by the rajputs. Hence he assumed the title “Malla Dev” which became part of the name and style of his descendants. Sarveshwar Singhji belonged to the Chauhan clan of Rajputs from Fatehpur Sikri in Rajputana.

As a reward, Raja Man Singh I of Amer, granted mansabdari of the entire region of Jungle Mahal to his victorious Senapati Sarveshwar Singhji under suzerainty and subordination as a tributary vassal state to the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He named his new capital Jhargram which means a village surrounded by deep forests and fortified his kingdom with a canal-ed fort known as “Ugal” in local language, respectfully the title of “Ugal Sanda” (Lord of thee Fort) was conferred to the Raja and his successors.

Raja Ananda Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, 9th Raja of Jhargram, he introduced a number of administrative changes during his regain a new land revenue system was introduced which initiated the growth of agriculture and forestry. Several Hindu festivals like Indra puja, Dol purnima, Rath yatra and Gajan were celebrated with great pomp and splendor.

Raja Man Govind Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, 10th Raja of Jhargram (1741-1772), succeeded to the gaddi and ruled his dominions from his capital in Jhargram. He unified all Rajput kingdoms in Bengal against the campaign of Marathas. Between 1741-1751, he fought three successful battles against the Maratha invasion alongside the Raja of Bishnupur and the Nawab of Bengal and consolidated control over the kingdom making himself a dominant king in the western part of Bengal.

Raja Vikramjit Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, 11th Raja of Jhargram (1772-1806). He was a pious and charitable king and served for the welfare of his subjects. He realized that the British were a new kind of threat to his kingdom so worked on to check the advances of the British by allying with the Raja of Dhalbhum and the Nawab of Bengal. He defeated Colonel Fergusson at Dudhkundi near Kharagpur in 1791 when the East India Company tried to enter Jhargram. Fergusson’s forces, consisting of 100 Europeans, 300 cavalry, 1400 sepoys and 10 field pieces, was the standard size of the colonial armies. But the second time the joint forces were defeated at Radhanagar by the British army in 1793, ending thereby the last hurdle to the colonial conquest of Bengal, hence the treaty of Midnapore confirmed the surrender of Jhargram to the British. But soon the British Governor of Bengal endorsed his stature and recognized Jhargram as a Zamindari estate as a permanent settlement.

raja shyam sundar malla dev

Raja Shyam Sundar Malla Dev, 12th Raja (1806-1832) was the eldest son of Raja Vikramjit Malla Dev. He became the ruler of Jhargram in 1806 in a simple coronation ceremony. He was a pious and charitable king and served for the welfare of his subjects.

Raja Raghunath Malla Dev, 14th Raja was benevolent and a progressive king, throughout his reign he was genuinely focused towards the welfare of his subjects. He was portrayed as great in wisdom and also an extra ordinary wrestler, one can witness many of his wrestling instruments kept in the Palace and Calcutta museum.
Raghunath Malla Dev commenced western education at Scotish Church College in Midnapore, and was the first degree holder from the region. He established an English primary school in the Palace on 5th October 1899 so that the young generation could be exposed to Western education in Jhargram.He welcomed industrialization and encouraged several British and Indian businessmen to setup industries in his kingdom.With the help of the British he introduced effective forestry and setup timber trading business and also built the Jhargram Railway Station for the Bengal Nagpur Railways which made Jhargram well connected to Calcutta and Bombay.

Raja Sir Narasingha Malla Dev, OBE, KBE, 16th Raja of Jhargram 1929-1976. He was born on 22nd January, 1907 and passed away on 11th Navember, 1976). He was educated at Midnapore Collegiate School and Presidency College in Calcutta; conferred with O.B.E.(Order of British Empire) and K.B.E (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire).
He inherited keen interest in music from the family and had deep knowledge of Vaishnav Sangeet, a skilled photographer and Life Member of Royal Photographic Society, London he won many international awards for his work.Raja Narasingha was also a great sports enthusiast, during his era abundant funds were allotted and sanctioned every year for development of sports in Jhargram. He also bore all expenses to commission the MidnaporeClub and Sri Aurobindo Sports Stadium in Midnapore.
Raja Bahadur served as Member of Legislative Council of Bengal and Member of Parliament. He donated wealth and land towards welfare causes of his subjects and poor farmers, making him the single largest land donor in West Bengal, he also worked towards rehabilitation of refugees during the partition of India. In Midnapore, he founded the Tuberculosis Chest Clinic and the Homeopathic College, and gave donations for the construction and purchase of books for Vidyasagar Memorial Library. His beneficiaries ranged from the Kolkata Bangiya Sahitya Parishad to New Delhi Kali Bari. He Married in 1930 to Rani Binode Manjari Devi daughter of Lal Saheb Girish Chandra Bhanj Deo of Mayurbhanj

Raja Birendra Bijoy Malla Dev, 17th Raja of Jhargram 1977-2000. He was a guardian of the the royal family of Jhargram. He was educated at Midnapore College and Presidency College in Calcutta, elected two times to Member of Legislative Assembly; a talented cricketer who captained the school and university cricket teams; he was twice the winner of the Best Legislator award in the West Bengal legislative assembly; District President Indian National Congress Party and Founder President of Rotary Club of Jhargram. Life member of Cricket Association of Bengal.
Raja Birendra was an eminent industrialist who owned businesses in Calcutta and Midnapore and was the first Raja in eastern India to convert his Palace into a heritage hotel. He married in 1953 to Rani Indira Devi daughter of HH Maharaja Shri Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh Deo of Sonepur.

Architecture

The Main Building is impressive. The Jhargram Raj Palace is an opulent Italianate structure, set in carefully laid lawns and gardens. The Palace was restructured in 1931 CE, by the Calcutta Improvement Trust during the reign of Raja Narasingha Malla Deb Bahadur. In the Palace campus, so evocative of a regal lifestyle, the past comes alive.

Heritage tourism

Jhargram Raj Palace is most important and precious attraction of Jhargram District. It is a big and well decorated palace with unique architectural attraction. This palace is the silent witness of huge historical incidents. This palace can be seen in many popular films too.

The proprietors of Jhargram Palace have developed a hotel and other tourism infrastructures in and around the palace which is boosting tourism in WestBengal.

Transport

Jhargram lies on AH46 which is a part of the Asian Highway Network. For local transportation bus, taxi, minibus, cycle-rikshaws, and autos are available. Jhargram is also connected by train to nearest big city like Kolkata, Tatanagar and Ranchi.

The nearest airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport of Kolkata 155 km (by train) and 169 km (by road- AH46).Sonari Airport of Jamshedpur is located at a distance 96 km by train. Birsa Munda Airport of Ranchi is located at a distance of 233 km (by road- NH-33) and 258 km (by train).

Knowledge Pedia (ज्ञान कोश)

9/10/20