Makrai was a princely state

Princely state

A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

 of 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...

 from the 16th century, later coming under the administrative authority of the Central Provinces and Berar

Central Provinces and Berar

The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India. The province comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered much of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. The Central Provinces was formed in...

 until 1933, when it was transferred to the Bhopal Agency

Bhopal Agency

Bhopal Agency was an administrative section of British India's Central India Agency . The Bhopal Agency was formed in 1818 at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War , and consisted of the princely state of Bhopal , the other Princely States of :- Khilchipur , Kurwai , Narsingarh , ...

 subdivision of the Central India Agency

Central India Agency

The Central India Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire, which covered the northern half of present-day Madhya Pradesh state. The Central India Agency was made up entirely of princely states, which were under native rulers...

. In 1892, it covered an area of 401 square kilometres (154.8 sq mi) and had a population of 16,784. The state's rulers bore the title "Raja

Raja

Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...

". The modern place of Makrai falls in the Harda District

Harda District

Harda District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The town of Harda is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division....

 of the Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 state.

Description

Makrai stands on a hill near the Sayani Nadi River and is noted for its dense forests. One well-known location is Nagjhiri and Devjhiri, a small natural well in the bank of the river through which water flows throughout the year. Other notable places include Mankameshwar Mahadev (situated in a cave), Sule Baba Ki tekri (hill Of Sule Baba), known for its tribal God and as the highest, coolest place in Makrai, the Bunred Palace (Mahal), Kaidi Ki Babdi, from where prisoners carry water from the river to the top of hill to supply the state. Here, Nathji used to worship the gods Bhilat Dev and Shiv Ji.

There were two noted mela

Mela

Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning 'gathering' or 'to meet' or a Fair. It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gathering and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sports. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were of great importance...

s, where villagers and local tribes gathered to celebrate Shivratri and the eve of Holi

Holi

Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...

. Another well-known mela, the month-long Bhilat Dev is organised every year near Sirali in Malapur. Before the mela starts, the Nathji (Pandit) go barefoot and carry tippara (made from bamboo and used to keep the cloth of God) on their heads from Khudia (the new provincial Village) to the Tapti River Bank Betul district - a distance of about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi), to wash their worshipping cloths then return the same way over a fixed period of seven days. In a tradition that has existed for hundreds of years, during the journey people from the villages wait for the tippara on a fixed day and thereafter organize a mela.

The principality was founded by Rajgond Raja Karkat Rai in the 16th century . After Indian independence in 1947, the rulers of Makrai acceded to the Union of India, and the principality was incorporated into the state of Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

, which in turn was created from the former Central Provinces and Berar.

The current Maharaja of Makrai is Raja Ajay Shah, born 21 January 1956 and crowned in 1987.