Turkagarh Royal Family: Difference between revisions

Indian dynasty of Kings from Bengal

The Turkagarh Raj Family, also known as Khandarui Garh Raj or Singha Gajendra Mohapatra dynasty, was a feudal royal lineage, established in the present day Khandrui village of the Dantan block of Medinipur region in the 16th century under the Gajapati Dynasty, which later emerged from being a feudatory to an independent royal lineage.^[1][2]

During the reign of Gajapati Raja Harichandan Mukundadev, the Telengi Raja was appointed as a feudal lord of the Turkachour Pargana. When the Turkachour Samanta Raja rebelled by refusing to pay taxes to Harichandan for a long time, the King Mukundadeva sent his general Krishnadas Singha to suppress the Telengi Raja.^[3] General Krishnadas with great martial skill defeated the Telengi Raja. He cut off his head and presented it to Raja Mukundadev as a gift. Impressed by his bravery Harichandan Mukundadev appointed his General Krishnadas Singha as the new Samanta of Turkachour Pargana.^[1][4] Presenting him, with the Royal title of “Gajendra Mohapatra”.^[1]

Krishnadas’s grandson, Raja Rajballabh Singha Gajendra Mohapatra, was invited to the Mughal Court at Delhi, and was presented with a royal firman by the Shah Shuja, the Diwan of Bengal, Rajballabh’s grandson, Jashodanandan Singha Gajendra Mohapatra was the Raja of Turka, when the East India Company took over Medinipur. Furthermore, he was also recognised as the successor to the throne of the Birkul Raj maternally.^[5]

Raja Krishnadas Singha was the founder of the present Turkagarh royal family, whose ancestors are believed to have originally resided in Khorda near Puri district of Odisha.^[6] The Mahishya community considers the Turka Raja and the Gajapati rulers of Khurda to belong to the same lineage. The Turka Raja Mukundadev, who held the title ‘Singha Gajendra Mahapatra’ was conferred with the honorific title ‘Gajendra’.^[7]