History of Settlement (Treaty) with Rohila by Kumaon King Doti Kalyan Chandra

 (History of Kumaon from 1000-1790 AD)

                                      

         (History of Chand Dynasty Rule in Kumaon)

History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar) - Part 205

                                              By: Bhishma Kukreti

                    Garhwal King Pradip Shah came to help Kumaon King to fight Rohilas army. However, due to modern equipments and newer strategies Rohilas defeated collective army of Kumaon and Garhwal Kingdoms Around 1743.

              The Rohila army was facing adverse seasonal effects in hills of Kumaon. They were not getting the adequate materials for which they were habitual. Rohila soldiers were eager to go to plains. Hundreds of soldiers died because of severe cold. It is said that still there are ruins of graves of dead Rohila soldiers around Almora.

           Hakim Hafiz Rahmat Khan (commander of Ali Muhammad Khan) threatened to attack on Shrinagar Garhwal.  However, Rohilas were satisfied for looting Kumaon. There was no place to keep looted men-women and materials with Rohila army. It was not benefits for Hafiz Rahmat Khan to stay in Kumaon.  

  There were treaty proposals from both the sides. Hafiz Rahmat Khan put conditions before Kumaon King -

1-Kumaon King would pay tribute or tax for rupees 60,000 annually to Rohilas

2-Garhwal King should not help to Kumaon King

3-In place of Doti Kalyan Chandra, Another King should take the regime of Kumaon Kingdom

4-Kumaon King should pay punishment allowance to Rohila for amount of rupees three lakhs.

 It is said that Kumaon king did not have a penny to pay to Rohilas. Garhwal King paid three lakhs rupees to Kalyan Chandra for paying to Rohila.

 After spending seven months in Kumaon hills, Rohilas returned to plains. Rohila looted Kumaon, killed people and made them slaves. Rohila took looted wealth and slaves with them. The attack of Rohila was cruel some. Till date, folklores criticize Rohilas attack on Kumaon. Still in twenty first century, the cruel and suppressive person is called ‘Rohila’.

    Ali Muhammad Khan wanted to rule over Kumaon. Ali Muhammad Khan was unhappy on his commander Hafiz Rahmat Khan for Rohila army returning from Kumaon. Ali Muhammad Khan ordered his army to stay back in Balkhari and took the region of Kashipur , Rudrapur and some parts of Kumaon hills under Rohila rule.  

In these seven months, Kumaon king stayed in Lobha fort near Gairsain. His other supporters stayed in Gairsain.

 After Rohila army returning to plains and having treaty, Garhwal king Pradip Shah took Kumaon King Doti Kalyan Chandra with him to Almora. Doti Kalyan Chandra started repair works of palace and houses in Almora those were destroyed by Rohilas. The people also started returning to capital.

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti -bckukreti@gmail.com 3/12/2013

                                      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 Tazuk-i-Jahangiri

Maularam- Gadh Rajvansh Kavya

Ramayan Pradeep

Annatdev’s Smriti-Kaustubh

Sarkar, History of Aurangzeb

Jadunath Sarkar, History of Aurangzeb

Sarkar, fall of Mogul Empire

Sailendra Nath Sen, 2010, An Advanced History of Modern India

William Crooke, 1897, The North Western Provinces of India, page 116

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

                           

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -206  

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

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

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

Xx

Notes on History of Kumaon; History of Pithoragarh Kumaon; History of Champawat Kumaon; History of Bageshwar, Kumaon; History of Mahargaon, Kumaon; History of  Chaukhitiya, Kumaon; History of badaiti, Kumaon; History of Dwarhat, Kumaon; History of Doonagiri, Kumaon; History of Kaindari, Kumaon; History of Borari ,Kumaon; History of Ghirmundi, Kumaon; History of Dungari hill, Kumaon; History of Almora, Kumaon; History of Nainital, Kumaon; History of Udham Singh Nagar, Kumaon; History of Kashipur, Kumaon; History of Rudrapur, Kumaon;