The Ancient history of Uttarakhand: — The history of Uttarakhand is as old as the mythological period. Uttarakhand is also mentioned in the early Hindu texts, where Kedarkhand (Present Garhwal) and Manaskhand (Present Kumaon) are mentioned. Presently it is also known as Dev Bhoomi.
Ancient History of Uttarakhand
Based on folklore Pandavas came here and the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were composed here. Despite the evidence of human habitation here since ancient times, very little is known about the history of this region.
At present, there are two divisions (Kumaun and Garhwal) in Uttarakhand, but Uttarakhand has been under the rule of Katyuri Dynasties, Chand dynasties, Gorkharaj, and British. Katyuri Dynasty from 2500 BC to 770 AD, Chand Dynasty from 770 AD to 1790 AD, Gorkha rulers from 1790 AD to 1815 AD, and British rulers from 1815 AD till the independence of India. After the Katyuri dynasty, the Chandel Rajputs of the Chandra dynasty ruled for nearly 1000 years. The Khas king also ruled for about 200 years.
Kuninda Ruler (Kingdom)
- Ruling Period — 200 B.C. – 200 A.D.
- The Kuninda dynasty was ruling in the ancient Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and North India around the second-third century AD.
- Kuninda Rulers was the first political ruler of Uttarakhand.
- Their information is from Mahabharata and Coins (Mudras).
- The empire of the Kunindas was originally around the fertile region of the Ganges and Yamuna.
- Initially, the Kuninda people were under the Mauryas.
- The most powerful ruler of the Kuninda dynasty was Amoghbhuti.
- They used silver and Bronze Coins, in which the Goddess and Antelope were inscribed.
- The initial capital of the Kuninda dynasty was Kalsi and the second capital was Saharanpur.
- Kuninda was a follower of Buddhism.
- After the death of Amoghbhuti, the Shakas Ruler took possession of their Plains area.
- A large number of remains of the Kuninda period are found from Virbhadr (Rishikesh), Mordhwaj (Kotdwar), and Govishan (Kashipur).
Almora Coins
4 coins were received from Almora, And they get information about the 4 Kuninda kings.
- Haridatt
- Shivdatt
- Shivpalit
- Margbhuti / Mrigbhuti
Shaka Ruler
The Shakas were a group of Age tribes in Central Asia. Later, Shakas moving started to India, China, Iran, Greece, etc. countries. Shakas have had a profound influence on Indian history, After Shakas entered India, he established his great empire in India. The modern Indian national calendar is called ‘Shak Samvat’.
Shaka Samvat prevalence in Kumaon region and the presence of Sun temple statues confirm the rule of Shaka in Uttarakhand. Katarmal Sun Temple is located near Kosi in Almora. After the rule of the Shakas, the Kushanas established to occupy authority in the Terai parts.
Kushan Ruler
Some remnants of Kushan rule have been found from Virabhadra (Rishikesh), Moradhwaja (Kotdwar), and Govipashana (Kashipur). At the time of the fall of the Kushan rulers, it was ruled by some new dynasties, of which the Yodheo rulers were prominent.
- In the 5th century, the Nagas ended the Kunind Dynasty and took over Uttarakhand.
- The Maukhari dynasty of the 6th century Kannos abolished the power of the Nagas and took over Uttarakhand.
- After the end of the Maukhari dynasty, the Maukhari kingdom came under Harshavardhana.
Kartikepur (Kartarpur) Dynasty
After the death of Harshavardhana, the Kartikeyapur dynasty was established in Uttarakhand, initially for nearly 300 years, their capital was near Kartikeyapur near Joshimath (Chamoli). Later, their capital was built at a place called “Vaidyanath Karthikeyapur” near Baijnath in the Katyur valley of Almora. This dynasty is considered the first historical dynasty of Kumaon.
According to the Bageshwar inscription, the first king of the Kartikeyapur dynasty was Basant Dev. Some historians give him the name of Vasant Dev. The name of the ruler after Vasanthanadeva is not known but the Bageshwar inscription mentions that Kharparadeva became king sometime after Basantadeva. The Nimbar dynasty was established in the Kartikeyapur dynasty due to the invasion of Garhwal by the Pala ruler Dharmapala.
Adi Guru Shankaracharya had arrived in Uttarakhand during the rule of the Kartikeyapur Dynasty, Who Restoration Kedarnath and Badrinath and founded Jyotirmath. Adi Guru Shankaracharya gave up his life in Kedarnath itself.
Historians believe that the Karthikeyapur dynasty was divided into three families. The first family was Vasant Dev, who laid the foundation of the Kartikeyapur dynasty. The founder of the second family was Nimbar, the name of the founder of the third dynasty is not known but the last ruler of the third family was Subhikshrajadeva.
Nimbar Dynasty
According to the Bageshwar inscription, a new dynasty came to power after Tribhuvan-raj. Which is known as Nimber. The records can be said to be based on the premise that the son of Nimbar, Ishtagan would have been the first independent ruler of Nimbar dynasty. Because the word Parambhattaraka Maharajadhiraja Parmeshwar (परमभट्टारक महाराजाधिराज परमेश्वर) has been used in the records for him. The two Tamrapatras (Copper plate) of the 21st and 22nd years of Lalitashur, the son of Ishtagan and Queen Vegdevi, are preserved in Pandukeshwar. After Lalitsur Dev, the king of this place became Bhudev, who opposed the Buddhist religion.
Pal Dynasty
On the basis of the Baijnath inscriptions, it can be said that in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, kings named Lakhanpal, Tribhuvanpal, Rudrapala, Udayapala, Charoonpal, Mahipala, Anantpal, etc. Pal ruled in Katyur. But in the thirteenth century, Pal left Katyur and moved to Uku near Ashkot, and there he established the Pal dynasty.
All historians are unanimous that the vast empire of Katyuris came to an end due to the tyrannical rule of Brahmadeva. The fall of the Katyuri kingdom is considered to have been in the early fifteenth century.
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