British rule in Himachal Pradesh

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The Indian Rebellion of 1857 , also known as the First War of Indian Independence and the Sepoy Mutiny, was a prolonged period of armed uprisings in different parts of India, against British occupation of that part of the subcontinent.

The first Indian war of independence resulted due to the build-up of political, social, economic, religious and military grievance against the British. People of the hill provinces were not politically active as were the people in other states of the country. More or less they maintained distance and so did their rulers with the exception of Bushahr. Some of them even provided help to the British during the time of revolt. Among them were the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami. The sons of Raja Gobind Singh, ruler of Siba State, namely Raja Ram Singh and Raja Sunder Singh, revolted against the British and killed some of them along with their cousin. As a result Sunder Singh left the throne [ clarification needed ] and established an independent domain named Tantpalan. The rulers of Bushahr acted in a hostile manner to the interests of the British. However, the evidence is not clear whether they really aided the rebels or not. [1] The British territories in the hills came under the direct control of the British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858. The provinces of Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur made a good rate of progress in various fields during the British rule. During World War I, nearly all rulers of the hill states remained loyal and served in the British army during the war time. Amongst the states which helped the British were the states of Kangra, Dada-Siba Jagir, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket State, Mandi and Bilaspur. [1]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Himachal Pradesh</span>

Himachal Pradesh was established in 1948 as a Chief Commissioner's Province within the Union of India. The province comprised the hill districts around Shimla and southern hill areas of the former Punjab region. Himachal became a part C state on 1951 with the implementation of the Constitution of India. Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory on 1 November 1956. On 18 December 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971. Thus Himachal emerged as the eighteenth state of the Indian Union.

Prior to the arrival of the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent, the first instance of Islamic conquest of the region was during the 10th century when Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Kangra. After the entry of the Mughals into the subcontinent, the region fell to Mughal authority as well. Later, due to internal conflicts within the Mughal dynasty the rulers of the hill provinces took complete advantage. Kangra regained its independence under Maharaja Sansar Chand who ruled for nearly 50 years. He was one of the most powerful administrators of the region. After he took the formal possession of Kangra fort, Maharaja Sansar Chand began to expand his territory. The states of Chamba, Suket, Mandi, and, Guler, Jaswan, Siba and Datarpur came under the direct control of Maharaja Sansar Chand.

The hill states in India also participated in the freedom struggle (1914–1947) against the British colonial rule.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suket State</span> Princely state of India

Suket State was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The capital of the state was Pangna. Its last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 15 April 1948. Formerly it belonged to the States of the Punjab Hills and currently, it is part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The present-day Mandi district was formed with the merger of the two princely states of Mandi and Suket.

Siba State, was a small independent Indian hill state in the Lower Himalayas. It was centered on the town of Dadasiba, Pragpur tehsil, Kangra district, in modern-day Himachal Pradesh. The state was founded in 1450. In 1849 the territory of Datarpur was added to Siba Jagir and annexed by the British Raj as 'Dada-Siba'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajputs in Himachal Pradesh</span> Indian caste

The Rajputs in Himachal Pradesh are members of the Rajput community living in the North Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. They ruled a majority of kingdoms of the region and even dominate in Himachal Pradesh politics. The kingdoms of the Hill States of India were mostly in the present day state of Himachal Pradesh, and mostly had Rajput rulers. All of the Chief Ministers who served Himachal Pradesh except for Shanta Kumar belong to the Rajput caste. The Rajputs of Himachal Pradesh fought battles with Tughlaq, Mughal, and Sikh forces, most notable being the Battle of Bhangani, when the Hill States made an alliance against the Sikhs. While some Rajput kingdoms and clans have a long history in Himachal Pradesh, others were established due to the Rajput migrations to the hill regions mostly due to the Islamic invasions.

References

  1. 1 2 "History of Himachal". Cultural Dep. of Himachal. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2006.