HISTORY OF KINNAUR

The district a erstwhile called Chini tehsil of the previous Mahasu district, came into being as AN freelancedistrict w.e.f.
1st May, 1960.

Prior to merger of State on the eve of independence, Kinnaur vale was a neighborhood of erstwhile Bushahr State that had its headquarters at Rampur.

Early History

In the absence of authentic historythe first history of Kinnaur region is obscure and also the reference of the Kinnaura or Kannaura and there land is by the massive confined to legends and mythological accounts.

It would be worthwhile to look at the region of Kinnaur alongwith general conditions of northern India particularly the hilly regions of Himalayas during the period from 6th century B.C.

India was divided in to sixteen geat janpadas and several smallers ones.

Among them Gandhara, Kamboja, Kuru, Koshal, Mull, Vajji, Panchal, Sakya were either in the southern Himalayas ranges or had territories extended up to Himalayans ranges.

Among the states that were flourishing in the six century B.C. The kingdom of Magdha was the first to make a successful bid for supermacy under Bimbisara.

Its emperor belonging to Sunga, Nanda and Maurya dynasties carried their banners upto the inhabitated parts of inner Himalayan region.

Chandragupta Maurya brought about its political unification under one scepter, negotiated
an alliance with Parvataka (Himalayan King) before empire building.

With the help of several frontier tribes such as Kiratas, Kambojas, Panasikas and Valhika, he built up the great Mauryan Empire.

The empire of Ashoka extended upto natural boundaries of India and beyond that in the west.

After the collapse of the Mauryan empire the Kushanas established an intensive empire inside and on the far side Bharat within the northwest.

Emperor Kanishkas hegemony spread over Kashmir and the Central Asian regions of Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan.

His hold extended upto the territory of the Inner Himalayas and Kinnaur must have been the part of this empire.

In the in the meantime northern Bharat was divided into variety of little kingdoms and autonomous social group states.

Under such a divided country the Gupta empire grew.

Samundragupta’s empire enclosedthe territories of Rohilkhand, Kumaon, Garhwal, Asian nation and province.

Its northern boundary was along the high Himalayas.

Kinnaur must have been included in it too.

Early within the seventh century A.D., Harsha came to power at Thaneshwar during a.D. 606.

During the course of 4 decades he had established a most powerful empire in Bharat.

All the existing kingdoms of Kapisa, Kashmir, Kuluta, Satadru, Mon-li-pa-lo (Ladakh) and Suwarnagotra (in the high Himalayas) were incorporated in his empire.

After the death of Harsha in A.D. 647 the country was all over againdivided into previous principalities of the sixth century B.C.

It seems that the princes being swashbuckling as a result ofterritorial greed, first went to these high hills and established themselves on varying territories in accordance with their powers.

Particularly the area between Satluj, its tributaries and Baspa upto Mansarover was under the rule of Thakkers from very early times.

They were notable by the place they'd occupied like that of Chini Thakur and Kamru Thakur, under the overall suzerainty of Mauryan and Gupta kings later on.

It was the Thakur of Kamru United Nations agency verified strongest of all the opposite chiefs of the realmand annexed their territories by force someday once the autumn of the Kanauj Empire and laid the foundation of the state of Bushahr, to which the region of Kinnaur belonged till the dissolution of the state very recently.

Medieval History

By the start of the fourteenth century the whole space of Kinnaur was divided in seven components, locally called sat khund.

There was further splitting up of and the area came to be covered with many small hegemonies, which were constantly warring against, or allying with, each other as conditions required.

The neighbouring Bhots also found time to jump into the fray and did not desist from creating trouble.

There are various forts like labrang, Morang, and Kamru forts telling the story of that age.

In the medieval amount, though some of the hill states such as Kangra, Chamba and Sirmaur were attacked and made tributary to the Mughal emperor at Delhi, Bushahr state could not be reached by any adventurer of that time.

The consolidation and addition of territories of the Bushahr state continued during the period also.

The Thakoorais of Dulaitoo, Kurungoloo and Kuaitro were annexed about Samwat 1611.

Raja Chatar Singh who brought the whole area of the erswhile Bushahr State under his control.

He was thought of most virtuous ruler throughout his reign.

Nothing particular known about his successor Kalyan Singh.

The successor of Kalyan Singh according to generalogy was Raja Kehri Singh.

He is the hightest skilled warrior of the time.

Kehri Singh’s successor were not of the same mattle.

Besides mention in genealogy of Bushahr State, nothing is known about Vijay Singh and Udai Singh.

It is same that one Raja Ram Singh created Rampur his capital in situ of Sarahan and Kamru.

During his reign a series of contests began with the Raja of Kulu and Bushahr had lost the territory of Seraj.

It appears that the territories thatwere annexed by Raja Kehri Singh became free throughout the weak rule of Raja Rudra Singh.

But his successor Ugar Singh took them over by force of arms.

Recent History

According to geographical region states Gazetteer-Shimla hill States from 1803 to 1815 the earstwhile states of Bushahr Janus-faced the menace of Gurkha invasions.

Immediate after the death of Raja Kehri Singh, The Gurkhas made massive attack on Bushahr.

The minor ruler and his mother World Health Organization couldn't face up to the attack fled away to Namru abandoning an upscale treasury at Sarahan.

The Gurkhas looted the treasury and completely destroyed the records of the state.

Keeping Gurkhas of Kingdom of Nepal had extended their dominions greatly throughout the tip of the eighteen century.

Amar Singh Thapa, the Gurkha leader went up to kangra valley.

He was drawn from the natural depression by the superior forces of Ranjit Singh and people of raja Sansar Chand of Kangra.

The tract between theSatluj and Jamuna came under British protection by the treaty of 1809 between Ranjit Singh and the British Govt.

Thus country Government took positive step to expel the Gurkhas and once an extended and desperate struggle, completely defeated Amar Singh Thapa on 15 th April, 1815.

On the conclusion of the Gurkha war Raja Mahendra Singh was granted a sanad on sixth Nov,1815.

It gave Khaneti and Delath thakurais to Bushahr and a part of Rawin, which was a Distt.

of the state was transfered to Keonthal, Kumharsain was constituted a separate Thakurai.

From the preceding account it'd seem that in the princely days Kinnaur natural depression acted as a bulwark to the Bushahr state.

However with the lapse of dominion, the Kinnaur then known as Chini tehsil was merged to form a part of then Mahasu district.

The pargana Atharahs Bish comprised of village Nichar, Sungra, Kangos, Ponda, Baro, Bari, Tranda, Chaura village with patwar circle at Ponda.

The Paragana Bish consisted of the revenue estates of Nathpa, Kandhar, Barakamba, Chhotakamba, Garshu and Rupi with patwar circle at Rupi were in Rampur tehsil.

In fact then Chini tehsil lined the complete Kinnaur natural depression on the far side Wangtu that was created in 1891 by the then ruler Tika Raghunath Singh.

Thus 1891 forrader Chinni tehsil continued to be existing with its huge space on the far side Wangtu uptill 1960.

Since 1947 it had been a tehsil of the then Mahasu district.

By 1960 the importance of reorganising border space was accomplished and consequently in sight of ethnic and cultural issues the areas that were part in Rampur tehsil were organized into a separate District forming the current Kinnaur district.