Ancient Period History of Uttarakhand - GovtVacancy.Net

Ancient Period History of Uttarakhand - GovtVacancy.Net
Posted on 14-06-2022

Ancient History of Uttarakhand: The history of Uttarakhand is as old as the mythological periodUttarakhand is also mentioned in early Hindu texts, where Kedarkhand (present-day Garhwal) and Manaskhand (present-day Kumaon) are mentioned. Presently it is also known as Dev Bhoomi.

Ancient History of Uttarakhand

On the basis of folk tales, Pandavas came here and Mahabharata and Ramayana were composed hereDespite the evidence of human habitation here since ancient times, very little is known about the history of this region.

Today Uttarakhand has been reduced to two divisions, but Uttarakhand has been under the rule of Katyuri, Chand dynasties, Gorkharaj, and British2500 BC The Katyuri dynasty from 770 AD to 770 AD, the Chand dynasty from 770 AD to 1790 AD, the Gorkha rulers from 1790 AD to 1815 AD, and the British rulers from 1815 AD till the independence of IndiaAfter the Katyuri dynasty, the Chandela Rajputs of the Chandra dynasty ruled for about 1000 yearsIn between, the Khas Raja also ruled for about 200 years.

Kuninda ruler

The Kuninda dynasty was the ruler of the ancient Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and northern India from about the 2nd-3rd century AD. The kingdom of Kuninda was originally around the fertile region of Ganga, Yamuna.

The Kunind caste was the first to rule in Uttarakhand, they ruled in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand till 3rd-4th ADInitially, the Kunindas were under the MauryasAmoghabhuti was the most powerful ruler of the Kuninda dynastyThey operated silver and bronze coins in which goddesses and deer were inscribedAfter the death of Amoghabhuti, the Shakas took control of their plains.

Saka rule

The Sakas were a group of Age tribes of the Scythians who lived in ancient Central Asia. Which later started settling in countries like India, China, Iran, Greece, etc. The Sakas have been deeply rooted in Indian history, after the Shako's entry into India, established their great empire in India. The modern Indian national calendar is called 'Saka Samvat'.

The prevalence of the Saka era in the Kumaon region and the presence of idols in the Sun Temples confirm the rule of the Sakas, the Katarmal Sun Temple located near Kosi in AlmoraAfter the rule of the Shakas, the Kushanas established their authority in the Terai parts

Kushan ruler

Some remnants of Kushan rule have been found from Virabhadra (Rishikesh), Mordhwaja (Kotdwar), and Govipashan (Kashipur). At the time of the decline of the Kushan rulers, it was ruled by some new dynasties, in which the Yodheya rulers were prominent.

  • In the 5th century, the Nagas ended the Kuninda dynasty and occupied Uttarakhand.
  • In the 6th century, the Maukhari dynasty of Kannoj ended the power of the Nagas and took control of Uttarakhand.
  • After the end of the Maukhari dynasty, the Maukhari kingdom came under Harshavardhana.

Karttripura or Kartikeyapura dynasty

After the death of Harshavardhana, the Kartikeyapur dynasty was established in Uttarakhand, initially, for about 300 years their capital was at a place called Kartikeyapur near Joshimath (Chamoli), later their capital was "Vaidyanath-Karthikeyapur" near Baijnath located in the Katyur valley of Almora. Made at a place called. This dynasty is considered to be the first historical dynasty of Kumaon.

According to the Bageshwar inscription, the first king of the dynasty was Basantadeva, whom some historians give the name Vasantanadev. The name of the later ruler of Vasantadeva is not known but the Bageshwar inscription mentions Kharpardev becoming king sometime after BasantadevaThe Nimbar dynasty was established in the Kartikeyapur dynasty due to the invasion of Garhwal by the Pala ruler Dharmapala

It was during the reign of the Kartikeyapur dynasty that Adi Guru Shankaracharya arrived in Uttarakhand, they revived Kedarnath and Badrinath and established JyotrimathAdi Guru Shankaracharya had given up his life in Kedarnath itself. 

Historians are of the opinion that the Kartikeyapur dynasty was divided into three families.

Nimbar dynasty

According to the Bageshwar inscription, after Tribhuvan-Raj, a new dynasty came to power, which came to be known as Nimbar, which was founded by Nimbar. Taking the inscriptions as the basis, it can be said that Ishtagan, the son of Nimbar, must have been the first independent ruler of this dynasty because of the word Parambhattaraka Maharajadhiraj Parameshwara has been used for him in the inscriptions. Two copper plates of the 21st and 22nd Rajyavarsha of Lalitshoor, son of Ishtagana and Queen Vegdevi, are preserved in Pandukeshwar. After Lalitshur Dev, the king here became Bhudev, who opposed the Buddhist religion.

Salonaditya dynasty

According to the Pandukeshwar and Bageshwar copper plates, after the Nimbar dynasty, Salonaditya's son Ichhardev established a new dynasty. In the Pandukeshwar article of Subhiksharaja, the analysis of 'Bhuvan-Vikat-Durmadarati-Semantini-Vaidhyavydikshadan-Daksek Guru:' is used for him. Such an analysis has not yet been found for any king from Kumaun-Garhwal.

Pala dynasty

On the basis of Baijnath inscriptions, it can be said that in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Lakhanpal, Tribhuvanpal, Rudrapal, Udaypal, Charunpal, Mahipal, Anantapal, etc. Pal Namdhari kings ruled in Katyur. But in the thirteenth century, the Palas left Katyur and moved to Ooku near Askot, and there they established the Pala dynasty.

All historians are unanimous that the vast empire of Katyuris came to an end due to the tyrannical rule of Brahmadev. In a folk saga, there is a description of the attack on Lakhanpur by the Chand dynasty king Vikramchand of Champawat while he was entangled in the wealth of Brahmadev. Vikramchand ruled from 1423 to 1437 AD. Therefore, this time of Brahmadev should also be considered. Vikramchand was finally defeated and he had to accept the subordination of Brahmadev. Thus the fall of the Katyuri kingdom is considered to be at the beginning of the fifteenth century.

Thank You