Berhampur: The historical Mahurigarh fort, the seat of erstwhile Mahuri royals near Aska in Ganjam district, is on the verge of extinction due to lack of proper upkeep and government apathy. Ganjam district is full of antiquities. Mahurigarh fort is one such monument which mirrors the rich cultural heritage of the district.
However, it is fast fading into oblivion. Academics and historians lament that the medieval era Mahurigarh fort, which once stood as the silent witness to the attack launched by the East India Company, is now in ruins. Mahurigarh is located on the outskirts of Berhampur under Kukudakhandi block of Ganjam district. The distance of Mahurigarh is around 15 km from Berhampur town and 8 km from Kanishi on National Highway-16. It came into existence when Puri royal Purushottam Dev returned home after victory in Kanchi war. He stopped mid-way and donated land there to all his sardars (army commanders) and directed them to become kings. His two commanders Somaraj and Bhimaraj received Mahurigarh as their province to rule. The royal province was named as Mahurigarh as the two commanders played ‘Mahuri’ (a piece of musical instrument) during the war. Somaraj was anointed as the king of the princely state while Bhimaraj was anointed as his ‘Thata Raja’ (deputy) in 1450. The Mahuri royal lineage consisted of Somaraj, his son Purushottam Singh, Purushottam’s son Dhruba Singh and his descendants. The Mahuri princely state, consisting of 411 villages and seven forts, was spread over 521 square mile area. The seven forts are Mahudagarh, Satapahandia, Pandiajholi, Nuagaon, Nalihada, Dengapadar and Narayanpur. Mahurigarh or Mahuda was the capital of the princely state. Mahurigarh, ruled by the Mahuri royal family for six generations, had a Jagannath temple and many historical relics and antiquities apart from the royal palace. However, bad days followed soon as the French army attacked Mahurigarh in 1755. The Mahuri royal fought with the French army and managed to save his fort.
Later, the army of East India Company attacked Mahurigarh and tried to capture it in 1765. The East India Company pulled down several temples and mutts during the war to inflict humiliation on the Mahuri royals. Back-to-back battles pushed the Mahuri royal into distress while disputes within the royal family aggravated the problems.
According to historians, the then Mahuri royal Harihar Narendra Dev was assassinated by his brothers, December 10, 1782. Family disputes and enmity weakened the royal family and it became difficult to collect revenue from the people in the kingdom. As a result, the then British government auctioned the princely state as it failed to deposit Rs 60,000 towards outstanding revenue to the British treasury in 1832-33. There was no end to the Mahuri royal family’s woes as the princely state had to face a drought from 1837 to 1840. The unending hurdles forced the Mahuri royal family to shift their base to Berhampur from Mahuda. As a result, the historical Mahurigarh was pushed to obscurity and left abandoned. The then British government took over the governance of Mahurigarh and paid some allowances to the Mahuri royal and asked them to live at Berhampur. This is the reason behind the destruction of Mahurigarh, noted historian and researcher Anantram Kar Koundinya said. Mahurigarh has turned into a haunted house with wild shrubs and creepers growing all over the fort. Locals said that the place is visited by historians, researchers and people from various parts of the state during the picnic season. The state government has declared 21 sites in the district as tourist sites.
However, it is yet to give tourist site tag to the historical Mahurigarh. The Berhampur University is conducting research on various subjects but has forgotten to take note of Mahurigarh. Professor Geetanjali Das, Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, assured to review the matter and take steps to find if there is any rock edict and matter of interest regarding Mahurigarh. When contacted, Collector Dibyajyoti Parida said steps will be taken to protect the historical Mahurigarh.