Machamara

Machamara is a village in Gurandi Tehsil / Block (also called Teshil or Sub-district), in Gajapati district, Odisha. It falls under Machamara Gram Panchayat, and comes under the Parlakhemundi (Gosani) Community Development Block.

Details

Proximity Nearest town is Parlakhemundi (~16 km away). Postal PIN: 761211. Area Around 881 hectares. Population As per the 2011 Census: total ~ 1,245 people, with 598 males and 647 females. Number of households: ~353. Sex Ratio & Child Population Sex ratio is high: ~1,082 females per 1,000 males. Child (age 0-6) population is ~111 (i.e. about 8.9% of total). Literacy The overall literacy rate is about 49.9%, which is below the Odisha state average. Male literacy ~60.45%; female ~40.47%. Caste / Tribal Composition Scheduled Castes (SC) are ~11.97% of the population. Scheduled Tribes (ST) are very few (~0.32%). Governance / Administration It is governed by a Gram Panchayat. The village head (Sarpanch) is elected every 5 years. Language Local language is Telugu and Oriya (Odia).

History

Machamara Village was established by King Bahubalendra Mukunda Raj Deva Rai, in the period of Gajapati Mukunda Rudra Narayana Deva in the 17th Century. Originally, the village encompassed around 480 acres of farmland, which were owned by the Bahubalendra Chalukya family. Over generations, the land was gradually sold off by the descendants of this lineage. As per the road records of the family and oral traditions passed down through generations, the Bahubalendra family now retains about 65–70 acres. These records and stories are preserved within the family, forming an important part of Machamara’s local history.

The family historical accounts of the Bahubalendra Chalukya claim Machamara’s name derives from a legend involving Rajha Bahubalendra Mukunda Raj Deva Rai killing a golden fish. (“Machha + Mara” = fish killer) as a kind of founding myth. But this seems to be oral tradition / unpublished and may not be confirmed in ancient inscriptions.

The published census / administrative sources don’t cover much early history (ancient or medieval) of Machamara village specifically.

Because this village is associated with the Bahubalendra Chalukya descendants, it has significance in dynastic history (as the seat of their zamindari) — but concrete archaeological or inscriptional data tied specifically to Machamara is scarce in the public domain.

After the loss of their Elamanchili state to Quli Qutb Shah Dynasty of Hyderabad by betrayal of their Mukunda Raj officers, then Rajha Bahubalendra Mukunda Raj Deva Rai settled in machamara due to a close relationship with Parlakhemundi Ganga Kings, and after Mukund Raj, the family survived as zamindars and higher rank officers under the Parlakhemundi Gangas and the Jeypore Rajas. They received rent-free villages (sarvamokhasa) and Bahubalendra Bankini Deva Rai granted Village-Batsiripur Mandala to rule as a Samanta King from Rajha Jaganatha Narayan Deva of Parlakhemundi and another Village-Odasingi Mandala granted to a cousin lineage of Bahubalendra, intermarried with other royal houses and continued to use the honorific Bahubalendra. Though stripped of sovereignty, they maintained prestige through ritual, land management and social leadership.

Rulers

Descendants of Eastern Chalukya Family of Rajhamundary(Vengi), and Samanta Rulers of Batisiripur Mandala and Odasingi Mandala.

Rajha Bahubalendra Mukunda-Raj Deva Rai (Mukunda-raj lost their ancestral territory to Golconda Qutab Quli Saha)
Bahubalendra Ananta Narayana Deva Rai
Bahubalendra Gaurava Deva Rai
Bahubalendra Padmanabha Deva Rai
Bahubalendra Sarangadhara Deva Rai
Bahubalendra Visvanatha Deva Rai
Bahubalendra Bankini DevaRai Samanta (Granted Village-Batisiripur Mandal from Gajapati Jagannatha Narayana Deba)
Bahubalendra Dayanidhi Deva Rai Samanta
Bahubalendra Laxmipati Deva Rai Samanta
Bahubalendra Krushna Chandra Deva Rai Samanta
Bahubalendra Devendra Deva Rai Samanta
Bahubalendra Chandrasekhar Rai Samanta, (He was adopted by his aunt, Rani Chandramani Patta Maha devi of Madugulu Estate)
Bahubalendra Krushna Chandra Deo
Bahubalendra Biranchi Narayana Deo, (Current Head of Family)

Historical Significance

Machamara is more than just an average village — its relevance comes from being the residential seat of the Bahubalendra Chalukya family after their loss of sovereign rule.

Its demographics (relatively low literacy, majority rural, caste mix) reflect typical rural Odisha.

Its geographic location / connections (12 km distance from Parlakhemundi, proximity to Andhra border) would have shaped its political and cultural interactions over centuries.

References

Local family records / genealogies of the Bahubalendra family — these may be private or unpublished manuscripts or oral tradition.
Inscriptions in the region (temple inscriptions, land grants) especially around Parlakhemundi / Gajapati district
Forsaken Kingdom of Nandapur by K. S. Behera
History of the Gangas by Satyanarayan Rajguru
Madala Panji (chronicle of Jagannath Temple, Puri)
District Gazetteers or state archives (Odisha state archives), potentially oral history collections.
Ganga dynasty, Madgulu Matsya dynasty and other royal archives.
Oral Tradition and Records of Bahubalendra Family and Other Royal families.

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