Bilaspur State (princely state) explained

Conventional Long Name:Bilaspur State
Kahlur Riyasat
Native Name:Kahlur (कहलूर)
Status:Princely state of Hills.
Empire:British Indian Empire
Government Type:Monarchy
Year Start:697CE (approx)
Year End:1948
S1:Bilaspur State (1950–1954)
Flag S1:Flag of India.svg
Image Map Caption:Princely States of the Shimla Hills, Bilaspur in the south straddling the Sutlej (1911)
Capital:Bilaspur, Sunhani[1]
Today:Himachal Pradesh, India

Bilaspur State or Kahlur State, sometimes Kahloor Riyasat, was a kingdom (697–1849) and later princely state (1849–1948) in the Punjab Province ruled by a separate branch of Chandravanshi Chandel rajput dynasty. Raja Bir Chand 697–730 was the founder of the state but it was named Kahlur only after the Construction of Kahlur Fort by Raja Kahal Chand around 890–930CE and Raja Anand Chand the 44th Raja was the last ruler.

The state was earlier known as Kahlur Riyasat and was later renamed Bilaspur.[2] It covered an area of, on the name of Sage Bias (from Biaspur later became Bilaspur) and had a population of 100,994 according to the 1931 Census of India. The last ruler of Bilaspur State acceded to the Indian Union on 12 October 1948.

Bilaspur State remained Bilaspur Province in independent India until 1950 when the province was briefly renamed "Bilaspur State" before it was merged with Himachal Pradesh state as a district in 1954.[3]

In the pre-partitioned Punjab, the Raja of Kahlur (Bilaspur) elevated the Kolis to the status of Kshatriya and he wanted them to serve in his army and Raja did so.[4]

History

According to local oral tradition and records during the reign of Raja Harihar Chand, a new state was founded around 697 CE by his son First Ruler Raja Bir Chand. After Raja Kahal Chand had built Kahlur Fort the state was named Kahlur (probably from Kahal-pur) and the ruling Chandel Dynasty of Kahlur was also Known as Kahluria.Initially the capital of the state was at a place named Jandbari — in (now in punjab after 1953) — and then it was transferred to Kahlur Fort, but was later moved permanently to present town Bilaspur[2] by Dip Chand, the 32nd Raja of Kahlur Raja Bhim Chand who succeeded Raja Deep Chand fought Battle of Nadaun against Mughals and came out victorious. Mughals under Alif Khan were supported by Raja of Kangra and Raja Dayal of Bijarwal[5] When Raja Bhim Chand abdicated in 1692 to lead a life of sanyasi the state was at previously unknown heights.The reign of Bhim Chand's son Ajmer Chand was of conquest as well. By the end of his forty years reign the number of states paying tribute was considerable: Baghal State, Baghat, Keonthal, Beja, Mangal, Bhajji, Mahlog, Dhami, Kuthar, Kotkhai, Kunihar, Balsan, and Nehra among others. All continued to pay tribute until Mahan Chand reign 1778 but by 1790 only Mangal State continued to acknowledge Bilaspur'so suzerainty.[6] Since the 18th-century the rulers of Bilaspur State patronised artists of the Kangra painting style.[7] Bilaspur State came under British protection in 1815[8] under Raja Mahan Chand and became one of the Simla Hill States. Raja Anand Chand was the last ruler of the princely state and Pandit Sant Ram was the last Home Minister. As Bilaspur acceded to India on 28 October 1948, Bilaspur retained an independent identity as a separate province and as a part-C State of India. The Raja was appointed commissioner of the State. In following years after Raja resigned his deputy Chhabra, who was appointed by govt of India, helped run the temporary govt of Bilaspur while the territory of the princely state was politically integrated into the Indian Union.

From 26 January 1950 Bilaspur was administered by the Government of India as a separate C-Class state named Bilaspur State which in 1954 was incorporated into the State of Himachal Pradesh as a province.[3]

Demographics

Religious
group! colspan="2"
1921[9] 1931[10] 1941[11]
96,00099,023108,375
1,5591,4581,498
437507453
467
003
000
000
000
Others000
Total population98,000100,994110,336

The Family

Chandel in Bilaspur belong to different branches of the ruling family. These families are numerous, and all enjoyed jagir pensions from state amounting in aggregate to Rs. 40,000 a year in 1933. The chief names are:

Rajas

  1. Bir Chand, founder;
  2. Udhran Chand
  3. Jaskarn Chand
  4. Madanbrahm Chand
  5. Ahl Chand
  6. Kahal Chand, 6th Raja;
  7. Slar Chand
  8. Men Chand
  9. Sen Chand
  10. Sulkhan Chand
  11. Kahn Chand, 11th Raja. Conquered Hindur, which he created as a separate realm for his second son.
  12. Ajit Chand, 12th Raja (son of Khan Chand)
  13. Gokul Chand
  14. Udai Chand,
  15. Gen Chand
  16. Pruthvi Chand
  17. Sangar Chand,
  18. Megh Chand,
  19. Dev Chand
  20. Ahim Chand
  21. Abhisand Chand,
  22. Sampurn Chand
  23. Rattan Chand
  24. Narandar Chand
  25. Fath Chand
  26. Pahar Chand
  27. Ram Chand
  28. Uttam Chand
  29. Gyan Chand
  30. Bikram Chand
  31. Sultan Chand
  32. Kalyan Chand
  33. Tara Chand
  34. Dip Chand
  35. Bhim Chand (Kahlur)
  36. Ajmer Chand
  37. Devi Chand
  38. Mahan Chand
  39. Kharak Chand
  40. Jagat Chand
  41. Hira Chand
  42. Amar Chand
  43. Bijai Chand
  44. Anand Chand

Currency

No coins from Bilaspur State have been found, and the state may have simply been too small and remote, with little demand for currency, to mint its own. There was little long-distance trade that required currency. Any coins that did circulate in the area were probably originally from elsewhere, such as the Delhi Sultanate. After the British gained influence in the region in the mid-1800s, the British system based on the rupee predominated. For everyday transactions, though, barter was the main way that most people exchanged goods and services.[12]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0208_PART_B_DCHB_BILASPUR.pdf page 11
  2. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_A-J.html States before 1947 A-J
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=tG0fnF0VRk0C&pg=PA35 Social, cultural, and economic history of Himachal Pradesh By Manjit Singh Ahluwalia
  4. Book: Sadasivan, S. N. . A Social History of India . 2000 . APH Publishing . 2000 . 978-81-7648-170-0 . New Delhi, India, Asia . 244 . en.
  5. Book: Singh , Kartar . Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughals . Guru Gobind Singh Foundation . . 1967 . 49259 . 55.
  6. Book: The Princely and Noble Families of the Former Indian Empire: Himachal Pradesh . Mark Brentnall . Indus . 2005 . 9788173871634 . 52 .
  7. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/asia_features/sikhism/art/hindu/index.html Hindu Hill Kingdoms
  8. Kahlur . 15 . 634.
  9. Web site: Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables. . saoa.crl.25430165 . 30 March 2024 . 1921 . 29.
  10. Web site: Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. . saoa.crl.25793242 . 30 March 2024 . 1931 . 277.
  11. Web site: Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab . saoa.crl.28215541 . 30 March 2024 . 1941 . 42.
  12. Book: Mamgain . M.D. . Himachal Pradesh District Gazetteers: Bilaspur . 1975 . 8 April 2023.