Saraikela

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Saraikela, also spelled Seraikela, is a town in Jharkhand state of eastern India. Saraikela is the administrative headquarters of Saraikela Kharsawan District. It was formerly the capital of a princely state of the same name. The town is a road junction and agricultural trade centre, with nearby deposits of copper, iron-ore, asbestos, and limestone.

[edit] Saraikela state

The state of Saraikela was founded in 1620 by Bikram Singh, a descendant of the rulers of Porahat, who claimed descent from the 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. The state had an area of 1163 km², and was one of the nine Chota Nagpur States under the authority of the governor of Bengal Presidency. 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 Central India Agency. The ruler acceded to the Government of India on May 18, 1948, and it was merged with the former princely state of Kharsawan to create a district of Bihar state, which became part of Jharkhand when the state was separated from Bihar in 2001.