The Baudh State of Odisha

Baudh state, also spelled Boudh or Bauda, was a princely state of Odisha, one of the garjat, or feudatory, states of the region, traditionally set on the Mahanadi river, with its capital at the town of Boudh. The country of Baudh is especially noted for its old stone temples, which reflect a long heritage of temple building in this part of eastern India. Rising in a region whose devotional architecture belongs to the long tradition of Indian temple building traced in our guide to the Gupta Empire, Baudh preserved a distinctive heritage, and this account keeps to broadly established history where particular dates and details are uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• Baudh state, also spelled Boudh, was a princely state of Odisha.
• It was one of the garjat, or feudatory, states of the region.
• The state was traditionally set on the Mahanadi river, with its capital at the town of Boudh.
• The country of Baudh is especially noted for its old stone temples.
• Baudh belonged to the family of feudatory states of princely Odisha.
• Baudh was integrated into Odisha, within independent India, around 1948.

Read on for the history, culture, and legacy in detail.

Quick Facts

Who Ruled the Baudh State?

Baudh state was ruled by a local ruling house that governed the garjat, or feudatory, state from its capital at the town of Boudh, traditionally set on the Mahanadi river in Odisha. As one of the many feudatory states of the region, Baudh was presided over by a line of rulers who held their state under the political arrangements that governed princely Odisha. Governing from the town of Boudh, the rulers administered a state in the river country of the Mahanadi, within the family of garjat states. The dynasty upheld the traditions associated with the ruling houses of the Odisha feudatory states and patronised the temples and shrines of the country. As the ruling house of a historic garjat state, the rulers of Baudh held their own place among the princely states of the region. Their long rule gave the state its particular character within the broader history of Odisha, including its heritage of old stone temples.

Where Is Baudh Located?

Baudh is located in Odisha, traditionally set on the Mahanadi river, with the present-day Boudh district preserving the geography and name of the former state. The town of Boudh, which gave the state its name, served as its capital amid the river country of the Mahanadi in this part of eastern India. The position of Baudh on the Mahanadi placed it among the cluster of garjat, or feudatory, states that made up much of princely Odisha. The terrain, watered by the great river and its tributaries, shaped the life and economy of the state, and the country was adorned with the old stone temples for which Baudh is noted. Baudh’s location on the Mahanadi in Odisha is central to understanding its place among the feudatory states and its temple heritage. Its setting on the river, in the historic country of eastern India, also gave rise to the devotional architecture for which Baudh remains known.

What Is Baudh Known For?

Baudh is known above all for its old stone temples, which make the country of the former state a notable centre of temple heritage in this part of Odisha. The region is associated with a group of ancient and historic temples built in stone, which reflect the long tradition of temple building and devotion in eastern India. These temples, cherished for their architecture and their place in the religious life of the region, are the most distinctive feature of the heritage of Baudh. The reputation of Baudh as a region of old stone temples links the former garjat state to the wider heritage of temple architecture in Odisha. The temples reflect the devotion and artistry of the country over the centuries. The heritage of old stone temples remains the best-known feature of Baudh. The temple heritage of Baudh is its most distinctive contribution to the cultural heritage of princely Odisha and of eastern India.

Why Is Baudh Associated with the Mahanadi?

Baudh is associated with the Mahanadi river because its capital town is traditionally set on the banks of the Mahanadi, one of the great rivers of eastern India, which gave the state its setting in the Odisha country. The Mahanadi provided water for the town and the surrounding country and shaped the life, agriculture and settlement of the state. The association of Baudh with the Mahanadi reflects the importance of the river to the country of the garjat states of Odisha, many of which grew up along its course. The setting of the capital on the river gave the town its distinctive character among the feudatory states. The Mahanadi river remains part of the geography and heritage of Baudh. The connection between the town and the great river is a notable feature of the state’s setting in Odisha. The association of Baudh with the Mahanadi reflects the historic geography of eastern India.

What Were the Garjat States of Odisha?

The garjat states were the family of small feudatory, or tributary, princely states that made up much of princely Odisha, of which Baudh was one. The term garjat is traditionally used for the hill, forest and river states of the Odisha region, which were ruled by their own chiefs under the overarching authority of the paramount power, forming a distinctive group among the princely states of eastern India. These states, varying in size, shared a common character as feudatory principalities, each with its own ruler, territory and traditions. The garjat states formed an important part of the political geography of Odisha, alongside the directly administered districts. Baudh belonged to this family of feudatory states, sharing their character and their place in the history of the region. The garjat states are remembered as a distinctive group in the history of the princely states. The garjat connection is central to understanding the place of Baudh in princely Odisha.

How Did the Baudh State Originate?

Baudh state originated as one of the garjat, or feudatory, states of the Odisha region, established by a local ruling house in the river country of the Mahanadi. According to the broadly recorded history of the region, the feudatory states of Odisha took shape as principalities ruled by their own chiefs under the overarching authority of the paramount powers that held sway over eastern India. The house of Baudh established its state and made the town of Boudh its seat, giving rise to an enduring garjat principality noted for its temples. The precise details of the state’s early history are drawn from the traditions and records of the Odisha feudatory states and are treated with appropriate care. What is clear is that Baudh took shape as a feudatory state on the Mahanadi. The origin of Baudh as a garjat state connects it to the shared heritage of the feudatory states of princely Odisha.

What Was the Capital Town of Boudh Like?

The capital town of Boudh, which gave the state its name, lay on the Mahanadi river in Odisha and served as the seat of the ruling house. The town was the political, administrative and cultural centre of the garjat state, adorned with the palace, residences and institutions of the ruling dynasty, as well as the temples and shrines for which the country is noted. As the capital of a feudatory state of Odisha, Boudh had its own distinctive character among the towns of the region, enriched by its heritage of old stone temples. The town was a centre of court life, governance, devotion and ceremony within the state. Its heritage reflected the status and patronage of the ruling house. As the capital, Boudh was the focus of the life of the state. The town of Boudh remains the enduring centre of the state’s heritage and identity on the Mahanadi, cherished for its temples and its role as a royal seat.

What Are the Old Stone Temples of Baudh?

The old stone temples of Baudh are the historic temples built in stone that make the country of the former state a notable centre of temple heritage in Odisha. These temples, traditionally dated to earlier centuries, reflect the architecture, artistry and devotion of the region over a long period, and are cherished as among the most significant heritage of Baudh. Built in the traditions of temple architecture associated with eastern India, the stone temples of Baudh are honoured as places of worship and admired for their craftsmanship. They connect the heritage of the former garjat state to the wider tradition of temple building in Odisha and the subcontinent. The temples reflect the enduring devotion of the country on the Mahanadi. They are treated here in general terms appropriate to historic monuments whose precise dating is a matter for specialists. The old stone temples of Baudh remain the most distinctive feature of the heritage of the former state in eastern India.

What Was the Religion and Culture of Baudh?

The religion and culture of Baudh were rooted in the Hindu faith of its ruling house and people, in common with the garjat states of Odisha, and were expressed above all in the temples and shrines for which the country is noted. As a feudatory princely state, Baudh honoured the traditions, worship and festivals of the Hindu community, which were cherished and supported by the ruling house. The culture of the state reflected the heritage of the Odisha region, with its traditions of temple building, art, devotion and festival. The culture of Baudh blended the heritage of the ruling house with the wider devotional traditions of the Mahanadi country and of Odisha. This combination of faith and culture, centred on the temples, gave the state its particular character. The religious and cultural life of Baudh reflected the devotion and status of the ruling house and the temple heritage of the country. It remains one of the distinctive aspects of the heritage of the state within princely Odisha.

How Was the Baudh State Governed?

Baudh was governed by its ruling house through a system that combined the authority of the ruler with the service of officials, ministers and local notables who managed the affairs of the garjat state. At the head stood the ruler, who held his state as a feudatory chief under the overarching authority of the paramount power, supported by officers responsible for revenue, justice and the general administration of the territory. The state comprised the capital town of Boudh and the surrounding country on the Mahanadi river. Revenue came chiefly from the land and the produce of the country, in keeping with the agrarian character of the region. The local notables held responsibilities within this structure, a common pattern among the feudatory states. Within the framework of British paramountcy, the administration of the state developed over time. This system allowed the ruling house to maintain its rule over its territory for generations. The administration of Baudh reflected the traditions of a garjat state of Odisha.

What Were Baudh's Relations with the Great Powers?

Baudh, as a garjat state of Odisha, engaged over its history with the great powers that contended for mastery of eastern India, including the regional powers that held sway over Odisha and later the British. As British paramountcy extended across the region, the rulers of Baudh, like the other feudatory chiefs of Odisha, held their states under the overarching authority of the paramount power while retaining their own internal rule. The feudatory states of the region were administered under the political arrangements that governed princely Odisha. Its position among the garjat states of the Mahanadi country shaped these dealings. The rulers of Baudh managed their relations to safeguard the interests of the state across changing times. Through such accommodation, the dynasty maintained its place among the feudatory states. The state’s relations with the great powers form an important strand in its history and in that of the garjat states of Odisha.

How Did Baudh Become a Princely State under the British?

Baudh became a princely state, in the form of a garjat or feudatory state, within the framework of British paramountcy that took shape across India during the nineteenth century. As British power extended over eastern India, the ruling house of Baudh, like the other feudatory chiefs of Odisha, held its state under the overarching authority of the paramount power while retaining its own internal governance. Under this system Baudh was counted among the feudatory states of the Odisha region, retaining its own ruler, administration and territory on the Mahanadi. This status allowed the ruling house to continue governing its state, with its heritage of old stone temples, under the paramountcy of the British crown. The feudatory-state framework shaped the modern history of Baudh until the independence of India. Within this arrangement the state preserved its temple heritage and its distinct identity. Baudh’s standing as a garjat state of Odisha is an important part of its story before independence.

What Was the Place of Baudh among the Odisha States?

Baudh held its place among the many garjat, or feudatory, states of Odisha, the family of states of varying size that made up much of the princely geography of the region. As a feudatory state on the Mahanadi, noted for its old stone temples, Baudh was one of the historic houses of eastern India, neighboured by the other garjat states of Odisha. Its standing among these states reflected its character as a feudatory principality and its distinctive temple heritage. The place of Baudh among the Odisha states is best understood through its character as a garjat state and its setting on the Mahanadi. The state remains a notable example of the family of feudatory states of Odisha, distinguished by its temples. Baudh’s role among the Odisha states forms an important part of the history of the princely states of eastern India.

How Did Baudh Join Odisha and Independent India?

Baudh, like the other garjat states of Odisha, was integrated into the province of Odisha within independent India in the years following independence in 1947, by about 1948, when the feudatory states of the region were merged into the new nation. With the end of British paramountcy, the rulers of the princely states joined India, and the feudatory states of Odisha were brought together and merged into the province through the great process of integration that reshaped the political map of the subcontinent. Baudh, together with the other garjat states, was merged into Odisha, its territory becoming part of the modern state and later of the present-day Boudh district. This transition ended the era of Baudh as a separately governed feudatory state, though the ruling family retained its historical standing and heritage. The integration of the states was one of the defining achievements of the early years of independent India. Baudh thus became part of the modern state of Odisha and of independent India.

Baudh Today

Baudh is remembered today chiefly through its heritage as a garjat state of Odisha and, above all, through its old stone temples, which make the country of the former state a notable centre of temple heritage in eastern India. The town of Boudh, now the headquarters of the present-day Boudh district of Odisha, preserves the memory of the former feudatory state and its ruling house, while the temples continue to draw devotees and visitors interested in the heritage of the region. The former ruling family retains its historical association with the state and its heritage. The devotional traditions and temple heritage of the country continue to shape the identity of Boudh. For readers of Indian history, Baudh offers a vivid example of a garjat state of the Mahanadi country, distinguished by its temples. Its legacy endures in the town of Boudh, its old stone temples and the heritage of the feudatory states of Odisha.

Sources & Further Reading

• Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in).
• Ministry of Culture, Government of India (indiaculture.gov.in).
• Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha (odishatourism.gov.in).

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Baudh state?

Baudh state, also spelled Boudh, was a princely state of Odisha, one of the garjat or feudatory states of the region, traditionally set on the Mahanadi river, with its capital at the town of Boudh. The country of Baudh is especially noted for its old stone temples.

What is Baudh known for?

Baudh is known above all for its old stone temples, which make the country of the former state a notable centre of temple heritage in Odisha. These historic temples reflect the long tradition of temple building and devotion in eastern India.

On which river is Baudh situated?

Baudh is traditionally situated on the Mahanadi river, one of the great rivers of eastern India, which gave the state its setting in the Odisha country. The river provided water for the town and surrounding country and shaped the life and agriculture of the state.

What were the garjat states of Odisha?

The garjat states were the family of small feudatory, or tributary, princely states that made up much of princely Odisha, of which Baudh was one. They were the hill, forest and river states of the region, ruled by their own chiefs under the overarching authority of the paramount power.

Who ruled Baudh?

Baudh was ruled by a local ruling house that governed the garjat, or feudatory, state from its capital at the town of Boudh on the Mahanadi river in Odisha. The rulers held their state under the political arrangements that governed princely Odisha and patronised its temples.

What happened to Baudh after independence?

Baudh was integrated into the province of Odisha within independent India around 1948, when the feudatory states of the region were merged into the new nation. Its territory became part of the modern state of Odisha and later of the present-day Boudh district, though the ruling family retained its heritage.