PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
The Raj was located 21 kilometres south of Kanika Raj
Estate, directly east of Angul near the coast. The
Rajas of Aul are descendants of Raja Tailanga Mukunda Dev,
a Chalukya
prince and the last independent King of Orissa, who ruled
from 1551 to
1567. Raja Tailanga Mukunda Deb was attacked by the Afghan
Ruler of
Bengal Province and died in battle while defending his
territories. On
his untimely death, his throne was usurped by his Chief
Minister
Janrdhan Vidhaydhar and there followed a period of chaos
for 21 years
during which two petty Kings ruled, but were killed in the
course of
battle and the country was then a scene of anarchic
disturbances. The
Chief Minister of Raja Tailanga Mukunda Deva, Janrdhan
Vidyadhar
managed to place his son upon the throne with the title of
Gajapati Ram
Chandra Dev and thus, the Bhoi Dynasty of Khurda and Puri
was founded.
However, Raja Tailanga Mukunda Deb had two sons,
Tailanga Ram
Chandra Deb and
Chakkari Bhrambara, they attacked Khurda but could not
wrest back the
throne. They approached the court of Emperor Akbar for a
settlement of
their dispute. Emperor Akbar deputed Raja Todar Mal and
Raja Man Singh
to march on to Orissa and settle the issue. The
territories were
settled as follows:- The State of Medieval Orissa was thus
divided into
two divisions. The House of Khurda was established and was
given to
Gajpati Ram Chandra Deb with power to rule over 129 Killas
of Orissa
and their seat of power being the estates of Khurda and
Puri. Secondly,
Tailanga Ram Chandra Deb was granted the House of Aul and
right to
control 23 Killas and 42 Zamindaris. Chhakri
Bhramarbara,the second son
of Tailanga Mukunda Dev received the fort of Sarangarh and
the
Zamindari of Patia. The Kingdom of Aul in 1582 was as
follows - Aul at
that time consisted of 23 Killas and 42 zamindaris, the
Killas being
Kanika, Ryonta, Kujang, Kokilodeep, Harishpur, Marichpur,
Bishnupur,
Jamukera, Cheedra, Darpani, Dholtang, Daljoda, Chatra,
Amjera,
Balrampur, Alamgiri, Lalitagiri, Kalupara, Bhunia-Bhadrak,
Noudih,
Barmatree, Alumpeda and Kaljang. The Aul Killa as reported
in 1917 was
situated in a North Easterly direction from the town of
Cuttack and was
divided into three Parganas, namely Utihar, Kutavsahi and
Dera-Barimul,
having an area of 134 square miles. The rivers Brahmani
and Kharosota
form
the boundaries of the Killa and enormous embankments have
been
constructed to protect the land from periodical floods.
Estate holders were...
- Raja Tailanga RAM
CHANDRA
DEB, Raja of Aul 1567/-, after he received
the Killa
from Raja Man Singh, he defeated
the petty local Zamindars and became Raja in the year
1590. He also
conquered Basu Kalapataru, the Jogi Raja of Dera Bisi
near Kendrapara
and proceeded to occupy his country, securing the
Mahantship of a small
Math with power over the inhabitants of the Baishnava
caste. The last
two privileges were enjoyed by his successors to the
present time. A
lengthy period
of peace and prosperity ensued during the reigns of
his successors.
- Raja NILAKANTHA DEB
I,
Raja of Aul
- Raja BALABHADRA DEB,
Raja of Aul
- Raja GOPINATH DEB I,
Raja of Aul
- Raja TRILOCHAN DEB,
Raja of Aul, he continued the interest of the
preceding four Rajas in furthering trading
relationships with other
places in India as well as other countries. They
equipped a fleet of
around 200 sailing
vessels which visited Bombay, Burma, Borneo, Java and
Sumatra. These
vessels continued to ply their trade till competition
came from
steamers belonging
to a number of European Shipping Companies.
- Raja KISHORI DEB,
Raja of Aul
- Raja NILAKANTHA DEB
II,
Raja of Aul, he constructed a beautiful Temple
of Laxmi Baraha Jew and gave a Zilla of 8000Rs at that
time for its
maintenance and worship. He also established many
smaller temples,
including Dadhibaman Jew Temple at Dera Bisi. He
introduced into his
Kingdom many high caste Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Karanas
and bestowed upon
them lands for their sustenance, so that they in turn
could serve the
society.
- Raja GOPINATH DEB
II,
Raja of Aul, he ruled around 1747, during this
period the Marathas invaded Orissa.
- Raja RAM KRISHNA
DEB,
Raja of Aul, he received authority via a sannad
with the Maratha Government at Nagpur to be called the
Maharaja of Aul,
and was invested with the Royal Insignia and given the
authority to
keep 500 Cavalry. During his reign, in 1803, Orissa
was conquered by
the
British and an agreement was concluded through the
Treaty of Deogaon by
which a peshkash was permanently fixed and all
powers of the
Killajat
Raja were conferred upon the Ruler. One of the
provisions of the
agreement then entered into was that the Raja was
required to pay an
annual sum of equivalent to 28,359Rs; he was a great
warrior, and
rendered assistance to General Harcourt in December
1803, in a battle at Kendrapara, for which he received
from the East
India
Company, a letter of acknowledgment of his services.
- Raja PRATAP RUDRA
DEB,
Raja of Aul -/1841 (deposed), he was an opium addict
and became
insane and during that period Aul became weaker and
lost territories
through sunset laws and was henceforth managed by the
Court of Wards
till 1847, he married and had issue.
- Raja PADMANABH DEB,
Raja of Aul 1841/1888, born 1821 (1830), during his
long
reign and
especially in 1866, Orissa was devastated by a
terrible famine, during
which many died and the surviving subjects were
reduced to the most
abject state
of misery, he was extremely pious and introduced many
measures to provide food and comfort to the subjects.
He also
introduced into his Kingdom many high caste Brahmins,
Kshatriyas,
Karanas and bestowed upon them lands for their
sustenance, so that they
in turn could serve the society; he married and had
issue, two sons,
the elder of whom died of cholera during the famine.
He died 1888.
- Raja JADUNATH DEB,
Raja of Aul 1888/1900, during his reign the last
settlement of the District of
Cuttack was completed, he was a man of strong
religious principles, and
a considerable portion of his income was spent in
constructing temples, tanks and wells, and for the
establishment of a
new
deity, named Jadukulo Chandra Jew, for which he gifted
property worth
2000Rs for its maintenance. He held a great festival
annually lasting a
whole week at a cost of several thousands of Rupees
and provided ample
food for the brahmins, baishnabs and the needy poor of
his territories.
He ruled his subjects with firmness tempered with
justice and did all
in his power to promote their happiness; he married
Rani Binod Kumari
Patta Mahadei, a princess of Panchkote, now
in West Bengal, and had issue, three sons and
one daughter. He died in 1900, whilst
worshipping in the temple of Lakshmi Baraha Jew,
reciting his own
written
couplets in honour of the Lord.
- Rajkumar Sunamoni Bansidhar Deb, adopted to
neighbouring
Kanika
and succeded there as Raja Bahadur Sir Rajendra
Narayan Bhanj Deo
Bahadur of Kanika.
- Raja Braja Sundar Deb (qv)
- Rajkumari Jemamoni Labanya Kumari, married to the
Raja of
Chikiti in Ganjam District of Orissa.
- Raja PITAMBER DEB,
Raja of Aul 1900/1905, succeeded his father on his
death in 1900; married Rani Swarna Manjari
Devi, daughter of Raja Nilambar Chandra Deo of Bonai, and had issue,
one daughter. He died spm in 1905, when a
steam motor launch in
which he was returning from a hunting expedition
encountered a violent
storm in the River Kharasota and sank beneath the
waters, carrying
along with it the Raja and his attendants.
- Rani Sarat Kumari Devi, married 25th November
1925,
Rana Birpal Singhji of Bhajji,
and had
issue. She died February 1986.
- Raja BRAJA SUNDAR
DEB,
Raja of Aul 1905/1946, he inherited the praise
worthy qualities of his predecessors. He was wise in
administration,
devoted to music and
religious pursuits, protecting uprightment and
punishing evil doers. He
contributed liberally to the maintenance of Temples
and the cause of
education. He funded from his private purse Sanskrit
and Upper Primary
Schools at Aul in 1908. He provided scholarships to
needy students
residing at a distance from his Killa. He is the
founder donor for the
construction of the Town Hall at Cuttack, called
Sriram Chandra Bhawan.
He increased his Estate by purchasing and retrieving
some of his old
territories which had been taken over by the British
under the sunset
laws, like the Killas of Harishpur, Marichpur,
Bishnupur and Alamgiri.
The
Raja always encouraged sporting activities, was a keen
marksman with
rifle and gun, in which he had few equals. His hunting
expeditions led
him to take a deep interest in the habits of the wild
beasts and his
great
courage which was one of the most noticeable features
in his character
- together with the knowledge of his power over those
animals,
doubtless, caused him to become a Shikari in earnest.
There is
probably no other occupant of a throne who has
captured and trained
wild animals, and the success of the Raja in that
direction resulted in
the formation of a travelling circus of which he was
the controlling
spirit. Lions, tigers, bears and other ferocious
inhabitants of the
jungle seemed to be as harmless as the domestic cat,
when they were
brought face to face with him, and the marvellous
manner in which he
compelled submission to his will was striking proof of
the power of the
man. The Raja had his own methods of training and was
invariably
successful in the end. His skill in subduing an animal
was no less than
the wonderful patience he exhibited. The Aul Raj
Circus was known
throughout India and Burma, numerous letters as to the
high class
character of the performances had been received at
Ranchi, Purulia,
Bankipore, Ramnagar, Vizagapatnam and other places,
while in 1916 H.E.
Lord Carmichael, Governor of Bengal presented a
Testimonial to the Raja
in recognition of his extraordinary courage. Medals
were also received
at the Delhi Durbar in 1911 and Cuttack Coronation
Durbar in the same
year and from many Rajas, Maharajas and prominent
Europeans at
Calcutta. He was one of the patrons for the
Publication of the first
ever Oriya Dictonary called Purna Chandra Bhasa Kos.
He was a close
confidante of Shri Janaki Nath Bose, the consulting
attorney of the
Aul Zamindari at that time and the father of Netaji
Subhash
Chandra Bose. In the latter part of his life
he was supportive of Indian Revolutionaries like
Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose. He was a pioneer for the formation of a separate
Province of
Orissa and contributed liberally and supported the
Utkal Sammilani;
married Rani Maithali Devi Patta Mahadei of Bonai, a
cousin of Rani
Swarna Manjari Devi of Aul, and had issue. He died
1946.
- Raja Chandra Bhanu Deb (qv)
- Raja CHANDRA BHANU
DEB,
Raja of Aul 1946/1961, who stayed mostly at
Benaras and at
Puri. He was twice the President of Orissa Musical
Society and had been
trained by the famous musician Pt. Omkar Nath Thakur
at Benaras and was
very adept at playing the violin; married Rani Ramraj
Kumari
Pattamahadei of Lakhanpur, Surguja, who as Rani Saheba
of Aul, was
also a member of
the Orissa Legislative Assembly from 1952 to 1957, and
had issue, two
sons and five daughters.
- Rani Padma Devi (+), married Justice Raja Chandra
Shekhar
Prasad Singh, Raja Saheb of Daiya in
U.P., Judge of the Allahabad High Court, U.P., died
in office after
being mistakenly killed by dacoits, and had issue,
four daughters and
two sons.
- Rajkumari Savitiri Devi (+), married Kunwar
Tribhuvan
Shah
Deo (+) of Kanker, fourth son of Lal Nand Kishore
Nath Shah Deo of Ratu
Zamindari; a sportsman of
repute, and has issue, one son.
- Raja Ban Bihari Deb (qv)
- Rani Shanti Devi [now Rajmata Shanti Devi of
Dharakote],
M.L.A. (Orissa) 1990/1995; Chairperson of Dharakote
Panchayat Samiti;
involved in various Womens' Organisations; married
Raja Ananta Narayan
Singh Deo (+) of Dharakote,
a former
Minister in Orissa and a former Member of
Parliament, and had issue, one son and three
daughters.
- Rajkumari Shashikala Devi, married Lal Saheb
Dhurandhar Singh Deo (+) of Khariar,
and has issue, two sons and four
daughters.
- Rajkumari Usha Devi, married Kunwar Ravindra Nath
Shah
Deo
(+) of Kanker, third son of Lal Nand Kishore Nath
Shah Deo of Ratu
Zamindari; a teacher
of repute in Rajkumar College, Raipur; and had
issue, two sons.
- Raja Sarat Kumar Deb (qv)
- Raja BAN BIHARI DEB,
Raja of Aul 1961/1967, educated at Benaras and was
a keen marksman; married Rani Jayshree Devi (+),
daughter
of Tikayat Nrupendra Narayan Singh Deo of Seraikella, and his
wife,
Tikayet
Rani Kusum Manjari Devi, and had issue, two daughters.
He died spm
1967.
- Rani Sangita Devi, married Raja Akhilesh Pratap
Mal of
Majhauli, U.P., and has issue, two sons.
- Yuvraj Ark Pratap Mal
- Rajkumar Anirudh Pratap Mal
- Rajkumari Pritilata Devi, married Kumar Tarani
Prasad
Singh Deo, son of Lal Saheb Dhurandhar Singh Deo of
Khariar, and
Rajkumari Shashikala Devi of Aul (see above), and
has issue one son and
one
daughter.
- Kumari Priyanka Devi, studying
in USA
- Kumar Adideb Singh Deo
- Raja SARAT KUMAR
DEB
B.A., Raja of Aul 1967/1988, born 16th October
1942 (#1), educated at
Rajkumar College, Raipur and was
the Head
Boy of the school in 1959/1960, where he was an all
round sportsman and
excelled in Football and qualified for the
university and State
selections at that time; he
further studied at
Christ College, Cuttack and BJB College
Bhubaneswar for his graduation. He was an excellent
Debater and Orator,
and
was chosen as the best N.C.C. Sr. Division Cadet in
1964, he
entered politics in 1967, President of
Krushak
Samaj, Aul; President of various
cultural and social institutions; President of
Khendrapara District
Janata; Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
1977/1978 and
1978/1979, he served the Orissa Government
as Deputy Minister
for Works, Transport and Excise (21.1.1971) -
(14.6.1972) and Minister
for
Irrigation from (25.10.1979) - (17.2.1980). He was
elected as member of
the Orissa
Legislative Assembly for four terms (1971/1985). He
was Leader of the
Opposition in
the Orissa Legislative Assembly (2.4.1984) -
(10.3.1985). He was
elected as a
member of Parliament (8th Lok Sabha) in 1985 and
continued as a member
till his
untimely death in 1988; he married
27th January
1969, Rani
Sushree Devi,
born 10th October 1950 in Raipur, Chattisgarh;
daughter of Raja Anup
Singh Deo of Khariar,
and his wife,
Shrimati
Rani Saubhagya
Manjari Devi, Agriculturist,
Political and Social Worker, B.A.
Educated
at S.B. Women's College, Cuttack (Orissa), 1990-95
Member, Orissa Legislative Assembly
April 2002 Elected to Rajya Sabha
May 2002 onwards Member, Committee on Industry Aug.
2002 onwards
Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of
Water Resources, she participated
in the (i) peasant movement against
the hike in agriculture water tax in 1971 at Aul
and Kendrapara sub division and (ii) relief
operation
for the flood victims in the 1971 cyclone in the
area; spearheaded the
movement in Kendrapara district to set up Girls High
School in 1977;
and carried out extensive relief operation in Aul in
the 1999 Super
Cyclone; has keen interest in (i) conservation of
ancient heritage and
important archeological monuments and (ii)
aquaculture activities;
inclined towards experimenting various aquaculture
production
activities such as prawn and fisheries in Kendrapara
district,
Interests: Reading,
touring new places, cooking, wildlife
protection and conservation, folk theatre in rural
areas and
agriculture, Director,
Lift Irrigation Corporation, Orissa, for three
years; Member, (i) Board
of Secondary Education, Orissa, for five years, (ii)
TAC, Orissa, for
four years, (iii) Consultative Irrigation Committee,
Orissa for four
years and (iv) Sri Vihar Sanskrit University, Puri
(Orissa) for two
years; previously associated with the Janata Dal, and
had issue, two sons
and one daughter. His passing on 24th March 1988 of
stomach cancer
created a void in Orissa politics.
- Raja Braj
Keshari Deb (qv)
- Thatraj Pratap Keshari Deb B.A.,
born 21st
December
1971, educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur
and graduated with
Political Science
Honours from Ram Jas College, Delhi University; Gold
Medalist in
shooting competition for Junior Division NCC Cadets
held at Udaipur in
1986, represented his school in Football and Hockey
at the natonal
level in
the Iner Public School Championships in 1986/87, and
was ajudged the
Best Goalkeeper of the tournament on both occasions,
he entered
politics in
1993, M.L.A. (Orissa) 2004/2009 (two terms); Member,
Telephone Advisory
Committee, Cuttack
Circle; Member, Library Committee 2000/2003 and
2004/2005;
Member, Public Undertakings Committee, 2000/2002,
2000/2004 and
2006/2007; Member, Subject Committee on Water
Resources, 2000/2005;
Member, House Committee on Cyclone/Flood, 2000/2001;
Member, House
Committee on Forest Protection, 2001/2003; Member,
House Committe to
review the functioning of the N.G.Os in the
State, 2004/2007; Member, Committee on Estimates,
2005/2006 and 2007/-;
Member, Committee on Petitions, 2005/2007; Member,
Standing Committe on
WR, Agriculture, F & ARD (No.2), 2005/-; married
Rajkumari Avantika
Singh, daughter of late Yuvraj Rajesh Pal Singh
Judeo and Yuvrani (now
Rajmata) Raj Devi of Gopalpura, Dist. Jalaun,
and has issue, one
son and one daughter.
- Kumar Karmanya Pratap Deb
- Rajkumari Gitanjali Devi, married to Kunwar
Amaresh
Pratap Singh, son of Rajkumar Akhil Pratap Singh,
fourth son of Raja
Ajit
Pratap Singh of Pratapgarh
U.P., and has issue, one son.
- Kumar Abhyuday Pratap Singh
- Raja BRAJ
KESHARI DEB, Raja of Aul (see above)
The generous assistance of Raja Braj Keshari Deb is
gratefully acknowledged, December 2007.
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