Picchore

The Rajas of Picchore are the hereditary head of Deoderian clans. The clan derives there name from Doder Khera a place where there ancestors settled. They were emigrants from the Punjab. About the year 1340 AD Rao Bhagirath Deo founded a settlement around the village of Keo some 35 miles South East of Gwalior, which subsequently became famous as Pichor. Rao Bhargirath Deo had four sons. Namely Chandermani, Sinhmani, Akshamani and Mado Singh. Chandermani the eldest succeeded his father. Rai Vijay of Narwar was his foe. Rai Vijay sent his army to compete against Chandramani. When Chandramani heard this news, he met the invading army on the road near Naziri Bagh, which is situated on the Sind River in , in the battle that followed Rai Vijay was beheaded by Chandramani. This couplet of that time is famous – ” naajiree baag pe baagen uthee, jahaan paagen daree rahee kaioo kuree kee”. On Chandermani’s death, his only son Rao Dhruve Angad Deo became the ruler. He started the building of Pichore fort in 1448 which was completed by his son Rao Hamir Deo the First, whose reign partly coincided and probably overlapped the reign of the famous Tomar chief Raja Man Singh. Rao Hamir Deo the first saw hard days in his conflicts with the chiefs of Narwar and Orcha. But by the very able stratagem of his wife Ganga Kumari he was able to over come his problems and continued to rule Pichor for many years and was probably still alive when Babar appeared on the Indian scene.

After that there is a hiatus in the Doderiyan tradition. During the rule of Hamir Deo the second, a contemporary of Shah Jahan I (1628-58 AD), the Pichor principality grew into a modest size. His just rule and martial exploits are to this day extolled by the itinerant bards of Northern Bundhel Khand. Hamir’s sense of justice is reputed to have led him to sentence his own beloved son to death for an unintentional misdemeanor in a hunting field. Hamir Deo also received the title of ‘Raja’ from the Mughal Darbar. The Deoderian principality under him consisted of 365 villges,52 garhis and had a revenue of 7 lakh. Raja Hamir Deo was succeeded by Raja Padam Singh, who ruled Pichor during The greater part of Aurangzeb’s reign. Padam Singh had two sons. Hindupati and Prithvipati. Hindupati successed his father as the next Raja and Prithivipati was given jagirs of several villages and the hereditary title of ‘Rao’. Hindupati was a reputed scholar and poetry. He wrote a religions text called Tattva-Bodha which is still extant. Hindupati was succeeded by his son Pahar Singh. During 1767, Raja Pahar Singh had joined forces Maharaja Jawahar Singh of Bharatpur and Maharaj Rana Chatra Singh of Gohad for expelling the Maratha troops from the Bundelkhand region.

However, about the year 1783-84 Pahar Singh had accepted a feudatory status under Mahadji Sindhia, who left 67 villages under him. Hira Singh the younger son of Raja Pahar Singh received the title Rao and the jagirs of 5 villages from his father. Chhattar Singh the successor of Pahar Singh was treacherously deprived of Pichor by Daulat Rao Sindhia. Raja Chhattar Singh was left with only 14 villages. He shifted his capital to Magrora. The family remained jagirdars under Gwalior state.