History of Vatsraj or Bacchraj (Rai Bahrooz) of Garhwal in Timur Attack Period

History of Timur Lang or Tamerlane/ Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani Attack on Uttarakhand part -2

           History of Garhwal including Haridwar (1223- 1804 AD) –part -46  

                                            

 History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -291

                       By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Research Student)

There are no indigenous records about Garhwal including Haridwar for the time Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani attacked India and Garhwal including Haridwar. The historians have the Malfujat , Zafarnama an autograph written by fifteenth century Persian writer Shraf –ud –Din, biography of Timur Lang by Ahmad Lbn Arabhshah and others. From Malfuzat and Zafarnama, historians came to know that Timur attacked on Garhwal and Haridwar. There are bard tales too to tell about Timur in Haridwar.

             Apart from biography or autobiography of Timur, historians have folk tales from Gujjar communities of Haridwar, Saharanpur and Meerut that throws light on Timur attack on Jatland (western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana) and Garhwal including Haridwar.

                         King Vatsaraj or Bacchraj (Rai Bahrooz) of Dehradun

   Malfuzat and Zafarnama describe two strong brave kings of Uttarakhand –Bahruz and Ratansen. The Bahrooz name is written in Persian and could be counted as Bacchraj or Vatsaraj. In Gopeshwar temple wall inscription of twelfth or thirteenth century, there are two Kings- Bacchraj and Shridhar. It is not certain who those kings were.

    Malfuzat –e-Timuri and Zafarnama describe the strength of Bahruz (Bacchraj or Vatsaraj) as follows -

   “”Then placing my trust in God, I mounted my charger and on the tenth of month marched towards the Siwalik Hills.

               In a valley (darra) of these hills there was a Rai Bahruz the number of whose forces and whose lofty, rugged, narrow and strong position made him superior to all chiefs of the hills and indeed, most of Hindustan.”

   The biography accounts of Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani show that Bacchraj or Vatsaraj (Bahruz) was strong kings among Hill kings and they used to follow Bacchhraj or Vatsraj (Bahruz) to attack united on foreign invaders.

   It is guessed from Zafarnama or Malfuzat –e-Timuri, the rule of Bahruz (Vatsaraj or Bacchraj) was from East of Yamuna to west of Alaknanda. Part of Haridwar and Bhabhar was also under king Baccharaj or Vatsaraj (Bahruz). Part of Dehradun was also under Strong King Baccharaj or Vatsaraj (Bahruz).

              The Kingdom was prosperous.

                      Timur’s Massacre in Haridwar

          Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani marched towards Haridwar (Miyapur or Gangadwar) after conquering or destroying Meerut. Though, there were Gujar people to resist Timur but it seems they were lacking strategies.

                           Battle in Bijnor Ganga Port

          

                 When Timur was five Kos away from Tuglakpur, he got information that Hindus gathered at Ganga Ghat or port in Bijnor district for defending east territory of Ganga.  Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani sent his tow Amirs with five thousand horsemen to destroy Hindu defenders. Timur himself marched towards Tuglikpur.

                             Defending deferent River Ports from Timur

              Baccharaj or Vatsraj came to know the advancement of Timur army through crossing Ganga towards Garhwal and Dehradun. Vatsaraj or Bacchraj (Bahruz) arranged defending River Ports.

                   Seven River Ports for Entry to hills

            There were seven River ports from where Timur could enter into Garhwal Hills

1-Khoh River valley- Present Kotdwara region was easy path for entering into hills from Bijnor region

2-Malani River Ghat near present Chaukighat

3-Pandubala Sot Ghat near present Laldhang

4-Lakshman Jhula near Chandighat Haridwar

5-Mohan valley of Dehradun

6- Timlighat

7-From west of Yamuna River

 The Gurjar folklore describes about Gurjar under Jograj Singh Panwar protecting Haridwar region (refer part 290). However, Timur biography does not describe such resistance.

   The Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani biographies suggest that the Garhwal, Haridwar, Bijnor rulers did not have sufficient tactical strategies for defending Ghats or River ports.

 ** Read about Battle in River Port by boats in the next chapter of History of Uttarakhand part 292.

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com18/3//2014

                                      References

1-Dr. Shiv Prasad Dabral, 1971, Uttarakhand ka Itihas Bhag-4, Veer Gatha Press, Dogadda, Pauri Garhwal, India 

2-Harikrishna Raturi, Garhwal ka Itihas

3-Dr. Patiram, Garhwal Ancient and Modern

4-Rahul Sankrityayan, Garhwal

5- Oakley and Gairola, Himalayan Folklore

6- Bhakt Darshan, Garhwal ki Divangit Vibhutiyan

7-Foster, Early Travels in India William Finch

8-Upadhyaya, Shri Shankaracharya

9-Shering, Western Tibet and British

10-H.G. Walton, Gazetteer of British Garhwal

11-B.P.Kamboj, Early Wall Paintings of Garhwal

12-H.g Walton, Gazetteer of Dehradun

13- Vimal Chandra, Prachin Bharat ka Itihas

14-Meera Seth, Wall Paintings of Western Himalayas 

15-Furar, Monumental Antiquities

16-Haudiwala, Studies in Indo-Muslim History

17- Rahul Khari 2007, Jats and Gujjar Origin, History and Culture

18- Upendra Singh, 2006, Delhi: Ancient History, Barghahan Books

19- B.S. Dahiya, 1980, Jats the Ancient Rulers (A Clan Study) , Sterling Publications

20- Maithani, Bharat –Gotrapravardeepika

21 Prem Hari Har Lal, 1993, The Doon Valley Down the Ages

22-Dashrath Sharma, Early Chauhan Dynasties

23- Shailndra Nath Sen, Ancient History and Civilization

24-H.M Elliot, 1867, The History of India as told by its Own Historians

25- Jaswant Lal Mehta, 1979, Advance Study in Medieval India

26- Nau Nihal Singh, 2003, The Royal Gurjars: their contribution to India, Anmol Publications  

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

History of Garhwal from 1223-1804 to be continued in next chapter          

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -292  

Notes on  South Asian Medieval History of Garhwal;  South Asian Medieval History of Pauri Garhwal;  Medieval History of Chamoli Garhwal;  South Asian Medieval History of Rudraprayag Garhwal;  South Asian Medieval History of Tehri Garhwal;  Medieval History of Uttarkashi Garhwal;  South Asian Medieval History of Dehradun, Garhwal;  Medieval History of Haridwar ;  South Asian Medieval History of Manglaur, Haridwar;  South Asian Medieval History of Rurkee Haridwar ;  South Asian Medieval History of Bahadarpur Haridwar ; South Asian History of Haridwar district to be continued… 

Xx

History of Vatsraj or Bacchraj (Rai Bahrooz) of Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani Attack Period; History features of Kotdwara Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Bijnor old Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Haridwar, Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Malani Ghat Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Laldhang Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Lakshman Jhula Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Mohan Ghati Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of Timalighat Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of River Ports or Ghat Protection system in south  Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of River Ports or Ghat Protection system in west south Dehradun Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of River Ports or Ghat Protection system in Sirmaur in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of River Ports or Ghat Protection system in Haridwar south  Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period; History features of River Ports or Ghat Protection system in Bijnor of old south Garhwal in Timur Lang alias Tamerlane/Tarmashirin Khan /Timur Beg Gurkhani  Attack Period;