Jayee Rajguru

In 1804, a royal priest in Odisha called the village warriors of Khurda to arms. The British Company had broken its promises to his king.

He was Jayee Rajguru. He rose more than fifty years before the Revolt of 1857, and he is called the first martyr in his state.

1Who was Jayee Rajguru?

He was a scholar who became a military leader.

• His full name was Jayakrushna Rajaguru Mohapatra.
• He was born on 29 October 1739 near Puri, Odisha.
• His father was Chandra Rajaguru and his mother was Haramani Debi.
• He came from a Brahmin family.
• He was an excellent scholar of Sanskrit.
• His grandfather, Gadadhara Rajaguru, was also a scholar.
• In 1780 he became chief minister and Rajguru of Gajapati Dibyasingha Deva.
• He was 41 years old then.
• He was the royal priest of Gajapati Mukunda Deva II.
• He never married.
• He also headed the administration under Mukunda Deva II.
• He was also a Tantra sadhaka, a practitioner of Tantra.

2How did he fight the Bargis?

He first defended Khurda against Maratha raiders.

• In 1779, Khurda fought Januji Bhonsala at Badamba Gada.
• Narasingha Rajaguru, who led the army, was killed.
• Jayee Rajguru then became head of administration and chief of the army.
• Maratha raiders called Bargis attacked the people of Khurda.
• He went from village to village to lift the spirit of the Paiks.
• He trained village youths in arms and in making weapons.
• He drew up a five-point plan, the Panchasutri Yojana.
• The plan was meant to defeat the Bargis.
• The defeat at Badamba Gada came in 1779, a year before he became chief minister.

3Why did he turn on the British?

The Company broke its word on money and land.

• The British won Plassey in 1757 and took Bengal, Bihar and Midnapore.
• They wanted a route between Ganjam and Balasore.
• Shyamsundara Deva was the king’s own brother and turned against him.
• In 1798 the British attacked Khurda with help from Shyamsundara Deva.
• Col. Harcourt made an agreement with the king of Khurda.
• The British would pay ₹1,00,000 as compensation.
• They would also return four Parganas held by the Marathas since 1760.
• They cheated on both counts.
• In 1803–04 he marched to Cuttack with two thousand armed Paiks.
• He was paid only ₹40,000.
• The Parganas were refused.
• The fight at Pipili came 47 years after Plassey.
• In September 1804 the king was deprived of his traditional rights over the Jagannatha Temple.
• That was a serious shock to the king and the people of Odisha.

4What happened in 1804 and 1805?

The Paiks rose, and the allies joined them.

• He reorganised his army and occupied the four Parganas himself.
• In October 1804, armed Paikas attacked the British at Pipili.
• He asked the kings of the region to join the cause.
• The rulers of Kujanga, Kanika, Harishpur and Marichipur made an alliance with Khurda.
• A long fight followed between Khurda and the British.
• The Paiks fought with the support of four allied rulers.
• Fighting lasted from late 1804 into 1805.
• He was arrested from Khurda Fort and taken to Barabati Fort.
• He tried hard to keep his king safe.
• The king, Mukunda Deva II, was arrested on 3 January 1805.
• Fearing more unrest, the British sent both men to Midnapore Jail.

5How did he die?

His king blamed him, and he was hanged.

• The king petitioned from prison.
• He said he was innocent.
• He blamed Rajguru for stirring up the Paiks.
• The British released the king and sent him to Puri.
• The king went home to Puri, while Rajguru stayed to face trial.
• Rajguru’s trial was held at Baghitota in Midnapore.
• He was found guilty of waging war against the lawful government.
• He was sentenced to be hanged.
• He was executed on 6 December 1806.
• His death came two years after the attack at Pipili.
• His legs were tied to two tree branches, which were then released.
• Odisha honours him as the first martyr against British rule.

6What are the exam traps?

Exams mix him up with later rebels of the same name or place.

• His rising was in 1804–05, not in 1817 and not in 1857.
• The later Paika Rebellion of 1817 was led by Buxi Jagabandhu.
• Do not confuse him with Shivaram Rajguru, who was hanged in 1931.
• He was a priest and minister, not a prince.
• Remember the order: Plassey 1757, Pipili 1804, Rajguru’s death 1806.
• The king, not Rajguru, was Mukunda Deva II.
• He was tried in Midnapore, in Bengal, not in Cuttack.
• Read about Buxi Jagabandhu.
• Compare him with Kittur Chennamma and Tirot Sing.
• Read about the road to Plassey.