View of the Ranpur palace, former residence of the ruling family of Ranpur. Owing to lack of maintenance it is currently in a much dilapidated condition.
The state was bounded in the west by Nayagarh State and in all other directions by Puri district. It was very close to the seashore but had no coastline. Its southwestern part was thickly forested and was mostly uninhabited. The Ranpur ruling family claimed descent from the most ancient lineage of the princely rulers of the Orissa Tributary States. The capital of the state was Ranpur, a small town near Kalupara Ghat railway station where the Raja resided.[1][2]
History
According to legendary tradition, Ranpur State is of very ancient origin. The legendary date of its foundation is placed some time in the 18th century BC[3] when the founder, a hunter named Basara Basuk, having defeated a giant demon named Ranasura, established his rule in the area. The name of the place is derived from the demon's name and was initially known as Ranasurapura, shortened to Ranpur in the course of time.
The Ranpur state rulers claimed to be the most ancient of all the lineages of the Orissa Tributary States, with a list of generations of rulers covering a period of 3,600 years with the Raja declaring indigenous origin in an inquiry in 1814.[1] According to the family history, the founder of the kingdom was Biswabasab, a Sabara who hailed from the Nilagiri hills region, established his rule in the region after subduing the Bhuiyas of the neighbouring villages.[4] Later the chiefs received the title of Narendra from the Eastern Ganga monarch Ananga Bhimadeva owing to his prowess in battle.[5]
