Forgotten history of Bengal which were lost under the waters of Panchet Dam.

1. HISTORY OF GARH PANCHKOT
Sekhar Bhum

2. Our Culture and History
◦ Bengal's culture is deeply rooted in a beautiful amalgamation of
both history and tradition.
◦ We can find a myriad of majestic monuments strewn across the
entire state. Be it the colonial architecture or the royal trail, the
traces of history are abundantly scattered as remnants of
bygone days.
◦ Garh Panchkot in Purulia is one such place which combines
history and nature.

3. Michael Madhusudhan Dutta
◦ In the year 1872 Michael Madhusudhan Dutta,
in order to make ends meet, took up a job of
Estate Manager of Singh Deo Dynasty under
Raja Nilmoni Singh Deo of Panchakot.
◦ He was in Garpanchokot for about 8 months.
◦ He wrote three poems on Panchkot namely,
‘Panchkot giri’, ‘Panchkotoshyo Rajosree’ &
‘Panchkot Giri Biday Sangeet’.

5. In his honor 26th Sept 2000 a Government-aided, co-educational institution for undergraduate
education, was founded in Kashipur and it was named “Kashipur Michael Madhusudan
Mahavidyalaya” - situated about 8 km away from the Adra railway station.

6. Location
◦ Garh Panchkot or Panchet hill is located
in Raghunathpur sub-division of Purulia
district.
◦ The lush dense green hill stands amidst
the lateritic landscape – its maximum
altitude is arpund 650 m above MSL.
◦ The hill stands on the south bank of
Damodar river, near the Panchet dam,
which demarcates the border of West
Bengal and Jharkhand.

7. The Panchet Hill

9. HISTORY

10. ◦ Panchkot was a part of an ancient East Indian kingdom
known as Rajchakla Panchkot (means Zamindari Raj of
Panchkot - locally known as Panchet).
◦ Around 81 AD, with the help of Sardars of Jhalda, the
Panchkot Jagir was founded by Damodar Sekhar Deo of the
Dhonagarh Raj family from North Western Frontier Province.
◦ Accordingly, the place Panchet got its name from this
dynasty.

11. LEGENDS

12. ◦ According to one legend, Raja Jagat Deo was going for
pilgrimage in Puri from his kingdom in Dhar in modern
Madhya Pradesh
◦ His wife gave birth to a son while camping at Jhalda.
◦ The king’s entourage believed the child had been born dead
and left him there.
◦ And a cow saved him with it’s milk. Later the child was
found by the local tribals; When he grew up, he established a
fort called Panchakot and took the name Jataraj

13. ◦ Meanwhile, two of his stepbrothers — Nayan and Asman
— attacked this kingdom but eventually got killed.
◦ He expanded his kingdom over several other parganas.
◦ To give recognition to the main five (panch) clans
(khunt) of the locals the kingdom assumed the name
Panchkot.
◦ As for the cow, locals believe that it later turned into a
stone and could still be found in Jhalda.

14. The other folklore goes like this:
The dynasty that ruled Panchet was attacked by a
Murshidabad nawab; only one member of the family
could escape. He was saved by local tribals. Later, he
regained his territory and established his kingdom.

15. HISTORY

16. ◦ Panchkot Giri has its references in the Puranas also. The
place was then known as Sekhar bhum from which the
founder king of Singh Deo Dynasty Damodar Sekhar
derived his name.
◦ The kingdom was probably a part of old ‘Tilakampa’
Kingdom. The ruins of Telkupi, the said capital of
Tilakampa (submerged) went under water after the
construction of Panchet Dam.

17. ◦ For 800 years Sing Deo Dynasty ruled Panchkot.
◦ The capital shifted to Garh Panchkot in around 940 AD. The name Garh
Panchakot refers to the five concentric fortification walls that once defended
habitation core of the capital .
◦ Around 1600 AD, Garh Panchkot came under the rule of the famous king Bir
Hambir of Bishnupur Malla Dynasty, but for how long that could not be
ascertained.
◦ Garh Panchkot was abandoned in the 1750s, because of Maratha–Bargi raids
and internecine wars. At this point, what survived of the royal family moved
to Kashipur on the banks of Dwarakeshwar river, 30 km south.

18. The ruins of JorBangla Temple at Garh Panchkot

19. Story of the family war.
◦ When king Vikhamlal Tilak died at the age of 31, his father King
Satrughnasekhar decided that Vikhamlal’s seven-year-old son
Manilal will be the next king. Though this decision was not liked
by the 10 brothers of Vikhamlal, they could do anything about it
till their father was alive.
◦ 1750, when Satrughnasekhar died, his sons divided the
kingdom and took over the control. They all wanted to eliminate
Manilal.

20. The ancient watch tower at Garh Panchkot

21. ◦ Manilal’s mother decided to leave this world when Vikhamlal
died.
◦ Their family priest Akinchan Bandopadyay was his only support.
He somehow managed to take Manilal to the neighbourhood
kingdom Chatna, where Manilal grew up.
◦ But at a very early age Manilal decided to start his own journey.
◦ He had only one asset – a horse on which he came to Chatna.
He purchased a village in exchange of this horse. So name of the
village was given Ghoramukhi.

22. The ruins of the Rani Mahal at Garh Panchkot

23. ◦ Once the people of Panchakot came to know that manilal is alive
they wanted him back as their king. In 1752, with the support
king of Chatna and Alibordi Khan, then then King of Bengal,
took over as the king of Panchakot.
◦ But due to his safety, he did not return in the old palace –
Instead he made a fort in a palce which was named as
Maharajnagar.
◦ In 1762, he moved his capital to Kashipur.

24. The graveyard of King Manilal Singh Deo in Kashipur

25. ◦ The ruins of the Garh (fort) of the Singh Deo dynasty of
Panchakot located at the southern foothills and a group of
temples are still standing as mute spectators of the rise and fall
of the dynasty.
◦ Historian J.D.Beglar who visited Telkupi in 1902 described it as
'containing, perhaps, the finest and largest number of temples
within a small space that is to be found in the Chutia Nagpur
Circle in Bengal'. He listed over twenty temples and referred to
several others and to 'numerous mounds, both of brick and
stone’

26. PANCHRATNA TEMPLE

27. ◦ Amongst the recent members were:
◦ 1901 – 1938: Raja Bahadur Jyoti Prasad Singh Deo, who was
granted the title of Raja as a personal distinction in 1912.
◦ 1938 – 1945: Raja Kalyani Prasad Singh Deo
◦ 1945 – 1956: Raja Shankari Prasad Singh Deo
◦ 1956 – 1972: Raja Bhubaneswari Prasad Singh Deo. He died
unmarried and that was the end of the Dyansty
◦ The surviving members of royal family carries forward its royal
lineage and public recognition from Kashipur Rajbari in Purulia

28. Kashipur Raj Palace

29. Intricate work on top of the rooftop over the main entrance at Kashipur Raj
Palace

30. Durbar Hall at Palace Panchkote 5th Nov, 2015

31. Royal Family of Panchkote at Shikar 10th Sep, 2015

32. PANCHET DAM

34. ◦ In 1942 a flood occurred in the Damodar valley region that cut Calcutta off
from the rest of the country for a period of 10 weeks.
◦ Mr. W.L. Voord, a civil engineer of Tennessee Valley Authority was invited to
construct a river dam. He designed the plan of the dams by 1945.
◦ Finally the first dam of independent India came up on July 7, 1953 at Tilaiya.
Soon Konar, Maithon and Panchet Dam followed in its footsteps in 1955,
1957 and 1959 respectively.
◦ Panchet Dam was opened in 1959. Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of
India, was invited to inaugurate the newly constructed Panchet Dam. The
officials selected two project workers, 2 fifteen-year-old Santhal girls Budhni
Mejhan and Robon Majhi, to welcome the Prime Minister.

36. BUDHINI’S STORY

37. Budhni Mejhan formally garlanded Nehru.

38. ◦ When Budhni returned home to her village of Karbona,
the village elders told her that since she had garlanded
Nehru, she had effectively "married" him; and since
Nehru wasn't a Santhal, she had married outside the
community.
◦ As result of this "crime", she was chased out of the
village and shunned by her family and neighbors.

39. ◦ When Budhni returned home to her village of Karbona,
the village elders told her that since she had garlanded
Nehru, she had effectively "married" him; and since
Nehru wasn't a Santhal, she had married outside the
community.
◦ As result of this "crime", she was chased out of the
village and shunned by her family and neighbors.

40. ◦ Later she found refuge in the house of a Panchet
resident Sudhir Dutta and had a daughter by him;
◦ The daughter is also rejected by the Santhal
community.
◦ In 1962, the DVC fired Budhni from her staff position.
◦ In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi reinstated her at
the DVC, but she and her daughter remain outcasts
from their village.

41. ◦ When writer Sarah Joseph heard
the story of Budhini dshe ecided
to write about this woman
banned by tribe during 1959
◦ She came to Panchet to meet
Budhini.
◦ Sarah wrote about meeting
Budhni in the Mathrubhumi
magazine – the same one that
was published her novel Budhni
as a series.
◦ Budhini went to Kozhikode for
the book launch of her book
“Budhini”

43. কবিতা : িুধনী মেঝান
ছিোটবেলোয় শুবেছিলোম েুধেী ছমঝোবের গল্প।
ছেছিে ছলোকমুবে হবয়ছিল প্রচোর অল্পেল্প।।
গল্প হয়ব ো জোেো, হয় ওবেবকর অজোেো।
গল্প হবলও েছ ি, েয়বকো আমোর কল্পেো।।
িোবমোির ীবর,এক আছিেোেী গ্রোম,
েোাঁও োল পল্লী, কোরেোেো োাঁর েোম।
শোন্ত ছেছেড় িোয়োবেরো কোরেোেো ছহোথো,
েভ্ি োর প্রবেশ েবেো হয়ছে ছেথো।
েোাঁধ ত রী ছহোল শুরু, িোবমোিবরর েুবক,
েেোই েপ্ন ছিবে – কোটবে জীেে েুবে।
িূর গ্রোবমর অবেবক কোজ ছপল যোরো,
ছিেোবন্ত ছিরব ো গ্রোবম, িল ছোঁবধ োরো।
এমছে কবর কোটছিল ছিে, ছেবয় স্বোমী েংেোর ।
পঞ্চিশী েোাঁও োল রমেী, েুধছে েোম োর।
েোাঁধ ত ছর হল ছশষ, যোত্রো হবে শুরু।
হটোৎ কবর পোলবট ছগল োর ছচেো জগ টোই।
েমোজ করল ের্ব্বহোরো, রোস্তোয় হল োর ঠোই।।
প্রধোে মন্ত্রী ছেহরু েবলছিবলে – ইছ হোে প্রমোে,
আধুছেক ভ্োরব পোবে হল “ছিেোলয়” েমোে।
ভ্োবগির পছরহোে, মছিবর হল ছে আিুি ,
ছেেো কোরবে ছিছভ্ছে করবলো োবর কমবচুি ।।
এমছে কবরই েমোজ কুেংস্কোর আচ্ছন্ন,
ছকবড় ছেল োাঁর ের েংেোর, মুবের অন্ন ।।
প্রগছ র েছল, েুধেী ছমঝোে হল ছেস্বঃ।
পোবে িিোম ছকবড় ছেল োর ের্ব্বস্বঃ ।।
অেবশবষ ছমলল ঠোই, িয়োলু িত্তেোেুর েবর,
ক্রবম োরো কোবি এল, েোাঁধল ের ে ু ে কবর।
উিবেোধে করবেে প্রধোেমন্ত্রী ছেহরু।।
অভ্িথবেোয় পরোবে ছক টীকো ও মোলো ?
েুধেীই ছিল ছেছিবের িয়েোলো।
করল অভ্িথবেো েুধেী েোাঁও োল েোলো,
ছেবহরুবক পছরবয় টীকো আর মোলো ।
শ্রছমবকর মযবোিো ছভ্বে েুধেী ছিল উপযুক্ত,
ছেহরু েুধেীবক ছিবয়ই করবলো েোাঁধ উন্মুক্ত।
মুবে মুবে েের ছগল কোরেোেো গ্রোবম,
গুঞ্জে ছধক্কোর শুরু হল েুধেীর েোবম।
েমোজ েলল ‘ েুধেী তকরবলক ছেহো,
গলোয় মোলো আর কপোবল টিক ছিয়ো।”
ছেবহরুব ো েোাঁও োল লয়, েুধেী হবয়বি জো ভ্রষ্ট।
েুধেী হল গ্রোম ছথবক ছে োছড় , েেোই েলল ছে েষ্ট।।
ছে োছড় েুধেীবর ছিল েো ছকউ এক ছিোাঁটো জল ।
ছেরুপোয় েুধেী করল গ্রোম িোগ, ছেবয় চক্ষু িলিল।।
যছিও েুধেী পোয়ছে োর চোকরী আর ছিবর,
েুও োরো ছিল েুবে, কেিো েন্তোে ছেবর।
কোবলর ছরোব ছকবটবি েহু কোল যেে।
হবলে প্রধোেমন্ত্রী রোজীে গোন্ধী েে।।
েুধেী ছগল ছিল্লী, আশোয় ছেছিে েুক েোাঁছধ।
োর িুবক্ষর গল্প শুেবলে রোজীে গোন্ধী।।
ছিবর ছপল চোকরী ছে, আশো পুর্ব হল োর ।
গল্প হল ছশষ আমোর, ছেইবকো জোেো আর।।
েুধেী হবয়বচ অমর, হবে েো ছেস্মৃ ছকোেছিে
পোবে িিোবমর েবে েোাঁচবে েুধেী ছচরছিে।।
******
Composed by Anil C Mandal (21 Oct 2013),
Copyright Anil C Mandal, All rights reserved.