Prehistory {{maplink The
archaeological evidence suggest that human settlements in the Mayurbhanj district date back to the
Lower Paleolithic era of the
Stone Age. These settlements thrived alongside the
Budhabalanga River and its tributaries. The presence of a consistent water source attracted wildlife from the
Similipal forest, facilitating the hunting of smaller animals from the safety of caves by supporting early human inhabitants. The region's thin forest cover also provided edible roots and fruits. The tools used by these early settlers were quite basic, resembling split
pebbles with minimal flaking, similar to those found in Paleolithic industries in Africa. These tools evolved over time to include
handaxes,
cleavers,
scrapers,
knives, rostrocarinates, and points, varying in complexity, shape, and size.
Stratigraphy does not provide a means to categorize them into distinct groups for understanding their technical development. Typo-technological analysis suggests the presence of two specific tool types with manufacturing techniques akin to European
Abbevilian,
Acheulian, and
Clactonian industries.
Mediaeval to modern history {{multiple image The
Bhanja family, which ruled Mayurbhanj State, holds a significant place in the district's history. The Bhanjas of Khijjinga mandala governed the western region of the present-day Mayurbhanj district, including parts of
Kendujhar and
West Singhbhum districts, with their headquarters at
Khiching after the fall of the Buddhist
Bhauma-Kara dynasty. The progenitor of present-day Bhanjas of Khijjinga mandala divided the territory into two segments, each led by one ruler, effectively forming two full-fledged states. One relocated the capital from Khiching to
Haripur and subsequently renamed the territory as
Mayurbhanj State, while the other moved it to
Kendujhargarh and named it
Keonjhar State after
Delhi Sultanate Feroz Shah Tughlaq plundered the kingdom during his invasion of Odisha in 1361 CE, when he marched through Manbhum, Singhbhum, and Mayurbhanj. {{multiple image The land of Bhanjas in Odisha Subah during
Akbar's reign (), as depicted in the map by Wilkinson, 1815. In 1508, the state came under
Mughal rule. During
Mughal conquest from 1592 to 1751, Mayurbhanj was an extensive domain that comprised 12
Zamindari, 42
kila in total, and, according to
Raja Man Singh, 18
forts within the state, including Bhanjbhum, Mantri,
Hariharapur, Dewalia, Purunia, Karkachua, Bamanghati, and Sarhonda. The state also held sway over several surrounding
Zamindari Estates, including
Nilgiri,
Porahat,
Saraikela,
Kharsawan,
Barabhum, Patharhai, Narsinhpur, Dipa Kiarchand, Jhamirapal, Jamkunda, Chargarh, Talmunda,
Tamar, and
Birkul in
Medinipur, during the early period of
Mughal rule. All of these territories encompassed present-day
Kendujhar,
Balasore,
Singhbhum, and large parts of the undivided
Midnapore districts. Raja Krushna Chandra Bhanja took advantage of the disturbed conditions around the last years of
Shah Jahan and enlarged his territory to the coast of the Bay of Bengal, covering the area from
Jaleswar to
Bhadrak. He was however defeated and executed by Khan-e-Dauran, the general of Emperor
Aurangzeb. In 1751, it came under
Maratha rule. During the
expansion of the Maratha Empire, the state lost most of its territories along the coast as well as the
Nilgiri State. The loss of the sea ports along the Balasore coast severely affected the state finances. It was around this time that the capital was shifted to
Baripada. The river
Subarnarekha served as the natural border between
Mughal-controlled Bengal and Maratha-controlled Odisha after a number of conflicts between 1742 and 1751. In 1803, the state submitted to the British who had conquered coastal Odisha and the state was recognised as a feudatory state – a position midway between a
princely state and a
Zamindari. At that time, the state lost some zamindaris, including two northeastern bordering territories:
Gopiballavpur and
Nayagram. However, the state remained semi-independent and acted as a
buffer state between Maratha and
British rule by maintaining friendly relations with British authorities. The left-out westernmost territory of the Mayurbhanj state, stretching up to the
Porahat estate, retained its nominal independence during both Mughal and Maratha invasions. It was primarily inhabited by the
Ho (
Larka Kol, the fighting
Kol), a significant aboriginal group, who asserted their dominance over the indigenous
Bhuiyan tribe during their settlement period (). Though the state had
de jure rights over that territory,
de facto control was held by the Porahat estate due to geography and demographic nature, especially after the relocation of the state capital from Khiching to Haripur. In 1820, the Porahat estate acknowledged British authority, eventually leading to the gradual annexation of these left-out independent areas into the British-administered
Singhbhum district following a series of conflicts between Kol and British army. In the 1830s, further
territorial concessions were made to the British when large parts of Bamanghati area, such as Thai, Bharbharia, Anla, Lalgarh, Khuchung (now in
Saraikela Kharsawan district), and
Haladipokhari (now in
East Singhbhum district) were handed over to the British administrated
Singhbhum district as a consequence of persistent
Kol uprisings. thus elevating them to the status of full princely states. Mayurbhanj was the largest and most populous of all princely states in Odisha and the Maharaja enjoyed a salute of 9 guns.
Merger of the state with Odisha, as of 31st May 1948. Following
India's independence on 15 August 1947, the
State of Mayurbhanj became an independent unit and soon after, a
State Legislative Assembly was formed with cabinet ministers (
praja mandal). These ministers included Chief Minister Sarat Chandra Das (Minister of Home, Finance, Audit, Planning and Reconstruction), Bidyadhar Mohapatra (Minister of Revenue, Law, Health & Local Government), and M. Nayak (Minister of Development, Education, Supply, Transport, Public Works, Commerce, and Labour) by a proclamation of the Maharaja Pratap Chandra Bhanjdeo on 9 December 1947. The Maharaja formally transferred most of his powers to this body. When
Sardar Patel, the then Home Minister, met the rulers of the state with his proposal for merger with India on 14 December 1947, the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj said that he had already granted responsible Government in his State, and hence he could not make any commitment without consulting his Ministers. In view of this and being a tribal state, Patel didn't compel the merger. The premier of state was left out of the discussions. On 17 October 1948, the Maharaja and Chief Minister went to Delhi, where the Maharaja signed the
Instrument of Merger with stipulations, taking into account social instability driven by the
Jharkhand statehood movement and administrative mismanagement. The administration of the State was taken over by the Government of India with effect from 9 November 1948, and
Indian Civil Servants D.V. Rege was appointed as Chief Commissioner to the State. However, it was subsequently decided that since Mayurbhanj linguistically and culturally had close links with Odisha, it should merge with that Province. On 16 December 1948,
V. P. Menon came to the
Baripada and announced the merger of Mayurbhanj with Odisha, which officially effected from 1 January 1949. Through the merging with
Odisha was not peaceful. The Non-Odia inhabitants, primarily the Santhals of Rairangpur, headed by
Sunaram Soren proposed that the state either merge with
Jharkhand, then proposed state of
Bihar or remain as a
Union territory of India. == Geography ==