In this article, we will talk about the ancient history of Kullu valley which is famously known as Himachal’s second oldest democracy. History of Kullu is very vast therefore we have divided it into two parts: PAL VANSH & SINGH BADANI VANSH. So here we begin.
PAL VANSH:
Kullut is the ancient name of Kullu. Kullu finds a mention in various religious scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vishnu Puran, Markandeya Puran, Vritsahints and Kalhan’s ‘Rajtarangini‘. Kullu is also known as Kullant Peeth because it is known to be the last place for living in the world. In vedic period, it was known as “Gandharvon ki Bhumi.”
Kullu Riyasat was found by Vihangmanipal when he came from haridwar (Mayapuri) with the blessings of Godess Jasmina. He established his capital as Jagatmukh. There were a total of seven waziriyan in Kullu: 1. PAROL WAJIRI (KULLU) 2. WAZIRI RUPPI (MIDDLE OF PARBATI AND SAINJ) 3. WAJIRIYAN LAG MAHARAJ (It extended from SARWARI AND SULTANPUR TILL BAJORA) 4. WAJIRIYAN BHANGAL 5. WAJIRIYAN LAHAUL 6. WAJIRIYAN LAG SAARI (Between FOZAL and SARWARI KHAD) 7. WAJIRI SIRAAJ ( Divided JALORI PASS into two parts).
MahaBharat Era: HIDIMBA married BHEEM ,GHATOTGACH was the son of HIDIMBA and BHEEM. BHEEM murdered HIDIMBA’s brother TAANDI.
Hiuen Tsang: Chinese traveller Huien Tsang visited Kullu in 635 AD. Ashoka got constructed Stupas in the memory of Lord Buddha’s visit to Kullu.
Dateshwar Pal: Chamba king Meru Verman attacked Kullu and defeated Dateshwar Pal. Dateshwar lost his life in this war. He was the 31st King of Pal Vansh.
Kailash Pal: He ruled Kullu from 1428 to 1450. He was the last King of PAL VANSH.
That’s all about important kings of PAL VANSH. Now let us talk about the kings of SINGH BADANI VANSH.
SINGH BADHANI VANSH:
After KAILASH PAL of Pal Vansh, KULLU went under SUKET riyasat for 50 years.
Sidh Sen: He founded BADANI VANSH. He made JagatMukh as his 1st capital of Kullu in 1500 AD.
Bahadur Singh: He ruled from 1532-1539. He married his son Partap Singh to the daughter of Chamba ruler Ganesh Verman. Some other rulers are Pratap Singh (1559-1575), Pratab Singh (1575-1608), Prithvi Singh (1609-1635), Kalyan Singh (1635-37). They ruled Kullu under the influence of Mughals.
Jagat Singh: He was the most powerful ruler of Kullu. Aurangzeb called him the ‘King of Kullu’. To get himself freed from the curse of suicide of a Brahmin, he abandoned his royal life. He sent Damodar Dass to bring the sculpture of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya. He transferred his capital from Naggar to Sultanpur, Kullu.
Damodar Dass: In 1600, he got constructed Raghunath Temple
Mann Singh: He ruled Kullu from 1688 to 1702. He acquired Mandi salt mines.
Raj Singh (1702-31): Guru Gobind Singh visited Kullu during his rule.
Tedi Singh (1742-67): Ghamand Chand attacked Kullu during his rule.
Preetam Singh: He ruled from 1767 to 1806.
Vikram Singh: He ruled from 1806 to 1816.
Ajit Singh (1816-41): William Moorcraft was the first European traveller who visited Kullu during his rule.
British Era & District Formation: After 1st Sikh war, the British regime came into existence. They gave WAJIRI RUPI to rule independently. On 9th March 1846, Lahaul Spiti came under Kullu. Lord Elginist was the first viceroy to visit Kullu. Lahaul Spiti was separated from Kullu and made a separate district on 30th June 1960. Kullu was made a district of Punjab state in 1963. Gurucharan Singh was the first Deputy Commissioner of Kullu district. Kullu was finally merged with Himachal and became a district of Himachal Pradesh on 1st November 1966.
Cover Pic Credits: Himalayan Yoga Institute
