History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.107

v2.c44.107

The first special report on the Garhjat States of Sambalpur was submitted by Major J. B. Impey, Deputy Commissioner of Sambalpur on the 11th June 1863. Impey held the origin of the Sambalpur Garhjat chiefs to be not clearly known, but that it was alleged with certainty that it was very ancient. Originally these States were administered from Ranchi. The first settlement made with them in 1819 was renewed in 1827 and though this settlement purported to be for five years only, they were never renewed. "In practice the powers (Judicial and Police) were limited to the infliction of seven years', afterwards reduced to six months', imprisonment. In the Civil and Revenue Departments, the Chiefs were nominally possessed of absolute powers, but they seem nevertheless to have been controlled. Non-interference is said to have been the prevailing policy but in practice, interference was the principle followed. This practice, however, does not seem to have been carried out to any material extent. Virtually, perhaps the chiefs did decide all cases without much risk of reversal on appeal to the Agent of the Governor-General, South Western Frontier."¹ The management of the Sambalpur Garhjat chiefs was transferred to the Superintendent of Tributary Mahals, Katak, and it was ordered that "matters should be conducted in precisely the same way as when the estates of these Chieftains formed a part of the Chhotta-Nagpur Division." But in 1862 Sambalpur was transferred to the Central Provinces and the powers of the Garhjat chiefs were reduced "to those conferred by Act XXV of 1861 on Magistrates and Subordinate Magistrates and each chief was duly invested, according to his position and ability."² After an analysis of the entire situation regarding Rāja Viṣṇu Chandra Jenāmaṇi of Rairākhol. After the recognition of the zamindars and petty chiefs of the Central Provinces as feudatory chiefs in 1865 a fresh Sanad was granted by Mr. J. H. Morris, Officiating Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces, on the 4th September 1867 to Rāja Viṣṇu Chandra Jenāmaṇi of Rairākhol, Rāja Tribhuvan Dev Bahādur of Bāmrā, Rāja Nilādri Nāth Singh Dev of Sonpur, Rāja Udit Pratap Dev of Karond or Kalahandi and Mahārāja Sur Pratap Dev of Patna. By this treaty the inferior position of these five chiefs was denoted by the increase of tribute according to the following rates :