Jaswan
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Jaswan () is a town and tahsil in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Variants
Location
Jat clans
Villages in Jaswan tahsil
1 Amalehr, 2 Amran, 3 Amroh, 4 Badhal, 5 Badhal Maira, 6 Badnali, 7 Bairi, 8 Balghar, 9 Ban Bilwan, 10 Bandhol, 11 Banori, 12 Bari, 13 Baslahr, 14 Bathra, 15 Batwar, 16 Behr, 17 Bhaner, 18 Bhatehr, 19 Bholi, 20 Bohala, 21 Chatwal, 22 Dada Khas, 23 Dadoa, 24 Darb, 25 Dhameri, 26 Dodra Kalan, 27 Dodra Khurd, 28 Duhki, 29 Dumnal, 30 Gardyal, 31 Ghamrur, 32 Ghati Bilwan, 33 Gomi, 34 Goral Dhar, 35 Gulangra, 36 Gurnwar, 37 Halehr, 38 Jabbar, 39 Jadaman, 40 Jakhdhar, 41 Jakhuni, 42 Jalera, 43 Jandaur, 44 Jatehr, 45 Jol, 46 Kahanpur, 47 Kahru, 48 Kalehr, 49 Kasba, 50 Kasba, 51 Koi, 52 Kotla Khas, 53 Kuthera, 54 Lag, 55 Lakharda, 56 Landyara, 57 Madyara, 58 Mahala, 59 Malot, 60 Mehra, 61 Nagoh Karant, 62 Nangal, 63 Nari, 64 Niar, 65 Padhan, 66 Pandol, 67 Paplohtar, 68 Pati, 69 Pragpur, 70 Rail, 71 Ranoh, 72 Reri, 73 Salyah, 74 Sanda, 75 Sansar Pur, 76 Sawana Nichla, 77 Sawana Uparla, 78 Sawanta, 79 Siual, 80 Subhash Pur, 81 Suneht, 82 Tiamal, 83 Tipri, 84 Ugarhala Nichla , 85 Ugarhala Uparla, 86 Ujhe,
History
According to legend Jaswan state was founded in 1170 by Raja Purab Chand from the Kangra Royal Family.
It is believed that the present Una district, minus its Eastern side, was formally a part of the erstwhile Kangra State. Bulk of the present Una district which is otherwise popularly known as Jaswan Dun was ruled by the Katoch family of Kangra.
Jaswal State
It is believed that the present Una district, minus its Eastern side, was formally a part of the erstwhile Kangra State. Bulk of the present Una district which is otherwise popularly known as Jaswan Dun was ruled by the Katoch family of Kangra. The Jaswan State which occupied a fertile tract in the Jaswan Dun valley of the outer hills of the historical Kangra state was founded by a cadet of the Katoch line about A.D.1170, whose name is said to have been Purab Chand. Jaswan was the first off shoot from the parent stem. It is not improbable, however, that the State was originally a fief (Jagir) which became independent in the unsettled times following on the Muhammadan invasions. From Purab Chand to Ummed Singh 27 Rajas in all ruled the Jaswan State. Not much is known about the Jaswan State until the time of Akbar when it became subject to Mughal rule. But for one or two unsuccessful rebellion it remained loyal to the Mughal empire and assisted the Mughals with contingents as and when required. But with the decline of the Mughal empire and rise of the Jat Sikhs, the Jaswan state came under their dominance and in 1786 Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra acquired paramount power in the hills. So heavy was his hand even upon the off shoots of his own family that they combined against him-Jaswan among them-when the Gurkhas invaded Kangra under Amar Singh Thapa.
With the acquisition of Kangra Fort, on the expulsion of the Gurkhas in 1809, Jaswan State became subject to Ranjit Singh of Punjab and in 1815 it was annexed to the Sikh Kingdom. It was in the autumn of that year Maharaja Ranjit Singh summoned all his forces, personal and tributary, to assemble at Sialkot, unluckily the Rajas of Nurpur and Jaswan failed to obey the summons and a fine fixed beyond their resources was imposed on each. Submitting quietly to his fate Raja Ummed Singh resigned his State and accepted a Jagir of Rs. 12000 annual value and thus came the end of Jaswan State which lasted for probably 600 years.
Jaswan has yet to meet another challenge and taste another adversity before final extinction. In consequence to the treaty of Lahore of 9th March 1846, Hoshiarpur as a part of Jalandhar Doab had been annexed to the British Territories. The Raja of Jaswan and other princes, judging doubtlessly the liberal treatment the Shimla Hill Chiefs had received at the hands of the British Authorities, were under the belief that with the coming of the English the powers sovereignty formerly enjoyed by them would be restored, though no such hopes had ever been held out of them. But discovering that change of masters had not changed their status, all of them sympathized with the Sikh cause during the second Sikh War of 1848 and as such Raja Ummed Singh joined the revolt of the Hill Chief against British authority. John Lawrence then Commissioner of Hoshiarpur attacked the Raja’s forts and razed them to the ground. His possessions were confiscated and he and his son Jai Singh were deported to Almora in Kumaon (Garhwal) in the North-West provinces, where both of them died. Some time later, at the request of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu, Raja Ran Singh, son of Raja Jai Singh, was permitted to return, in order that his son, Raghunath Singh might marry the Maharaja’s grand-daughter.
In the year 1877, at the request of Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, the British government restored to Raja Ran Singh the Jagir in Jaswan, originally held by Raja Ummed Singh consisting of 21 villages in Jaswan Dun valley and the family garden at Amb, as well as palace buildings of Raja Ummed Singh at Rajpura. Raja Ran Singh died in 1892 and was succeeded by his son Raja Raghunath Singh who also died in 1918. Thereafter, Laxman Singh succeeded him who started residing at Amb. After expiry of Laxman Singh his son Chani Singh is living at Amb.
But before a description is given of KUTHLEHAR STATE, which was situated on the Eastern side of the present Una district a mention of the principality of Bedi’s of Una, is a must.
The District Gazetteer of Hoshiarpur (1884) reads :- “Bedi Baba Kaladhari, a descendant of Baba Nanak, crossed over from Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur), early in the last century and after wandering about the Jullundur Doab, for some years, finally settled down at Una, Hoshiarpur, where he attracted a crowd of followers who flocked to hear his eloquent disquisition on the Granth Sahib, a book as difficult of understanding then as in the present day. The Jaswal Raja Ram Singh made himself popular by granting the Bedi the revenue of seventy ghumaons of land”. In Samvat 1860 (1804 A.D.) Raja Ummed Singh gave to Baba Sahib Singh Bedi the whole of the Una Taluka, a grant which was confirmed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Samvat 1872 and about the same time he received Nurpur Taluka from Sardar Budh Singh. Later on Maharaja Sher Singh gave Talhatti to Baba Bikrama Singh Bedi and thus the principality of Bedi’s of Una went on flourishing and expanding. And as such, after the annexation of the Jullundur Doab by the British in 1846, Baba Bikrama Singh was one of the few powerful Jagirdars left in the area. He held a jagir worth two lakhs of rupees which included more than a dozen villages granted to him by Maharaja Sher Singh and Maharaja Dalip Singh, besides the well fortified and strong forts of Nurpur Bedian, Gunachaur and Dakhni Serai. The announcement of the British Government to collect and melt all the cannons seized from the local chiefs resulted in a clash between Bikrama Singh Bedi and the British. Outright refusal to surrender the guns at any cost led to dismantling of all the forts and melting of the guns/cannons besides confiscating the jagir as punishment and thereby offering a pension of Rs. 31,212 which was further reduced to an insignificant amount of Rs. 12000. After turning down the offer of reduced pension Baba Bikrama Singh Bedi devoted himself whole heartedly in raising an armed revolt against the Britishers in the hills. It was at this time that the hill Raja of Jaswan and Datarpur also revolted thereby converting the entire Jaswan Dun Valley from Hajipur to Rupar into a trouble spot for the British. Baba Bikrama Singh rushed to reinforce the army of Jaswan Raja Ummed Singh, but unfortunately he was defeated, before Bikrama Singh would join him. Left alone after the defeat of hill Rajas Bikrama Singh thought it advisable to join the forces of Sher Singh. After the historic battles of Chillianwala and Gujrat a meeting of the topmost leaders of the insurrection was held at Rawalpindi and in view of the majority decision, of which he was not a party, Baba Bikrama Singh who also surrendered alongwith others, remained in surveillance at Amritsar till his death in 1863. Nowadays, Baba Sarvjot Singh Bedi is on the holy and saintly gaddi.
Source - http://hpuna.nic.in/history.htm