| Conventional Long Name: | Saraikella State |
| Common Name: | Saraikella [1] |
| Nation: | British India |
| Subdivision: | Vassal state of Maratha Confederacy (1751 - 1803) Princely State |
| Year Start: | 1620 |
| Year End: | 1948 |
| Event End: | Independence of India |
| S1: | India |
| Flag S1: | Flag of India.svg |
| Image Map Caption: | Saraikela State in a 1909 Imperial Gazetteer of India map |
| Stat Pop1: | 66,347 |
| Stat Year1: | 1872 |
| Stat Pop2: | 77,062 |
| Stat Year2: | 1881 |
| Stat Pop3: | 93,839 |
| Stat Year3: | 1891 |
| Stat Area4: | 1163 |
| Stat Year4: | 1892 |
| Stat Pop4: | 77,097 --> |
| Stat Area5: | 1162 |
| Stat Year5: | 1901 |
| Stat Pop5: | 104,539 |
| Native Name: | ଷଢେ଼ଇକଳା ରାଜ୍ୟ |
Saraikela State also spelt Seraikela, Saraikella or Seraikella (Odia: ଷଢେ଼ଇକଳା), was a small princely state in India during the British Raj, in the region that is now the Jharkhand state.[2] Its capital was at Saraikela.
The state had an area of 1163 km2 which yielded an average revenue of Rs.92,000 in 1901, and was one of the nine Chota Nagpur States under the authority of the governor of Bengal Presidency.[3] The last ruler of the state, Raja Aditya Pratap Singh Deo, signed the merger agreement acceding to the Indian Union on 18 May 1948.
The state was founded in 1620 by Raja Bikram Singh, from Rathore clan of Rajputs. The state came under the influence of the Maratha rulers of Nagpur in the 18th century, and became a princely state of British India in 1803, at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War at Deogaon of Orissa. After the war, the East India Company included the Saraikela princely state under the governance of the Chhota Nagpur Commissioner.
In 1912 Saraikela came under the authority of the province of Bihar and Orissa, which was newly created from the eastern districts of Bengal. In 1936 the state was placed under the authority of the Orissa Province. Saraikela, along with 24 other princely states of the Eastern States Agency, acceded to the Government of India on 1 January 1948, with a will to merge the princely state with Orissa province of the Indian Republic.
As a result, both Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Orissa in 1948. On 1 January 1948 itself, the tribals of these two princely states, who were in a majority, revolted against the merger with Orissa. This was supported by Patayet Sahib Maharajkumar Bhoopendra Narayan Singh Deo, third son of Raja Aditya, as a result of which he was imprisoned to ensure the popular movement died down. The central government appointed a commission under Mr. Baudkar to look into the matter. On the basis of the Baudkar commission report, Saraikela and Kharsawan princely states were merged with Bihar on 18 May 1948. These two princely states became part of Jharkhand when the state was carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000. From 18 May 1948 onward, many non-tribal Oriyas of the districts of Saraikela Kharsawan, East Singhbhum, and West Singhbhum have migrated and settled permanently in Odisha.
The rulers were Rajputs of the Rathore clan and bore the title of 'Kunwar' until 1884.[4] The rulers are descendants of the Porahat royal family.
