Traditionally the region finds mention in various Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand. Garwhal kindom was dominated by Kshatriyas.The Kuninda Kingdom also flourished around 2nd century BC. Later this region came under the rule of Katyuri Kings, who ruled unified Kumaon and Garhwal regions from Katyur Valley, Baijnath, Uttarakhand, starting 6th century AD and eventually fading by the 11th century AD, when they were replaced by Chand Kings in Kumaon, while Garhwal was fragmented into several small principalities. [2][3] Huen Tsang, the Chinese traveller, who visited the region around 629 AD, mentions a kingdom of Brahampura in the region. [4]
Garhwal state founded in 823 AD, when Kanakpal, the prince of Malwa, on his visit to the Badrinath shrine, met the King Bhanu Pratap, a chieftain of Chandpur Garhi. The King later married his only daughter to the prince and subsequently handed over his kingdom, the fortress town. Kanakpal and his descendants of Panwar Shah dynasty, gradually conquered all the independent fortresses (Garhs) belonging to its 52 small chieftains, and ruled the whole of Garhwal Kingdom for the next 915 years, up to 1803 AD. [5][6]
In 1358, the 37th ruler, Ajay Pal, brought all the minor principalities for the Garhwal region, under his own rule, and founded the Garhwal kingdom, with Dewalgarh as its capital, which he later shifted to Srinagar. [7] Balbhadra Shah (r. 1575-1591), was the first Raja of Garhwal to use the title Shah, given earlier by the Lodhi King of Delhi Sultanate. The capital was shifted to Srinagar, Uttarakhand by Mahipat Shah who ascended to the throne in 1622, and further consolidated his rule over most parts of Garhwal, though he died early in 1631, though his seven year old son, Prithvi Shah ascended to the throne after him, the Kingdom was ruled by his Mahipat Shah's wife, Rani Karnavati for many years to come, during which she successfully defend the kingdom against invaders and repelled an attack of Mughal army led by Najabat Khan in 1640, and in time received the nickname of 'Nakti Rani' as he used to chop off the noses of any invader to the kingdom, as the Mughal invaders of the period realized.[8]. Monuments erected by her still exist in Dehradun district at Nawada. [9]
Next important ruler was Fateh Shah, remained the King of Garhwal from 1684 to 1716, and is most known for taking part in the Battle of Bhangani on September 18, 1688, where combined forces of many Rajas of the Sivalik Hills (Pahari rajas) fought with Guru Gobind Singh's army, and lost. During his reign, Sikh Guru and the ex-communicated eldest son of Guru Har Rai, Guru Ram Rai settled here, upon recommendations of Aurangzeb, which eventually led to the establishment of modern town of Dehradun. Fateh Shah died in 1716, and his son Upendra Shah died within a year of ascending to the throne in 1717, subsequently Pradip Shah ascended and his ruled led to rising fortunes of the Kingdom, this in turn attracted invaders, like Najib-ud-daula Governor of Saharanpur, who invaded in 1757 along with his Rohilla Army and captured Dehradun region easily. [10]
Other descendants ruled over Garhwal and the adjacent state of Tehri, in an uninterrupted line till 1803, when the Gurkhas invaded Kumaon and Garhwal, Garhwal forces suffered heavy defeat and King Pradyuman Shah first escaped from Srinagar to Dehradun and then to Saharanpur, to organize forces but was eventually killed in the Battle of Khurbura (Dehradun), in January 1804; while his brother, Pritam Shah, was taken in captivity to Nepal by the Gurkhas, and the Garhwal chiefs were driven into the plains, as Gurkhas began their 12-year long tyrannical rule. Sudarshan Shah son of the later King, spent the next decade at Jwalapur, near Haridwar under British protection. [10][11]
[edit]Formation of Tehri Garhwal state
The twelve years the Gurkhas rule went unopposed, until a series of encroachments by them on British territory led to the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1814. At the termination of the campaign, on 21 April 1815, the British establish their rule over the eastern, half of the Garhwal region, which lies east of Alaknanda and Mandakini river, which was later on, known as British Garhwal and Dun of Dehradun, along with Kumaon, which was merged with British India as a result of the Treaty of Sugauli, while the western part of the erstwhile Garhwal Kingdom was restored to Sudarshan Shah. Since Srinagar was now part of the British Garhwal, a new capital was established at Tehri, giving the name of Tehri state (popularly known as Teri Garhwal).[12]
Sudarshan Shah died in 1859, and was succeeded by Bhawani Shah, who in turn was succeeded by Pratap Shah in 1872 [6][13]. The kingdom had an area of 4180 square miles, and a population of 268,885 in 1901. In 1919, Narendra Shah shifted the capital from Tehri to a new town, which was named after him, Narendra Nagar.[14]
Manabendra Shah was the last ruling raja of the Garhwal Kingdom (1946-1948), when his Tehri princely state acceded to independent India in May 18, 1948, has since remained a member of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Lok Sabha from Tehri Garhwal constituency of Uttarakhand.
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