Jaintia Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Jaintia Kingdom extended from the east of the Shillong Plateau
of present-day Meghalaya
in north-east India
, into the plains to the south, and north to the Barak River
valley in Assam
, India
. The capital, Jaintiapur, now ruined, was located on the plains at the foot of the Jaintia Hills; it appears there may have been a summer capital at Nartiang in the Jaintia Hills, but little remains of it now apart from a Durga temple and a nearby site with many megalithic structures. The name Jaintia is derived from Zantein or Synteng
, the collective name of different tribal groups from the region. The Syntengs, Pnar and War
, speak Mon-Khmer languages that are related to Khasi
. Much of what is today the Sylhet
region of Bangladesh
was at one time under the jurisdiction of the Jaintia king.
The origin of the Jaintia kingdom is unknown, but the Jaintia people share a megalith
ic culture with the related Khasi people on the Shillong plateau which is of uncertain age, but their common oral history claims that they settled the region in the distant past. After the 17th century invasion by the Kachari king Satrudaman, the Jaintia kingdom came under increasing Kachari
and Ahom
political influence.
The Jaintia Kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company in 1835.
, was the capital. The kingdom extended from the hills into the plains north of the Barak river
. The quarries in their possession was the chief supplier of lime to the delta region of Bengal, but with the British, the contact was not very smooth, and they were attacked in 1774. Subsequently, the Jaintias were increasingly isolated from the plains via a system of forts as well as via a regulation of 1799 . After the conclusion of the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British allowed the Jaintia king his rule north of the Surma river . The kingdom was finally annexed on March 15, 1835 . The king was handed over his property in Sylhet along with a monthly salary of Rs 500. The British administered the plain areas directly and the hill region indirectly via a system of fifteen dolois and four sardars. The fifteen administrators were free to adjudicated on all but the most heinous crimes.
Shillong Plateau
The Shillong Plateau is a plateau in eastern Meghalaya state, northeastern India. The plateau's southern, northern, and western ridges form the Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills respectively....
of present-day Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...
in north-east India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, into the plains to the south, and north to the Barak River
Barak River
The Barak River is one of the major rivers of southern Assam and is a part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It is the biggest and the most important of all the rivers in the Manipur hill territory, from where it originates....
valley in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The capital, Jaintiapur, now ruined, was located on the plains at the foot of the Jaintia Hills; it appears there may have been a summer capital at Nartiang in the Jaintia Hills, but little remains of it now apart from a Durga temple and a nearby site with many megalithic structures. The name Jaintia is derived from Zantein or Synteng
Synteng
The Jaintias or Pnars are a tribal group in Meghalaya, India. The Jaintias are matrilineal.They believe that their religion, known as Niamtre, is God-given and comes to this world by God's decree. The three cardinal principles dictated by God are kamai yei hok, tipbru tipblai and tipkur tipkha...
, the collective name of different tribal groups from the region. The Syntengs, Pnar and War
War language
War , War-Jaintia or Amwi is an Austro-Asiatic language spoken by about 16,000 people in Bangladesh and 12,000 people in India....
, speak Mon-Khmer languages that are related to Khasi
Khasi language
Khasi is an Austro-Asiatic language spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India by the Khasi people. Khasi is part of the Austroasiatic family of languages, and is fairly closely related to the Munda branch of that family, which is spoken in east&endash;central India.Although most of the 865,000...
. Much of what is today the Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
region of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
was at one time under the jurisdiction of the Jaintia king.
The origin of the Jaintia kingdom is unknown, but the Jaintia people share a megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
ic culture with the related Khasi people on the Shillong plateau which is of uncertain age, but their common oral history claims that they settled the region in the distant past. After the 17th century invasion by the Kachari king Satrudaman, the Jaintia kingdom came under increasing Kachari
Kachari Kingdom
The Kachari Kingdom was a powerful kingdom in medieval Assam. The rulers belonged to the Dimasa people, part of the greater Bodo-Kachari ethnic group...
and Ahom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
political influence.
The Jaintia Kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company in 1835.
British annexation
The British came into contact with the Jaintia kingdom upon receiving the Diwani of Bengal in 1765 . Jaintiapur, currently in BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, was the capital. The kingdom extended from the hills into the plains north of the Barak river
Barak River
The Barak River is one of the major rivers of southern Assam and is a part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It is the biggest and the most important of all the rivers in the Manipur hill territory, from where it originates....
. The quarries in their possession was the chief supplier of lime to the delta region of Bengal, but with the British, the contact was not very smooth, and they were attacked in 1774. Subsequently, the Jaintias were increasingly isolated from the plains via a system of forts as well as via a regulation of 1799 . After the conclusion of the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British allowed the Jaintia king his rule north of the Surma river . The kingdom was finally annexed on March 15, 1835 . The king was handed over his property in Sylhet along with a monthly salary of Rs 500. The British administered the plain areas directly and the hill region indirectly via a system of fifteen dolois and four sardars. The fifteen administrators were free to adjudicated on all but the most heinous crimes.
Rulers
- Prabhat Ray (1500–1516)
- Majha Gosain (1516–1532)
- Burha Parbat Ray (1532–1548)
- Bar Gosain (1548–1564)
- Bijay Manik (1564–1580)
- Pratap Ray (1580–1596)
- Dhan Manik (1596–1612)
- Jasa Manik (1612–1625)
- Sundar Ray (1625–1636)
- Chota Parbat Ray (1636–1647)
- Jasamanta Ray (1647–1660)
- Ban Singh (1660–1669)
- Pratap Singh (1669–1678)
- Lakshmi Narayan (1678–1694)
- Ram Singh I (1694–1708)
- Jay Narayan (1708–1731)
- Bar Gosain (1731–1770)
- Chattra Singh (1770–1780)
- Bijay Narayan (1780–1790)
- Ram Singh II (1790–1832)
- Rajendra Singh (1832–1835)