Mughal period The Khokhra family receives no mention during the period the
Delhi Sultanate and even during the reign of
Sher Shah Suri. The reason for this likely relates to the isolated location from which the Khokhras ruled as none of the ruling authorities in
Bihar were able to reach them. Madhukar Rai died in 1599 and was replaced by
Bairisal who according to records visited the Emperor in
Delhi and accompanied him on various expeditions. Because of his services, he was rewarded with valuable gifts and granted the pargana of Sherghati. Bairisal died in 1614 and was succeeded by his son,
Durjan Shah who continued to defy Mughal authority however he was eventually defeated and Khokhra was annexed into the Mughal empire by the governor of Bihar,
Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang in 1615. Emperor
Jahangir noted that Durjan Shah was imprisoned for at least three years following the subjugation of Khokhradesh. A story recounts that Durjan Shah was released from prison after Jahangir was impressed with his ability to judge the purity of diamonds. As per the terms of his release, Durjan Shah was to pay tribute of 6000 Rs and was also conferred with the title of
Shah.
Raghunath Shah (1663–1690) built several temples, including Madan Mohan temple in Boera and Jagannath temple. According to Lal Pradumn Singh, the writer of the book Nagvansh, the Mughals invaded Khukhra during the reign of Raghunath Shah. Mughal officials were sent by
Aurangzeb to attack Khokhra. The invasion was strongly resisted which resulted in the death of Mughal officials. Later he agreed to pay tax to the Mughals. Thakur
Ani Nath Shahdeo made Satranji the capital of
Barkagarh estate near
Subarnarekha river. He built the
Jagannath temple in 1691. at Ranchi built by king
Ani Nath Shahdeo in 1691|left In 1719, during the reign of Emperor
Muhammad Shah, Sarbuland Khan invaded to Chotanagpur plateau. Raja
Yadunath Shah agreed to pay Rs. 100,000 (one
lakh) as Nazrana. Then Yadunath Shah shifted the capital from Navratangarh to
Palkot upon realising the weakness of the capital from a defensibility point of view. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Shivnath Shah (1724–1733). Due to non-payment of tribute, Fakhr-ud-daula invaded Khokhra in 1731. He faced considerable resistance from the Raja of Khokhra but both parties reached a compromise and he paid Rs. 12,000 as tribute. When Fakhr-ud-daula was removed from the post of Subedar of Bihar Suba in 1733, the Khokhra chief discontinued the payment of tribute to the Mughals. Maninath Shah (1748-1762) consolidated his authority over the estates of
Bundu,
Silli, Barwe, Rahe, and
Tamar, and the chiefs of these estates were compelled to acknowledge the Nagvanshi ruler as their chief. The Nagvanshi rulers shifted their capital from Palkot to
Ratu in 1870.
Udai Pratap Nath Shah Deo built Ratu Palace in 1900. The last ruler of the Nagvanshi dynasty was
Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014).
Zamindari was abolished after the independence of India in 1952.
Branches Following are the states and estates established by Nagvanshi princes: •
Barkagarh estate of Satrangi (now in Ranchi) •
Khairagarh State of
Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district,
Chhattisgarh •
Kalahandi State of Kalahandi,
Odisha •
Nilgiri State of Nilagiri, Baleswar,
Odisha • Jariagarh Estate of
Khunti district Post-independence In the modern period, the Nagvanshi are divided into two subgroups namely Rajdariya, the descendants of the royal family, and the Lohardagiya, the inhabitants of Lohardaga district. Lohardagiyas wield a lot of influence in present-day Lohardaga and Latehar districts despite being fewer in numbers demographically. They have only one gotra
Kashyap. Nagvanshi practice exogamy and establish relationships with other royal families. The Nagvanshi use
Shahdeo as their surname. They speak the Nagpuri language and Hindi with others. They are non-vegetarian and eat rice, wheat and pulses. ==Rulers==