Pathania

Pathania is the name of the branch of the Tomara (Tanwar, Tuar) Clan of Chandravanshi, Dogra Rajputs, descended from Lord Arjuna, the hero of Mahabharata. [History of the Panjab Hill StatesBy J. Hutchison, J.P. Vogel,Asian Educational Services,p219] [Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan Or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India,Col James Tod,Asian Educational Services,p29,p48,p80] It is one of the ruling Rajput clans of India. They mostly live in and around Himachal Pradesh, in North India. The Pathania clan established the Kingdom of Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh, in the 11th century and ruled it until 1849 A.D., This clan has to its credit three Maha Vir Chakra winners in the Indian Army, among other war and peace time gallantry awards. This clan has also served valiantly in the British armed forces of India [The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh V. 1By Mark Brentnall,Indus Publishing,p352] .

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Rana Jethpal: Founder of the Royal House of Pathania

Until 1164 A.D a Tomara Dynasty reigned in the Rajput principality of Delhi. Anangpal II, the Tomara King claimed descent from the Pandavas, who founded Indraprastha, the ancient Delhi. He therefore presents the phenomenon of a King occupying a throne established by another ancestor, King Yudhishtra, 2250 years before him. [Advanced History of Ancient IndiaBy Shiri Ram Bakshi] [Annals of Rajasthan Annals of Mewar: The Annals of MewarBy James Tod, Tod Payne C. H, C H Payne,Asian Educational Services,p39] [Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan Or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India,Col James Tod,Asian Educational Services,p29,p48,p80]

The great Vikramaditya of the year 56BC is claimed to be an ancestor of the Tomara Pathania Rajputs. ["Essays on Indian Antiquities" by James Prinsep, Edward Thomas, Henry Thoby Prinsep, J.Murray 1858, p250] ["Pre-Mussalman India" by M. S. Nateson, Asian Educational Services 2000, p131] ["The cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia" by Edward Balfour, B. Quaritch 1885, p502] ["Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan" by James Tod, William Crooke, 1920, p912]

In the Hindu tradition in India and Nepal, the widely used ancient calendar is Vikrama Samvat or Vikrama's era. This is said to have been started by the legendary king following his victory over the Sakas in 56 BC.

Rana Jethpal (1100? A.D.), the younger brother of King Anangpal II of Delhi, came to Jallandhar Doab also called Bist Doab to conquer a territory for himself [Wooden Temples of Himachal PradeshBy Mian Goverdhan Singh,Indus Publishing,p39] . After crossing the Beas river he captured a fort called Bhet, and for this reason, he acquired the name Rana Bhet [History of the Panjab Hill StatesBy J. Hutchison, J.P. Vogel,Asian Educational Services,p220] . After this he came upon the city of Pathankot (possibly ancient Pratisthana), and following the customed tradition of Rajputs, in which the King almost in all instances took his name from the name of the country where he exercised his dominion, he came to be known as a Pathania Rajput, instead of a Tomara.

Brief History

The Kingdom of Nurpur lasted for about eight centuries with its capital at Pathankot, now in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. The kingdom included Pathankot and a large tract on the plains of the Punjab; also the whole of the present Nurpur Tahsil of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, with the addition of Shahpurkandi, now in Gurdaspur , and also a small tract to the west of the Ravi, called Lakhanpur, now in Jammu & Kashmir State. The Kingdom was bounded on the north by Kangra and Chamba, on the south by the Punjab plains, and on the west by the Ravi river. The Capital was at pathankot, which was known as Paithan in the medieval times. [History of the Panjab Hill StatesBy J. Hutchison, J.P. Vogel,Asian Educational Services,p213] All through their history the Pathania clan rebelled against the foreign invaders, both Muslims and the British. Although sometimes the Pathania Kings held the high office's of Generals known as Mansabdar (Army Commander, reserved for Hindu and Muslim Princes of note) in the Mughal military and captured many a kingdom for the Mughal Emperor in Hindustan and beyond the Indus up till Uzbekistan [The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh V. 1By Mark Brentnall,Indus Publishing,p351] , yet repeatedly they rebelled against the forces of the Mughal's and other foreign invaders.

About the book (Twarikh Rajgan-E-Pathania-E-Nurpur, Zila Kangra (History of Pathania Rajas of Nurpur) by Mian Rughnath Singh PathaniaThe English version of the book was first published in 2004 by the Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla 171 009 Himachal Pradesh, India.

The author has traced the origin of the Pathania dynasty of Nurpur to Lord Arjuna, the Hero of Mahabharata with the help of a calendar from King Yudhishthira to King Anang Pal II of Delhi. The book was originally written in mixed persianized Urdu and Devanagari, and the English version was prepared by Mr. AN Walia.

Written in 1904 A.D., the book documents eight hundred year's history of the Pathania Royal house of Nurpur from the year 1138 A.D. to 1885 A.D. The author Mian Rughnath Singh Pathania of Rey (Aghar), a small village in the vicinity of Indora in District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh, traces the origin of the Pathania Rajputs to the last of the Hindu Emperors of Hindustan, King Anangpal II of the Tomara (Tanwar, Tuar) dynasty of Delhi.

Late Pandit Jwala Prasad had been maintaining the family trees of the Pathania Clan. He lived in Haridwar. Currently his grandson, pandit Ganesh Sharma takes care of such requirements. Kangra Temple at Haridwar, which contains records for the last 10 generations is under a legal dispute and lies in sealed condition.

List of rulers

*Raja Jas Pal 1313/1353
*Raja Kailas Pal 1353/1397
*Raja Nag Pal 1397/1438
*Raja Prithvi Pal 1438/1473
*Raja Bhil Pal 1473/1513
*Raja Bakht Mal 1513/1558
*Raja Pahari Mal 1558/1580
*Raja Basu Dev 1580/1613
*Raja Suraj Mal 1613/1618
*Raja Jagat Singh 1618/1646
*Raja Rajrup Singh 1646/1661
*Raja Mandhata Singh 1661/1700
*Raja Dayadhata 1700/1735
*Raja Fateh Singh 1735/1770
*Raja Prithvi Singh 1770/1805
*Raja Bir Singh 1805/1846, born 1785, last ruling Chief of Nurpur
* Raja Jaswant singh 1846/1898
* Raja Gagan singh 1898/1952
* Raja Devendra singh 1952/-, born 1901.

ome Forts/Castles of the Clan

Nurpur Fort

Built in the 11th century. It was one of the primary strongholds of the Clan. It was also the main seat of the royal family.

hahpurkandi Fort

This 16th century fort nestles at the foot of the Himalayas and overlooks the river Ravi. It was constructed by a Rajput chief, Jaspal Singh Pathania around 1505 A.D., who made it his capital to have control over the Kangra and the Nurpur regions. It was the refuge of Ram Singh Pathania who rebelled against the British during 1848. He was caught while offering prayer to the goddess Durga at a nearby place, Daula Dhar early in 1849.

Kotla Fort

It is situated in the interiors of Kangra. The fort of Kotla lies almost half way to Gaggal in Himachal pradesh from Pathankot. This fortress was originally built by the Guleria Rajputs. It was seized during the reign of Raja Suraj Mal Pathania, and a younger brother, Madho Singh, was made the Quiledar or the commander of the fort. [Forts and Palaces of the Western HimalayaBy Aśoka Jeratha,Indus Publishing,p52]

Taragarh Fort

This fortress was constructed by Raja Jagat Singh Pathania where he used to spend the spring season. This fort was never seized or captured [Dogra Legends of Art & CultureBy Aśoka Jeratha, Ashok Jerath,Indus Publishing,p172,173] . However, Raja Jagat Singh Pathania was persuaded to stop the war against the Mughals. Shahjahan knew that Jagat Singh could not be browbeaten and he could use his help in times of war. Therefore he sent for a compromise on some mutually agreed terms.

Mau or Maukot Fort

It was nearest to the plains, almost half way to Nurpur from Pathankot, situated on a low hill of Shiwalik range running east to the Chakki river. It was an enclosure surrounded by dense forests, a Castle of great strength. It was a legend in its times, a saying was in vogue: "Mau Ki Muhim Yaro Maut Ki Nishani Hai", 'The expedition to Mau, friends is a call to death'. [History of the Panjab Hill StatesBy J. Hutchison, J.P. Vogel,Asian Educational Services,p237] [Forts and Palaces of the Western HimalayaBy Aśoka Jeratha,Indus Publishing,p46]

Isral Fort

This fort was exactly half way to Taragarh from Nurpur fort. It was founded by Raja Nag Pal, in honour of victory of Sukh Pal his brother. Raja Nag Pal was crowned in this fort about 1397 A.D. It was an ideal fort commanding the splendid view of the surroundings. It was rich in buildings like palaces, Diwankhana and stable for the horses of the royal family. Now nothing is left. But the site is still known as Diwankhana by the local people. The site is lying in dense forests south of Sulyali village. [Forts and Palaces of the Western HimalayaBy Aśoka Jeratha,Indus Publishing,p51]

There were some other forts situated in the territory of the Pathania Kingdom, but they were either destroyed by the massive earthquake which struck this region in April 1905 A.D., or were completed destroyed by the Mughal armies.Fact|date=September 2008

The Rebellion Of Ram Singh Pathania

Keeping in tune with their valorous tradition, the last battle fought by the Rajputs of the Kingdom of Nurpur was in 1848 A.D. against the British by Ram Singh Pathania, for his King who was still a minor. After fighting a guerilla war against the British, he made brigadier Wheeler assemble a force at Dhaula Dhar, near Shahpurkandi, Pathankot against him. Ram Singh Pathania fought the British many times in battles and there were heavy losses on both sides. After the battle of Dhaula Dhar the British bribed a Brahman to tell them where he could be found alone and unarmed, so that they would ambush him. He was captured while he was praying on the banks of the Ravi river without his weapons, near the Shahpurkandi fortress. Some historians [Social, Cultural, and Economic History of Himachal PradeshBy Manjit Singh Ahluwalia,Indus Publishing,p44] believe that he was betrayed by the Raja's of Jammu and Guler, and handed over to the British.

Because of the resistance he showed to the British, and his influence on his people, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Rangoon (Burma). He died there on 11th of November, 1856. The Kingdom was annexed by the British soon after this.

The legend of Ram Singh has gained in popularity to such an extent that today it is incorporated by most Himachali's, regardless of their home district, as part of their cultural-historical heritage, forming a part of Himachali identity.

During the main Hindu festivals such as Dusshera Durga Puja, the Baren or Martial Ballads of Ram Singh Pathania are sung to the accompaniment of dafale (music of Himachal Pradesh) by singers known as Adavale and folk artists. These songs are sung in all the districts of Himachal Pradesh as well as the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Every year a fair honoring his name is held at dhaula dhar, near Shahpurkandi, Pathankot, where the sword and Armour of the lionheart Ram Singh Pathania is displayed.

References

*Twarikh Rajgan-E-Pathania-E-Nurpur (History of the Pathania Rajas) - Mian Rughunath Singh Pathania
*DOGRAS: Handbook for the Indian Army - Lieut. -Colonel W.B. Cunningham, M.C., 2nd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment. 1932
*The Martial Races Of India - Lieut. -General Sir George MacMunn K.C.B., K.C.S.I., D.S.O. (Colonel commandant of The Royal Artillery) 1933
*History of the Punjab Hill States - John Hutchison, Jean Philippe Vogel, J. Ph Vogel
*Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han or the Central and Western Rajpoot States of India - Col James Tod
*Forts and Palaces of the Western Himalayas - Aśoka Jeratha
*Dogra Legends of Art and Culture - Aśoka Jeratha
*History and Culture of Himalayan States - Sukhdev Singh Charak
*The Princely and the Noble Families of the Former British Empire - Mark Brentnall
*Advanced History of Ancient India - Shiri Ram Bakshi
*Legends Of The Panjab Vol. II - R.C. Temple

External links

* [http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/n/nurpur.html Nurpur Princely State]
* [http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/ Rajput History]
* [http://123himachal.com/nurpur/ram-singh.htm Ram Singh Pathania]