of Rewa,
Delhi Durbar of 1903. The predecessor state, Bandhogarh, was founded 1140. Vyaghra Deo, a brother of a ruler of Gujarat, is said to have made his way into northern India around the middle of the 13th century and gained the fort of Marpha, north-east of
Kalinjar. His son Karan deo, married a
Kalchuri (Haihaya) princess of
Mandla, and received in dowry the fort of Bandhogarh which, until its destruction in 1597 by
Akbar, was the Baghela capital. Until the 15th century, the Baghela's of Bandhogarh were engaged in extending their possessions and escaped the attention of the Delhi Sultans, in 1498–1499,
Sikandar Lodi failed in his attempt to take the fort of Bandhogarh.
List of rulers The following is a list of known rulers of Rewa (or its predecessor state, Bandhogarh), in chronological order by their reign. They took the title of Maharaja. • Maharaja Vyaghra Deo • Maharaja Karan Deo • Maharaja Sohag Deo, established the town of
Sohagpur • Maharaja Sarang Deo • Maharaja Vilas Deo, established the
Bilaspur city. • Maharaja Bhimal Deo • Maharaja Anik Deo [Ranik Deo] • Maharaja Valan Deo • Maharaja Dalkeshwar Deo • Maharaja Malkeshwar Deo • Maharaja Variyar Deo • Maharaja Bullar Deo • Maharaja Singh Deo • Maharaja Bhairam Deo • Maharaja Narhari Deo • Maharaja Bheer Deo • Maharaja Shalivahan Deo, 1495–1500, Raja of Bandhogarh • Maharaja Veer Singh Deo, r. 1500–1540, established the town of
Birsinghpur. • Maharaja Virbhan Singh, r. 1540–1555; fought against Sher Shah with Chandela Rajputs during the siege of Kalinjar Fort • Maharaja Ramchandra Singh, r.1555–1592 • Maharaja Birbhadra Singh Deo, 1592-1602 • Maharaja Duryodhan Singh , 1602-1618,(deposed). His accession gave rise to disturbances.
Akbar intervened, captured and dismantled the Bandhogarh fort in 1597, after a siege of eight months. • Maharaja Vikramaditya Deo, r.1618–1630. He founded the town of Rewa in 1618. • Maharaja Amar Singh II, r.1630–1643, established the town of
Amarpatan. • Maharaja Anoop Singh Deo, r.1643–1660, established the town of
Anuppur. • Maharaja Bhao Singh Deo, r.1660–1690. • Maharaja Anirudh Singh Deo, r.1690–1700, a grandson of Maharaja Anoop Singh, he was adopted by and succeeded his childless uncle, Maharaja Bhao Singh. • Maharaja Avadhut Singh Deo, r.1700–1755, become the Maharaja at the age of only 9 months The state was sacked by
Harde Sah of
Panna, 1731, causing the Raja to flee to Pratapgarh in
Oudh (Awadh). • Maharaja Ajit Singh Deo, r.1755–1809. • Maharaja Jai Singh Deo, b.1765, r.1809–1835. In 1812, a body of Pindaris raided Rewa from Mirzapur territory, for which Jai Singh was called upon to accede to a treaty acknowledging the protection of the British Government, and agreed to refer all disputes with neighbouring chiefs to their arbitration and to allow British troops in his territories. • Maharaja Vishwanath Singh Deo, b.1789, r.1835–1854. • Maharaja Raghuraj Singh Ju Deo Bahadur, b.1831, r.1854–1857 as Raja, then as Majaraja 1857–1880. He helped the British quell the uprisings in the neighbouring Mandla and Jabalpur districts in the
mutiny of 1857. For this service, the
Sohagpur (Shahdol) and
Amarkantak parganas were restored to his rule (having been seized by the
Marathas in the beginning of the century), and he was made the first Maharaja of Rewa, ruling until his death on 5 February 1880. • Maharaja Venkatraman Ramanuj Prasad Singh Ju Deo Bahadur, b.1876, r.1880–1918. • Maharaja Gulab Singh Deo Bahadur, b.1903, r.1918–1946 (deposed) • Maharaja
Martand Singh Deo Bahadur, b.1923, r.1946–1995. •
Pushpraj Singh, b. 1960, r. 1995–present. == References ==