History of District Bilaspur

||History of District Bilaspur||History of  Bilaspur Distt||History of District Bilaspur In English||

 BILASPUR 

• Bilaspur lies exclusively in Shiwalik or outer hill of Himalayas. It is bounded on the north by Mandi and Hamirpur districts, on the west by Hamirpur and Una districts, on its south lies Nalagarh area of Solan district.
•  It lies on both the bank of river Satluj which forms the boundary between Mandi and Bilaspur. 
• There are seven main ranges of Hills. That is why earlier princely state used to be called "Sat-dar Kahlur". 

History of District Bilaspur 

||History of District Bilaspur||History of  Bilaspur Distt||History of District Bilaspur In English||

• The old name of Bilaspur was Kehlur. It is said that Bir Chand founder of state found an idol of Goddess Durga beneath a stone slab and after few days later at the same place à Gujjar named Kehlu saw that one of his goats attacked by a leopard when he tried to prey her. When Raja came to know about this he understood the secret of this miraculous slab and built a fort and named it Kot Kehlu, after the name of Kehlu. The Naina Devi temple was constructed for the idol. 
• The founder of state was Raja Bir Chand who belonged to Chandel Rajput family from Bundelkhand. 
• Raja Kahal Chand: He was sixth descendent of ruling family and is said that he bulit Kot Kahlur fort. but according to other account, it was built by Bir Chand. 
• Raja Ajit Chand: He founded the ruling dynasty of Hindur (Nalagarh) and handed over new Dynasty to his brother Suchet Chand.
•  Raja Megh Chand: He was tyrannical ruler and was forced by the people to leave the state and took asylum in Kullu and later he regained the lost kingdom with the help of Delhi's Sultan Shamshu-ud din Altutmish. 
• Raja Abhisand Chand: He was contemporary of Sikandar Lodhi. He fought victorious battle against Tatar Khan Amir. But later Raja and his son Sundar Chand were killed by Tatar's son treacherously. 
• Raja Sampurna Chand (1380 AD): He was killed by his brother Ratan Chand; this was rare case in Hindus to kill brother for throne. Ratan Chand had a long reign, had a good relation with Delhi. 
• Raja Gyan Chand or Ayam Chand (1570 AD): He was contemporary of Akbar. He adopted Islam. His tomb is still at Kiratpur in Punjab. He had three sons, Bik Chand elder son remained Hindu but younger sons Ram Chand and Bhima Chand also converted to Islam. Bik Chand married to daughter of Raja Trilok Chand of Kangra (1600-1612 AD). 
• Raja Bik Chand (1600 AD): When he succeeded throne and had two wives one from Kangra who gave birth to Sultan Chand and other was from Bhagal who gave birth to Kesaba Chand. Raja abdicated throne to Sultan Chand in 1620.
• Raja Kalyan Chand (1630 AD): He was married to daughter of Raja of Suket Raja Shyam Saran Sen. He built fort on the border of Hindur which cause war between two states. In battle Raja of Hindur was killed. Suket Raja and Kalian Chand were mortally wounded and died at a place 'Kaliyan chand di dwari while returning to Bilaspur. The Sukti rani became Sati 
•  Raja Tara Chand (1645 AD): who built Taragarh fort in Hindur. 
• Raja Deep Chand (1650-1656 AD): He shifted the residence of ruling family from Sunhani to new place Dholra on the left bank of river Satluj, traditionally called Vyasgufa. He founded the town Bilaspur. He changed the salute Jai Deva to Raja, poisoned at Jai to Miani and Ram-Ram to Ranas. He was Nadaun by Kangra Raja Chander Bhan Chand. 
• Anandpur Sahib was founded in June 1665 by the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur. He got three villages from Rani of Jehlur. He previously lived in Kiratpur, but given the disputes with Ram Rai he moved to village in Makhoval. He named it Chakk Nanaki after his mother. In 1675, Guru Tegh Bahadur was tortured and beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, a martyrdom that led Sikhs Gobind Das as his successor and famous as Guru Gobind Singh. 
• Raja Bhim Chand (1667 AD): He was minor when his father Deep Chand died. He fought battle with his wazir Manak Chand brother of Deep Chand who was dismissed by Raj Mata Jalal Devi from the post of Bazir. Bhim Chand was supported by Sidh Sen of Mandi. Raja Deep Chand had two Ranis, one from Mandi, named Jalal Devi and other from Kullu named Kumkum Devi. Some state officials by a notorious design spread a rumour tha Mandiyali Rani wanted to get the daughter of Kulluvi rani married to her brother, Raja of Mandi. Rani Kunkum never agreed to this proposal nor she had idea of the designed rumour, she along with her daughter committed self-immolation in the state palace itself. When royal family came to know of this tragedy, they felt shocked and pained. They built a temple in the memory of Rani and her daughter. He fought two battles with Guru Govind Singh in 1682- 1685 AD. Cause of two wars was white elephant of Guru that was demanded by Bhim Chand. He lost the battle and spent end of his life as Faquir.
• Raja Ajmer Chand (1712-41 AD): He built a fort on the border of Hindur called "Ajmergarh" 

||History of District Bilaspur||History of  Bilaspur Distt||History of District Bilaspur In English||

• Raja Devi Chand (1741-78 AD); During his reign revolt took place in his neighbouring state Nalagarh where Raja Man Chand and his son were killed. Gaje Ssingh was installed new king of Hindur (Nalagarh) by Raja Devi Chand. He was contemporary of Nadir Shah. He built the fort of Bhamaikot and gave Ramgarh fort to Hindur. 
• Mahan Chand (1878 AD):  He was six year old when his father Devi Chand died. Administration remained under Ramu Wazir who died in 1785 AD. Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra invaded Kahlur in 1795 AD and occupied Chauki Hatwar. Raja Dharma Prakash of Sirmaur, who came to help kahlur on request of Rani, got killed. Sansar Chand built fort on Dhar Jhanjrar in Bilaspur territory and called it Chhatipur. During his reign Gurkhas emerged as greater power. Their headquarters was at Garhwal. Raja Mahan Singh invited Amar Singh Thapa to help him against Kangra ruler Sansar Chand. In 1805 AD Sansar Chand was defeated by Gurkhas forces under the command of Amar Singh Thapa at Mahal Morian (Hamirpur),
•  Raja Kharak Chand (1824-1839 AD): His reign was marked as darkest page in history of Bilaspur. A revolt took place which was led by his uncle Jagat Chand who later seized the throne of state. 
• Raja Jagat Chand (1839-1857 AD): One of the two Ranis of Kharak Chand was pregnant when her husband died and gave birth to a son at her parental house Sirmaur. Rani returned to Bilaspur with army in order to get back throne. Raja Jagat Chand fled to Hindur. Later he was restored as Raja with the help of political agent of Ambala and Raja Ram Saran Singh of Hindur. In 1850 AD Jagat Chand abdicated the throne in favour of his grandson and retired to Brindaban. He died in 1857 AD 
• Raja Hira Chand (1857-1882 AD): He extended support to the Britisher during 1857 AD revolt. His period is known as golden age. He brought tax reform and reduced taxes and started the reveneue demand payable partly in cash in certain area of the state. In 1882 AD he paid a visit to Shimla with his son Tikka Amar Chand. Raja developed serious illness on the way to state and he died at Mahal. 
• Amar Chand: In 1885 AD he transferred all literary sources of sate in Devenagri script. 
• Raja Bijai Chand (1889-1902 A.D): Became Raja in 1889 AD. He brought reform in judicial system introduced system of court fee and non-judicial stamps were introduced for the first time. He built two houses for his residence in Varanasi in 1896-1902 and a summer house at Bahadurpur and at place Foll called Haridwar near Bilaspur. He constructed Rang Mahal Palace at Bilaspur. In the first world war, he extended all possible help to the British for this he was decorated with the title of K.C.L.E as also the honourary rank of a major.
•  Raja Anand Chand (1928-1948 AD) :  He succeeded the throne on February 1927 AD.  He passed an Act to abolish Begar and Child marriage by the act in 1942 AD. He signed the instrument of accession to join Indian Dominion.  Bilaspur was made part B state on 15 August 1948, and on 12 October 1948 AD he was appointed first chief commissioner of Part C state and continued up to 1st April 1949, Siri Chand Chhabra became second chief commissioner. On 1st July 1954 AD, Bilaspur was merged into Himachal as a new district. Raja Anand Chand remained Member of Constituent Assembly, Member of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and member of state legislative assembly.  He wrote a book entitled, "Bilaspur Past, Present and Future". He died in October 1983 in London. His son Raja Kriti Chand became Raja in 1983, who died in 2013. Raja Shubhendra Chand succeeded his father in 2013 and won the Bilaspur Palace.  "Shashi Vansh Vinod" book was written by Ganesh Singh Beid in 1982, he had written book "Chand Vansh Villas" these two books are major sources of Bilaspur (Kehlur) history.

||History of District Bilaspur||History of  Bilaspur Distt||History of District Bilaspur In English||

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