sonepur2

SONEPUR

GENEALOGY

1640 - 1660 Raja Sriman Madan Gopal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, fourth son of Maharaja Sriman Madhukar Sai Deo, Maharaja of Sambalpur, educ. privately. Granted Sonepur in jagir in 1640, consisting of 160 villages including the zamindaries of Rampur, Sukha, Kamsara and Barpali. He extended his protection over the aboriginal tribes and respected their religious practices, but also encouraged Hindu settlers to migrate to his new principality. Built the Suvarnameru Mahadeva temple. He d. 1660, having had issue:

1) Raja Sriman Lalsai Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.

1660 - 1680 Raja Sriman Lalsai Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, son of Raja Sriman Madan Gopal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1660. He acquired Khandahata from the Raja of Rairakhol. m. a lady from the Kimidi Raja's family, who brought the cult of her family tutelary goddess, Khambeswari, to Sonepur. He d. 1680, having had issue:

1) Raja Sriman Purusottam Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.

1680 - 1700 Raja Sriman Purusottam Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, son of Raja Sriman Lalsai Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1680. He fortified the frontiers of the state out of a fear of a Mughal invasion. An unworldly man who regarded his purpose in life as merely the custodian of the realm and the treasury no more than the collective wealth of the people. m. Rani Srimati Lakshmipriya Devi, a princess from Gangpur. He d. 1700, having had issue:

1) Raja Sriman Raj Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.

1700 - 1725 Raja Sriman Raj Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, son of Raja Sriman Purusottam Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1700. He is remembered as a just, tolerant and benevolent ruler, who took a keen interest in religious matters and constructed a temple to Jagannath and to Khamveswari. m. a daughter of a Raja of Kimedi, who brought Khamveswari, the tutelary goddess of her Ganga ancestors to Sonepur. He d. 1725, having had issue, two sons:

1) Yuvraj Sriman Miru Singh Deo. He d.v.p.
2) Raja Sriman Achal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.

1725 - 1750 Raja Sriman Achal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, only surviving son of Raja Sriman Raj Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1725. Constructed the great temple of Suresvaridevi at Sonepur. m. Rani Srimati Suryapriya Devi Sahiba. He d. 1750, having had issue, four sons:

1) Raja Sriman Divya Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur (s/o Suryapriya) - see below.
2) Raja Sriman Sobha Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.
3) Rajkumar Lal Sriman Rati Singh Deo. He had issue, a son:
- a) Lal Sri Ram Singh Deo. He had issue, a son:
  - i) Lal Sri Padma Singh Deo. Copyright© Christopher Buyers
4) Rajkumar Lal Sriman Govinda Singh Deo. He had issue, a son:
- a) Lal Sri Parsuram Singh Deo. He had issue, a son:
  - i) Lal Sri Bhadgirathi Singh Deo.

1750 - 1770 Raja Sriman Divya Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, eldest son of Raja Sriman Achal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, by his wife, Rani Srimati Suryapriya Devi Sahiba, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1750. He greatly expanded his principality by including the territories between the Ang and Suktel, wrested Ghantapara and Panchara from Boudh, and some 63 villages from Rairakhol. Later in his reign he came under the control of the Bhonsles of Nagpur, his status being reduced to that of a zamindar. He d. at Sonepur, 1770, having had issue, two sons:

1) Yuvraj Sriman Jagat Singh Deo. He d.v.p.
2) Raja Sriman Jarawar Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur - see below.

1770 - 1771 Raja Sriman Jarawar Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, only surviving son of Raja Sriman Divya Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his father, 1771. He added to his father's conquests by annexing the Panchara pargana from Baudh. A brave and resourceful military leader famed for his personal physical strength. He d.s.p. at Sonepur, 1771.

1771 - 1786 Raja Sriman Sobha Singh Deo, Raja Sri of Sonepur, second son of Raja Sriman Achal Singh Deo, Raja of Sonepur, educ. privately. Succeeded on the death of his nephew, 1771. He joined the Maratha General Chimnaji Bapu in his bid to place Jayanta Singh on the Sambalpur throne in 1781. He rebuilt the Gopalji temple, renovated the Somaleswari temple and restored the Rajghat and old forts. m. Rani Srimati Vishnupriya Devi Sahiba, who constructed the tank at Baghbar. He d. at Sonepur, 1786, having had issue, two sons:

1) Raja Sriman Prithvi Singh Deo Bahadur, Raja Sri of Sonepur - see below.
2) Bapu Dalpat Rai, educ. privately. Karpurdaz and guardian to his nephew 30^th August 1841. He d. at Sonepur, 1847, having had issue, a son:
- a) Bapu Nityanand Rai.

1786 - 1841 Raja Sriman Prithvi Singh Deo Bahadur, Raja Sri of Sonepur. b. at Sonepur, 1780, elder son of Raja Sriman Sobha Singh Deo, Raja Sri of Sonepur, by his wife, Rani Srimati Vishnupriya Devi Sahiba, educ. privately. He formed a league with the rulers of Sambalpur and Baudh to seize Nana Sahib Bhonsle during his pilgrimage to Puri in 1799. Raghuji II dispatched a punitive expedition to punish the insult, but his agent was killed. A massive force arrived in due course to do battle, but found themselves held down in various skirmishes in the jungles, until they finally captured the Raja two years later. They sent him prisoner to Chanda in 1802, pending the payment of a large ransom. With the defeat of the Marathas in the third Anglo-Maratha War, they were finally induced to release the raja in 1817, but he was not permitted to return to Sonepur until the Diwan finally settled the enormous ransom of Rs 100,000 in 1821. Sonepur finally came under British protection when ceded to the HEIC by the Bhonsle's, 13^th December 1826. Granted the personal title of Raja Bahadur. m. (first) Rani Srimati Laxmipriya Devi Sahiba, who assumed the Regency when the Marathas imprisoned her husband in 1802, concluded an agreement placing Sonepur under British protection 13^th December 1803, but subsequently returned to the Bhonsles by the treaty of retrocession on 24^th August 1806, and she was subsequently turned out of the fort by Maratha officers in 1817. m. (second) 1828, Rani Srimati Gundicha Devi Sahiba (d. at Sonepur, after 1862), who served as Regent during the last years of her husband's life and then for her minor son 1847-1856, daughter of Lal Harihar Ray, of Daspalla. He d. at Sonepur, 27^th July 1841, having had issue, two sons and a daughter:

2) Yuvraj Sriman Niladrinath Singh Deo, who succeeded as Raja Sriman Niladhar Singh Deo Bahadur, Raja of Sonepur (s/o Gundicha Devi) - see below.
1) A daughter. m. Raja Chakradhar Singh Deo Bahadur, Raja of Seraikella (d. at Bolangir, 25^th November 1883), elder son of Raja Azembhar [Ajamber] Singh Deo, Zamindar of Seraikella. She had issue, one son and two daughters - see India (Seraikella).

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