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{{Infobox person
| name = James MacMurdo
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1785|11|30}}
| birth_place = [[Dumfriesshire]], [[Scotland]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1820|04|28|1785|11|30}}
| death_place = [[Varnu]], [[Cutch State]]
| resting place = [[Varnu]], [[Kutch]]
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = Political resident agent
| years_active =
| employer = [[British East India Company]]
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
Captain '''James MacMurdo''' was the first political resident of [[British East India Company]] to [[Cutch State]]. He played important role in bringing kutchh under British [[suzerainty]].

==Biography==

[[File:MacMurdo's Bungalow - Anjar.jpg|thumb|[[MacMurdo's Bungalow]] in [[Anjar, Gujarat|Anjar]]]]MacMurdo was born on 30 November 1785 in [[Dumfriesshire]] in [[Scotland]]. Lieutenant MacMurdo entered the military service in 1801 ; commanded the Resident's Guard at [[Baroda State]] and served as Aide-de-Camp to Lieutenant- General [[Oliver Nicolls]], Commander-in-Chief of [[Bombay]].{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

He entered Cutch in the guise of [[Ramanandi]] monk. He resided at Madhavrai's Temple in [[Anjar, India|Anjar]] and his religious activities earned him nickname, ''Bhuriya Bava''. He spoke local language and had understanding of local customs.<ref name="Megalithic2007">{{cite web | title=Warnu Dada Temple | website=Megalithic Portal Gallery | date=28 October 2007 | url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=61843 | access-date=1 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Ward1998">{{cite book|author=Ward|title=Gujarat–Daman–Diu: A Travel Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P7EHTBl_pyQC&pg=PA333|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Orient Longman Limited|isbn=978-81-250-1383-9|page=333}}</ref><ref name="Singhji1994">{{cite book|author=Virbhadra Singhji|title=The Rajputs of Saurashtra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYK7ZSpPzkUC&pg=PA207|date=1 January 1994|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-546-9|page=207}}</ref>

In 1816, he was sent to Rao of Cutch state for issues regarding piracy in [[Arabian Sea]] and bandits from Vagad region entering into North Gujarat. In 1816, the Rao [[Bharmalji II]] agreed to the suzerainty of the British and he was appointed as the British Resident at [[Bhuj]] and Collector of Anjar.<ref name="Commons1818">{{cite book|author=Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons|title=Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBoSAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA53|year=1818|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|page=2}}</ref><ref name="tlsb2015">{{cite web | title=Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay | website=Google Books | date=5 October 2015 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FWwoAAAAYAAJ | access-date=22 October 2015}}</ref>{{sfn | ''Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha'' | 1880 |page=158}}

With support of some [[Jadeja]] chiefs, the British troops led by Colonel East attacked Bhuj on 25 March 1819, and disposed Rao Bharmalji II{{sfn | ''Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha'' | 1880 |page=162}} and his son [[Deshalji II]], a minor was made the ruler of Cutch State. In 1819, MacMurdo was posted as British Political Resident stationed at [[Bhuj]]. During Deshalji's minority, the affairs of the State were managed by Council of Regency, which was composed of Jadeja chiefs and was headed by MacMurdo.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?ei=_YvOTYXzJdHirAen4vTCCg&ct=result&id=d16gAAAAMAAJ&dq=Deshalji+II+of+Kutch&q=Deshalji+II+#search_anchor] Bhuj:art, architecture, history.</ref><ref>[http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/misc/kutch_tree.html Jadeja Rulers of Kutch: Deshalji II (1814-1860)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613165408/http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/misc/kutch_tree.html |date=2011-06-13 }}</ref><ref>[http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/k/kutch.html Kutch State: Maharao Desalji Bharmalji II (Daishalji) 1819/1860] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605032616/http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/k/kutch.html |date=2011-06-05 }}</ref>

During his stay in [[Anjar, Gujarat|Anjar]], he built [[MacMurdo's Bungalow]] with wall paintings which has the themes from [[Ramayana]]. It is now State Protected Monument.<ref name="Megalithic2007"/><ref name="Ward1998"/> In 1819, he experienced [[1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake|the earthquake in Anjar]] and sent detailed reports regarding it to Bombay.<ref name="StewartVita-Finzi1998">{{cite book|author1=Iain S. Stewart|author2=Claudio Vita-Finzi|author2-link=Claudio Vita-Finzi |title=Coastal Tectonics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjSiUnaXf0sC&pg=PA311|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Geological Society of London|isbn=978-1-86239-024-9|page=311}}</ref> He wrote several books and reports regarding [[Sindh]] and Kutch regions.

He died on 28 April 1820 at [[Varnu]] near [[Rann of Kutch]] and was buried near the temple of Venudada located in the village. The people of village believe that he slept in the Venudada temple which resulted in his death though his tomb is marked that he died of [[Cholera]],<ref name="Megalithic2007"/><ref name="StewartVita-Finzi1998"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UbkCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA120|year=1821|publisher=W. Blackwood|page=120}}</ref><ref name="India Today 1994">{{cite web | title=For over two centuries, village in Gujarat grieves over death of a Rajput chieftain : OFFTRACK | website=India Today | date=30 September 1994 | url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/for-over-two-centuries-village-in-gujarat-grieves-over-death-of-a-rajput-chieftain/1/294142.html | access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> probably during the [[1817–24 cholera pandemic|first Asiatic cholera pandemic]].

His tomb reads,<ref name="Megalithic2007"/>{{quote|IN MEMORIAM CAPTAIN JAMES MAC MURDO FIRST BRITISH POLITICAL RESIDENT IN CUTCH DIED OF CHOLERA AT WARNU ON 28 APRIL 1820}}

== Further reading ==

*Gala, Manilal (2003) (tr). '''Kachh Des Ji Galiun'''<ref>{{Cite book|last=MacMurdo|first=James|url=https://www.amazon.in/%E0%AA%95%E0%AA%9B%E0%AB%8D-%E0%AA%A1%E0%AB%87%E0%AA%B8%E0%AB%8D-%E0%AA%97%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B2%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%89%E0%AA%82-Kachh-Galiun/dp/B08PQLQ89B/|title=કછ્ ડેસ્ જ ી ગાલીઉં|date=2003-04-30|publisher=Vadhod PIrkasan|edition=First|language=en|translator-last=Gala|translator-first=Manilal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Gala|first=Manilal|url=https://www.amazon.in/%E0%AA%95%E0%AA%9B%E0%AB%8D-%E0%AA%A1%E0%AB%87%E0%AA%B8%E0%AB%8D-%E0%AA%97%E0%AA%BE%E0%AA%B2%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%89%E0%AA%82-Kachh-Galiun/dp/B08PQLQ89B/|title=Kachh Des Ji Galiun (કછ્ ડેસ્ જ ી ગાલીઉં)|publisher=Vadhod PIrkasan|year=2003|edition=First|location=Kachh|pages=1–56|language=kac|asin=B08PQLQ89B|orig-year=1820}}</ref> ([[Kachhi language|Kachhi Language]] translation of An Account of the province of Cutch..." in English language published in 1820 by Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay)
*{{Cite book|title=Captain James Macmurdo|last=Shah|first=Kunjlata|publisher=Indus Source Books|year=2018|isbn=9789385509377|editor-last=Tikekar|editor-first=Aroon|series=Founders and Guardians of The Asiatic Society of Mumbai|location=Bombay}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLUBAAAAYAAJ|year=1880| ref={{sfnref | ''Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Cutch, Palanpur, and Mahi Kantha'' | 1880}}|publisher=Government Central Press| pages=158–162}} {{PD-notice}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:MacMurdo, James}}
[[Category:1785 births]]
[[Category:1820 deaths]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:People from Dumfries and Galloway]]
[[Category:Deaths from cholera]]

James MacMurdo - Revision history

Bot at 13:32, 3 December 2022