Page 45 - Demo

dominions were almost co-terminus with the then Vizagapatnam District. The son of the slain Maharaja Vijayarama Gajapathi, Narayan Gajapathi, fled for the hills of the Eastern Ghats to seek protection among the zamindars there. What followed was a protracted period of negotiation, at the end of which he surrendered to the British in exchange for a much-diminished estate. Their status was now reduced to that of Zamindars. When the Permanent Settlement was introduced in 1802 the estate consisted of 24 parganas (tahsils) and 1157 villages, with a peshcush (annual) tribute of five lakh rupees. The larger part of the earlier holdings had been ceded to the British Government. Maharaja Narayan Gajapathi left the management of his estates to the Government and spent most of his life in Benares along with his son until he passed away in 1845. His son, later Maharaja Vijayarama Gajapathi III was born in 1826 and was, technically, still a minor at the time of his ascension to the throne. Given the fact that he had not come of age yet, the East India Company swooped in and took charge of the zamindari. When they finally allowed the estate to pass into the hands of the heir, it was 1852. He was twenty-six years old. The estate had been rejuvenated and was flourishing with an efficient management structure in place and surpluses in the treasury. The time that was spent in the north of India with his father, especially his years in Benaras would come to steer Vizianagaram into a new future. He decided to use these resources and develop Vizianagaram into a centre for culture and learning %u2013 a veritable %u2018Benaras of the South%u2019. Supporting modern education, including instruction in English would become one of his priorities. This patronage of art, culture and 35