Keonjhar

Keonjhar was a hill kingdom in northern Orissa, with its raja’s seat at Keonjhar. Tradition traced its founding to Jyoti Bhanja, enthroned with the support of local Bhuyan chiefs; its Bhanja rulers were tributaries of Orissa.

Around the fourteenth century, the Keonjhar prince Ananga Bhanja was made king of neighboring Baudh by local chiefs. Bhuyan chiefs retained a role in Keonjhar’s coronations, while the Bhanja line continued through Mughal and Maratha rule. Jagannath Bhanja ascended the throne in 1688; Gadadhar Narayan Bhanj Deo followed in 1825.