KEUNJHAR, a tributary State of Orissa, lying between lat. 21° 1' and 22° 9' 30" N., and long. 14' and 86° 24' 35" E. Bounded on the north by Siugbhum district, on the east by Morbhanj State and Balasor district, on the south by Cuttack district and Dhenkanal State. Its river, the Baitarani, takes its rise in the hilly north western division. There are peaks rising from 1818 to 3479 feet. The Hindus numbered 113,207. The aboriginal tribes in the year 1872 num bered 44,438, about a fourth part of the popula tion ; and the semi-Hinduized, 49,294. per cent. of the population are aborigines, who retain their primitive forms of faith.
It is one of the chief seats of the Bhuiya or Bhumiya, who are still dominant there. The Bhuiya of the plains, including • the Saont, a thoroughly Hinduized portion of the tribe, hold their lands on conditions of service. They main tained themselves in a state of preparation for taking the field at a moment's notice.
In Keunjhar, the Bhuiya are divided into four clans, viz. the dominant Raj-Kula Bhuiya, the Mal or Desh Bhuiya or Desh-log or Desh-lok, the Dandsena, and the Khatti. The Pawri claim to be the prior settlers iu Keunjhar, and the pre rogative of installing every new raja on his acces sion belongs to them. As a part of the form of
installation, a sword is placed in the raja's hands, and one of the Bhuiya comes before him, and, kneeling sideways, the raja touches him on the neck with the weapon. The family of the Kopat hold their lands on the condition that the victim, when required, shall be produced. The victim hurriedly arises after the accolade, disappears, and must not be seen for three days ; then he presents himself again to the raja as miraculously restored to life.
The sixty chiefs of the Pawri Desh, the Bhuiya highlands, have from time to time assumed the government, and the country may be said to be then ruled by an oligarchy. In their name, a knotted string is passed through the country, and the. verbal message communicated in connection with it is implicitly obeyed.
A Government elephant (Kheda) establishment is maintained at Keunjhar (1875) under the superintendence of an English officer, and a large number of valuable animals are captured.—Imp. Gaz. ; Dalton's Ethnology.