History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c37.45

v2.c37.45

Up to the date of Akbar's death Orissa was included in the Ṣubāh of Bengal. In the description given in the Mughal Imperial Gazetteer of Akbar's time the only places mentioned are Cuttack, Puri and Konarak. It is stated that Akbar divided it into five Sarkārs : (1) Jalesar, which comprised the modern districts of Medinipur and part of Hooghly, (2) Bhadrak consisting of the modern districts of Balasore and a part of Cuttack, (3) Cuttack and Puri, (4) Kalang Dandapat (Kalīṅga) and (5) Raja Mahendrah. The last two could not have formed any part of the dominions of Akbar, as even in 1641 the Quṭb-shāhī Faujdārī of Chikakol was very recent. The term Daṇḍapāt means a Viceroyalty or Governorship in Oṛiyā. Kalaṅg (Kaliṅga) consisted of the country to the south of the Chilka now included in the district of Ganjam and Vizagapatam. The names of the Mahals in the Sarkārs of Kaliṅga and Rājamahendrī are not given and, therefore, their extent can not be determined at present. It is simply stated that Kaliṅga consisted of 27 and Rājamahendrī of 16 Mahals. The revenue from the former was 5,560,000 and that from the latter 5,000,000 Dāms. Detailed description is given in the case of each of the northern Sarkārs of Orissa which enables us to determine the exact jurisdiction of each of them. Jaleśwar consisted of 28 Mahals and the revenue was 5,052,738 Dāms. Among the Mahals are mentioned Babhanbhum, the town of Jaleśwar, Tamluk, Kāśijoṛā, Kharagpur, Maljheta, Medinipur and Narayanpur. The Sarkār of Jaleśwar contained a portion of the modern district of Bankura and Hooghly and the whole of Midnapur with a slice from the top of Balasore. The Mahals mentioned have, in many cases, become irrecognisable on account of the mistakes of the editor; such as, Kharaksur for Kharagpur and Malchhaṭa and Maljikta for Maljheṭa :—