Chamba State
चम्बा रियासत
~550[1]–1948
Flag of Chamba
Flag
Coat of arms of Chamba
Coat of arms
1911 map of the Princely States of the Shimla Hills showing the boundaries of Chamba State.
1911 map of the Princely States of the Shimla Hills showing the boundaries of Chamba State.
CapitalChamba
History 
• Established
~550[2]
1948
Area
18928,329 km2 (3,216 sq mi)
Population
• 1892
115,773
Succeeded by
India
Today part ofHimachal Pradesh, India
Chamba Princely State
early 18th century Chamba princess
Gopal Singh, Raja of Chamba (ruled 1870–1873)

Chamba State[3] was one of the oldest princely states in present-day Republic of India, having been founded during the late 6th century. It was part of the States of the Punjab Hills of the Punjab Province in India from 1859 to 1947. Its last ruler signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union of 15 April 1948.

Geography

Chamba is situated in the bosom of the Himalaya Mountains, and its boundaries are on the northwest, west, and northeast by Kishtwar and Doda district of Jammu region; on the east, Lahaul; and on the southeast and south, the districts of Kangra and Gurdaspur.

The Ravi River flows through this district, and many hydroelectric generating stations have been developed here.

History

According to tradition, the ancient name of Chamba was Champa, and its predecessor state was known as Brahmpur. This site later became Bharmour around 550 AD when Raja Maru Verman came from Kalpagram to the Chamba Hills. In the 900s, the capital was shifted from Bharmour to present day Chamba Town. The rulers of Chamba State patronized artists of the Pahari painting style.[4] Between 1809 and 1846 Chamba was tributary to Jammu. In 1821, Chamba annexed Bhadrawah State. On 9 Mar 1846, Chamba State became a British protectorate.[5]

Rulers

The rulers of Chamba princely state belonged to the Suryavanshi Mushana(मूषाण) Rajput Dynasty.[6]

Rajas

Raja Sahil Verman Around 920AD shifted His Capital From Bharmaur to Present Day Chamba Town. It is believed that King Shail Varman ruled until 940 AD. From then onwards the state of Chamba continued to be ruled by different kings of the Mushana Rajput Dynasty from their capital at Champavati, which later came to be Known as Chamba. Following are some of more famous kings of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh:

The Akhand Chandi palace in Chamba town. This erstwhile palace of the rulers of Chamba state is presently used as a government college.
Rajas of Chamba State
Ruler Timeline
Raja Maru ~550 AD
Raja Jaistambh After Maru’s death
Raja Shahil Varman Beginning of 10th century AD
Raja Yugakar Verman After 940 AD
Raja Vidagdha Verman After Yugakar Verman
Raja Dodaka Verman After Vidagdha Verman
Raja Vichitra Verman After Dodaka Verman
Raja Dhariya Verman After Vichitra Verman
Raja Salavahana Verman After Dhariya Verman
Raja Soma Varman After Salavahana Verman
Raja Asata Varman After Soma Varman
Raja Jasata Verman After Asata Varman
Raja Dhala Verman After Jasata Verman
Raja Udayan Varman After Dhala Verman
Raja Anand Verman After Udayan Varman
Raja Ganesa Verman After Anand Verman
Raja Pratap Singh Verman 1559 to 1586
Raja Vir Vahnu Verman 1586 to 1589
Raja Balbhadra Verman 1589 to 1641
Raja Prithvi Raj Singh 1641 to 1664
Raja Udai Singh 1694 to 1720
Raja Ugar Singh 1720 to 1735
Raja Dalel Singh 1735 to 1748
Raja Umed Singh 1748 to 1764
Raja Raj Singh 1764 to 1794
Raja Jit Singh 1794 to 1808

Demographics

Religion

Religion in Chamba State (1941)[7]: 42 
Religion Population Percentage
Hinduism [lower-alpha 1] 155,028 91.78%
Islam 12,318 7.29%
Christianity 150 0.09%
Sikhism 107 0.06%
Others[lower-alpha 2] 1,305 0.77%
Total Population 168,908 100%

See also

Further reading

  • The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh V. 1, by Mark Brentnall. Published by Indus Publishing, 2006. ISBN 81-7387-163-9.

Notes

  1. ↑ Including Ad-Dharmis
  2. ↑ Including Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Tribals, others, or not stated

References

32°34′12″N 76°7′48″E / 32.57000°N 76.13000°E / 32.57000; 76.13000

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.