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{{short description|Princely state of Central India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|native_name =
|conventional_long_name =Surguja State
|common_name = Sarguja
|nation = [[British India]]
|subdivision = [[Princely State]]
|era =
|year_start = 1613
|date_start =
|event_start=
|year_end = 1948
|date_end =
|event_end = [[Independence of India|Accession to the Union of India]]
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
|p1 = Maratha Empire
|s1 = India
|flag_p1 = Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg
|flag_s1 = Flag of India.svg
|image_flag = Flag of the Surguja State.svg
|image_coat =
|image_map = SurgujaKart.jpg
|image_map_caption = Surguja State in the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]]
|capital = [[Ambikapur, India|Ambikapur]]
|stat_area1 = 15770
|stat_year1 =1901
|stat_pop1 = 351,011
|footnotes =
}}

'''Surguja State''' was one of the main [[princely state]]s of [[Central India]] during the period of the [[British Raj]], even though it was not entitled to any [[salute state|gun salute]]. Formerly it was placed under the [[Central India Agency]], but in 1905 it was transferred to the [[Eastern States Agency]].

The state spread over a vast [[mountainous]] area inhabited by many different people groups such as the [[Gondi people|Gond]], [[Bhumij people|Bhumij]], [[Oraon people|Oraon]], [[Panika]], [[Korwa people|Korwa]], [[Bhuiya]], [[Kharwar]], [[Munda people|Munda]], [[Chero]], [[Rajwar people|Rajwar]], [[Nagesia]] and [[Santal]].<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20583/20583-h/20583-h.htm The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India]</ref> Its former territory lies in the present-day state of [[Chhattisgarh]] and its capital was the town of [[Ambikapur, India|Ambikapur]], now the capital of [[Surguja district]].

==History==
[[File:Maharajah Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo with cheetah kill 1948 BNHS.jpg|thumb|280px|Three of the last [[Asiatic cheetah]]s recorded from India were shot down in 1947, by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, as seen in this photo submitted by his private secretary to [[Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society|JBNHS]].<ref name="Divyabhanusinh1999">{{cite book |author= Divyabhanusinh |year=1999 |title=The End of a Trail: the Cheetah in India |publisher=Banyan Books, New Delhi}}</ref>]]

According to [[tradition]], the family of the [[Maharaja]] is very ancient, and is stated to belong to the [[Rajputs]] of the Lunar race [[Haihaiyavanshi Kingdom|Haihaivansh]]. The present ruling family is said to be descended from a [[Raksel dynasty|Raksel]] Raja of [[Palamau]]. The state became a [[British protectorate]] in 1818 after the [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]]. Neighbouring Udaipur State was founded in 1818 as an offshoot of Surguja State. In 1860 The State was conferred to younger son of [[Maharaja]] Amar Singh Deo, to [[Raja Bahadur]] Bindeshwari Prasad Singh Deo [[Companion of the Order of the Star of India|CSI]]. The Chief resided at Partabpur, the headquarters of a tract which he held as a maintenance grant in [[Surguja]], and was a ruler of considerable ability and force of character. In 1871 he aided in the suppression of a rebellion in the [[Keonjhar State]], for which he received the thanks of Government, and gifts of an elephant with gold-embroidered trappings and a gold watch and chain. He obtained the title of [[Raja Bahadur]] as a personal distinction, and was also made a [[Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India]]. In 1820 hereditary title of [[Maharaja]] was conferred on ruling chief of [[Surguja]]. Surguja was one of the [[Chota Nagpur States]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Sirguja |volume=25 |page=156}}</ref> and its rulers were [[Rajput]]s of the Raksel dynasty. They were the ''de facto'' overlords of the smaller states of [[Udaipur State, Chhattisgarh|Udaipur]], [[Jashpur State|Jashpur]], [[Koriya State|Koriya]] (Korea) and [[Changbhakar State|Changbhakar]] that were fringing its territory.<ref>Malleson, G. B.: ''An historical sketch of the native states of India,'' London 1875, Reprint Delhi 1984</ref>

[[Maharaja]] Indrajit Singh Deo (1827–1879) of Surguja was described as a [[lunatic]] by Anglo-Indian writer [[George Robert Aberigh-Mackay]] in 1877.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nativechiefsand00macgoog G. R. Aberigh-Mackay, ''The Native Chiefs and Their States in 1877:A Manual of reference.'']</ref>

Maharaja Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo, the last ruler of this princely state signed the accession to the [[Dominion of India|Indian Union]] on 1 January 1948.<ref>[http://www.indianrajputs.com/view/surguja Rajput Provinces of India – Surguja (Princely State)]</ref> The Maharaja has the notorious record of having shot and killed a total of 1710 [[Bengal tiger]]s, the highest known individual score;<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030406/spectrum/main3.htm The scent of shikar]</ref><ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140803-tiger-hunt-1924-india-maharaja-safari/ Tiger Hunting in India 1924]</ref> he doesn't hold the official record of shooting into extinction 3 of the last physically recorded [[Asiatic cheetah]]s in India, effectively making the species almost locally extinct in 1947, considering that a female was spotted in what was to be the [[Koriya district|District of Korea]] in 1951. The last three Asiatic Cheetas were shot by Maharaja Ramanuj Partap Singh Deo of [[Korea State|Korea]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Article: Interesting Shikar Trophies: Hunting Cheetah Acinonyx Jubatus|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/187063#page/965/mode/1up|journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History|year=1947 |volume=47|pages=718|via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}</ref><ref name="Divyabhanusinh1999"/>

===Rulers===
[[File:Elephant throne Art Museum SF 2001.12 detail 3.JPG|thumb|Detail of the throne of the Maharaja of Surguja.]]

The rulers of Surguja State bore the title of 'Maharaja', although a few had the title of 'Maharaja Bahadoor', including the last head of the state.<ref>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html Princely States of India]</ref>

====Rajas====
*1678 – 1709 Baiha Dadu Singh Deo
*1709 – 1728 Balbhadra Singh I Deo
*1728 – 1749 Jaswat Singh Deo
*1749 – 1758 Bahadur Sigh Deo
*1760 – 17.. Sheo Singh Deo
*1792 – 1799 Ajit Singh Deo
*1799 – 1800 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (1st time)
*1800 – 1813 Lal Singram Singh Deo
*1813 – 1816 Balbhadra Singh II Deo (2nd time)
*1816 – 1820 interregnum
*1820 – 1851 Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja)
*1851 – 25 March 1879 Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879)
*25 Mar 1879 – 31 December 1917 Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur)
*31 Dec 1917 – 1918 Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo (b. 1895 – d. 1965) (with hereditary style Maharaja)

====Maharaja====
*1820 – 1851 Lal Amar Singh Deo (from 1820 with hereditary style Maharaja)

*1851 – 25 March 1879 Indrajit Singh Deo (b. 1827 – d. 1879) (Maharaja Bahadur)

*25 Mar 1879 – 31 December 1917 Raghunath Saran Singh Deo (b. 1860 – d. 1917) (from 1887 with personal style Maharaja; from 1896 Maharaja Bahadur)

*1918 – 15 August 1947 Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo ( Maharaja Bahadur)

*2001 - (present day)
[[T. S. Singh Deo]] ( Titular Maharaja )

==See also==
*[[Balrampur district, Uttar Pradesh]]
*[[Bhaiyathan]]
*[[Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh]]
*[[Chota Nagpur States]]
*[[Eastern States Agency]]
*[[Political integration of India]]
*[[Rehar River]]
*[[Surajpur district]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Coord|23|12|N|83|2|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}
{{Princely states of the Eastern States Agency}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Surguja district]]
[[Category:History of Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Princely states of India]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1948]]
[[Category:Rajputs]]
[[Category:1948 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:1603 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Princely states of Chhattisgarh]]

Surguja State - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article