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History
The Katoch
dynasty are reputed to have ruled the town of Kangra and its
vicinity since time immemorial. Several very extended interregnums
are however acknowledged, most significantly the period c.1620-1783,
when the area was placed under the control of a mughal garrison. As
the mughal power waned, many former officers of the mughal empire
took autonomous charge of their areas of control, and this situation
obtained in Kangra. Meanwhile (in 1758), Ghamand Chand, a supposed
scion of the dispossessed family, attained a position of power in
the Punjab plains, being appointed governor of Jalandhar by Ahmed
Shah Abdali. Building upon this ascendency, Ghamand Chand's grandson
Sansar Chand rallied an army, ousted the then ruler of Kangra, Saif
Ali Khan, and gained possession of his patrimony. This came to pass
in 1783, and Sansar Chand was aided by the Kanhaiya misl, one of
several informal but armed militias of Sikhs that roamed the Punjab
in that era.
During the
campaign, Raja Sansar Chand
and his mercenary force overran other
nearby principalities and compelled the submission of their rulers.
He reigned over a relatively large part of present-day Himachal
Pradesh for perhaps two decades, but his ambitions brought him into
conflict with the Gorkhas ruling the then nascent state of Nepal.
The Gorkhas and the recently humbled hill-states allied to invade
Kangra in 1806. The Raja was defeated and left with no territory
beyond the immediate vicinity of the fortress of Kangra, which he
managed to retain with the help of a small Sikh force sent to his
aid by Ranjit Singh. In this despair, the Raja treated with Ranjit
Singh at Jawalamukhi in 1809. By that treaty, Raja Sansar Chand
surrendered his (now largely notional) state to Ranjit Singh, in
return for a substantial fief to be held under the suzerainty of the
latter. This estate consisted, in 1947, of 20 villages yielding a
revenue of Rs. 40,000/- and encompassing an area of 324 kmē. Ranjit
Singh duly established his rule over the land; Sansar Chand received
in appenage the estate of Lambagraon.
British era:
As a result of the First Anglo-Sikh War (1846), the area between the
Sutlej and Ravi rivers, including the hill states, were ceded by the
Sikhs to the HEIC. Thus, Lambagraon came under the authority of the
British and was one of the feudatory estates placed under the Simla
Hill States' Superintendency. In deference with the ruling dynasty's
association with Kangra town (and given the fact that the estate
fell within Kangra district) the estate was referred to as "Kangra-Lambagraon".
The princely
estate of Kangra-Lambagraon acceded unto the Dominion of India in
1947; the following year, it was merged with its sister states of
the erstwhile Simla superintendency to create a province named "Himachal
Pradesh", administered by a Chief Commissioner.
Purported
timeline of the Katoch dynasty
This article
or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
C. 4300 BC
Rajanaka Bhumi
Chand founded the Katoch Dynasty
C. 3000 BC
The Rajas of
Kangra fought against the Hindu deity lord Rama
C. 1500 BC
(234th) Raja
Susarma Chandra fought against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war
He also built
the fort of Kangra
C. 900 BC
The Katoch
kings fought the Persian and Assyrian attacks on Punjab
C. 500 BC to
Rajanaka
Parmanand Chandra (better known as Porus) fought Alexander the Great
C. 275 BC
The Katoch
Rajas fought Ashoka the Great and lost their lands in Multan
C. 100 AD
The Rajas of
Kangra fought numerous battles against the Rajas of Kannauj
C. 470 AD
The Rajas of
Kangras fought the Rajas of Kashmir for the supermacy in the hills
C. 643 AD
Hsuan Tsang
visited the Kingdom of Kangra (then known as "Jallandhra")
C. 853 AD
Rajanaka Prithvi Chandra's reign
C. 903 AD *
Coinage of Kangra from this period can be seen in the Himachal
Museums
C.1009 AD
Mahmud of Ghazni invades Kangra (captures a large booty)
C. 1170 AD
Kingdom of Kangra is divided into two parts, Kangra and Jaswan
The Katoch
armies fight against Muhammad of Ghor (the lands of Jalandhar were
lost c.1220 AD)
C. 1341 AD
Rajanaka Rup
Chandra's looting expeditions take him till the gates of Delhi
The Katoch
kings fight Taimur
Tughlaqs grant
the title of Mian to the Katoch Royal Family
C.1405 AD
Further
division of the Kangra State; state of Guler is founded
C.1526 - 1556
AD
Sikandar Shah
Suri and the Rajas of Kangra combine their forces against
Akbar
but
are defeated
The Raja of
Kangra renders his alliance to Emperor Akbar and in return in given
the title of Maharaja
Later, the
Mughals attack the fort of
Kangra 52 times but fail to defeat it
C. 1620 AD
Mughals occupy
the fort of Kangra
First European
travelers to the court of Kangra
C. 1700 AD
Maharaja Bhim
Chandra unites with Guru Gobind Singh against Aurangzeb
He receives
the title of Dharam Rakshak from the Guru
C. 1750 AD
Maharaja
Ghamand Chandra is made the (first ever Rajput) Nizam of Jalandhar
by the Durranis
C. 1775 AD to
C. 1820 AD
The golden age
of Kangra under Raja Sansar Chandra
Kangra
miniature painting flourishes under him
C. 1820 AD
Decline of the
Kangra state
Kangra fort
occupied by the Sikhs after the Gorkha War
1846 AD
The Sikhs cede
Kangra to the HEIC
The Katoch
kings fight for their independence against the British. Raja Pramod
Chand loses the battle and is taken prisoner to Almoda he dies
there
1924 AD
Maharaja Jai
Chandra of Kangra-Lambagraon is granted the title of "Maharaja" as a
hereditary distinction, and a salute of 11 guns as a personal honour.
1947 AD
Maharaja Dhruv
Dev Chandra (last ruler of Kangra-Lambagraon) merges his estate with
the Dominion of India, when India gains Independence
1957 AD
H.H. the Dalai
Lama takes up residence at Dharamsala near Kangra
1972 AD
The Princely
Order is abolished in India and the Rajas of Kangra-Lambagraon
become ordinary citizens The district of Kangra is merged with the
newly founded state of Himachal Pradesh.
Titles held by
the Kangra family
Rajanaka
(Supreme King)
Katoch (best
in swordmanship)
Bada Raja (big
king)
Mian (a muslim
honorific)
Maharaja
(great king)
Dharam Rakshak
(protector of the Hindu faith)
Nizam-i-Jaladhra (Governor of Jalandhar)
Chattarpati
Naresh (king)
Bhadur (brave)
KCIE (Knight Commander of the Indian Empire)
FRSA (Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts)
Dharam Rattan (Jewel of righteousness)
Alha Malik (high master)
Himachal Ratan (Jewel of the Himalayas) | 