A tract of land to the east of Sutlej which probably is the area of Sirhind in Punjab also formed a part of Trigratha. It had two provinces, one in the plains with headquarters at Jullundur and other in the hills with headquarters at Nagarkot (present Kangra). As per historical accounts, in the time of Harsha, the famous Chinese pilgrim Huien Tsiang visited Jullundur some time in March 635 A.D and in his writings he has referred to the principality of Jullundur. In ancient times a number of petty chiefs ruled in the hills within their respected domains owning allegiance to the powerful Raja at the centre. However, Katoch princes ruled over Kangra from the earliest times. At the time of invasion of Punjab by Alexander in 326 BC, Trigartha was ruled by a Katoch prince. Moreover, the history of Kangra District also suggests that in the beginning of 11th century, Mahmud of Ghazni finished the Turki Shahi family and the Hindu Shahi dynasty of Kabul in Afghanistan and after defeating a large Hindu army at Ohind and later at Peshawar, advanced into the plains of Punjab. After defeating the Hindu king at Lahore he invaded Nagarkot. He was attracted by the prestige of Kangra Fort. For some time, Katoch kings continued their rule over the Trigratha area undisturbed. Even after the conquest of Lahore by the Turks the Katoch family held some territory of Jullundur in the plains. However, Ibrahim of Ghazni conquered this territory from Katoch King Jagdeo Chander in 1070 A.D. In 1337 AD; Muhammad Bin Tughlaq captured the fort at Kangra in the reign of Raja Priti Chand. In 1351, however, Raja Purab Chand recovered the fort from the Muslim rulers. One of his successors, Raja Roop Chand, led an expedition into the plains of Punjab, plundering the country right up to the outskirts of Delhi. After the death of Roop Chand, his son Singara Chand succeeded to the throne and ruled over Kangra at the time of invasion of Timur. Sher Shah Suri also captured Kangra in 1540. Further, the history of Kangra District also says that by 1555, Muslim influence over the region again declined. Invasion of Jahangir in Kangra took place in 1615 under the command of Sheikh Farid, Murtaza Khan and Raja Suraj Mal. The fort could not be captured and after one year the siege had to be given up. The Katoch ruler lost the fort at least for 160 years. The entire state was annexed to the Mughal Kingdom and a strong garrison was left in charge of the fort. As peer the medieval history of Kangra District, this region saw the rise of another great ruler Sansar Chand (II). The fort was surrendered by the Mughals in 1783 but it fell into the hands of the Sikhs. Sansar Chand got the fort back after some years. In 1805 he annexed a part of Bilaspur state, thus coming in conflict with the Gurkhas. They invaded Kangra, but were defeated. Again, in 1806, with the help of the hill chiefs, the Gurkhas defeated Raja Sansar Chand who had to take refuge inside the fort. During the siege of the fort, a state of anarchy prevailed throughout the Kangra valley. The siege lasted for four years. Later on, the Gurkhas were defeated by the combined forces of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Sansar Chand. After the first battle of Sikhs in March 1846, the territory of Punjab lying between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers, including the hill states of Kangra and Kullu were ceded to British Government. The entire area, comprising Kangra proper, Kullu and Seraj and the tracts of Lahul-Spiti, was then constituted into Kangra District, with its headquarters at Kangra. After a few years, the headquarters of district was transferred to Dharamshala. The Kangra Fort was the seat of power of the Katoch Rajas. It was the ancient capital of the Katoch kingdom and symbol of power in Punjab Hill states. When Mahmud Ghazni conquered it in 1009, the place was known as Bhima Nagar probably after Bhima. Muhammad Tughlaq also plundered the fort in 1337 but could not hold it for long. Firoz Shah Tughlaq also invaded Kangra and laid siege of the fort in 1365 A.D. Encouraged by the anarchy which prevailed in the plains, during the reign of Akbar all the chiefs of hill states, resumed their independence and recovered the tracts of which they had been deprived of by the Mughals. The fall of the invincible fort of Katoch to the Mughals was possible only with the help of the Hill Rajas adjoining the state of Kangra. In 1805, General Amar Singh Thapa invaded Kangra and laid siege of the fort for four years. Maharaja Sansar Chand had to take assistance of Ranjit Singh of Lahore who in turn wanted to take over the fort before expelling the Gorkha invaders from the Kangra valley. Maharaja Sansar Chand had to agree to the demand of Ranjit Singh and in 1809 itself the fort was taken over by the Sikhs from Maharaja Sansar Chand. The Sikhs expelled the Gorkhas from the hills forever. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the British defeated the Sikh forces. During the British rule, the fort remained in their control. Kangra District was formed on 1st September, 1972 after the re-organisation of all the districts by the state Government of Himachal Pradesh. |