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Garhwal गढ़वाल राज्य(Garhwali)
823–1949
Flag
Tehri Garhwal State inThe Imperial Gazetteer of India
Status	Sovereign state (823-1654) Tributary of theMughal Empire (1655 onwards)[1] Governorate (Kingdom of Nepal) (1804 - 1816) Indian princely state (1816 - 1949)
Capital	Chandpur Garhi(888–1512 CE) Devalgarh(1512–1517 CE) Srinagar(1517–1804 CE) Tehri(1816–1862 CE) Pratapnagar(1862–1890 CE) Kirtinagar(1890–1925 CE) Narendranagar(1925–1947 CE)
Common languages	Garhwali
Religion	Hinduism
Demonym	Garhwali
Government	Monarchy
Maharaja
• 823	Kanak Pal(first)
• 1684–1716 (peak)	Fateh Shah
• 1946–1949	Manabendra Shah(last)
History
• Established	823
• Conquered by the Gorkhas andmerged with the Kingdom of Nepal	1804
• Restored as aPrincely state ofBritish India following theTreaty of Sugauli	1816
• Acceded to India andjoined the Union of India	1949
Preceded by Succeeded by Kuninda kingdom Katyuri dynasty Dominion of India
Today part of	Garhwal division,Uttarakhand,India

Kingdom of Garhwal (गढ़वाल राज्य) was also known asTehri Garhwal, was a princely state under British paramountcy in the current north-westernHimalayan state ofUttarakhand, India, founded in 823 CE byKanak Pal the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until 1803 CE.^[2][3]

The princely state was divided into two parts during theBritish Raj, namely: theprincely stateof Garhwal and theGarhwal District ofBritish India. The princely state of Garhwal consisted of the present dayTehri Garhwal district and most of theUttarkashi district. This former state acceded to theUnion of India in August 1949 CE.^{[citation needed]}

The royal dynasty of Garhwal started withKanak Pal. Garhwal Kingdom was founded in 823 AD,^[2] when Kanak Pal, the prince ofMalwa (present dayMadhya Pradesh), on his visit to theBadrinath Temple, met Raja Bhanu Pratap, the ruler of Chandpur Garhi, one of the 52 Garhs of Garhwal. Raja Bhanu Pratap had no sons. The King married his only daughter to the prince and subsequently handed over his kingdom, the fortress town. Kanak Pal and his descendants of Panwar dynasty, gradually conquered all the independent fortresses (Garhs) belonging to its 52 small chieftains, and ruled the whole of Garhwal Kingdom for the next 916 years, up to 1804 AD.^[4]

In 1358, the 37th ruler, Ajay Pal, brought all the minor principalities for the Garhwal region, under his own rule, and founded the Garhwal Kingdom, with Devalgarh as its capital, which he later shifted toSrinagar.^[5] Balbhadra Shah (r. 1575–1591), was the first Raja of Garhwal to use the title Shah. The capital was shifted toSrinagar by Mahipat Shah who ascended to the throne in 1622, and further consolidated his rule over most parts of Garhwal, though he died early in 1631, though his seven-year-old son, Prithvi Shah ascended to the throne after him, the Kingdom was ruled by Mahipat Shah's wife,Rani Karnavati for many years to come, during which she successfully defended the kingdom against invaders and repelled an attack ofMughal army led by Najabat Khan in 1640, and in time received the nickname of 'Nakti Rani' as she used to chop off the noses of any invader to the kingdom, as the Mughal invaders of the period realised.^[6]

The next important ruler wasFateh Shah, remained the King of Garhwal from 1684 to 1716, and is most known for taking part in theBattle of Bhangani on 18 September 1688, where combined forces of many Rajas of theShivalik Hills (Pahari rajas) fought with 10thSikh GuruGobind Singh's army. During his reign, Sikh Guru and the ex-communicated eldest son ofHar Rai,Ram Rai settled here, upon recommendations ofAurangzeb, which eventually led to the establishment of modern town ofDehradun. Fateh Shah died in 1716, and his son Upendra Shah died within a year of ascending to the throne in 1717, subsequently Pradip Shah ascended and his rule led to rising fortunes of the Kingdom, this in turn attracted invaders, likeNajib-ud-daula Governor ofSaharanpur, who invaded in 1757 along with hisRohilla Army and captured Dehradun.^{[citation needed]} However, in 1770, the Garhwali forces defeated the Rohillas and retrieved possession of theDun region.^[7][8]

In 1791 Gorkha forces of the Kingdom of Nepal, invaded Kumaon and took control of most of the hill country, expelling or subduing most of the rajas.^[9]

The Garhwal kings went into exile in British territory as the Gorkhas began their twelve-year rule over Garhwal region.

TheGorkhas ruled Garhwal with an iron fist. Their excessive taxation policy, iniquitous judicial system, slavery, torture and lack of civilised administrative set up made the Gorkha rulers extremely unpopular amongst their subjects. Cultivation declined rapidly and villages were deserted. During the Gorkha rule, a revenue settlement for Garhwal was undertaken in 1811. The rates were so high that the land-owners found it difficult to honour, and the Gorkhas sold hundreds of their family members into slavery in satisfaction of the arrears.^[10] If a person or his family members were not purchased as slaves in auction, such people were sent to Bhimgoda nearHar Ki Pauri,Haridwar for selling. The Gorkhas are said to have established a slave market at Das Bazar inHaridwar. Harak Dev Joshi, a prominent minister from the Kumaon court wrote letters to Fraser, the resident at Delhi describing the atrocities committed by the Gorkhas on the Garhwali people. British writer and explorer Captain F.V. Raper (of the 10th Bengal) has written an eye-witness account of it in the Asiatic Researches (vol. xi.):^[11]

At the foot of the pass leading fromHar Ki Pauri is a Gurkhali 'chauki' or post, to which slaves are brought down from the hills and exposed for sale. Many hundreds of these poor wretches, of both sexes, from three to thirty years of age, are annually disposed of in the way of traffic. These slaves are brought down from all parts of the interior of the hills, and sold at Haridwar at from 10 to 150 rupees.

Scottish travel writer and artist,J. B. Fraser wrote:

The Gorkhas ruled Garhwal with a rod of iron and the country fell into a lamentable decay. Its villages became deserted, its agriculture ruined and its population decreased beyond computation. It is said that two lakhs, (200,000) of people were sold as slaves, while few families of consequence remained in the country; but, to avoid the severity of the tyranny, they either went into banishment or were cut off or forcibly driven away by their tyrant.

TheMukhtiyar (prime minister) of Nepal,Bhimsen Thapa imposed a general restriction onhuman trafficking inGarhwal,Sirmur and other areas in 1812 A.D.^[12] Anti-bribery regulations were issued against regional governors and declared it illegal to give or take any form of bribes or gifts from people.^[13] He established Hulak (postal) system through a relay of porters up toYamuna river inGarhwal. Regulations issued in July 1809 states:

In areas west of Bheri river and east ofJamuna river, make an estimate of the amount required for payment to Hulaki porters employed for the transport of mail on the basis of sum sanctioned in the previous order and the sum required according to arrangements made this year for different areas and submit a report accordingly.^[14]

The royal court sent the following orders regarding abolition of slave trading:

Let not there be injustice in any matter. We had sent orders previously also banning the sale of the children of the subjects, but it seems that the practice has not been abandoned. You are, therefore, ordered to maintain checkposts and do whatever is necessary to put an end to the practice. Any person who is caught while trafficking in human beings shall be punished according to the previous order.

The occupation of the kingdom by theGorkhas went unopposed from 1803 to 1814 until a series of encroachments by the Gorkhas on British territory led to theAnglo-Nepalese War in 1814. Sudarshan Shah, son and heir of the defeated ruler of the Kingdom of Garhwal who was in exile in British territory, saw his chance and entered into an alliance with the British in 1812. When the expected war erupted, he joined forces with them in the conquest of the hill territories. At the war's end on 21 April 1815, as a result of theTreaty of Sugauli, the British annexed half of the Kingdom of Garhwal (Pauri Garhwal) and converted the other half (Tehri Garhwal) into a subsidiary princely state.^[16]

Sudarshan Shah, the heir to the Kingdom of Garhwal received approximately half his ancestral territories, limited to western Garhwal region and received recognition as Raja of a newprincely state of Garhwal.^{[citation needed]} The British established their rule over the eastern half of the Garhwal region, which lies east ofAlaknanda andMandakini river, which was later on known asBritish Garhwal andDehradun, along withKumaon, which was merged withBritish India as a result of theTreaty of Sugauli. The formerKumaon Kingdom was joined with the eastern half of the Garhwal region and was governed as a chief-commissionership, also known as theKumaon Province, on thenon-regulation system.^[17]

Since the capitalSrinagar was now part of the British Garhwal, a new capital was established atTehri, giving the name ofTehri state^[18] (popularly known as Tehri Garhwal).^[19]

Sudarshan Shah died in 1859, and was succeeded by Bhawani Shah, who in turn was succeeded by Pratap Shah in 1872.^[20] The kingdom had an area of 4,180 square miles (10,800 km²), and a population of 268,885 in 1901. The ruler was given the title of Raja, but after 1913, he was honoured with the title ofMaharaja. The King was entitled to an 11 gunsalute and had aprivy purse of 300,000 Rupees. In 1919, Maharaja Narendra Shah shifted the capital fromTehri to a new town, which was named after him,Narendranagar.^[21]

During theQuit India Movement people from this region actively worked for the independence of India. Ultimately, when the country was declared independent in 1947, the inhabitants of Tehri Riyasat (Garhwal State) started their movement to free themselves from the clutches of the Maharaja Narendra Shah (Panwar).

Due to this movement, the situation became out of his control and it was difficult for him to rule over the region. Consequently, the 60th king of Panwar dynasty,Manabendra Shah, the last rulingMaharaja of the Garhwal Kingdom (1946–1949), accepted the sovereignty of theUnion of India. Tehri Riyasat was merged into theGarhwal District ofUnited Provinces (later renamed toUttar Pradesh) and was given the status of a new district, theTehri Garhwal district. Subsequently, on 24 February 1960, the state government separated one of itstehsils which was given the status of a separate district namedUttarkashi. It is currently part of theGarhwal Division of theUttarakhand state of India which was carved out ofUttar Pradesh in 2000. Former royal palace of the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal atNarendranagar, now houses theAnanda in the Himalayas spa, established 2000.^[22]

The flag of Garhwal was known asBadrinathji Ki Pataka orGaruda Dhwaj. It was in use since pre-1803 as a symbol of Garhwal State; and continued to be used from 1803 to 1949 as the symbol of princely state of Garhwal, (a.k.a. Tehri Garhwal / Garhwal Raj). After 1949, this flag is the symbol of Royal family and Lord Badrinath. The colour scheme is two equal stripes of white (top) and green (bottom) horizontally placed and the symbol used wasGaruda (the celestial vehicle of LordVishnu). White stands for purity, peace, tranquillity with snow as an additional meaning for Himalayan state. Green stands for agriculture, greenery, prosperity and progress. According to Filcher11 (1984), the colours represent the snow of the Himalaya and the forests of the state. In the centre the crest of the coat of arms is placed – an eagle with expanded wings (Garuda) is the vehicle of Lord Badrinath / Vishnu with emphasis on Garhwal being God's own abode.

"As Garuda is where Lord Vishnu is, it celebrates association of Garhwal with Lord Vishnu. As Lord Himself has a role sustaining the world, the state of Garhwal is sustained by support of God. It is in a pose with expanded wings which shows readiness and preparation to soar high. Thus it gives a meaning of divinity, majesty and ambitious preparedness with readiness to embark on great undertakings."

This verse was used with special fervour in Garhwal due to the Flag being Garuda Dhwaj. The verse was used by ruler of princely state himself while bidding farewell to state forces.^[23]

According to Atkinson, there are four chronological lists of the Parmar rulers of Garhwal.^[24]

Mola Ram the 18th century painter, poet, historian and diplomat of Garhwal wrote the historical workGarhrajvansh Ka Itihas (History of the Garhwal royal dynasty) which is the only source of information about several Garhwal rulers.^[23]

Rulers of Garhwal –Panwar Dynasty Rulers

No.	Name	Reign	Portrait	No.	Name	Reign	Portrait	No.	Name	Portrait	Reign
1	Kanak Pal	688–699		21	Vikram Pal	1116–1131		41	Vijay Pal		1426–1437
2	Shyam Pal	699–725		22	Vichitra Pal	1131–1140		42	Sahaj Pal		1437–1473
3	Pandu Pal	725–756		23	Hans Pal	1141–1152		43	Bahadur Shah		1473–1498
4	Abhijat Pal	756–780		24	Som Pal	1152–1159		44	Man Shah		1498–1518
5	Saugat Pal	781–800		25	Kadil Pal	1159–1164		45	Shyam Shah		1518–1527
6	Ratna Pal	800–850		26	Kamadev Pal	1172–1179		46	Mahipat Shah		1527–1552
7	Shali Pal	850–857		27	Sulakshan Dev	1179–1197		47	Prithvi Shah		1552–1614
8	Vidhi Pal	858–877		28	Lakhan Dev	1197–1220		48	Medini Shah		1614–1660
9	Madan Pal	887–895		29	Anand Pal II	1220–1241		49	Fateh Shah		1660–1708
10	Bhakti Pal	895–919		30	Purva Dev	1241–1260		50	Upendra Shah		1708–1709
11	Jayachand Pal	920–948		31	Abhay Dev	1260–1267		51	Pradip Shah		1709–1772
12	Prithvi Pal	949–971		32	Jayaram Dev	1267–1290		52	Lalit Shah		1772–1780
13	Medinisen Pal	973–995		33	Asal Dev	1290–1299		53	Jayakrit Shah		1780–1786
14	Agasti Pal	995–1014		34	Jagat Pal	1299–1311		54	Pradyumna Shah		1786–1804
15	Surati Pal	1015–1036		35	Jit Pal	1311–1330		55	Sudarshan Shah		1815–1859
16	Jay Pal	1037–1055		36	Anant Pal II	1330–1358		56	Bhawani Shah		1859–1871
17	Anant Pal I	1056–1072		37	Ajay Pal	1358–1389		57	Pratap Shah		1871–1886
18	Anand Pal I	1072–1083		38	Kalyan Shah	1389–1398		58	Kirti Shah		1886–1913
19	Vibhog Pal	1084–1101		39	Sundar Pal	1398–1413		59	Narendra Shah		1913–1946
20	Suvayanu Pal	1102–1115		40	Hansadev Pal	1413–1426		60	Manabendra Shah		1946–1949

Manabendra Shah was the last Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal before the princely state joined the newly independent India in 1947. He succeeded to the throne when his father Narendra Shah abdicated throne (on health grounds) on 26 May 1946. Manabendra Shah known as 'Bolanda Badri' (living incarnation of LordVishnu) was the 60th guardian of thetemple of Badrinath inGarhwal. After serving on theBurma Front during theSecond World War and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from theBritish Indian Army, Manabendra Shah ruled the 4,800-square mile only Tehri Garhwal State from 1946 until 1949, but was proud of having been one of the first to sign theInstrument of Accession, which he had helped to negotiate, with theGovernment of India.^[25] After theindependence of India, he was a long-serving member of theParliament of India, first as anIndian National CongressMP and later as aBharatiya Janata Party MP. He representedTehri Garhwal constituency eight times in theLok Sabha.^[26] Manabendra Shah also served as Indian ambassador toIreland from 1980 to 1983.^[25]

His son Manujendra Shah campaigned unsuccessfully to succeed to his father'sLok Sabha seat representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2007. Manujendra Shah's wife,Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, is the current BJP MP from Tehri Garhwal. In 2017, she and her husband, Manujendra Shah, passed on the royal baton to their daughter, Kshirja Kumari Devi in a ceremony onVasant Panchami at theAnanda Palace inNarendranagar to anoint her as heir to the titular royal legacy.^[27]

The term Garh means fort in Hindi.^[28] The region of Garhwal derives its name from the 52 forts (Garhs) that existed during medieval times. These forts were ruled by local chieftains, clans, and small principalities.^[29] In the 14th century, Raja Ajay Pal of the Parmar dynasty unified these scattered principalities into a single kingdom, thus forming the Garhwal Kingdom.^[30][31]

• Garhwali language
• Garhwali people
• List of Hindu empires and dynasties
• List of Rajput dynasties
• Tehri Garhwal House

• The History of a Himalayan princely state: Change, conflicts, and awakening : an interpretative history of Princely State of Tehri Garhwal, U.P., A.D. 1815 to 1949 A.D., by Atul Saklani. Delhi : Durga Publications, 1987.
• Pradhan, Kumar L. (2012),Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839, New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, p. 278,ISBN 9788180698132
• Regmi, Mahesh Chandra (1987),Regmi Research Series, vol. 19, Regmi Research Centre

• Tehri Garhwal State Constitution: As Enacted by H.H. Maharaja Manabendra Shah Under the Rajagyan Dated 27 May 1946, by Tehri Garhwal (Princely State). Published by Mafasilite Print. Works, 1946.

• Genealogy of Tehri Garhwal (princely state)
• Garhwali songs and Uttarakhand folk songsArchived 15 February 2015 at theWayback Machine
• An illustration of a grass rope bridge at Tehri, together with a poetical illustration byLetitia Elizabeth Landon was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1834.^[1][2]
• A painting entitledJerdair, A hill village, Gurwall byDavid Cox, engraved byThomas Higham as an illustration toThe Zenana., a poem byLetitia Elizabeth Landon in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1834.^[3]

30°23′N78°29′E / 30.38°N 78.48°E /30.38; 78.48

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