 Ancient history of Hamirpur District may be traced back to the Palaeolithic age. According to the Puranic traditions the earliest known Aryan people, who settled in this region, lying between Yamuna River and the Vindhya Range, were known as Chedi. The Chedi kingdom was known as one of the sixteen mahajanapadas of that period. Further, Mahabharata describes the Chedis as being blessed with knowledge of the eternal law of morality. King Shishupal ruled this kingdom and was killed by Lord Krishna. After some period this region was ruled by Mauryas and Shungas. The district came under the domination of Kanishka.
After him the history of Hamirpur District is not very clear and is covered in obscurity till about the mid of the third century AD when Vindhya Shakti (255-275 AD) rose to power who was founder of the Vakataka Dynasty. It seems that the district partly came under the Vakataka sway and partly under the Bharsivas, a branch of the Nagas, whose sphere of influence extended at that time from Gwalior and Mathura in the west to probably Varanasi and Mirzapur in the east. Gupta Dynasty also ruled this region from the mid of 4th century and continued till the beginning of the 6th century AD. The district was ruled by the Chandels and was organized into a province, called Jejakbhukti. Jejakbhukti coincides with modern Bundelkhand comprising this district. In the 11th century AD the town of Hamirpur, which gave its name of the district, was founded by one Hamira Deva, a Kalachuri Rajput, who came there from Alwar The remains of the fort built by Hamira Deva are still found in Hamirpur. 
Medieval period of the history of Hamirpur District states that for some period this region was ruled by Bundelas. During Akbar's reign (1556-1605), the district of Hamirpur was divided between two portions. Even after its submission to the Mughal authorities some part of Hamirpur District seem to have remained under the Bundelas. During Aurangzeb's reign, Chhatra Sal, principal leader of the Bundelas commenced operations against Aurangzeb in 1671 and expended his power over the whole of the region east of the Dhasan River, completing his conquest with the capture of the renowned fortress of Kalinger in around 1680. His forces overran the tract now comprising the present district Hamirpur. According to the modern period of the history of Hamirpur District, in 1721, Muhammad Khan Bangash, famous as Nawab Farrukhabad, was appointed governor of Allahabad. By the end of 1728 entire Hamirpur District had come into the Nawab's possession. In around March with the sudden advent of the Marathas, Peshwa Baji Rao, into this region turned Muhammad Khan's course of victory into defeat. Raja Chhatra Sal restored to his possessions, by Maratha aid and realizing that without their assistance and protection his power would be lost. Further, most of the tract covered by the present district was ceded to East India Company by the Treaty of Bassein on December 31st, 1802. The occupation of Kalpi by the British in the same year confirmed the British occupation of Bundelkhand. Hamirpur was then included in the newly formed district of Bundelkhand and remained a part of it till March, 1819, when two districts were formed. One including Hamirpur in the north was called Northern Bundelkhand or Kalpi, and that in the south was known as Banda. In 1821, headquarter of the former from Kalpi shifted to Hamirpur. In 1823, Hamirpur was formed as an independent district. The later history of the district up to 1857 is chiefly concerned with the difficulties of fiscal administration. The 20th century began with the growth of nationalism in the whole of India and Hamirpur was no exception. During the anti-partition agitation of 1905, the district did not lag behind in holding public meetings, organizing strikes and protests. The Non Cooperation Movement too started in August, 1920 spread in the district rapidly. Further, as per historical accounts, Hamirpur District participated in the elections of 1937 which were conducted under The Government of India Act 1935. In order to organize various activities of the Congress in the district Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad visited the district in 1937. Thus, it is proved that Hamirpur District played an important role in the freedom struggle of the country. (Last Updated on : 15-05-2014) |
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