PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
The traditional history of Kanker goes back to 106AD when Raja Satkarni
of the Satavahan dynasty ruled Kanker. Afterwards the Chalukya rulers
added Kanker to their empire where it remained till 788AD. A succession
of dynasties then controlled Kanker till the end of the Kandra
dynasty in 1385. The
present ruler belongs to a very old Rajput family, and according to
tradition,
his ancestor, Raja Veer Kanhar Dev, formerly the abdicated ruler of
Jagannath Puri, was raised to the throne by a vote of the people and
ruled till 1404. Under
the Marathas, the Kanker State was held on condition of furnishing a
military
contingent 500 strong whenever needed. In 1809, the Chief was deprived
of Kanker, but was restored to it in 1818 by the British Resident on
payment
of a tribute of 500Rs. Rulers were...
- Raja GOOR SAI DEO -/1729, married and had issue. He died
1729.
- Raja HARPAL DEO (qv)
- Rani (name unknown),
married Raja DALPAT DEV of Bastar, and
had issue.
- Raja HARPAL DEO 1729/1775, died 1775.
- Raja DHIRAJ SINGH DEO 1775/-
- Raja SHYAM SINGH DEO -/1802
- Raja BHOOP DEV 1802/1809 (first time)
INTERREGNUM 1809/1818 (Maratha occupation)
- Raja BHOOP DEV 1818/1839 (second time), married and had
issue. He died 1839.
- Raja PADMA DEO 1839/1853, constructed a temple devoted to
the goddess Durga, married and had issue. He died
1853.
- Maharajadhiraj NAHAR DEO (qv)
- Rajkumar Laxman Dev
- Rajkumar Shiv Charan Dev
- Rajkumar Ghanshyam Singh Dev
- NOTE: one of these brothers was the father of
Maharajadhiraj KOMAL DEO (qv)
- Maharajadhiraj NAHAR DEO 1853/1903, born 13th May 1850,
succeeded 5th December
1853 (#1), he was
granted the right of adoption by the British authorities, and
acknowledged their supremacy; during his reign he constructed a number
of temples, a library and a Palace, he established a new town named
Narharpur near
Kanker; he married
Maharanidhirani Padmalaya
Devi, daughter of Raja BHAIRAM DEO of Bastar,
and had issue. He died
May 1903.
- Rajkumar (name unknown),
died vpsp aged 14 years.
- Rajkumar (name unknown),
died vpsp aged 16 years.
- Maharajadhiraj KOMAL DEO 1903/1925, during his reign he
established one high school, one Girls
school and 15 primary schools as well as two hospitals (in Kanker and
in Sambalpur). He established a new town near Kanker named
Govindpur, which he wanted to make his capital; he married three times
and had issue, one daughter. He died spm
8th January 1925
and was succeeded by his nephew (or relative).
- Maharajkumari Govind Kumari
 Maharajadhiraj
BHANU PRATAP DEO 1925/1969, adopted from Ratu (Chhota Nagpur), born
17th
September 1922 and succeeded
8th January 1925, Kanker was initially administered by Shri Raghuveer
Prasad Yadhav while the young ruler was educated at Rajkumar College,
Raipur and later at Mayo College, Ajmer (B.A. and I.C.S. examination);
also studied in England; in 1944 he was granted full ruling powers;
M.L.A. (Madhya
Pradesh) for two terms in 1952/1957 and 1962/1967; he established a new
town named Bhanupratappur and constructed a cinema in Kanker; he was
instrumental in founding a new degree college in Kanker in 1962 to
which he donated furniture and books; he married in 1944,
Maharanidhirani Amulya
Prabha Devi of Sonepur, and had issue.
He
died 14th August 1969.
- Maharajadhiraj UDAI PRATAP DEO (qv)
- Maharajkumari Manjushree Devi, married Kumar Shri
Mahirajsinhji Surendrasinhji of Sayla,
and has issue.
- Maharajadhiraj UDAI PRATAP DEO 1969/2001, he was an avid
conservationist and was President of the General Council, Rajkumar
College from 1988 to 1993; married
Maharanidhirani Tripureshwari Devi, daughter of Thakore Saheb SURENDRA
SINGH of Sayla in Gujarat, and his wife,
Thakorani Manishwari Devi, and had
issue. He died 2001.
- Maharajkumari Anuradha Devi
- Maharajadhiraj ADITYA
PRATAP DEO (qv)
- Maharajkumar Surya Pratap Deo (Prince Jolly), educated at
Rajkumar College, Raipur; he is presently (2009) actively involved in
heritage tourism; married
29th January 2007,
Kumari Rajeshwari Singh Jhala, daughter of Kumar Mahipal Singhji Jhala.
- Maharajkumar Ashwini Pratap Deo B.Com. (Prince Jai),
educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur and Zakir Hussain College, Delhi
University (B.Com).
- Maharajadhiraj ADITYA
PRATAP DEO (see above)
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