PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
Predecessor
state founded about 1450, the modern state of Panna was founded in
1731, becoming the capital of Maharaja Chhatar Sal. Champat Rai, a
descendant of Raja Rudra Pratap of Orchha,
rebelled against the Mughals, later his fourth son, Maharaja Chhatar
Sal, became the most prominent Bundela leader, as well as being a good
administrator and a brave warrior, who led a revolt
in 1671 against the Mughal
Empire and soon captured Naugaon in
present-day Chhatarpur District. In 1680 he conquered Mahoba, and went
on to
control much of Bundelkhand, ruling from Panna. He formed an alliance
with
the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I, who was challenging the Mughals for
control of central India, and in 1729, Baji Rao sent a Maratha army to
aid
Chhatar Sal
against the Marathas. Upon his death in 1731, his kingdom was divided
amongst his
sons,
with one-third (including Mahoba, Banda, and Jhansi) going to his ally,
the Maratha Peshwa Baji
Rao I. The portion containing Panna went to Harde Sah, the eldest son
of
Chhatar Sal, other descendants ruled the states of
Panna, Ajaigarh (founded 1765), Charkhari (founded 1765), Chhatarpur
(went to the Ponwar Rajputs in 1785), and
Jaso. In the early 19th century, Panna became a princely state
of
British India, and gained control of the states of Sohawal and
Nagod. Raja Nirpat Singh assisted the British in the Revolt of 1857,
and the
British rewarded him with the title of Maharaja. Maharaja Mahendra
Yadvendra Singh acceded to the Government of India on 1st January 1950,
and
the former Princely State became Panna District of the new Indian state
of Vindhya
Pradesh. Vindhya Pradesh was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1st November
1950.
Rulers were...
- Raja HARDE SAH 1731/1739, eldest son of Raja Chhatarsal,
received
Panna from his father,
valued at 39 lakhs annually in 1731, sacked the Rewah State in about
1731, causing Raja Avadhoot Singh to flee to Pratapgarh in Oudh,
married and had issue. He died
1739.
- Raja SABHA SINGH (qv)
- Rajkumar Prithvi Singh, claimed the succession after his
father's
death,
and with the help of the Marathas managed to take control of the
Shahgarh
area of Panna state, becoming its first Raja.
- Raja SABHA SINGH 1739/1752, married and had issue. He died
1752.
- Raja AMAN SINGH (qv)
- Raja HINDUPAT SINGH (qv)
- Raja AMAN SINGH 1752/1758, constructed a palace at Fort
Kalinjer,
donated
Alipura pargana to Rao Mukund Singh, sardar of Panna, died 1758,
murdered
by his brother.
- Raja HINDUPAT SINGH 1758/1778, constructed Jugal Kishore
Temple at
Panna, granted territory of
Maihar to his Minister Beni Hujoori [Hazuri] in 1778, married and had
issue. He died 1778.
- Raja ANIRUDH SINGH (qv)
- Raja DHOKAL SINGH (qv)
- Raja ANIRUDH SINGH 1778/1779, succeeded his father after an
older brother was overlooked in the succession, being a minor, the
state was
managed by
Beni
Hazuri and Khemraj Chaube, a Brahmin, and Sonesah Ponwar, who as a
result of their jealousy and suspicions of each other,
caused the state to fall into civil war which was intensified by the
death of the Raja, and the rivalry of
numerous
claimants. During this period the area of Panna State was much reduced
as these three carved out for themselves Maihar, Paldeo and Chhatarpur
respectively, as free states. Ultimately Dhokal Singh, brother of
Raja Anirudh Singh was able to estabilish himself on Gaddi. He died 1779.
INTERREGNUM 1779/1785
- Raja
DHOKAL SINGH 1785/1798, married and had issue.
- Raja KISHOR SINGH 1798/1834 (1840), confirmed in his
possessions
by sanads granted in 1807 and 1811, constructed Jaggananth ji
temple
at Panna, was awarded control of Sohawal state and Nagod state by the
British
authorities.
- Raja HARBANS RAI 1834/1849
- Maharaja Mahendra NIRPAT SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1849/1870,
assisted the
British
during the mutiny, by holding the forst of Kalinjar and clearing Damoh
District of rebels, for which he was rewarded with a khilat
worth
20,000Rs, and the Samaria pargana, and in 1869 was granted the
title
of Maharaja as a personal distinction. In 1862 a sanad of
adoption
was granted him, and in 1863 he ceded the land required for the East
Indian
Railway, constructed Lokpal Sagar (Tank) near Panna, developed the
commercial
area in Panna known as Bada Bajar, constructed the Ram Janki
temple
at Panna, married and had issue.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir RUDRA PRATAP SINGH Ju Deo
Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Mahendra LOKPAL SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)
- Rao LAKSHMAN SINGH II Bahadur, adopted to Jigni.
- Rao Raja Khuman Singh Ju Deo, married and had issue.
- Capt. HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir YADVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo
Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharani Padmini Kunverba Sahiba, married 18th June
1917, Lt.-Col.
HH
Maharana Shri Sir VIJAYSINHJI CHHATRASINHJI Sahib, Maharaja of Rajpipla,
and had issue.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir RUDRA PRATAP SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur
1870/1893,
born
10th July 1848, succeeded 9th June 1870 (#1),
K.C.S.I. [cr.1876], granted the title of Maharaja, which was made
hereditary,
and received an addition of 2 guns to his salute as a personal honour
in
1877, one of best rulers of Panna, he constructed Baldeoji Temple and
Govindji
Temple, constructed many roads and cavelets and a bridge over the river
in Panna, constructed Ajaigarh ghat. He died sp.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra LOKPAL SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1893/1898,
married HH
Maharani Sujan Kanwar, and had issue. He died 1898.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra MADHO SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Mahendra MADHO SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1898/1902,
constructed
the Mahendra Bhavan Palace in Panna, deposed for complicity in the
murder
of his uncle, Rao Raja Khuman Singh.
-
 Col.
HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir YADVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1902/1963, born
31st
January 1893, K.C.I.E. [cr.1.1.1922], K.C.S.I. [cr.1.1.1932], son of
Rao Raja Khuman
Singh,
educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; invested with full ruling powers on
4th February 1915, appointed UpRaj Pramukh of Vindhya Pradesh after the
merger of his
state into the Indian Republic; married 1stly, 1912, HH Maharani
Shri
Manhar Kunverba, died 1927, daughter of the Maharaja of Bhavnagar,
married 2ndly, 1928, HH Maharani Shri Gopal Kumari, daughter of the
Thakur
of Isarda, and had issue. He died 4th
August 1963.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra NARENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi (eldest), married 28th
May 1931, Capt.
HH Bisam-Samar-Bijayi Mahamahodya Pancha-Srijukta Maharaja Manikya Sir
BIR BIKRAM KISHORE DEV VARMAN Bahadur of Tripura.
- Maharaj Pushpendra Singh, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer
(Class-Captain
1935/36).
- Maharajkumari Indira Kumari, born 1918, died unmarried
16th June 2006 at Rajmandir Palace, Panna.
- Maharajkumari Pushpa Kumari Devi, born 1920, married 11th
February
1940,
Maharaj Kumar Nagendra Singh of Dungarpur.
- Maharajkumari Nirmala Devi, born 1931, married 30th
November 1951,
Rana
RAMCHANDRA
PAL SINGH of Bhajji, and had issue. She
died 2002.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra NARENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1963/-,
born
29th May 1915,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh in 1957, 1962 and
1967; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) in 1971 from Satna; Member of
Parliament
(Lok Sabha) in 1977, from Damoh; Social worker and founder of many
educational
institutions in Panna; married 24th February 1937 at Kathmandu in
Nepal,
HH Maharani Durga Rajya Laxmi Devi, daughter of Lt.Gen. Maharajkumar
Shingha
Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Lambjang and Kaski (Nepal), and had
issue.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra MANVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)
- Maharaj Lokendra Singh, Member of the Legislative
Assembly (Madhya
Pradesh)
in 1977 and 1993, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) in 1989, married
Rani Nishi
Kumari, daughter of Major Abhey Singh, and has issue.
- Rajkumari Kamaksha Kumari Devi, married Rajkumar
Preetendra Singh of Nagod.
- Maharajkumari Kumkum Kumari, married Yuvaraj Balwant
Singh of Chhatarpur,
died 1990, and has issue, 1 son.
- HH Maharaja Mahendra MANVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (see
above)
OTHER MEMBERS:
- Rajkumar Hira Singh, Honourary Lieutenant 1914/-
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