Rewa (princely state)

According to legend, the kingdom of Rewa was founded around 1140 CE. On 5 October 1812, it became a British protectorate. Between 1 April 1875 and 15 October 1895, Rewa remained under the direct colonial administration of British India. The ruler of Rewa ruled from Bandhavgarh during the founding reign of Raja Vyaghra Dev, who was a direct descendant of Gujarati warrior king Vir Dhawal. In 1617, Maharaja Vikramaditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. Maharaja Martand Singh was the last ruler of Rewa who acceded to the Union of India after the independence of India. Akbar was given refuge at Rewa at age 10, when his father Humayun fled India following a defeat in war. Prince Ramchandra Singh and Akbar grew up together as royal heirs. Maharaja Ramchandra Singh and Akbar remained friends. In the mid-1550s, Raja Ramachandra Singh Baghela maintained a musically talented court, including the legendary Tansen. Two of the Navratnas of Akbar, Tansen and Birbal (originally named Mahesh Das) were sent from Rewa by Maharaja Ramchandra Singh once Akbar became Emperor of India. In 1580, Akbar reorganized his empire into 12 Subahs and combined the provinces of Jaunpur Sultanate, Kara-Manikpur and territory of Bandhogarh into the Subah of Ilahabad. Raja Vishwanath Singh abolished Sati in the state under British pressure in 1847. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Rewa State sided with the British East India Company. Rewa State was important for the British Raj from perspective of logistics as roads and railway lines connecting Gangetic plains to Deccan passed through the state. In 1956, Vindhya Pradesh was merged with other nearby political entities to form the Indian constitutive state of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharaja's palace was converted into a museum. In February 2007, an extensive book on the history of Rewa, ''Baghelkhand, or the Tigers' Lair'' by Dr D.E.U Baker, was published by Oxford University Press. == Revolt of 1857 ==

Thakur Ranmat Singh of Mankahri revolted against the British and was hanged in 1859. In the context of the 1857 Indian Rebellion, the princely state of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh played a significant role, but a controversial one. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel, a notable leader from Mankhari village in Satna district, emerged as a key figure in the uprising within the region. Holding the rank of Sardar in the Maharaja of Rewa's service, Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel became increasingly discontented with British interference, particularly by the Resident Political Agent, Willoughby Osborne. Inspired by the rebellion's broader momentum, Ranmat Singh led a formidable group of 2,000 rebels, besieging Osborne's bungalow. Although Osborne escaped, the rebels continued their struggle, engaging in multiple battles across areas like Nagod, Bhilsain, Chitrakoot, Nowgong, and Keoti. These activities made Thakur Ranmat Singh a significant threat to British control in the area However, the Maharaja of Rewa, under British pressure, eventually turned against Ranmat Singh. Despite initial sympathies for his cause, by the Maharaja of Rewa but his Diwan Dinbandhu Pandey of Rewa acted as an informant for the British, which led to the capture of Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel by the British authorities. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel was arrested, charged with the murder of Europeans, and hanged in August 1860. Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel (from Mankhari village, Satna) and his uncle, Thakur Shyam Shah Baghel, were both prominent leaders of the 1857 revolt in Baghelkhand, and both sacrificed their lives for the country in the Revolution of 1857 and they both were the descendants of the Kothi royal family (Kothi Princely State). Diwan Dinbandhu Pandey of Rewa acted as an informant for the British, which led to the capture of Thakur Ranmat Singh Baghel by the British authorities. This betrayal highlights the complexities and internal conflicts during the 1857 Rebellion, where loyalty and resistance often intertwined in the fight against colonial rule. == Rulers==

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 ==