The Kharsawan palace. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Jan. 1: The glory of Kharsawan palace and shrines dotting it is fading fast. Reason: Abrupt cessation of the state grant to the royal family giving a damn to a historical agreement made just after Independence.

Even as the Jharkhand government drains crores each year, it denied annual grant of merely Rs 33,000 to the royal family of Kharsawan to upkeep its picturesque palace and shrines as per the pact.

Worse, chief secretary M.K. Mandal expressed his ignorance about any such treaty. “I will enquire about the mutual agreement between the king and the Government of India and take appropriate action shortly,” Mandal said.

The agreement between the king of Kharsawan then, Ram Chandra Singh Deo, and the then governor-general of India in Cuttack on December 14, 1947, entitled the royal family of Kharsawan to annual state grant of Rs 33,000. The king agreed to transfer his administrative power to the Indian government.

When Kharsawan was part of Bihar, the royal family used to get the financial package as per the agreement to maintain the palace, meet personal expenses and organise traditional events. But after Lalu Prasad became the chief minister of Bihar, the funds stopped flowing. The Jharkhand government followed suit. Barring once, it did not send the annual funds to the descendants of the royal family since the inception of the state. The only pleasant exception came during the formation of Seraikela-Kharsawan district. Arjun Munda-led NDA government was in power then.

Gopal Narayan Singh Deo, who represents the fourteenth generation of his dynasty, said the Jharkhand government stopped sending grants without any notice.

“The state government has violated the agreement between two sovereign powers. We corresponded with the former chief minister and informed him about the treaty under which the government was bound to send the annual funds,” Gopal told The Telegraph.

“My father, P.C. Singh Deo, invests huge amount every year to upkeep the beauty of the architecture. According to the tradition, the royal family has to organise various ceremonies like Rathayatra and Durga puja, too,” Gopal said, confiding that it would be an uphill task for the royal family to maintain the seven and odd shrines and other monuments in and around the palace.

The dull look of once a popular destination of tourists for its unique design reflects his thought.