PRESENT RULER:

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Founded in 1550. This was a small sanad state of about 213 square miles, separated into two sections by the Kothi state. Its founder, Fatehsingh was one of the two sons of Maharaja Amarsingh of Rewa. He had revolted against his father in the sixteenth century. Originally the state was of considerable extent including Birsinghpur, Kothi and other tracts in the neighbourhood. On the rise of Panna under Chhatrasal, Sohawal became a tributary but retained its independence. Later on, however, Jagatrai and Hardeshah, sons of Chhatrasal, actually seized much of its territory, while the Kothi chief, taking advantage of these disturbances, threw off his allegiance, and attacked and killed the Sohawal chief, Prithipal Singh. On the establishment of British supremacy in nineteenth century, Sohawal was first held to be subordinate to Panna. But a separate sanad was granted to Rais Amansingh in 1809 on the ground that, the state had existed before Chhatrasal's rise to power and had remained independent throughout the supremacy of Ali Bahadur of Banda. Rulers were....

• Rais FATEH SINGH, 1st Rais of Sohawal 1550/-, founder of Sohawal in 1550, son of Raja Amar Singh of Rewah, fl.16th century.

• ......

• Rais MAHIPAT SINGH, Rais of Sohawal, he granted the jagir of Raigaon to his brother, Sarup Singh, on condition of service and of contribution towards the exigencies of the State,

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• Rais PRITHVI RAJ SINGH, Rais of Sohawal, married Rani Raj Kunwari, daughter of Raja Chain Singh, Raja of Nagod, and his first wife, Rani Phool Kunwari.

• Rais PRITHIPAL SINGH, Rais of Sohawal -/1750

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• Rais Lal AMAN SINGH, 7th Rais of Sohawal before 1809/18xx (first time)

• Rais RAGHUNATH SINGH, 8th Rais of Sohawal 18xx/1830, in 1830, the state was taken under British administration to liquidate a private money claim preferred against the Chief, but three years later it was restored to his father. He died 1830/1833.

INTERREGNUM 1830/1833, under British administration.

• Rais Lal AMAN SINGH, Rais of Sohawal 1833/1840 (second time), he was granted a Sanad (No. LXXXVIII) in 1809, confirming him in his State on his tendering a deed of allegiance; he resigned his state in favour of his elder son, but he was restored to the gaddi after his sons death; in 1840 he resigned the state in favour of his second son; married and had issue.

  • Rais Raghunath Singh (qv)

  • Rais Sheo Singh (qv)

• Rais SHEO SINGH, 9th Rais of Sohawal 1840/1865, he received a Sanod (No. LXXXIX) in 1843 recognizing his succession; taken under British administration in 1845 due to the misrule of the Rais at the Chief's own request; married and had issue.

  • Kunwar Inderjit Singh, married and had issue. He died 1856.

    • Raja Sher Jang Bahadur Singh (qv)

• Raja SHER JANG BAHADUR SINGH, 10th Raja of Sohawal 1865/1899, born 5th January 1853, he succeeded 1st November 1865 ^(#1), and was placed in charge of the state in 1871; the title of Raja was granted as a personal distinction on 1st January 1879 in recognition of his loyalty; married and had issue.

  • Raja Bhagwat Raj Bahadur (qv)

  • Rani (name unknown), married 1884, Raja Gajendra Singh, Raja of Paron 1882/1899, and had issue.

• Raja BHAGWAT RAJ BAHADUR SINGH C.I.E., 11th Raja of Sohawal 1899/1930, born 7th August 1878 ^(#2) and succeeded to the gadi on 23rd November 1899, the title of Raja was granted as a hereditary distinction in 1911, C.I.E. [cr.1916], married and had issue. He died in February 1930.

  • Raja Jagendra Bahadur Singh (qv)

  • Thakur Birendra Bahadur Singh, Thakur Saheb of Bandhi, married and had issue.

    • HH Rani Shyam Kumari, married as his second wife, HH Raja Shrimant Mahendra Singh Ju Dev Bahadur, Raja of Nagod, and had issue.

  • HH Maharani (name unknown) Kumari, married (as his second wife), HH Maharana Sri Bhawanisinhji Hamirsinhji, Maharana of Danta. She died spm in 1923.

  • Rani (name unknown) Kumari, married (as his 2nd wife), Maharao Shri Hamirsinhji II Mohobatsinhji, 25th Rao Shri of Vijaynagar.

  • Thakur Purushottam Singh

• Raja JAGENDRA BAHADUR SINGH, 12th Raja of Sohawal 1930/1974, born 9th July 1899, he succeeded his father to the gadi on 16th February 1930; educated at Daly College, Indore; married to a daughter of Amethia Raja Rameshwar Bux Singh of Sheogarh alias Birsinghpur in Rai Bareilly district of Oudh. He died 20th March 1974.

OTHER MEMBERS:

• Thakurani Baghelji of Sohawal, married (as his 3rd wife), Thakur Shiv Singh, 4th Thakur Saheb of Dundlod 1808/1850.

• Rani Baghelinji of Sohawal, married 1884, Raja Gajendra Singh, Raja of Narwar 1882/1899, and had issue.

• Thakurani Baghelinji of Sohawal, married (as his second wife), Thakur Vansh Pradip Singhji, 13th Thakur Saheb of Sawar, and had adoptive issue.

• Kunwarani Sita Kumari (1940), married Kunwar Vikram Singh of Banera.

• Kunwarani Geeta Kumari (1943), married Kunwar Udaibhan Singh of Banera.

The help of Deepak Aggarwal is gratefully acknowledged, July 2011.