GAZETTEER
The place is the residence of the Tát Rája, 'commander of the troops,' a feudatory of Jeypore who is required to pay an annual tribute of Rs. 15,000 and attend on the Mahárája at Dasara with a retinue of 500 paiks. The family are Shristi Karnams, a community who in the low country are usually accountants with a reputation for undue subtlety, but in the hills are a martial people. They have been here 1[1] for eight generations. The first of them, Krishna Tát Rája, came from Pedda Kimedi in Ganjám, cleared the jungle and received, it is said, a copper plate patta for Rs. 2,500 from the then Rája of Jeypore, Raghunátha Krishna Deo (1686-1708). His son, Pítámbara, built the mud fort in which the family still reside. He was succeeded by Sómanáth, and then by Rámachandra. The latter, when at Jeypore on one occasion, refused to make obeisance to the son of the Rája, Rámachandra Deo, and the latter shortly afterwards imprisoned him for fourteen months in Jeypore, where he died. His son Krishnachandra succeeded to the estate, but, hearing that the new Jeypore Rája, Vikrama Deo, was preparing hostilities, fled to one place after another and at last went to Kalyána Singapur (thirteen miles to the west of Bissamkatak), the Rája of which assisted him, and stayed there with his son four years until his death. He had been away from his estate for 17 years, and the Jeypore officials who had administered it during that time so mismanaged matters that the pátros rose against them, went to Kalyána Singapur, brought his son, Naréndra, to Bissamkatak and set him up as their Tát Rája. Four fights between the Bissamkatak and Jeypore troops occurred, the latter were defeated every time, and Vikrama Deo then left Naréndra Tát Rája in possession of the estate but gave him no patta.
Four years later (1855) disputes arose between Vikrama Deo and his son Rámachandra Deo and the latter went off and occupied Gunupur and other taluks. To secure to his cause the help of the Bissamkatak paiks, he sent for Naréndra to Gunupur, presented him with a turban and elephant, and made him Rája Rámachandra succeeded to the Jeypore estate three years later, and on 8th January 1864 patta and muchilika were exchanged between him and Naréndra Tát Rája by which the latter agreed to pay the enhanced kattubadi of Rs. 5,000. Naréndra died on 9th May 1876. His son Rámachandra was asked to pay an additional Rs. 2,000 kattubadi, went to Jeypore to protest, and at length left the place without leave. This so angered the Jeypore Rája that he determined to attach the property. He was dissuaded by the then Agent, Mr. Goodrich, and eventually Rámachandra Tát
233
- ↑ 1 Mr. H. G. Turner, in G.O., No. 3386, Judicial, dated 24th December 1883.
