Sirmur (also spelled as Sirmor, Sirmaur, Sirmour, or Sirmoor) was a princely state of India, located in the region that is now the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The state was also known as Nahan, after its main city, Nahan. The state ranked predominant amongst the Punjab Hill States. It had an area of 4,039 km2 and a revenue of 300,000 rupees in 1891.
History
Origin According to Mian Goverdhan Singh in Wooden Temples of Himachal Pradesh, the principality of Sirmaur was founded in the 7th to 8th century by Maharaja of Parmar Rajputs, and Rathore noble.
Nahan State Nahan, the predecessor state of Sirmur, was founded by Soba Rawal in 1095 AD who assumed the name Raja Subans Prakash.
Near the end of the 12th century in the year 1195, a flood of the Giri River destroyed the old capital of Sirmaur-Tal, which killed Raja Ugar Chand. A ruler of Jaisalmer, Raja Salivahana, thought this was an opportune time to attack the state as it was in a state of disarray due to the natural disaster and death of its ruler, so he sent his son Sobha to conquer the state. The attack was successful and a new dynasty headed by Bhati Rajputs was established. Sirmur was invaded by invader Jasrath's army, who also invaded fragments of Punjab and Jammu.
Sirmur State
Karm Prakash founded the city of Nahan in 1621, and it became the new capital. Karm was succeeded by Mandhata Prakash, who aided Khalil-ullah, a general of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, in an invasion of Garhwal, and in return for this aid Kotaha was given to Sobhag Prakash, who had succeeded Mandhata. Further Mughal attacks on Garhwal were launched by Aurangzeb, and Sobhag would again join them, receiving yet more land in return. Sobhag's reign also saw great developments of Sirmur's agricultural resources. He was succeeded by Budh Prakash, who recovered Pinjaur for Aurangzeb's foster-brother. In 1684, Mat Prakash succeeded Budh, and the next year he gave asylum to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, and allowed him to fortify Paonta, near which the Guru would defeat a combined Hill State force under the Rajas Bhim Chand of Kahlur and Fateh Shah of Garhwal, at the Battle of Bhangani; however, in 1750, Kirat Prakash, after having defeated the Raja of Garhwal, captured Sikh territories, including Naraingarh, Morni and Pinjaur, and entered into multiple alliances, aiding Raja Amar Singh of Patiala, helping in suppressing a rebellious vizier. Kirat also aided the Raja of Khalur against Ghulam Kadir, when the latter invaded Kahlur. Kirat similarly allied with the Raja of Garhwal against invading Gurkhas, and, despite being abandoned by his ally, Kirat managed to force the Gurkhas to agree to have the Ganges serve as the border between their kingdom and Garhwal.
Kirat was succeeded by Dharm Prakash, who repulsed attacks by the chief of Nalagarh and the Raja of Garhwal before dying in single combat against Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra, who had invaded Kahlur in 1793. Dharm was succeeded by his brother Karm Prakash, who faced a revolt that placed Ratn Prakash on the throne, and called upon the aid of the Gurkhas to suppress it. The Gurkhas successfully removed Ratn Prakash from the throne, but refused to restore Karm Prakash to it. The queen, a princess of Goler, issued an appeal to the British in restoring Karm to the throne. The appeal coincided with the British declaration of war on the Gurkhas, and the British sent a force to expel the Gurkhas from Sirmur, although they too did not restore Karm to the throne, instead placing his son Fateh Prakash, a minor, on it and annexing part of Sirmur territory, some later being returned in 1833 for a fee of 50,000 rupees. The Raja aided the British with a loan during the First Anglo-Afghan War, and joined the British in the First Anglo-Sikh War, with a Sirmur contingent seeing action at Hari-ke Pattan. Shamsher Prakash succeeded Fateh in 1856, and oversaw a modernization of Sirmur; forced labour was abolished, roads were constructed, revenue and forest surveys were carried out and a foundry, dispensaries, a post office and a telegraph office were built. Shamsher supported the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and sent a contingent to aid the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. In 1897, Shamsher's second son, Major Bir Bikram Singh, led the Sirmur Sappers and Miners as they accompanied the Tirah expedition. Shamsher was succeeded by Surindar Bikram Prakash remodelled the courts of Sirmur, and was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council.
Rulers The rulers of Sirmur bore the title "Maharaja" from 1911 onward NamePortrait Ruled from Ruled untilCitation Subhansh Prakash 1095 1099 Mahe Prakash 1099 1117 Udit Prakash 11171127 Kaul Prakash 1127 1153 Sumer Prakash 1153 1188 Suraj Prakash 1188 1254 Bhagat Prakash I 1254 1336 Jagat Prakash 1336 1388 Bir Prakash 1388 1398 Naket Prakash 1398 1398 Ratna Prakash 1398 1413 Garv Prakash 1413 1432 Brahm Prakash 1432 1446 Hams Prakash 1446 1471 Bhagat Prakash II 1471 1538 Dharam Prakash 1538 1570 Deep Prakash 1570 1585 Budh Prakash 1605 1615 Bhagat Prakash III 1615 1620 Karam Prakash I 1621 1630 Mandhata Prakash 1630 1654 Sobhag Prakash 1654 1664 Budh Prakash 1664 1684 Mat Prakash 1684 1704 Hari Prakash 1704 1712 Bijay Prakash 1712 1736 Pratap Prakash 1736 1754 Kirat Prakash 1754 1770 Jagat Prakash 1770 1789 Dharam Prakash 1789 1793 Karam Prakash II (died 1820) 1793 1803 Ratan Prakash (installed by Gurkhas, hanged by the British in 1804) 1803 1804 Karma Prakash II (died 1820) 1804 1815 Fateh Prakash 1815 1850 Raghbir Prakash 1850 1856 Shamsher Prakash 1856 1898 Surendra Bikram Prakash 1898 1911 Amar Prakash 1911 1933 Rajendra Prakash 1933 1947Lakshraj Prakash2013 -
Demographics + Religious groups in Sirmur State (British Punjab province era)Religiousgroup19011911192119311941 Hinduism 128,478 130,276 132,431 139,031 146,199 Islam 6,414 6,016 6,449 7,020 7,374 Sikhism 688 2,142 1,449 2,413 2,334 Jainism 61 49 65 52 81 Christianity 46 37 44 52 38 Buddhism 0 0 10 0 0 Zoroastrianism 0 0 0 0 0 Judaism 0 0 0 0 0 Others 0 0 0 0 0 Total population 135,687 138,520 140,448 148,568 156,026
Artwork
Not many paintings depicting the historical rajas of Sirmur State have survived due to the Gurkha occupation of the state between 1803 and 1814, which led to the loss and destruction of much artwork, including any portraits of earlier rulers produced in Sirmur itself.
Notes
References
Further reading