Unknown History of Himachal Pradesh( "Dev Bhumi")

Beautiful Hills of Himachal 

 Himachal, also known as "Dev Bhumi," is a state in the western Himalayas and is regarded as the residence of deities. Temples made of both stone and wood are dispersed throughout the State. Himachal's deep valleys, jagged hills, glaciers, giant pine trees, raging rivers, and amazing flora and fauna will always be what distinguish it. Numerous significant anthropological and holy places are located throughout the State. Vyas, Parashar, Vasist, Markandey, and Lamas, among others, are rishis who the State is proud to have produced.

History

Himachal Pradesh has been inhabited by people since the dawn of civilization. Its lengthy and diverse history can be divided into several distinct eras.

Pre & Proto History

The man initially emerged in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh around 2 million years ago, in the Sirsa Valley of Nalagarh, the Markanda Valley of Sirmour, and the Bangana Valley of Kangra. The state's foothills were inhabited by members of the Indus valley civilization, which existed between 2250 and 1750 B.C. The ancient inhabitants of the Ganga plains, the Kolorians, were driven north by inhabitants of the Indus valley culture. To live in peace and continue their way of life, they moved to the Himachal Pradesh highlands.

They are referred to as Dasas, Dasyus, and Nishadas in the Vedas, and Kinnars, Nagas, and Yakshas in subsequent writings. The Kols or Mundas are thought to have migrated to the hills of modern-day Himachal first.

In the Vedas, they are referred to as Dasas, Dasyus, and Nishadas; in later works, they are known as Kinnars, Nagas, and Yakshas. It is believed that the Kols or Mundas were the first people to migrate to the hills of present-day Himachal.

The second wave of emigrants was composed of two Mongoloid ethnic groups, the Bhotas, and Kiratas. Later, the Aryans—the third and largest group of migrants—left their home in Central Asia. These served as the historical and cultural cornerstones of Himachal Pradesh.

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Ancient History

According to the Mahabharata, the region that is now known as Himachal Pradesh was once divided into several little republics known as Janpadas, each of which functioned as a state and a cultural entity.

Audumbras:  The Audumbras, one of Himachal's most famous prehistoric tribes, lived in the lower hills between Pathankot and Jwalamukhi. They created a separate state in 2 B.C.

Trigarta: Given that the state was situated in the foothills and was drained by these three rivers, Satluj, Ravi, and Beas was the name given to it. A republic with a separate government is what is generally believed to have existed.

Kuluta: The kingdom of Kilita used to be situated in the upper Beas valley, also known as the Kully valley. Its capital was called Naggar.

Kalinda's: The Shimla and Sirmour hills, which are situated between the Beas, Satluj, and Yamuna rivers, were part of this kingdom. The members of a central parliament shared the king's power in their republican system of governance.

Gupta Empire:  Even though he rarely had direct control over them, Chandraragupta gradually conquered the majority of the Himachali republics by employing force or making a show of might. As the grandson of Chandragupta, Ashoka ruled over the Himalayan region. He introduced Buddhism in this tract. One of the many stupas he built is in the Kullu valley.

Harsha:  The area was once again ruled by Thakurs and Ranas, small-time chieftains before Harsha rose to power and the Gupta dynasty was overthrown. After Harsha's ascendancy in the early 7th century, the bulk of these small nations acknowledged his overarching control, but many local powers were still retained by the petty chiefs.

The Rajput era

Following the death of Harsha (647 A.D.), other Rajput states gained control over the Rajsthan and Indus plains. The losers fled to the hills with their supporters to establish little republics or principalities after they clashed. Among them were the states of Kangra, Nurpur, Suket, Mandi, Kutlehar, Baghal, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, Keonthal, Dhami, Kunihar, Bushahar, and Sirmour.

Muslim Rule

The little hill kingdom in northern India enjoyed a high level of freedom up until the time of Muslim conquests. The foothill states periodically experienced chaos brought on by Muslim incursions. Kangra came under the rule of Mahmud Ghaznavi at the beginning of the tenth century. Timur and Sikander Lodi also fought a lot as they marched into the lower hills, capturing a lot of forts.

The chiefs of the hill states later took advantage of the chance as the Mughal dynasty began to crumble. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Kangra Katoch rulers restored Kangra's independence under Maharaja Sansar Chand, who ruled for almost 50 years. He was a brilliant administrator, one of the best in the region. Sansar Chand began to expand his realm after formally taking over control of the Kangra fort. States like Datarpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi, Bilaspur, Guler, Jaswant, and Siwan were impacted by Sansar Chand either directly or indirectly.

Gorkha & Sikh War

In Nepal, a warrior tribe known as the Gorkhas gained control in 1768. They started to expand their domain and strengthened their military power. The Gorkhas gradually took over the hill states of Sirmour and Shimla. The Gorkhas were under the command of Amar Singh Thapa when they besieged Kangra. They were successful in deposing Kangra's ruler Sansar Chand in 1806 with the aid of other hill lords. Gorkhas were unable to conquer Kangra Fort, nevertheless, when Maharaja Ranjeet Singh took charge of it in 1809. After this defeat, the Gorkhas started moving southward. Anglo-Gorkha War was the outcome. In response, the English drove them from the hill kingdoms east of the Satluj. They engaged the English directly along the Tarai belt. British powers so gradually grew to be the dominant ones in this region.

Following the Anglo-Gorkha conflict, the shared boundary between British dominion and Punjab became quite troublesome. Following Ranjit Singh's death, the Khalsa army fought several wars against the British, but both the Sikhs and the English wished to avoid a direct conflict. When the Sikhs crossed the Satluj into British territory in 1845, the monarchs of several hill nations backed the English because they were hoping to take the opportunity to resolve their issues with the latter. Numerous of these kings kept secret ties to the English. After the initial Anglo-Sikh conflict, the British did not give the hill land's original proprietors their lost property.

Revolt of 1857

The revolt or the first Indian war of independence resulted from the rise of political, social, economic, religious, and military complaints against the British. People in the hill states were less politically active than people in other parts of the country. Their monarchs similarly maintained a more or less aloof distance from them, except Bushahr. Even throughout the insurrection, some of them helped the British. They included the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal, and Dhami. The leaders of the Bushars did things that were against British interests. However, it's not clear if they actually backed the rebels.

British Control

The British lands on the hill fell under British sovereignty after Queen Victoria's proclamation in 1858. The states of Chamba, Mandi, and Bilaspur advanced significantly in a variety of sectors during British rule. Nearly all hill state leaders remained allies and contributed both men and supplies to Britain's military effort during the First World War. This group included the states of Kangra, Siba, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi, and Bilaspur.

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Freedom Movement

The people who lived on the hill also participated in the struggle for freedom. The liberation movement's main ideas are outlined in the list below:

1. Praja Mandal began agitations against British rule in areas that were directly under British rule.

2. Other princely republics began to protest for social and political reforms. However, these only represented the liberation movement's extensions and were mostly directed at the princes rather than the British.

3. With the assistance of the Gadhr party, the Mandi conspiracy was carried out between 1914 and 1915. It was decided to assassinate the Superintendent and Wazir of Mandi and Suket, steal the money, and blow up the bridge across the Beas River following meetings conducted in both states in December 1914 and January 1915. However, conspirators were caught and were given significant prison terms.

4. A continuation of the 1942 Quit India Movement is thought to have occurred with the Pajhota agitation, which saw a revolt by citizens in a section of Sirmour state.

5. Dr. Y.S. Parmar, Padam Dev, Shivanand Ramaul, Purnanand, Satya Dev, Sada Ram Chandel, Daulat Ram, Thakur Hazara Singh, and Pahari Gandhi were present at this time. Significant independence activists in this state included Baba Kanshi Ram.

6. In particular in Kangra, the Congress party participated in the liberation fight in the hill state.

After Independence Era

The following gives a brief history of modern-day Himachal Pradesh during the post-independence era:

1. The province of H.P. was founded on April 15, 1948. afterward fell under the Chief Commissioner's command.

2. H.P. became a part C state on January 26, 1950, with the adoption of the Indian Constitution.

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3. Bilaspur and Himachal Pradesh merged on July 1st, 1954.

4. Himachal Pradesh was designated a Union Territory on 1 November 1956.

5. On November 1st, 1966, Kangra and the majority of the other hill regions of Punjab were combined with H.P., which nonetheless retained its identity as a Union Territory.

6. On December 18, 1970, Parliament adopted the State of Himachal Pradesh Act, and on January 25, 1971, the new state was officially established. As a result, H.P. joined the Indian Union as the 18th state.

7. Himachal Pradesh has come a long way since then. It has had several fully operational governments that have aided the state's transition to economic independence.

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