Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King contemporary to Akbar

(History of Kumaon from 1000-1790 AD)

         (History of Chand Dynasty Rule in Kumaon)

History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar) - Part 175

                                              By: Bhishma Kukreti

  Sanskrit Promotion in the rule of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King contemporary to Akbar

            Rudra Chandra promoted Sanskrit by sheltering Sanskrit scholars and Sanskrit ritual pundits. Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King contemporary to Akbar did arrange Sanskrit education in his territory. It is said that at the time of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King contemporary to Akbar, the Sanskrit scholars and astrologers of Kumaon or Manasbhumi were competent to compete Sanskrit scholars of Banaras and Kashmir.

                 Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King contemporary to Akbar wrote four Sanskrit books. The book ‘Usharagodaya’ a drama written by Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) was published by Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Banaras.  ‘Shyainikshastra’ written by Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) was published by Asiatic Society Kolkata.  There are four hundred Shlokas in ‘Shyainikshastra’. ‘Shyainikshastra’ written by Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) is about the techniques of hunting.  The other Sanskrit literature ‘Yayati Charitam’ and ‘Traivnikdharmanirnay’ written by Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) are still unpublished.

 There were tens of Sanskrit scholars in Manasbhumi or Kumaon at the time of Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar).

   Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) built new temples and repaired various old temples as Jageshwar, Kedareshwar . No Chand king is equal to Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) in terms of scholar, prosperity and kingdom extension. Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) is called “Harsh- Shiladitya’ of Kumaon.

     

                 General Administration of Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar)

            Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) is also remembered for his new taxation system on land in Kumaon.  His son who was blind by birth Shakti Gusain helped his father in revenue management. His chief administrators were Joshi of Silkhola and Bisht.

                         The salary for court employees were not paid by cash but from the income from fixed villages.   Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) invented new tax as ‘Bakhudiya kar’. This tax was for managing court horses and horse riders.

  Prosperity in the rule of Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar)

                 In the history of Chand dynasty in Kumaon the rule of Rudra Chandra (a Kumaoni King contemporary to Akbar) was the most prosperous period.

       There were discussions in Indian plains about prosperity in Kumaon and Garhwal in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

 A European trader William Finch visited India from 1608-161. William Finch described that there was a very strong king Rodaro (Rudra Chandra) crossing gangues and it was in hills. His capital was Kumau(Kumaon). The length of his kingdom is ‘Char sau kosh’ and width is slightly lesser than length.  His kingdom grows food grains in huge quantity.  People grow low heighted, strong, agile Goonth or   Bhotiya horses. The king had huge artillery and lesser elephant and horse cavalry.  The border of this king was touching China (Tibet).

  A Farista described (1923) about a very prosperous hill kingdom naming Kumaon but that kingdom seems to be Garhwal kingdom. Farista wrote that there are five kingdoms in north (of Mogul kingdom)- Kuch, Jammu, Nagarkot, Kumaon and Bhimbhar. The kingdom of Kumaon was huge. The people get gold dust from land. There are mines of copper and the borders touch Tibet. In south the border touches Sambhal. The numbers of artillery force (including horse and elephant cavalry) is 80,000. The Delhi King respected the king. His revenue is huge. They did not touch their ancestor money. It is believed that the king who used his forefather’s wealth that king would be poor. Therefore the wealth of 56 Rajkosh are intact.

          However, the above descriptions by Farista tally with Mahipat Shah of Garhwal kingdom the 54^th king in Pawar dynasty. From the past time, there were mines of copper and other metal in Garhwal than Kumaon. The gold was extracted from sand of Gang and Yamuna bank from old time in Garhwal.  

 The description was on exaggerated side. Due to perception for being highly prosperous zones, the kings from plains used to attack on Uttarakhand.

 The last inscription of Rudra Chandra is of 1597. It seems that Rudra Chandra died in 1597.

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti -bckukreti@gmail.com 29/10/2013

                                      References

Dr. Shiv Prasad Dabral, Uttarakhand ka Itihas Bhag 10, Kumaon ka Itihas 1000-1790

Badri Datt Pande, 1937, Kumaon ka Itihas, Shri Almora Book Depo Almora

Devidas Kaysth, Itihas Kumaon Pradesh

Katyur ka Itihas, Pundit Ram Datt Tiwari

Oakley and Gairola, Himalayan Folklore

Atkinson, History of District Gazette

Menhadi Husain, Tuglak Dynasty

Malfujat- E Timuri

Tarikh -e-Mubarakshahi vol 4

Kumar Suresh Singh2005, People of India

Justin Marozzi, 2006, Tamerlane: Sword of Islam

Bakshsingh Nijar, 1968, Punjab under Sultans 1000-1526 

The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 13 page 52 

Bhakt Darshan, Gadhwal ki Divangit Vibhutiyan

Mahajan V.D.1991, History of Medieval India

Majumdar R.C. (edited) 2006, The Sultanate

Rizvi, Uttar Taimur Kalin Bharat

Tarikhe Daudi

Vishweshara nand , Bharat Bharti lekhmala

Aine-e Akbari

Akbari Darbar

Tareekh Badauni

Eraly Abraham, 2004 The Mogul Throne

(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

                           

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -176  

History of Kumaon (1000-1790) to be continued….

 Middle Himalayan, Indian Medieval Age History of Chand Dynasty rule in Kumaon to be continued…

  (Middle Himalayan, Indian Medieval Age History (740-1790 AD to be continued…)

History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Pithoragarh, Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Champawat, Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Nainital, Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Almora, Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Ranikhet Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Bageshwar , Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Jageshwar Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Udham Singh nagar, Kumaon King Contemporary to Akbar; History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King of North india Contemporary to Akbar ;History notes on Characteristics of General Administrations of Rudra Chandra the Kumaon King (South Asia) Contemporary to Akbar

Notes on Medieval History of Kumaon; Medieval History of Pithoragarh Kumaon; Medieval History of Bageshwar, Kumaon; Medieval History of Baijnath, Kumaon; Medieval History of Garud, Kumaon; Medieval History of Champawat Kumaon; Medieval History of Nainital, Kumaon; Medieval History of Almora, Kumaon; Medieval History of Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon; Medieval History of Kumaon, Himalaya; Medieval History of Kumaon, North India ; Medieval History of Kumaon, South Asia ;