Orissa Under the East India Company

Orissa Under the East India Company is a systematic account of the main aspects of the British administration in Orissa from the time of its conquest till the end of the East India Company’s rule, which forms for various reasons, a very important period in the history of the British Empire in India. No adequate attention has been paid so far to this aspect of the history of Orissa. Political history everywhere having being paid more than the necessary attention, administrative and economic aspects are less known subjects in history. In case of Orissa, this work has tried to redress the balance in a vital chapter of her history. For an integrated account of the British Indian history, the experiments or innovations effected under local conditions cannot be neglected. Since Orissa emerged as one of the eleven units of British India in this century, her 19th century history which has remained mostly unknown deserves thorough enquiry. Such local surveys of different parts of India in the 19th century would help to indicate the process of change which was coming over India during British period. The East India Company ruled Orissa for 55 years. The Company’s Administration, instead of bringing any change for progress in Orissa, left for the future a legacy of stagnation and economic deterioration. The work shows the process of that decline and throws light on those features which caused so much harm to the territory and its people. Original works and manuscripts records pertaining to the period and relevant Parliamentary Papers have been consulted to construct this work. Especially the unpublished Government records exhaustively utilized to bring out authentic historical account of the East India Company’s Administration in Orissa.