Skip to main content

History of Himachal Pradesh

Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh / Image Credit

25th January 2026 is the 56th Statehood Day of Himachal Pradesh. Read about the history of Himachal Pradesh .

After coming into the control of many dynasties including those of Mauryas, Guptas and Harshavardhana, the territory of Himachal Pradesh was divided into small principalities headed by chieftains. Some of these small kingdoms were ruled by Rajput chieftains.

These principalities were invaded by the Muslim armies at regular intervals. At the beginning of the 11th century, Mahmud Ghaznavi had launched a military campaign against Kangra Fort (now located in the state of Himachal Pradesh) and captured it. 

In 1365, Tughlaq Sultan Feroz Shah plundered Nagarkot in Himachal Pradesh compelling the ruler of Nagarkot to pay tributes. During this military campaign, Feroz Shah Tughlaq collected 1300 Sanskrit manuscripts from the Jawalamukhi temple library. Arizuddin Khan translated them into Persian under the title Dalail-i- Firoz-Shahi.

Mongol leader Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane, had sacked Kangra Fort on 16th January, 1399.  

The Lodi Sultan Sikander Lodi also made similar raid. Many of the hill kingdoms became vassals of the Mughal empire. 

Kangra Fort / Image Credit

Subjugation of the Kangra Fort was a military achievement by Mughal emperor Jahangir. The fort surrendered to the Mughal rule in 1620. Jahangir visited the fort next year and ordered the slaughter of a bullock here and the construction of a mosque within the fort.

In 1783, the Kangra fort came under the control of the Sikhs . However the fort was wrested from them in 1786 by Katoch Rajputs who were the rulers of this fort since ancient times. hands. In 1828, the fort once again came under the control of Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was annexed by the British after the First Anglo-Sikh war in 1846. In 1905, the fort was destroyed in an earthquake.

During India’s struggle for freedom, most of the princely states of Himachal Pradesh either remained indifferent or supported the cause of the British. After becoming a Union Territory on 1 November 1956, Himachal Pradesh became the eighteenth state of the Indian Union on 18 December 1970 thanks to the enactment of the State of Himachal Pradesh Act by the Indian Parliament. The new state came into being on 25th January 1971. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muhammad Shah Rangila

Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, died in 1707. Muhammad Shah became Mughal emperor in 1719. During the interregnum, Bahadur Shah I , Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi-ud-Daula ascended the Mughal throne. Jahandar Shah was murdered on the orders of Farrukhsiyar who had the support of the two powerful Mughal nobles Sayyid Abdullah and his brother Sayyid Husain Ali at that time. They are famous in history as Sayyid brothers, the King-makers. In 1719, Farrukhsiyar were murdered in utter disregard of a Mughal emperor by Sayyid brothers. Rafi-ud-Darajat died of consumption in a few months. Rafi-ud-Daula was addicted to opium and died in 4 months. Sayyid brothers now chose Raushan Akhtar, a son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I), to be the emperor. Raushan Akhtar ascended the throne under the title of Muhamamd Shah in September 1719. In the beginning Muhammad Shah was a puppet in the hands of Sayyid brothers who soon began to lose their gri...
1 comment
Read more

Turkan-i-Chahalgani, the Group of Forty

Amir-i-Chahalgani, known variously as Turkan-i-Chahalgani and Chalisa (The Forty), was a group of 40 faithful slaves which came into existence with the task of protecting Shamsuddin Iltutmish , the third Slave Sultan of Delhi Sultanate. The idea to form the group was taken by him when he came to realize that Turkish nobles cannot be trusted and could be a threat to his rule. With the passage of time the group went on to become very influential and powerful. Though Iltutmish succeeded in keeping the group under control, after his rule they became notorious and intrigued against nearly all his successors.  The Forty acquired domination on the affairs of the state so much so that no ruler could defy them. Without their support it was utterly out of questions for the rulers to win the battle for succession. The members of this Turkish nobility used to appropriate all the offices of the state to themselves. Some of the rulers of the Slave dynasty after Iltutmish were murdered by these s...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sanskrit Books and Authors in Ancient India

  Books Authors Abhigyan Shakuntalam (Recognition of Shakuntala) Kalidasa Aihole Prasasti Ravikirti Amarakosha   Amarasimha   Arthashastra Kautilya Ashtadhyayi   Panini Bhattikavya Bhatti Brihat Samhita   Varahamihira Buddhacharita   Asvaghosa   Charaka Samhita ( Compendium of Charaka ) Charaka Devichandraguptam   Vishakhadatta Gita Govinda  ( Song of the Cowherd) Jayadeva Gatha Saptashati Hala Lilavati   Bhaskara II   Hammira Mahakavya   Nayachandra Suri Janakiharana   ( Janaki's abduction) Kumaradasa   Kama Sutra Vatsyayana ...
1 comment
Read more