PRESENT RULER: Raja DEEPAK CHANDRA DEO, 28th Raja Saheb of Jarada since 1987,

born 20th November 1957, educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur and a graduate with History Honours from Christ College, Cuttack, Life member of Wild Life Society, Life Member Red Cross, has served for some time with companies like Shourie Duplicators and Premier Duplicators; hereditary trustee of the temples in Jarada, has served on the Governing Council of Rajkumar College, Raipur on a number of occasions as a nominee of the Governor of Orissa; married 10th February 1982, Rani Kiran Devi, born 13th February 1960, daughter of Raja Sri Krishna Chandra Deb Birbar Mangraj Mahapatra, Raja Saheb of Baramba, and his wife, Rani Jyotsna Devi, eldest daughter of Raja Anup Singh Deo of Khariar, very talented in painting and craft work, and has issue, one son.

• Yuvraj Viswaroop Chandra Deo, born 23rd January 1985, educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur and graduate from Christ College, Cuttack.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Jarada is a zamindari adjoining Surangi Zamindari and lies South West of Chikiti Zamindari. It is 36 kilometres from the border town of Ichapurram on the Andhra Orissa border. There are 59 villages within the zamindari. It is a hilly and jungle country, watered by a small stream that falls in the river Bahuda. It is said to have been founded by Visvambhara Singh Rautraya who owned a large tract of land in the foothills of the Mahendra mountains. He had a son Mani Singh, who died fighting in a war. His second son Veera Bhadra Singh subdued the hill people on a mountain named “Jarasindu”. His father bestowed this land to him and he named it Jarada in 1440AD. Local records also say that Sri Vira Bhadra Singh came from the kingdom of Aul and established Jarada in that year. The Jarada Kings served the Gajapati monarchs till the end of the Gajapati rule when the country was conquered by muslim invaders. In Jarada, the famous “Paratha Sarathy Temple" is located and is unique because Lord Jagannath is worshipped in the form of Sri Paratha Sarathy, the charioteer of Arjuna. It is the only one of its kind. Legend has it that the Jarada King had a dream that Lord Jagannath was present in the Mahendra Mountains in an invisible form and that the Lord was not being worshipped. He informed the Gajapati King, who in turn directed him to bring the Lord Jagannath to Jarada and to build a temple there and thus the temple was established. The Rajas of Jarada are also Hill Chiefs.

• Raja BIRABHADRA SINGH 1440/1457, he supported Raja Purushottam Gajapati Dev of Orissa, during the Kanchi expedition and he had stayed during the return journey in the Mahendra mountains for sometime. Because of his valour, Purushottam Dev had conferred the title of Sri Samantarai upon the Raja.

• Raja BRUNDABANA SINGH Samantrai 1457/1472

• Raja RAMACHANDRA SINGH Samantrai 1472/1491

• Raja BALUNKESWAR SINGH Samantrai 1491/1504

• Raja SARVESWAR Samantrai 1504/1522

• Raja SIBRAM Samantrai 1522/1529

• Raja BAMANA Samantrai 1529/1545

• Raja BALABHADRA Samantrai 1545/1554

• Raja BENKAT RAY Samantrai 1554/1590

• Raja MRUTUNJAYA Samantrai 1590/1595

• Raja NILAKANTHA Samantrai 1595/1627

• Raja GANGADHARA Samantrai 1627/1636

• Raja KRUSHNA Samantrai 1636/1644

• Raja HARI HARA Samantrai 1644/1654

• Raja JAGANNATH Samantrai 1654/1672

• Raja MADHUSUDANA Samantrai 1672/1678

• Raja GOPALA Samantrai 1678/1693

• Raja LOKANATH Samantrai 1693/1738

• Raja SHYAM SUNDARA Samantrai 1738/1750

• Raja PITAMBARA Samantrai 1750/1779, during his reign the Zamindari came under British control, with the zamindar agreeing to pay a tribute of 7501Rs per annum.

• Raja MADAN GOPAL Samantrai 1779/1806, in 1803/1804, the permanent settlement was introduced and it was fixed for 2000Rs as peshkash per annum in perpetuity.

• Raja RAGHUNATH Samantrai 1806/1837

• Raja KRUSHNA CHANDRA Samantrai 1837/1851

• Raja SARATHI CHANDRA Samantrai 1851/1880

• Raja RAGHUNATH Samantrai 1889/1903

• Raja KISHORE CHANDRA Samantrai 1903/1936, he was highly educated in London, Germany and finally France, where he bought a bungalow and lived there with his second wife; he and the Rani Saheba visited Jarada frequently, but he spent the last years of his life in Talcher where he adopted Kumar Prasanna Chandra Deb, second son of the Raja Saheb of Talcher; he married 1stly, Rani Sita Devi, daughter of Raja Raja DASARATHI DHIR Birabar of Balarampur, in Cuttack District of Orissa, married 2ndly, Rani Shanta Devi, a French lady, who was recognized as Rani Saheba by the British Government, she remained in France where she had been gifted the bungalow in Paris, her subsequent fate is unknown. He died sp 1936 in Talcher.

• Raja PRASANNA CHANDRA DEO 1936/1987, born 1925 as Kumar Prasanna Chandra Deb, second son of Raja Hrudaya Chandra Dev Birabar Harichandan Mahapatra of Talcher, and his wife, Rani Sucharumali Devi, adopted by Raja Kishore Chandra Samantrai, and succeeded in Jarada in 1936 though the zamindari was administered by the Court of Wards till 1945 when full powers were granted to him; educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur; a founder member of the Ganjam Club, Berhampur; Member of the Managing Committee of Khallikote College, Berhampur; a life member of the Youth Hostel Association of India; Member of the Cuttack Club, Cuttack; Vice President of Rajkumar College General Council, Raipur; an accomplished sportsman in Tennis, Riding and Billiards; he handed over the zamindari to the Government of Orissa when the abolition of zamindari took place on 1st June 1953; he was a very amiable personality, a very good host and a keen shikari; he married Rani Swarna Prabha Manjari Devi, died 2005, the only daughter of Raja Shri Balbhadra Narayan Bhanj Deo of Keonjhar, and his wife, Rani Manoj Manjari Devi, and had issue, three daughters and two sons. He died in 1987.

  • Rajkumari Pratibha Devi, born 8th May 1955, married 20th November 1972, Kumar Pradeep Chandra Deo, of the Bhaludungri Branch of the Bonai Royal family, and has issue, three daughters.

    • Kumari Jogeswari Devi, married Kumar Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mahapatra, and has issue, one daughter.

      • Kumari Manvi Devi

    • Kumari Kamolini Devi, married 23rd Feburary 2008, Kumar Rajendra Kumar Champatiray.

    • Kumari Sudeshna Devi

  • Rajkumari Pratima Devi, born 6th June 1956, married 1stly (div.), Raja Birendra Shekhar Deo, Raja Saheb of Gangpur, married 2ndly, 18th March 1994, Rajkumar Rajendra Gohil of Lathi. (U.S.A.)

  • Raja DEEPAK CHANDRA DEO (qv)

  • Rajkumari Padmavati Devi, born 30th August 1959, married 27th May 1979, Kumar Saroj Kumar Bhanj Deo of Kusapalli (Ganjam), and has issue, one son and one daughter.

    • Kumar Shivendra Bhanj Deo

    • Kumari Sri Prabha Devi

  • Rajkumar Pattayet Narayan Chandra Deo, born 17th September 1961, married 23rd June 1988, Pattayet Rani Rajshree Devi, daughter of Kumar Bikram Shekhar Deo of Gangpur, and has issue, one son.

    • Kumar Ajitesh Chandra Deo, born 16th August 1989.

• Raja DEEPAK CHANDRA DEO (see above)