Baghat
Encyclopedia
Baghat was a princely state
of the British Raj
, located in modern-day Himachal Pradesh
. It constituted one of the Simla Hill States. It consisted of three separate parts which were almost entirely surrounded by the larger Patiala territory. The largest part comprised approximately 22 square miles (57 km²), extending eastward from Solon. It incorporated Takroli, Bhocháli and part of the Básál pargana
s. The two smaller parts comprised about 10 square miles (25.9 km²) and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) respectively, and formed the remainder of the Básál pargana.
The capital
of the state was historically located at Bhoch, in the pargana of Bhocháli. It was shifted in 1875 to Solon, which had a station on the Kálka–Simla railway.
, and the Gambhar, a tributary of the Sutlej. The landscape is mountainous. The town of Solon was located on the highest range, which runs through what was the northern porton of the state from southwest to northwest.
from Dharánágri in the Deccan region. According to legend, Basant captured a small place in the hills of the Keonthan pargana of Patiála, which he subsequently named Basantpur
, and which later came to be called Bassi
. This settlement, located around six miles (10 km) from Solon, was inherited by his son Bakhsh Pál, who later annexed the parganas of Básál, Bhocháli and Bharauli from Patiála.
The 8th rana, Bhawáni Pál, annexed the Bachhráng pargana and the territory of the Rana of Kasauli
. The 16th rana, Indar Pál, who is credited with naming the state Baghát, also captured the parganas of Básál, Ghár and Taksál from Patiála.
The 68th ruler of Baghát, Rana Janmi Pál, is stated to have been an illustrious man. According to legend, he was presented with a khillat from the emperor in Delhi. On his way home, he was attacked by the Rai of Bhawána
and his forces. The rai's army was defeated and the rai himself was killed, whereupon Janmi Pál became the suzerain of Bhawána. Upon the succession of the 73rd ruler, Rana Dalel Singh, the family thenceforth adopted the honorary suffix Singh
instead of Pál.
, to which it appears to have been subjugated to for an unknown period of time. This occurred when Biláspur entered into a disastrous war with Nálagarh
. Baghát continued, however, as Biláspur's ally.
During the Gurkha War
, Mahindar Singh was a strong opponent of rising British power in the region. With the British victory, the rana was deprived of five of his eight parganas, which were transferred to Patiála for a payment of Rs. 130,000. The remaining three parganas of Básál, Bhocháli and Takroli were returned to Mahindar Singh.
In 1739, Mahindar Singh died without issue, whereupon Baghát was treated as a lapsed
state by the British. A pension
to the amount of Rs. 1,282 were assigned to the royal family and the state was formally annexed to British India.
In 1842, upon the request of Ummed Singh, a grandson of the late rana Dalel Singh, Lord Ellingham restored the state of Baghát to Bije Singh, the younger brother of the late rana. However, in 1849, he too died without leaving a direct heir, and the state again was deemed lapsed and was annexed according to the doctrine. Ummed Singh then established a claim to the throne for himself, and pleaded his case before the Court of Directors. It was initially rejected, but eventually in 1861, upon the recommendation of Lord Canning, the claim was recognised by the Court. Ummed Singh received the news on his death bed, and nominated his son, Dalip Singh as his successor.
In January 1862, a sanad was issued conferring the state of Baghát on Dalip Singh, then a child of two years. The restoration was saw a significant reduction in tribute paid by the state to the British Raj; this was due to the outright deduction of territory returned.
. In June 1928, he was accorded the hereditary title of Raja
. Raja Durga Singh acceded his state to the Union of India on 15 April 1948. He died in 1977. The current head of the Baghát lineage is his grandson, Keshvinder Singh, who succeeded on 27 April 2004.
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, located in modern-day Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
. It constituted one of the Simla Hill States. It consisted of three separate parts which were almost entirely surrounded by the larger Patiala territory. The largest part comprised approximately 22 square miles (57 km²), extending eastward from Solon. It incorporated Takroli, Bhocháli and part of the Básál pargana
Pargana
A pargana is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent, used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms.Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and the word is of Persian origin. As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several mouzas, which are the smallest...
s. The two smaller parts comprised about 10 square miles (25.9 km²) and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) respectively, and formed the remainder of the Básál pargana.
The capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the state was historically located at Bhoch, in the pargana of Bhocháli. It was shifted in 1875 to Solon, which had a station on the Kálka–Simla railway.
Etymology
The name "Baghat" is commonly said to be derived from bau or bhau, said to be a hill-tribe word meaning many, and ghát, the word for a pass. Another theory suggests that it is instead a corruption of bára ghát, meaning twelve gháts. This is owed to the large number of places in the area called ghát.Geography
The state lay between 30°50' and 80°55' N, and 76°63' and 76°66' E. The region's main drainage basins are the Asni Khad, a tributary of the GiriGiri
is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. Indeed, the conflict between giri and ninjō, or human feeling, is said to have been the primary...
, and the Gambhar, a tributary of the Sutlej. The landscape is mountainous. The town of Solon was located on the highest range, which runs through what was the northern porton of the state from southwest to northwest.
Early history
The founder of the state and ruling family of Baghat is recorded variously as Basant Pál or Hari Chand Pál, a Panwar RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
from Dharánágri in the Deccan region. According to legend, Basant captured a small place in the hills of the Keonthan pargana of Patiála, which he subsequently named Basantpur
Basantpur
Basantpur may refer to:*Basantpur, Bara*Basantpur, Parsa*Basantpur, Siwan - in Bihar, India...
, and which later came to be called Bassi
Bassi
- Surname :* Matteo Bassi , founder of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.* Martino Bassi , Italian architect.* Bartolomeo Bassi , Italian painter.* Francesco Maria Bassi the Elder - Surname :* Matteo Bassi (1495–1552), founder of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.* Martino Bassi (1542–1591),...
. This settlement, located around six miles (10 km) from Solon, was inherited by his son Bakhsh Pál, who later annexed the parganas of Básál, Bhocháli and Bharauli from Patiála.
The 8th rana, Bhawáni Pál, annexed the Bachhráng pargana and the territory of the Rana of Kasauli
Kasauli
Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station, from Shimla, from Chandigarh, and from Panchkula, and lies at a height of .-Demographics:According to the...
. The 16th rana, Indar Pál, who is credited with naming the state Baghát, also captured the parganas of Básál, Ghár and Taksál from Patiála.
The 68th ruler of Baghát, Rana Janmi Pál, is stated to have been an illustrious man. According to legend, he was presented with a khillat from the emperor in Delhi. On his way home, he was attacked by the Rai of Bhawána
Bhawana
Bhawana is a capital of Bhawana Tehsil and a city of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at the bank of Chenab River. Its administration was made a tehsil of Chiniot District on 2 February 2009 when Mian Shahbaz Sharif came to Chiniot to make it a district...
and his forces. The rai's army was defeated and the rai himself was killed, whereupon Janmi Pál became the suzerain of Bhawána. Upon the succession of the 73rd ruler, Rana Dalel Singh, the family thenceforth adopted the honorary suffix Singh
Singh
Also see SinhaSingh is a common title, middle name, or surname in Northern India and South India used by sikhs warriors and kings. eg. Man Singh I, Maharana Pratap Singh. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Siṃha meaning "lion and used by Ahir kings of Nepal". It is also used in Sri Lanka by...
instead of Pál.
British period
Rana Mahindar Singh, the son of Dalel Singh, is the first ruler for which historians have written records. During his reign, in 1790, Baghát regained its independence from BiláspurKahlur
Kahlur , covering an area of 1173 km², and currently a part of Himachal Pradesh state, was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was founded in/around 697 by Kahal Chand. Kahal Chand had built a fort, which was named after him, and was called...
, to which it appears to have been subjugated to for an unknown period of time. This occurred when Biláspur entered into a disastrous war with Nálagarh
Nalagarh
#REDIRECT Target page nameNalagarh is a city and a municipal committee in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj, and known in medieval period as the state of Hindur. It was founded by the Chandella Rajputs in...
. Baghát continued, however, as Biláspur's ally.
During the Gurkha War
Gurkha War
The Gurkha War , sometimes called the Gorkha War or the Anglo–Nepalese War, was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of border tensions and ambitious expansionism...
, Mahindar Singh was a strong opponent of rising British power in the region. With the British victory, the rana was deprived of five of his eight parganas, which were transferred to Patiála for a payment of Rs. 130,000. The remaining three parganas of Básál, Bhocháli and Takroli were returned to Mahindar Singh.
In 1739, Mahindar Singh died without issue, whereupon Baghát was treated as a lapsed
Doctrine of lapse
The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy purportedly devised by Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General for the British in India between 1848 and 1856...
state by the British. A pension
Political pensioner
A political pensioner enjoys a pension awarded due to his or political career or significance.-UK domestic politicians:By the British Political Offices Pension Act of 1869, pensions were instituted for those who had held political office...
to the amount of Rs. 1,282 were assigned to the royal family and the state was formally annexed to British India.
In 1842, upon the request of Ummed Singh, a grandson of the late rana Dalel Singh, Lord Ellingham restored the state of Baghát to Bije Singh, the younger brother of the late rana. However, in 1849, he too died without leaving a direct heir, and the state again was deemed lapsed and was annexed according to the doctrine. Ummed Singh then established a claim to the throne for himself, and pleaded his case before the Court of Directors. It was initially rejected, but eventually in 1861, upon the recommendation of Lord Canning, the claim was recognised by the Court. Ummed Singh received the news on his death bed, and nominated his son, Dalip Singh as his successor.
In January 1862, a sanad was issued conferring the state of Baghát on Dalip Singh, then a child of two years. The restoration was saw a significant reduction in tribute paid by the state to the British Raj; this was due to the outright deduction of territory returned.
Rulers of Panwar dynasty
- Rana Mohindar Singh (b. ... - d. 1839) 1803 - 1839
- Rana Bije Singh (b. ... - d. 1849) 1842 - 1849
- Rana Umaid Singh (b. 1825 - d. 1861) 1861
- Rana Dhalip Singh (b. 1859 - d. 1911) 15 Jan 1862 - 30 Dec 1911
- Rana Durga Singh (b. 1901 - d. 1977) 1912 - 4 Jun 1928
- Raja Durga Singh (s.a.) 4 Jun 1928 - 15 Aug 1947
Partition period
The last ruler of Baghát was Durga Singh, who succeeded his father in 1911 as a minorMinority reign
The term minority reign or royal minority refers to the period of a sovereign's rule when he or she is legally a minor. Minority reigns are of their nature times when politicians and advisors can be especially competitive....
. In June 1928, he was accorded the hereditary title of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
. Raja Durga Singh acceded his state to the Union of India on 15 April 1948. He died in 1977. The current head of the Baghát lineage is his grandson, Keshvinder Singh, who succeeded on 27 April 2004.