Raikat
[2] The seat of the Raikut family was shifted to the present site in Jalpaiguri city by Jayanto Deb Raikat, who ruled during the years 1793–1800.
The lords of southern regions rejected Bihari rule, in place of direct tribute to the Mughal rulers as zamindars (landlords) of their territories.
But from 1687 onwards, the Rajas of Baikunthopur and the Muslim rulers of Bengal repeatedly attacked Koch Bihar, now dominated by Bhutan.
[4] The Baikunthopur Estate was established by Siswa Singh, after defeating the King of Bhutan and Gour in 1522, covering an area of 328 square miles (850 km2).
His capital was at first built in today's Bodaganj in the thick forests near the Teesta river and in the Rajganj Block of Jalpaiguri district.
It was shifted to the present site Jalpaiguri in the open plains by the thirteenth Raikat, Darpadev (1713–1726), in a sign of growing confidence.
[5] Jion Gomasta Mohammedan from Dinajpur and a Rajbansi from Jalpaiguri were employed as contractors, and it is said that they were paid in cowries (conch shell), and not in coins.
In 1771, after the treaty of Bhutan with the East India Company, the British annexed Baikunthapur, and the Raikat was placed on the footing as a Zamindar and assessed a revenue of Rs.
The motive seems to have been an attempt to stabilise the northern frontier of Bengal, then subject to raids by Gurkhas and Bhutias through the Raikat territories, but the policy was not immediately effective.
In 1773, Darpa Dev Raikat, the Raja of Baikunthopur, with the help of some bandits from Morang hills (Darjeeling and Nepal Terai), called sanyasis, and in collaboration with the Bhutias, continued attack on the territory of Cooch-Behar and the East India Company's property.
The letter of Captain Stuart addressed to PM Dacres, Chairman of the committee of the Rangpur circuit, on 3 February 1773, is reproduced below.
"At two in the afternoon I made a second march and took possession in the name of Honorable company of Jellpyegaurie, the fortress and Capital of Baikunthopur country, which the Rajas in the height of his consternation evacuated.
Within twelve months, 549 sannyasis were brought to trial in the court of Rangapur, with what results not exactly known, and the rest fled to Nepal and Bhutan.
The case was brought up before the provincial (British) court in Murhidabad, but it was decided in favour of Sarva Dev Raikut (Surrup Deo).
[citation needed] Jalpaiguri district was formed on 1 January 1869, with Baikunthopur, western Duars (the portion of land between the river Tista and Sankosh) and the five Chaklas: (1) Patgram, (2) Devigunj, (3) Boda, (4) Pachaghar, and (5) Titalla within the zamindari of Cooch-Behar.
Fanindra was popularly called "Bhola Saheb" Rajeswar Das (Jagindra Dev Raikut) and was actually a minor adopted son and half-brother of Rani Jagedeswari.
The suit was contested by Rani Asrumati and the agnatic relations who denied that there had been any marriage between the Raja and the mother of the respondent Rupendra.
After a long prosecution, the High Court of Calcutta dismissed the claim of Rupendra and declared the descendants of Rani Ashrumati Devi as the legal heir of the deceased Raja.
Hirrannaprova Devi, the first wif of Raja Prasanna Dev Raikut was not interested in the matter of the estate of the Jalpaiguri property.
The mela held in the premises of Rajbari in the time of Manasa-puja is one of the famous celebration of the District from past few hundred years till now-a-days.
