Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur
The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur (also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy), was an ancient Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region (modern-day Jharkhand) during much of ancient, medieval and modern period. Phani Mukut Rai is considered the first king of dynasty claim to be Son of Pundrika Naga a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India. Origin. The origins of the Nagvanshis are shrouded in mystery. Nagvanshi claim descent from Nagas. According to Nagvanshavali, Nagvanshi  dynasty originated with "Pundrika Naga". According to the story, to avoid killing by Raja Janamejaya the king of Hastinapur, "Pundarika Naga" the son of Takshaka settled in Varanasi. He assumed the persona of a Brahmin and studied shastras in the house of a Brahmin. Brahmin impressed by intelligence and grace of his pupil got married his daughter Parvati to him. Due to his forked tongue, he always slept with his back to his wife. Wife becomes curious to know about the secret. To avert the question, Naga proposes to do a pilgrimage to Puri. On the way in Jharkhand, wife  gave birth to a child. According to custom, secret desire of wife or husband should be fulfilled. Naga compelled to disclosed his identity, assumed the form of Cobra and plunged into the water. Out of grief wife committed Sati. At that time a Brahmin named Janardan while holding sun idol came to see that the Pundarika Naga guarding his child. Pundarika Naga told his story. The Brahmin named the child Fani Mukut Rai. He took the child to the house of Madura Munda the chief of Sutiambe village. Madura adopted and brought the child up with his son of the  same age. Madura convened the paraha chief and other Raja, where Fani Mukut Rai became Raja due to his qualities. Phani Mukut Rai was succeeded by his son Mukut Rai. His empire was named ‘Nagpur Des’. According to Nagvanshi tradition, the dynasty was established by Raja Phani Mukut Rai. However, the story of Phani Mukut Rai is mostly considered to be a myth and an invented story of Brahminacal origin of the dynasty. According to different source, the dynasty was founded in the 5th century AD as a successor state to the Gupta Empire. According to many historians Nagvanshi dynasty  was possibly established in 10th century AD. History. According to Nagvanshi annals, Phani Mukut Rai was founder of Nagvanshi dynasty who was son of Pundrika Naga, the descendant of Naga king Takshaka. He was adopted son of Madra Munda. He was elevated to throne by Madra Munda and neighbouring rulers in Sutiambe which is located around 20 km north of Ranchi. His rule extended to Ramgarh, Gola, Tori and Gharwe. However the story mostly considered to be a myth by scholar. According to many historians the dynasty was possibly established in 10th century AD. According to "Nagvanshavali", third Nagvanshi king  Pratap Rai shifted his capital from "Sutiambe" to present day "chutia". The remains of the idol of the Sun Temple have been found near Pithoria and they have been dated to the 12th Century AD. In 12th century, Raja Bhim Karn defeated Rakshel of Surguja when they invaded the region. Then he conquered territory as far as Surguja and Palamu. He shifted his capital from present day "Chutia" to Khukhragarh. There are ancient fort, temple, coins and pottery remains found in the region. Mirza Nathan refers to the region as "Khokhradesh". In 1585, There was mughal invasion during reign of  Raja Madhu Karn. He became a vassal ruler under the Mughals. He participated in expedition against Afghan ruler in Odisha. After Madhu Singh his son Bairisal became king and he also participated in several expeditions with Akbar. When Akbar died, Bairisal withdraw tribute to Mughal. Mughal launched expedition against Nagvanshi king but failed to subjugate them. Raja Durjan Sal the son of Bairisal was taken to Prison in Agra for withdrawal of tribute to Mughals, later he was released for identifying real diamonds. He built palaces, temples and ponds in Navratangarh. Raghunath Shah(1640-1690) built several temples, including Madan Mohan  temple in Boera and Jagannath temple. According to Lal Pradumn Singh, the writer of book Nagvansh, Mughal invaded Khukhra during reign of Raghunath Shah. Mughal officials were sent by Aurangzeb to attack Khukhra. The invasion was strongly resisted which resulted in defeat and death of Mughal official. He succeeded by Ram Shah. His son Thakur Ani Nath Shahdeo made Satrangi as capital of Barkagarh estate near Subarnarekha river. He built Jagannath temple in 1691. In 1719, during the reign of Emperor Muhammad Shah, Sarbuland Khan invaded to Chotanagpur plateau. Raja Yadunath Shah agreed to pay Rs. 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 payment of tribute to Mughals. Maninath Shah(1748-1762) consolidated his authority over  the estates of Bundu, Silli, Barwa, Rahe, Tamar and the chief of these estates were compelled to acknowledge the Nagvanshi ruler as their Chief. After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the East India Company got the right to collect revenue from Bihar, Bengal and Odisha by Mughal Empire. In 1771, During the reign of Dripnath Shah, Nagvanshi became a vassal of East India Company due to conflicts with neighbouring kings and tribes. Between 1795 to 1800, Maratha invaded Chotanagpur and looted and collected revenue forcefully. The British defeated the Maratha force in 1772. The British stationed military forces at  Chotanagpur to check the incursions of Marathas. Due to the rebellion, refusal of payment of revenue by subordinate Jagirdar and Zamindar under Nagvanshi king due to excessive tax imposition by East India company, Chotanagpur was brought under direct control by British East India company in 1817 and they reduced Nagvanshi rulers to Zamindars. During the Rebellion of 1857, Vishwanath Shahdeo lead rebellion against Company rule. He organised an army with the assistance of nearby zamindars including Pandey Ganpat Rai, Tikait Umrao Singh, Sheikh Bhikhari, Jaimangal Singh, Nadir Ali Khan. He fought against East India company force in Battle of Chatra  but got defeated. Nagvanshi king Jagannath Shahdeo did not support the rebellion and supported British. He was caught and hanged in Ranchi along with other rebels in 1858 due to conspiracy. Later Barkagarh estate was confiscated for rebellion against company rule. 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 Nagvanshi dynasty was Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo(1931 – 2014). Zamindari was abolished after independence of India in 1952. Rulers. Following is the list of Nagvanshi rulers according to "Nag Vanshavali" written by Beniram  Mehta and book "Nagvansh" written by Lal Pradumn Singh. There is considerable disagreement among historians about chronology of various kings and it's authenticity. 57th Nagvanshi king Dripnath Shah (c.1762-1790 CE) submitted list of Nagvanshi kings to Governor general of India in 1787.