← Odisha History

Khurda Resistance Against British

2 min read odisha-history khurda-resistance mukunda-deva anti-british

The Khurda resistance against the British East India Company was a prolonged struggle that spanned from the initial British occupation in 1803 through the Paika Rebellion of 1817 and beyond. It represents one of the most sustained anti-colonial movements in early 19th-century India.

Raja Mukunda Deva II — The Last Gajapati

Raja Mukunda Deva II (1793–1804 CE) was the last Bhoi ruler of Khurda. Initially, after the British annexation of Odisha from the Marathas in 1803, the Company confirmed him as the zamindar of Khurda. However, tensions quickly arose:

  • The British demanded a heavy tribute that the Raja could not pay.
  • The Raja’s feudal privileges, including his control over the Jagannath Temple, were curtailed.
  • In 1804, the British accused Mukunda Deva of conspiring with the Marathas and supporting anti-British elements.

Annexation of Khurda — 1804

In 1804 CE, the British army under Colonel Harcourt marched on Khurda. The Raja’s forces, including the Paika militia, offered stiff resistance but were overwhelmed. Mukunda Deva II was captured, and his territories were formally annexed to the Company’s domains. The Raja was imprisoned at Barabati Fort in Cuttack and later exiled to Puri, where he died in 1817. His deposition symbolized the final extinction of the Gajapati tradition of independent Odishan kingship.

The Paika uprising and Aftermath

Despite the annexation, resistance continued:

  • The Paika Rebellion (1817) under Bakshi Jagabandhu was a direct attempt to restore the traditional order.
  • After the rebellion’s suppression, the British divided the Khurda territory among loyal zamindars and kept the Paika lands in government custody.
  • The memory of the Khurda kingdom became a rallying point for Odia nationalism in later decades.

Smaller Rebellions

The Khurda resistance also inspired other localized uprisings:

  • Tapang uprising: Led by local Paika leaders in Tapang.
  • Banpur revolt: Part of the broader Paika movement.
  • Ongoing guerrilla actions by Jagabandhu and his followers until 1825.

Legacy

The Khurda resistance was romanticized in Odia literature and folklore. Raja Mukunda Deva II, Bakshi Jagabandhu, and the Paikas became symbols of Odia honour and defiance. In the 20th century, Odia nationalists invoked the memory of Khurda to demand the unification of Odia-speaking territories.

The resistance of Khurda, though ultimately unsuccessful, delayed the consolidation of British rule in Odisha and demonstrated that colonialism was not passively accepted.