Nagvanshi Rulers of the Chotanagpur ( Jharkhand)

 Introduction :- 

Nagvanshi Kingdom was one of many princely states in British India. Nagvanshis ruled over Chhotanagpur plateau in India for close to two thousand years, from the 1st century to 1951 when the Zamindari was abolished.

This would put the Nagvanshis among the top dynasties that ruled the longest in the world, which include the Dulo clan in Bulgaria and The Imperial House of Japan.It ended with the passing of Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo in 2014.

The Nagwanshi Rajputs were the rulers of Chotanagpur since the beginning of the Christian era. The first Nagvanshi ruler was Phani Mukut Rai born in 64 AD. He was the adopted son of Madra Munda, the Partha Raja of Sutiambe. Phani Mukut Rai ruled from 83AD to 162 AD.Nagwanshis claim to be from the ikshvaku lineage . They claim to be the descendants of lakshman . Since lakshman was the abtar of shesh nag , they are called nagwanshi. This fact has been supported by puranas also which states Nagwansh as a branch of suryawansh.

Till date, four Nagvanshavalis are available that prove that the Nagvanshis ruled over Chotanagpur plateau in India for close to two thousand years, from the 1st century to 1951 when the Zamindari was abolished.

The setting up of Nag dynasty among the Munda and tribes is looked upon by some as the acculturation process, while other consider it as spatial expansion of the Oraon Naga and Chero Kingdom who were once the rulers of central part of India.

History of the Nagvanshis in Mughal Reign:- 

Till the reign of Akbar, Chotanagpur had not come under the suzerainty of the Mughals and the Nagvanshi rulers had been ruling over this region as independent rulers. Akabar was informed of a rebel Afghan sardar, Junaid Kararani, was taking shelter in Chotanagpur.

Besides, the emperor also got information of diamonds being found in this area. Consequently, Akbar ordered Shahbaz Khan Turbani to attack Kokhra (the then seat of Nagvanshi kings and capital of Chotanagpur). At that time Raja Madhu Singh, the 42nd Nagvanshi king was ruling at Kokhra. Consequently Kokhra was subdued by the armies of Akbar and a sum of rupees six thousand was fixed as its annual revenues payable to the Mughals.(Ruins of Navratangarh , the capital of Nagwanshis).

By the advent of the reign of Jahangir, Nagvanshi Raja Durjan Sal had come to power in Chotanagpur. He refused to pay the rent fixed by the Emperor Akbar. Jahangir ordered Ibrahim Khan (governor of Bihar) to attack Kokhra. The details of this invasion are mentioned in Jahangir’s memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri. There was also another reason behind the invasion. This was the acquisition of the diamonds found in the bed of the river Sankh in the region.

Due to its diamonds Chotanagpur was also known as Heera Nagpur and its Raja Durjan Sal, being an expert of diamonds, was known as Heera Raja among the people. Thus to subdue the Raja of Chotanagpur and to acquire valuable diamonds, Jahangir decided to invade Chotanagpur.On getting orders from the emperor, Ibrahim Khan marched against Kokhra in 1615 AD. He entered the Nagvanshi territories easily with the help of his guides.

The Nagvanshi Raja Durjan Sal found himself beleaguered himself within the hills and vales. He fled and was at last found in a cave with some of his family members. He was arrested and all diamonds which were in the possession of Durjan Sal and his family were captured by Ibrahim Khan. Twenty four elephants also fell into the hands of Ibrahim Khan.

After this, Kokhara was subdued and the diamonds found there were sent to the Imperial court. After his defeat and arrest, Durjan Sal offered as ransom jewels, gold and silver to the value of crores of rupees, but Ibrahim Khan did not release him and took him as a captive to Patna. From there he was sent to the Imperial court and subsequently imprisoned in the fort of Gwalior.According to Nagvanshi traditions and Col. Dalton, Raja Durjan Sal’s confinement lasted twelve years. Ultimately, the very diamonds which had caused the misfortune of Durjan Sal secured him his release and former prosperity.

It so happened that from some place, two very large diamonds were brought to Emperor Jahangir’s court. A doubt arose in the mind of the Emperor over the genuineness of one of them. As no one in his court was able to confirm or relieve his suspicion, the Heera Raja was brought to the Imperial court from his incarceration.

When the two diamonds were brought before him, he without any hesitation pointed out the fake one. To prove it to the court and the Emperor, he requested two rams to be brought to the court. He then tied the two diamonds on the horns of the two rams and made them fight each other. As a result of the fight, the fake diamond shattered but there was no scratch on the pure one.

The Emperor was so impressed and pleased with Durjan Sal that he not only released him but also restored the prosperity taken from him in addition to his kingdom.The generous Durjan Sal further begged the Emperor to release the other Rajas who had been his companions in prison and his prayer was granted. Being pleased with Durjan Sal, Jahangir conferred the title of ‘Shah’ on the Kokhra ruler. On his return to Chotanagpur, Durjan Sal assumed the title of Maharaja and changed his surname. Most probably from that time ‘Shah’ was added with the names of the Nagvanshi kings. The reign of Durjan Sal lasted for about thirteen years. He died in 1639 or 1640 AD.

This dynasty produced freedom fighters like Vishwanath shahdeo, who fought against the British in 1857.

The speciality of Nagwanshis is they never collected taxes from tribals . In Ranchi they have donated acres of land but not a single name plate of nagwansh is there

By: Shashank Shekhar