HISTORY OF PAURI GARHWAL

The evolution of human civilization in this region of Garhwal Himalaya has paralleled that of the rest of the Indian sub-continent. The earliest historical dynasties were the Kunindas (before the 6th century A.D.) and the Katyuris (6th to 12th century A.D.), which ruled over unified Uttarakhand and left important records in the form of temples and inscriptions. After the downfall of the Katyuris, it is believed that the Garhwal region was fragmented into more than sixty-four principalities ruled by chieftains, one of the principal chieftainships being that of Chandpurgarh. In the middle of the 15th century A.D., Chandpurgarh emerged as a powerful principality under the rule of King Jagatpal (1455 to 1493 A.D.), who was a descendent of Kanakpal. Toward the end of 15th century A.D., King Ajaypal of Chandpurgarh ruled the entire region. Subsequently, his kingdom came to be known as Garhwal and he transferred his capital from Chandpur to Devalgarh before 1506 A.D. and later to Srinagar between 1506 and 1519 A.D.^[1][2]

King Ajaypal and his successors, the Pal (Shah) dynasty, ruled Garhwal for nearly three hundred years. During this period they faced a number of attacks from Kumaon, Mughals, Sikhs, and Rohillas. An important event in the history of Pauri Garhwal district was the Gorkha invasion. This invasion was marked by extreme brutality. After conquering Doti and Kumaon, Gorkhas attacked Garhwal and met stiff resistance from the Garhwali forces. Then news came of a Chinese invasion, and the Gorkhas were forced to lift the siege. In 1803, however, the Gorkhas again mounted an invasion. After capturing Kumaon, three columns attacked Garhwal. In 1804, the Gorkhas defeated the army of King Pradyumna Shah and became the masters of all of Garhwal. They ruled the territory for twelve years.

In 1816, at the end of the Anglo-Nepalese War and the defeat of the Gorkha army, the rule of the Gorkhas in Garhwal was ended by the British. On 21 April 1815, the British decided to establish their rule over the eastern half of Garhwal, lying east of the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers. The remaining part of Garhwal in the west was returned to King Sudarshan Shah who established his capital at Tehri. Initially the administration was entrusted to the commissioner of Kumaon Division, with headquarters at Almora, but later, in 1837, Garhwal was separated and formed into a separate district under an assistant commissioner with his headquarters at Pauri.