PRESENT RULER: Raja SHIVENDRA BIJOY MALLA DEB B.Com., Raja Saheb of Jhargram since the 22nd February 2000. (Jhargram Palace, Midnapore Dist., West Bengal, India)

born 12th November 1956 in Calcutta, educated at St. Xaviers College, Calcuttaand and at Rajkumar College, Raipur; he helps manage the family business and is involved in politics, being a member of the Trinamool Congress Party; presently he is presently serving as General Secretary of the party and Charter President of Rotary Club of Jhargram Greens; he is also an eminent social worker and is attached to various educational and charitable institutions in West Bengal; married November 1981 in Cuttack, Orissa, Rani Jyoti Devi, daughter of Raja Prabodh Chandra Dhir Deb (+), Raja Saheb of Balarampur, and his wife, Rani Jogmaya Devi, and has issue, one son.

• Yuvraj Vikramaditya Malladeb, born 1988.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Legend has it, that around 1574, Raja Man Singh had come from Rajasthan, to conquer Bengal on behalf of the Mughal Emperor, Padshah Akbar the Great. He appointed two of his loyal officers in the army, Sarveshwar Singh and his elder brother, to defeat the local tribal rulers of the region known as Jungalkhand, which was populated by tribals, such as Santhals, Mallas, Bhumij and Lodhas. Raja Sarveshwar Singh, together with the Rajput military force and the cavalry invaded this deep forest region and defeated the the Malla Raja, and in memory of his victory, he adopted the surname Malla Deb and set up his kingdom with it's capital, naming it Jhargram. In order to commerate this victory every year an idol of the Malla Raja is made and killed on Vijaya Dasami (Dessehra) day. After residing in the area for four months, Raja Man Singh decided to return to Rajasthan and left his loyal officers, Sarveshwar Singh and his elder brother behind. Raja Sarveshwar Malla Deb desired to stay, and was made the Raja of the Junglekhand area, subordinate to the Mughal emperor, and the elder brother was made the Raja of Bhishnupur, better known as Mallabhum (later an independent state). This is how Raja Man Singh established the Malla Raj in Bengal, which was divided in two parts, with the main capital at Bishnupur and the second part under the younger brother, Sarveshwar Malla Deb with Jhargram as the capital. In 1767, the Raja took part in the Chuar Mutiny against the East India Company but were forced to surrender and pay tribute, Jhargram was then recognized as a Zamindari estate under the British authorities and the Ruler was granted the title of Raja. Rulers were....

• Raja SARVESHWAR MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram, he belonged to the Kshtriya Chandra Vansha Chauhan clan of Rajputs and was the founder of the present Jhargram Royal Family; the new capital itself was surrounded by walls and canals known as Ugal in the local language, the Raja was therefore called Ugal Sanda (hero within the walls) and this remained a part of the ruling Rajas title to the present day; married and had issue. He died after 1574.

  • Raja Vikram Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (qv)

• Raja VIKRAM MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja BHIM MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja PRITHVI MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja SANSAR MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja CHAKKU MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja GADADHAR MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja SHATRUGHNA MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja ANANDA MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja MAN GOVIND MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja VIKRAMJIT MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja SHYAM SUNDAR MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram

• Raja VIKRAMADITYA MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram, married and had issue.

  • Yuvraj Narayan Malla Ugal Sanda Deb, married and had issue.

    • Raja Raghunath Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (qv)

    • Rajkumar Jadunath Malla Deb, married and had issue.

• Raja RAGHUNATH MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB, Raja of Jhargram -/1912, he was the first student from this area to study for his F. A.; he was famous for his extraordinary strength as a wrestler as well as for his charity and generosity; married 1stly, Rani Siromani Devi of Shyamsundarpur, married 2ndly, Rani Raj Lakshmi Debi of Silda, married 3rdly, Rani Brahmamayee Devi of Shyamsundarpur, and had issue, four sons and five daughters. He died 1912.

  • Rajkumari Kali Kumari Devi (by Rani Siromani Devi), married the Raja Saheb of Manbazaar, Bengal. She died sp.

  • Rajkumari Bhava Kumari Devi (by Rani Siromani Devi), married and had issue, one son.

  • Raja Chandi Charan Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (by Rani Siromani Devi) (qv)

  • Rajkumar Baidyanath Malla Deb (by Rani Raj Lakshmi Debi), married and has issue, two sons.

  • Rajkumar Ganga Charan Malla Deb (by Rani Brahmamayee Devi), married and had issue, three sons and two daughters.

  • Rajkumar Kali Charan Malla Deb (by Rani Brahmamayee Devi), married and had issue, two sons and five daughters.

• Raja CHANDI CHARAN MALLA DEB, Raja of Jhargram 1912/1916, married Rani Kumud Kumari Devi, died 1964, daughter of Raja Ishwar Chandra Dhabal Deb of Dhalbum-Jamboni Raj, and had issue, one son and one daughter. He died 1916.

  • Raja Sir Narasingha Malla Ugal Sanda Deb (qv)

  • Rajkumari Bishnupriya Devi, born 1912, married 1925, Kumar Hemanta Kumar Singh Roy, and had issue, one daughter. She died 2000.

COURT OF WARDS 1916/1929

• Raja Sir NARASINGHA MALLA UGAL SANDA DEB K.B.E., Raja of Jhargram 1929/1976, born 1909, educated at Midnapore Collegiate School and Presidency College in Calcutta; elected to the 2nd Lok Sabha; awarded the O.B.E. and later the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE); married 1stly, Rani Binod Manjuri Devi, died 1945, daughter of Lalsaheb Girish Chandra Bhanj Deo of Mayurbhanj, married 2ndly, 1946, Rani Rupamanjuri Devi, born 1930, daughter of Kumar Nripendra Chandra Singh Roy of Rai Gobindpur, and his wife, Kumarani Radha Lata Debi, eldest daughter of Kumar Chandi Prasad Singh Roy, Zamindar of Chakdighi, and had issue, one son and three daughters. He died 11th November 1976 in Calcutta.

  • Raja Birendra Bijoy Malla Deb (by Rani Binod Manjari Devi) (qv)

  • Kumari Savitri Devi (by Rani Binod Manjuri Devi), married Raja Uday Narayan Deb of Sana Khemudi in Orissa.

  • Kumari Gayatri Devi (by Rani Rupa Manjuri Devi), married 1970, Kumar Visheshwar Pratap Singh of Shakarpura in Bihar.

  • Kumari Jayeshree Devi (by Rani Rupa Manjuri Devi), married Kumar Shailaja Shanker Singh Deo of Dhenkanal in Orissa, and has issue, two daughters.

• Raja BIRENDRA BIJOY MALLA DEB, Raja of Jhargram 1976/2000, educated at the University of Calcutta (M.A. in History), elected three times Member of Legislative Assembly of West Bengal; a talented cricketer who captained the school and university cricket teams; he was a three time winner of the Best Legislator award in the West Bengal legislative assembly; married Rani Indira Devi, died 25th July 1997, daughter of HH Maharaja Shri Sudhanshu Shekhar Singh Deo of Sonepur, she was considered to be the guiding light of the Jhargram Royal Family, a clear-sighted, kind and humble Rani, she was involved with a number of charitable institutions; he had issue, two sons and two daughters. He died 22nd February 2000.

  • Raja Shivendra Bijoy Malla Deb (qv)

  • Rajkumar Joydeep Malla Deb, educated at the University of Calcutta (B.Com. and LL.B.), he assists in management of the family business and is involved in politics, being a member of the Trinamool Congress Party and is also attached to various education and welfare organisations; married Kumari Priti Devi, daughter of Rao Saheb Shankareshwar Pratap Singh of Rampur Naikin in Rewah, M.P., and has issue, one son and one daughter.

    • Kumari Rajnandini Malla Deb, born 2000.

    • Kumar Harshvardhan Malla Deb, born 2001.

  • Rajkumari Radharani Debi

  • Rajkumari Rajshree Devi, she married Pranav Kumar Gautam, grandson of Raja Pratap Girji Narsinghji Gyan Bahadur, Zamindar and Nobleman in Nizam's Government of Hyderabad (see Dhanrajgir Zamindari)

• Raja SHIVENDRA BIJOY MALLA DEB (see above)