The Mayurbhanj State Railway was a narrow gauge railway line constructed in the princely state of Mayurbhanj in eastern India during the period of British paramountcy. Built and operated under the authority of the Mayurbhanj durbar, it linked the interior of the state with the Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) network and served as an important conduit for the movement of mineral ores, forest produce and passengers from the region that today forms part of northern Odisha.
Key facts
| Name | Mayurbhanj State Railway |
|---|---|
| Type | Princely state railway line |
| Gauge | Narrow gauge (2 ft 6 in) |
| Region | Mayurbhanj State, Orissa, British India |
| Junction with | Bengal Nagpur Railway at Rupsa |
| Principal terminus | Baripada (later extended to Rairangpur and Gorumahisani) |
| Owner | Government of Mayurbhanj State |
Background
Mayurbhanj was one of the larger princely states of the Eastern States Agency, ruled by the Bhanj dynasty from its capital at Baripada. The state was rich in iron ore, particularly around Gorumahisani, Suleipat and Badampahar, as well as in sal forests. By the late nineteenth century, the lack of efficient transport from these resource areas to the coastal trunk line had become a serious constraint on the state's economy. The ruling family, notably Maharaja Sri Ram Chandra Bhanj Deo and his successor Maharaja Purna Chandra Bhanj Deo, took an active interest in modernising the state's infrastructure, including the introduction of a railway.
History and route
The railway was promoted by the Mayurbhanj state and built as a feeder to the Bengal Nagpur Railway's Howrah–Madras main line. The original section connected Rupsa, a station on the BNR, with the state capital Baripada. The line was subsequently extended north-westwards through the iron ore belt of the state to Rairangpur, with a further branch reaching the iron ore mines at Gorumahisani.
The railway was laid to narrow gauge in line with the practice adopted for many feeder and state-owned lines of the period. It was operated as a state enterprise of Mayurbhanj, although working arrangements with the Bengal Nagpur Railway facilitated through traffic onto the broad gauge network at Rupsa junction.
Operations
Traffic on the line was dominated by the carriage of iron ore from the Gorumahisani area, which was an important source of ore for the iron and steel industry developing in eastern India, including the works at Jamshedpur. In addition, the line carried timber, lac, agricultural produce and passengers between the interior of Mayurbhanj and the coastal districts.
Integration with Indian Railways
Following the merger of Mayurbhanj with the Province of Orissa on 1 January 1949, the assets of the state, including the Mayurbhanj State Railway, passed to the Government of India. The line was subsequently integrated into the Indian Railways system and came under the administration of the Eastern Railway, and later the South Eastern Railway, which inherited most of the former Bengal Nagpur Railway network. In later decades, sections of the route were converted from narrow gauge to broad gauge as part of Indian Railways' Project Unigauge.
Significance
The Mayurbhanj State Railway is significant as an example of a princely state-owned railway in eastern India and as the principal transport artery that opened up the mineral resources of the Mayurbhanj region. It contributed materially to the growth of the iron ore mining industry in the area and to the commercial integration of Mayurbhanj with the wider economy of British India.