Ajaigarh State

Ajaigarh State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was founded in 1785 and its capital was located in Ajaigarh, Madhya Pradesh.

Ajaigarh State
Princely State of British India
1809–1947
Flag

Ajaigarh State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India
Area 
• 
2,077.18 km2 (802.00 sq mi)
History 
• Established
1809
• British seizuranity ended
August 15, 1947
Succeeded by
India

Ajaigarh's last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1950.[1]

History

Ajaigarh was the capital of a princely state of the same name during the British Raj. Ajaigarh was founded in 1765 by Guman Singh, who was the nephew of Raja Pahar Singh of Jaitpur State. After Ajaigarh was captured by the British in 1809, it became a princely state in the Bundelkhand Agency of the Central India Agency. It had an area of 771 mile2 (1997 km2), and a population of 78,236 in 1901. The rulers bore the title of sawai maharaja. He commanded an estimated annual revenue of about £15,000/-, and paid a tribute of £460/-. The chief resided at the town of Nowgong, at the foot of the hill-fortress of Ajaigarh, from which the state took its name. This fort, situated on a steep hill, towers more than 800 ft (244 m) above the eponymous township, and contains the ruins of several temples adorned with elaborately carved sculptures. The town was often afflicted by malaria, and suffered severely from famine in 1868-1869 and 1896–1897.[2]

The state acceded to the Government of India on 1 January 1950; the ruling chief was granted a privy purse of Rs. 74,700/-, and the courtesy use of his styles and titles. All of these were revoked by the government of India in 1971, at the time when these privileges were revoked from all erstwhile princes. The former princely state became part of the new Indian state of Vindhya Pradesh, and most of the territory of the former state, including the town of Ajaigarh, became part of Panna District, with a smaller portion going to Chhatarpur District. Vindhya Pradesh was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.

Rulers
Ajaygarh state car no.17

The rulers of the state belonged to the Bundela dynasty.[3][4]

Rajas
  • 1765 – 1792 Guman Singh
  • 1792 – 1793 Bakht Singh (1st reign)
  • 1793 – 1802 Ali Bahadur (usurper)
  • 1802 – 1804 Shamsher Bahadur (usurper)
  • 1804 – 1807 Lakshman Dada (usurper)
  • 1807 – 1837 Bakht Singh (2nd reign)
  • 1837 – 1849 Madho Singh
  • 1849 – 1853 Mahipat Singh
  • 1853 – 1855 Bijal Singh
  • 1855 – 1859 interregnum
  • 1859 – 1877 Ranjor Singh

Sawai Maharaja
  • 1877 – 1919 Ranjor Singh
  • 1919 – 1942 Bhopal Singh
  • 1942 – 1948 Punya Pratap Singh

Titular Maharaja
  • 1948 – 1958 Punya Pratap Singh
  • 1958 – 1984 Devendra Vijaya Singh
  • 1984 – present Ajay Raj Singh

See also

References
  1. "Ajaigarh Princely State (11 gun salute)". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  2.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ajaigarh". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. "Indian states before 1947 A-J". rulers.org. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  4. "Indian Princely States before 1947 A-J". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 20 August 2019.


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