PANNA (Princely State) (11 gun salute)

LOCATION: Madhya Pradesh AREA: 6,723.64 km² VILLAGES: 1,008 + 1 town (1901) POPULATION: 192,986 (1901) RELIGION: Hindu
REVENUE: Rs 500,000 DYNASTY/LINEAGE: Bundela SEAT: xx ACCESSION: 1st January 1950
AGENCY: Bundelkhand Agency 1902 - 1948PRIVY PURSE: Rs147,300

PRESENT RULER: HH Maharaja Mahendra RAGHVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 16th and present Maharaja of Panna since 8th October 2009 (Raj Mandir Palace, Panna, Madhya Pradesh, India)
born 7th April 1968 in Bombay, married 11th December 1998 in Jaipur, HH Chota Rajrajeshwari Maharani Jeeteshwari Ju Devi, born 30th September 1971 in Jaipur, second daughter of Thakur Shri Shivprakash Singh of Sewar, and his wife, Thakurani Narendra Kunwar, only daughter of Thakur Jaswant Singh, Thakur Sahib of Dhanla, and his first wife, Thakurani Mahendra Kanwar, and has issue.
PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Predecessor state founded about 1450, the modern state of Panna was founded in 1731, becoming the capital of Maharaja Chhatar Sal. Champat Rai, a descendant of Raja Rudra Pratap of Orchha, rebelled against the Mughals, later his fourth son, Maharaja Chhatar Sal, became the most prominent Bundela leader, as well as being a good administrator and a brave warrior, who led a revolt in 1671 against the Mughal Empire and soon captured Naugaon in present-day Chhatarpur District. In 1680 he conquered Mahoba, and went on to control much of Bundelkhand, ruling from Panna. He formed an alliance with the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I, who was challenging the Mughals for control of central India, and in 1729, Baji Rao sent a Maratha army to aid Chhatar Sal against the Marathas. Upon his death in 1731, his kingdom was divided amongst his sons, with one-third (including Mahoba, Banda, and Jhansi) going to his ally, the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I. The portion containing Panna went to Harde Sah, the eldest son of Chhatar Sal, other descendants ruled the states of Panna, Ajaigarh (founded 1765), Charkhari (founded 1765), Chhatarpur (went to the Ponwar Rajputs in 1785), and Jaso. In the early 19th century, Panna became a princely state of British India, and gained control of the states of Sohawal and Nagod. Raja Nirpat Singh assisted the British in the Revolt of 1857, and the British rewarded him with the title of Maharaja. Maharaja Mahendra Yadvendra Singh acceded to the Government of India on 1st January 1950, and the former Princely State became Panna District of the new Indian state of Vindhya Pradesh. Vindhya Pradesh was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1st November 1950. Rulers were...
  1. Raja HARDE SAH, 1st Raja of Panna 1731/1739, eldest son of Maharaja Chhatarsal, he received Panna from his father, valued at Rs39 lakhs annually in 1731, he sacked the Rewah Kingdom in about 1731, and captured Rewah town, retaining it till 1739, and causing Raja Avadhoot Singh to flee to Pratapgarh in Oudh, he also seized Birsinghpur which thereafter remained with Panna, married and had issue, eight sons as well as an illegitimate son. He died in January 1739 aged 32 years (sic.) (Magh Sudi 9th, Samvat 1795).

  2. Raja SABHA SINGH, 2nd Raja of Panna 1739/1752, he was a tyrannical ruler in whose day, the power of the state declined; married and had issue. He died in May 1752 (Asarh Badi 11th, Samvat 1809).

  3. Raja AMAN SINGH, 3rd Raja of Panna 1752/1758, he was remembered for his lavish generosity; constructed a palace at Fort Kalinjer, donated Alipura pargana to Rao Mukund Singh, a sardar of Panna. He was killed in 1758 at Durga Talao, murdered by his brother.

  4. Raja HINDUPAT SINGH, 4th Raja of Panna 1758/1776, constructed Jugal Kishore Temple at Panna, the Maharajganj fort near Bijawar and a palace on Kalinjar Fort; he granted territory of Maihar to his Minister Beni Hujoori [Hazuri] in 1776, married and had issue. He died in November 1776 (Aghan Badi 9th, Samvat 1833).

  5. Raja ANIRUDH SINGH , 5th Raja of Panna 1776/1780, succeeded his father after an older brother was overlooked in the succession, being a minor, the state was managed by Beni Hazuri and Khemraj Chaube, a Brahmin, and Sonesah Ponwar, who as a result of their jealousy and suspicions of each other, caused the state to fall into civil war which was intensified by the death of the Raja, and the rivalry of numerous claimants. During this period the area of Panna State was much reduced as these three carved out for themselves Maihar, Paldeo and Chhatarpur respectively, as free states. Ultimately Dhokal Singh, brother of Raja Anirudh Singh was able to establish himself on the gaddi. He died 1780.

    6. INTERREGNUM 1779/1785
  6. Raja DHOKAL SINGH, 6th Raja of Panna 1785/1798, married and had issue.

  7. Raja KISHOR SINGH, 7th Raja of Panna 1798/1834, confirmed in his possessions by sanads granted in 1807 and 1811, constructed Jaggananth ji temple at Panna, was awarded control of Sohawal state and Nagod state by the British authorities, however his oppressive rule necessitated British intervention on several occasions; in 1832, he made over the administration of the state to Kunwar Pratap Singh of Chhatarpur, with the assent of Government, however two yrats later in 1834, it was found necessary to remove him from the State and replace him with his son as Regent; married and had issue.

  8. Raja HARBANS SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 8th Raja of Panna 1834/1849, he died sp in 1849.

  9. Maharaja Mahendra NIRPAT SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 9th Maharaja of Panna 1849/1870, he succeeded his brother to the gadi but was only recognized as the Raja when he abolished sati; assisted the British during the mutiny, by holding the fort of Kalinjar and clearing Damoh District of rebels, for which he was rewarded with a khilat worth 20,000Rs, and the Samaria pargana, and in 1869 was granted the title of Maharaja as a personal distinction. In 1862 a sanad of adoption was granted him, and in 1863 he ceded the land required for the East Indian Railway, constructed Lokpal Sagar (Tank) near Panna, developed the commercial area in Panna known as Bada Bajar, constructed the Ram Janki temple at Panna, married a sister of Kunwar Shamle Ju Dev, and had issue. He died 1870.

  10. HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir RUDRA PRATAP SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 10th Maharaja of Panna 1870/1893, born 10th July 1848, succeeded 9th June 1870 (#1), K.C.S.I. [cr.1876], granted the title of Maharaja, which was made hereditary, and received an addition of 2 guns to his salute as a personal honour in 1877, one of the best rulers of Panna, he constructed Baldeoji Temple and Govindji Temple, constructed many roads and cavelets and a bridge over the river in Panna, also constructed the Ajaigarh ghat; married (a), Maharani Bari Sarkar Bagia, married (b), a sister of Diwan Jangjit Singh, Jagirdar of Bahraich. He died sp.

  11. HH Maharaja Mahendra LOKPAL SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 11th Maharaja of Panna 1893/1898, married (amongst others), HH Maharani Sujan Kanwar, she died after 1934, and had issue. He died 9th March 1898.

  12. HH Maharaja Mahendra MADHO SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 12th Maharaja of Panna 1898/1902 (deposed), constructed the Mahendra Bhavan Palace in Panna, deposed for complicity in the murder of his uncle, Rao Raja Khuman Singh, married and had issue. He died after 1925 (#2).

  13. Capt. HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir YADVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo BahadurCol. HH Maharaja Mahendra Sir YADVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E., 13th Maharaja of Panna 1902/1963, born 31st January 1893, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer and with the Imperial Cadet Corps, Dehra Dun from 1913; he succeeded to the gadi on 20th June 1902 and was invested with full ruling powers on 4th February 1915, appointed UpRaj Pramukh of Vindhya Pradesh after the merger of his state into the Indian Republic; he was made a K.C.I.E. on 1st January 1922 and a K.C.S.I. on 1st January 1932, he was well-known sportsman and polo player in his day; married 1stly, on 2nd December 1912 in Bhavnagar, HH Maharani Shri Manhar Kunverba, died 1927, daughter of HH Maharaja Raol Shri Bhavsinhji II Takhatsinhji of Bhavnagar, and his first wife, HH Maharani Dev Kunverba Sahiba, she had issue, two sons and six daughters, married 2ndly, 1928, HH Maharani Shri Gopal Kumari, daughter of Thakur Saheb Sawai Singhji, Raja Saheb of Isarda, and his wife, Thakurani Sugan Kunwar, she had issue, two daughters, and had issue, two sons and eight daughtesr. He died 4th August 1963.

  14. Maj. HH Maharaja Mahendra NARENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 14th Maharaja of Panna 1963/-, born 29th May 1915, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer and at Daly College, Indore; Vice-President of the State Council; Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh in 1957, 1962 and 1967; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) in 1971 from Satna; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) in 1977, from Damoh; Social worker and founder of many educational institutions in Panna; married 24th February 1937 at Kathmandu in Nepal, HH Maharani Durga Rajya Laxmi Devi, daughter of Lt.-Gen. Maharajkumar Shingha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Lambjang and Kaski in Nepal, and had issue.

  15. HH Maharaja Mahendra MANVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 15th Maharaja of Panna -/2009, born 26th June 1939 in Mussoorie, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; married 23rd May 1967 in Bhavnagar, HH Maharani Dilhar Kunverba, fourth daughter of HH Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji of Bhavnagar, and his wife, HH Maharani Vijayba Sahiba, and had issue, one son and one daughter. He died 8th October 2009.

  16. HH Maharaja Mahendra RAGHVENDRA SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (see above)
OTHER MEMBERS:
1. 'The Golden Book of India'; by Roper Lethbridge, MacMillan & Co., 1893 p. 401
2. "The Maharaja of Panna was deposed by the Government of India who acting under the powers given to it by Reg. III of 1818 directed that the ex-Maharaja should be confined as a State prisoner in Bellary". Source: Satraji Dongerchand Firm By Partner Rangunathamul vs Madho Singh And Ors. Madras High Court, 14.12.1926.
3. "Eastern States (Bundelkhand) Gazetteer". Vol.VI-A.-Text. Compiled by Capt. C. E. Luard M.A. 1907.