PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
The state was founded
in 1125?. Rulers were...
- Raja NARAYAN SINGH Bhujang
Mandhata Birat Basant
Harichandan, Raja of Nilgiri 1521/1564, a scion
of
the Chhota-Nagpur Royal Family, married about 1510, a daughter of Raja
Pratap
Rudra
Dev of Orissa.
- ...... (23 intervening rulers)
- Raja RAM CHANDRA MARDRAJ
HARICHANDAN, 32nd Raja of Nilgiri 1797/1832
- Raja GOVIND CHANDRA
MARDRAJ HARICHANDAN, 33rd Raja of Nilgiri 1832/1833.
- Rani Chira Devi,
34th Rani of Nilgiri 1833/1843
- Raja KRISHNA CHANDRA
MARDRAJ HARICHANDAN, 35th Raja of Nilgiri 1843/1893, born
1827, succeeded
22nd November 1832 (#1), title of Raja
formally
recognised in 1874.
- Raja SHYAM CHANDRA MARDRAJ
HARICHANDAN, 36th Raja of Nilgiri 1893/1913, adopted
in 1882, son
of Maharaja Krishna Chandra Bhanj of Mayurbhanj,
married, and had issue, one son and one daughter.
- Raja Kishore Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (qv)
- Rani Basant Manjari Devi, born 1900, entered politics as
the Rajmata of Ranpur; M.L.A. (Orissa) 1952/1961 (two terms); Deputy
Minister, Health (20.2.1952) - (6.4.1957); Health
Minister of Orissa (27.4.1957) - (22.5.1959),
she was the first Woman of the State to be included to the
State Ministry; she proved to be popular and a TB Hospital in Chandpur
is named after her; married 1928, Yuvaraj Biranchi Narayan Singh Deo of
Ranpur, and had issue. She
died 7th June 1961.
 Raja
KISHORE CHANDRA MARDRAJ HARICHANDAN, 37th Raja of Nilgiri
1913/1960, born 2nd
February
1904 and succeeded as the 37th Raja Saheb of Nilgiri on
6th July 1913, he was granted full ruling powers on 2nd February 1925,
and installed on 20th April 1925; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer;
married 1stly, 28th February 1922, Rani Anand Kumari, daughter of HH
Raja Sir Pratap Singhji of Alirajpur,
married 2ndly,
19th June 1925, Rani Giriraj Kumari Devi,
daughter of the Thakore Saheb of Thakurgaon in Ranchi, Bihar, and had
issue, five sons and three daughters. He died 29th March 1960.
- Rajkumari Kamlesh Manjari Devi (by Rani Anand Kumari),
born 1923, married 1944, Maharaj Naharsinghji, born 1909, died 1966, of
Chhota Udepur in
Gujarat, and had issue, one son. She died 2010.
- Rajkumari Swarnalata Manjari Devi (by Rani Giriraj
Kumari), born 1924, married Maharajkumar
Shri Shri Shri Madhav Sundar Gajapathi Narayana Deo of Parlakhimedi (later Raja Madhav
Sundar Gajapati Narayan Deo of Delang, Balaramnagar and Manikprasad),
born 1919, died 1995, second son of Capt. Maharaja Saheb Shri Shri Shri
Krishna Chandra
Gajapathi Narayana Deo of Parlakhimedi, and had issue, one son.
- Raja Rajendra Chandra Mardaraj Harichandan (by Rani
Giriraj Kumari) (qv)
-
Rajkumari Snehalata Manjari Devi [Maharani
Suryamani Pattamahadei of Puri] (by Rani Giriraj Kumari), born 1935,
married Sri Gajapathi Maharaj Bira Kishore Deb of Puri, and had issue,
two sons and one daughter. She died in 1994.
- Rajkumar Chotrai Bharatendra Chandra Mardaraj
Harichandan, born 1941, married the daughter of Lal Saheb of
Thakurgaon, Ranchi and has issue, one son and two daughters.
- Rajkumar Routrai Saheb Rathendra Chandra Mardaraj
Harichandan
(by Rani Giriraj Kumari), born 1943 in Nilgiri, educated at
Rajkumar College, Raipur; married 9th May 1976 in Badagaon, Balasore,
Rajkumarani Prativa Devi, daughter of Shri
Radhashyam Das of Badagaon, Balasore, and has issue, one son and one
daughter.
-
Kumar Sandeep Mardaraj
-
Kumari Vidya Devi
-
Rajkumar Badkumar Surendra Chandra Mardaraj
Harichandan (by Rani Giriraj Kumari), born 1945, married the daughter
of the Raja of Kalkala Estate, Cuttack, and has issue, one son. He died
2011.
- Rajkumar Sankumar Kirendra Chandra Mardaraj Harichandan
(by Rani Giriraj Kumari), born 1947, married Rajkumarani Renuka,
daughter of a Lal Saheb
of Jharia Estate, Ranchi, and has issue, two sons.
-
Kumar Prakash Chandra Mardaraj M.Sc., born
6th May 1981, Ranchi, Jharkhand, educated, graduated in 2006 with an
M.Sc. degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, he is working with
the Wildlife Institute, Dehradun and is presently pursuing a Doctorate
degree on the Ecology of the Sloth Bear in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
-
Kumar Bikash Chandra Mardaraj
- Raja RAJENDRA CHANDRA
MARDRAJ HARICHANDAN, 38th Raja of
Nilgiri 1960/2001, born
9th April 1930, succeeded his father on 29th March 1960; educated at
Rajkumar College, Raipur, at Ravenshaw
College, Cuttack, at MS Law College, Cuttack (LL.B.) and at Jadavpur
University,
Calcutta (M.A.); joined Ganatantra Parishad in 1960; he has helped to
establish the Girls M. E. School at
Nilgiri; Member of Managing Committee of Rajkumar College, Raipur;
M.L.A. (Orissa) for three terms 1961/1967, 1974/1977 and
1977/1980; interests and pastimes were Reading, Music and Photography,
Billiards, Tennis and Shikar; married
Rani Indira Devi, only daughter of Raja Amarendra Mansingh Bhramarbar
Rai of Dompada in Cuttack, and his
wife, Rani
Pritam
Kumari, and had
issue, two sons and one daughter.
He died 30th May 2001.
- Raja Jayant Chandra Mardraj Harichandan (qv)
- Rajkumar Jagdish Chandra Mardaraj, State Co-ordinator of
Reliance Group in Orissa, Member Bhubaneswar Club Ltd., married
Rajkumari Jyotshna Devi Mardaraj, eldest daughter of Sri Lalchand
Navani of Delhi, and has issue, two daughters.
-
Kumari Prakriti
-
Kumari Akriti
- Rajkumari Jaishree Devi, married Rajkumar Dhruv Narain
Singh of Shivrati,
and has issue, one son.
- Shriman Maharaj
Sahib Shri Raghav Raj Singh of Shivrati
- Raja JAYANT CHANDRA
MARDRAJ HARICHANDAN, 39th Raja of Nilgiri (see above)
|
born 1956,
educated at Hartley's School, Calcutta, at Stewart
School, Cuttack, at Rajkumar College, Raipur, at B.J.B.
College, Bhubaneswar and at Utkal University (B.A., LL.B.); he is a
very strong enthusiast and
activist in the Preservation of Wild Life; General Secratary, Art and
Culture Cell, Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee 2003/2004; Member,
State Election Committee, Youth Congress, 1996; President (nominee)
P.K.Bidya mandir, Dompara, 1989/1992; Vice
President of the Governing Council of Rajkumar
College, Raipur 2001/2004; Member, Managing Committee 2009/2014;
Honorary Wild life Warden, Forest Dept., Odisha; Member State Board for
Wild Life, Govt., Odisha; Member, State Expert Committee, critical wild
life habitat, Forest Dept., Odisha; Member, Executive Committeem,
Nature Wildlife Conservation Society; Member, Odisha State Wildlife
Fund for Nature (WWF-India), New Delhi; Secretary/Co-convenor, Natural
Heritage division, Odisha chapter, INTACH-New Delhi (Indian National
Trust of Art and Cultural Heritage); Member, Selection Committee, State
Afforestation Awards, Forest Dept., Odisha 2000/2001; Member, District
Environment Society, collectorate, Khurda 2001/2003; Member, District
Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Eco-Clubs, N.G.P.C., Odisha;
Team Leader, Status survey of Birds 2001/2004; Member Irrawady dolphin
census; Approved Consultant, Wildlife tourism Simlipal/Nilgiri Govt.
Tourist Dept., Odisha; Chief Advisor, Relocation and
Rehabilitaion;Y.R.D.O. tiger reserve, Odisha; Advisor Tribal medicinal
Research project; Member, Expert study team, O.E.S. Mahendragiri hills
mini-Biosphere; Consulting editor, American Biograpical Institute Inc
(A.B.I.), North Carolina, U.S.A.; married Rani Manoja Manjari Devi,
eldest daughter of Raja Kirti Chandra Deo Harishchandra
Jagadev
of Surangi, and his wife, Rani
Soubhagya Manjari Devi; she was also the adopted daughter of the Senior
Rani Srimanta Manjari Devi, wife of Raja Kishore Chandra Deo Samanta of
Athmalik; she was educated at
St. Joseph’s Convent and
Sailabala Women’s College, Cuttack and has a diploma in Interior
Decoration and a Post Graduate Degree in Psychological Counselling. She
is a Reiki Grandmaster (Reiki is a healing therapy recognized by the
W.H.O. as an alternate therapy). She is the Director of Svadhyaya
Foundation involved in Reiki teaching and practising. She is
also a
Founder Member of AOL Bhubaneswar Chapter. She is proud to have
represented AOL in World Faith Conference in 1999 as its youngest
delegate. She was associated with the Training Division of Amway
International, which was awarded for its express efforts at
setting up
the Pick up Centre at Bhubaneswar. She is the Hereditary Trustee and
President of Nilgiri Debotar and is involved in many religious and
charitable services through it. She is a Trustee of Visamo Foundation
involved in educating brilliant children from BPL families. Besides
Social activities, her literary awards have been rewarded by Swami
Tejomayananda in Chinmay International Magzines. Some of her works have
been published in Asian Age, Sambad and Bhubaneswar Club Magazine of
which she was on the Editorial Board. She has addressed the Rotary Club
of Bhubaneswar on two occasions, once on Reiki and recently on Life
After Death; and has issue, one son.