Hill States
Encyclopedia
The term hill states means states in a hilly area. In particular it is used for two northern border regions of colonial British India.

Raj period Punjab

During the Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

 period, two groups of princely states in the Indian part of the colonial province of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

 (after independence split in the republic's constituent states of Punjab (proper), Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

 and Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

) were included into British India later than most of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

, in the context of two wars and an uprising.

For its princely rulers the term Hill Rajas (not an actual title) has been coined.

Simla Hills

28 petty princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

s (including feudatory princes and zaildar
Zaildar
Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....

s) in the promontories of the western Himalaya, known in full as the Simla Hill(s) States, mainly Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

, a few Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

; the local languages are Hindu, Punjabi, Urdu and various Pahari
Pahari languages
The Pahari languages are a geographic group of Indic languages spoken in the lower ranges of the Himalayas, from Nepal in the east to the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the west.-Classification:The Pahari languages fall into three groups:*Eastern, consisting...

 dialects.

Three quarters of the about 4800 square miles (12,431.9 km²) was the territory of the Raja (earlier Rana) of Bashahr
Bashahr
Bashahr was a princely state in pre-independence India, located in the hilly western Himalaya promontory in the northern part of colonial Punjab that is now the Indian republic's state of Himachal Pradesh and traversed by the Sutlej river...

, on both sides of the Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...

 river.
Its direct tributaries were:
  • the Thakur of Khaneti
  • the Thakur of Delath.


The other, all far smaller, princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...

s, including a few with some petty dependencies of their own, were further south, on Sutlej's left bank:
  • the Rana of Balsan
  • the Thakur of Beja
  • the Rana of Bhaji = Bhajji
    Bhajji
    For the Indian cricketer, see Harbhajan SinghFor the food item, see Bhajji Bhajji was a princely state in India. Until 1947, it was not part of British India but was subject to the suzerainty of the British crown....

  • a prince of Bhagat
    Bhagat
    For the Sindhi performance art see Sindhi bhagatIn Sikhism, the Sikh Bhagats were holy men of various sects whose teachings are included in the Sikh holy book the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The word "Bhagat" means devotee, and comes from the Sanskrit word Bhakti, which means devotion and love...

  • HH the Raja of Bilaspur
    Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
    Bilaspur is a city and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India.-Geography:Bilaspur is located at . It has an average elevation of 673 metres . It is hot in summer and cold in winters. It rains mostly in July to august .It lies near the reservoir of...

     (formerly Kahlur
    Kahlur
    Kahlur , covering an area of 1173 km², and currently a part of Himachal Pradesh state, was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was founded in/around 697 by Kahal Chand. Kahal Chand had built a fort, which was named after him, and was called...

     = Kehloor), entitled to an 11-guns salute
  • the Rana of Darkoti(i) = Darkoti
  • the Rana (Shri) of Dhami
    Dhami
    Dhami, also known as Halog, was a Princely State in India and a part of one of the Punjab Hill States. In 1941 it had an area of and a population of 5,114 people. In 1948 Dhami was made a part of Himachal Pradesh....

  • the Raja Rana (ex Rana) of Jubbal
    Jubbal
    Jubbal is a town and a nagar panchayat in Shimla district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-Geography:Jubbal, located at has an average elevation of 1901 metres ....

    . The Jubbal state had two tributaries:
    • the Thakur (sahib) of Dhadi, initially tributary to Tharoch, then to Bashahr and finally in 1896 to Jubbal.
    • (title?) Rawin = Rawingarh
  • The Raja (formerly Rana) of Keonthal
    Keonthal
    Keonthal, covering an area of 482 km², was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. It acceded to India on 15 April 1948. Currently, it is part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-External links:*...

    . Furthermore the feudal pyramid included five Keonthal zaildar
    Zaildar
    Zaildar was a native officer in charge of a Zail in the colonial rural administration of Punjab in British India. Each Zail was an administrative unit, extending between 2 to 40 villages....

    s (jagirdars collecting a special tax):
    • a jagirdar Gundh
    • (since 1815) the Rana Sahib of Koti
      Koti
      -Places:* Koti, Armenia* Koti, Burkina Faso* Koti, Slovenia* Koti, Hyderabad, India* Kochi, India...

    • a jagirdar Madhan
      Madhan
      Madhan , whose real name is Maadapoosi Krishnaswamy Govinda Kumar, is a famous Tamil cartoonist, journalist, writer and film critic who works for Ananda Vikatan magazine, a leading Tamil weekly. Though his native is Thanjavur, he was brought up in Chennai...

       = Kiari
    • the Thakur saheb (also styled Rana) of Ratesh (popularly known as Kot, 'fortress')
    • the Rana ?) Theog
      Theog
      Theog is a town and a municipal committee in Shimla district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-Demographics: India census, Theog had a population of 7714. Males constitute 57% of the population and females 43%. Theog has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of...

  • the Thakur of Kunahair
  • the Rana of Kuthar
  • the Thakur of Mahlog
    Mahlog
    Mahlog or Mailog was a princely state of India. In 1940 it had a population of 8,631 and an area of . The capital city was Patta.In 1948 Mahlog was merged into the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh....

  • the Rana of Mangal
    Mangal
    Mangal is the name for Turkish barbecue. In a more social context, it resembles braai of South Africa.Mangal is popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and countries in the Levant...

  • the Raja of Nalagarh
    Nalagarh
    #REDIRECT Target page nameNalagarh is a city and a municipal committee in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj, and known in medieval period as the state of Hindur. It was founded by the Chandella Rajputs in...

  • the Thakur (or Rai Mian?) of Sangri
    Sangri
    Sangri may refer to:*Sangri County, county in Tibet*Sangri , village in Tibet*The pod of the tree Prosopis cineraria is known as Sangari in Rajasthani language....

  • the Thakur (Originally titled Rana up to the occupation by the Gurkhas, and Thakurs from 1815 to 1929) of Tharhoch = Tiroch

Remark that for various of the entities above the authentical title of the chief is missing- while some of the lowest ranking may have none, for the princes that can merely be due to insufficient sources available

They too were all to be joined as the modern Indian state Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

.

Punjab Hills States

Nearby, some Hindu ?&sikh states, including:
  • HH the Raja (saheb) of Chamba
    Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
    Chamba is an ancient town in the Chamba district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. According to the 2001 Indian census, Chamba has a population of 20,312 people...

     = Chamba, entitled to an 11 guns-salute
  • HH the Raja of Mandi, entitled to an 11 guns-salute
  • HH the Raja of Suket
    Suket
    Suket is a census town in Kota district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.-Geography:Suket is located at . It has an average elevation of 320 metres .-Demographics:...

    , entitled to an 11 guns-salute
  • HH the Maharaja (until 1913 Raja) of Tehri-Garhwal (in Uttar Pradesh
    Uttar Pradesh
    Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

    ), entitled to an 11 guns-salute
  • etc.
  • HH the Raja of Siba
    Siba
    Siba or SIBA may refer to:Places:*Šiba, a village in Bardejov district of northeast Slovakia**Siba State, an erstwhile princely state in Punjab, in modern India.Siba was an independent territory directly ruled by Sibaia Clan Rulers up to 1947 and never annexed with British Government.It was simply...

    ,No Salute,as Siba
    Siba
    Siba or SIBA may refer to:Places:*Šiba, a village in Bardejov district of northeast Slovakia**Siba State, an erstwhile princely state in Punjab, in modern India.Siba was an independent territory directly ruled by Sibaia Clan Rulers up to 1947 and never annexed with British Government.It was simply...

     was not fully captured by the Britishers,only Siba Jagir(Jagir of Mian Devi Singh) up to Kotla was captured.Present titled Sibaia Raja is Raja Dr.Ashok K. Thakur,.

Meghalaya (formerly Assam)

The Khasi Hills (east of the Garo Hills) and (even further to the east) the Jaintia Hills were mainly part of Tribal Assam in colonial British India, now in the present Indian constitutive state of Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...

, especially Jaintia district, capital Jowai, East Khasi district, capital Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...

, and West Khasi district, capital Nongstoi.

Jaintia Hills

The 12 Chiefs of the elaka (tribal province) of the Jaintia, a Khasi subtribe of the) Pantars = Syntengs tribes, are styled Dolloi, and the land is called after them in Khasi: KA RI KHADAR DOLLOI ‘Land of 12 Tribal Chiefs‘) - they are in Nartiang itself (see the Raja, uniquely also styled, as premier Chief: U Kongsong), and in Amwi, Jowai
Jowai
Jowai also known as Jwai is the headquarters of Jaintia Hills district of the state of Meghalaya in India. It is also to be noted that the Jaintia hills district is the first District to be solely demarcated in the state of Meghalaya on the year the state was formed on 1972.Jowai is the home of...

, Lakadong, Mynso, Nongbah, Nongjngi, Nongphyllut, Nongtallang, Raliang, Shangpung, Sutnga (see below; also cited as seat of a Syiem)

Above them is the only true princely ruler of the area, the Raja of Jaintiapur, actually his winter capital, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, with his summer residence shifted from Sutnga (where the family started as Syiems) to Nartiang; also a palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...

 in the commercial center Borghat.

Khasi Hills

The other Khasi tribes don't have princes but their 20 petty states (hima), and sometimes even smaller tribal divisions, are led by one or two Chiefs -selected in various ways- usually styled Siem, Syiem.
The names of these chiefstainships are: Bhawal, Cherra (or Sohra; capital Cherrapunji), Dwara (capital Hat Dwara), Jirang, Khyrim, Langrin, Lungiong, Maharam, Malai Sohmat, Marriw, Mawdon, Mawiang, Mawlong, Mawphlang, Mylliem (including Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...

 city, the colonial capital of all Tribal Assam), Nobosohphoh, Noglwai, Nongkhlaw, Nongspung, Nongstoin
Nongstoin
Nongstoin is the headquarters of West Khasi Hills district in the state of Meghalaya in India.-Geography:Nongstoin is located at . It has an average elevation of 1409 metres .The Langshiang Falls is located from Nongstoin....

, Pamsanggut, Rambrai, Shella, Sohiong. or Sardar ...

Sources and references

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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