Toshali Sands

EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE ROLE OF THE KING

After the Mughals, the rule of Orissa fell into the hands of the Marathas of Nagpur in 1751. Being the chief over the feudatory states, the status of the Khurda kingdom was threatened as Orissa came under the Marathas. Here again, a series of negotiations were made between Marathas. Here again, a series of negotiations were made between Dewani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa had been granted to Dast India Company by the Moghul Emperor Shah Alam. From the very beginning of their rule over Bengal, the East India Company tried to regain Orissa.

An interesting condition submitted 1768 A.D. by the Maratha King Janojee Bhonsle to East India Company “That the Jaggernaut Pagoda and all the duties collected from the pilgrims shall remain with the Marathas - that a Governor on their part should be placed there, who would have the supreme authority.” In its reply, the East India Company considered only for the preservation of the religious ceremony annually performed by the pilgrims of Jaggernaut Pagoda, a person may be allowed to reside there on behalf of the Maharaja Janojee”, but withour substantial power. But the negotiation had nearly come to a stand still for several years. Again Cornwallis in 1789 after another negotiation in which he wrote to the Maratha court” that it may be wise in this British Government to devise means for encouraging a spirit of pilgrimage among the Hindus of Hindustan and the Deccan to the Company’s dominions and for that reason, if you come to the discussion fo conditions for cession fo Cuttack, I should not have objection to grant particular privileges or exceptions from all government duties to Maratha subjects on religious visits and pilgrimages to Banaras, Gaya and to Jagannath when surrendered to us. but it could not meterialise. In the mean time in 1779-80, Divyasinhadeva II was acknowledged as King by the Marathas. The King now shifted his residence from Khurda to a Fort, in the pass of the Barunai hill and took possession of Banapur, Khurda and Lembai praganas. He was succeeded in 1797-98 by Mukundadeva II with whom the chieftainship of Khurda ended.