Mayurbhanj State
| Mayurbhanj State | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princely State of British India | |||||||||
| c. 12th century–1948 | |||||||||
Mayurbhanj State in a 1901 map of the Imperial Gazetteer of India. | |||||||||
| Capital | Khiching Haripur (c. 1400) Baripada (c. 1800) | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 1901 | 10,982 km2 (4,240 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1901 | 610,383 | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | c. 12th century | ||||||||
| c. 1508 | |||||||||
| c. 1751 | |||||||||
| c. 1803 | |||||||||
| 1947 | |||||||||
| 1948 | |||||||||
• Merged with Odisha | 1949 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Odisha, India | ||||||||
Mayurbhanj State (Odia: ମୟୂରଭଞ୍ଜ ରାଜ୍ୟ; colloquially Morbhanj) was one of the princely states of India during the British Raj. It was one of the largest states of the Eastern States Agency and one of the four salute states of the Orissa States Agency. The emblem of the state was two peacocks, for according to legend the ancestors of the rulers had originated from a peafowl's eyes.
The state included a vast mountainous area inhabited by many different people, such as the Santal, Munda, Ho and Kisan. Its former territory lies in the present-day state of Odisha, bordering West Bengal. The capital of the state was the town of Baripada since the 15th century. Daspur was another important town. Large tracts of Mayurbhanj state were covered with forest.