Chieftaincy of Kumaon
The Kumaon chieftaincy, also known as Kurmanchal, was a chieftaincy in the Himalayas. The principality was established by Vasu Dev of the Katyuri dynasty in the 7th century after he unified many small principalities. After the fall of the Katyuris in the 11th century and about three centuries of fragmentation, the Chand dynasty managed to reunify Kumaon in the middle of the 15th century. They shifted the capital from Kartikeyapura to Champawat in the 12th century, and finally to Almora in 1563. During their rule, Kumaon was spread sovereign from the river Tons to the river Karnali. The Kumaon chieftaincy had also accepted the suzerainty of the Mughal Empire and paid tribute to them as the writings of Abul Fazl state that from the reign of Rudra Chand onwards, Kumaon began to send gifts and was obedient to the Emperor in Delhi.
During the five-hundred-year Katyuri rule, Kumaoni culture began to form, with Shaivism as the dominant belief. Notable temples like those in Jageshwar and Katarmal were built, and Sanskrit and Pali were widely used. The administration was efficient, with well-built roads and bridges. After the Katyuris' decline, Kurmanchal fragmented into petty kingdoms. The Chand dynasty, present in Kumaon since the 8th century, unified the region, including Doti, in the 15th century. During their seven-hundred-year rule, folk Hinduism flourished, and Kumaoni gained prominence while Sanskrit was reserved for religion and education. A party system government existed, and for a century, Kumaon thrived as a hub for trade, religion, and learning. Culture bloomed and Kumaon saw a century of Golden Age. However, political instability and financial crises weakened the principality by the 18th century, leading to its annexation by the newly unified Kingdom of Nepal in 1791. After twenty-four years of Nepalese rule, the British East Indian Company and later the British Crown took control.
The Katyuris and the Chands left a substantial legacy to modern-day Uttarakhand. Much of the Kumaoni culture, societal norms, and folk traditions, along with the Kumaoni language, derive from the practices and traditions of the Katyuris and the Chands.
Etymology
Kumaon is believed to have been derived from Kurmanchal, meaning land of the Kurma Avatar. The region of Kumaon is named after as such.During the time of the British control of the region, between 1815 and 1857 it was also anglicised as Kemaon.
History
Katyuri dynasty
Establishment
Around 700 CE, the Katyuri dynasty was established by Vasu Dev in the region. They called their state Kurmanchal, the land of Kurma, the second avatar of Vishnu, from which the present name is derived. Their capital was Kartikeyapura and the Gomati Valley came to be known as the Katyur Valley after the ruling dynasty.During their reign they dominated lands of varying extent from the Katyur Valley in Kumaon, between the 7th and 11th centuries C.E., and established their capital at Baijnath in Bageshwar district; which was then known as Kartikeyapura and lies in the centre of Katyur Valley. Brahmadev Mandi in the Kanchanpur District of Nepal was established by Katyuri king Brahma Dev. Brahmadev Mandi still exists by this name.
Peak
During the peak of the Katyuri dynasty, the sovereigns were bestowed the title of Giriraj Chakrachudamani, and the 16 monarchs who ruled during that time were known as Chakravarti or Emperors.Downfall
It is believed that from King Dhan Dev and Vir Dev, the downfall of this powerful dynasty began. Vir Dev used to collect heavy taxes and forced his people to work as his slaves. King Vir Dev teased his subjects and also he forcibly married his own maternal aunt Tila. It is said that the Kumaoni folk song 'Mami Tile Dharo BolaPeriod of fragmentation
Fall of Katyuri dynasty
After the death of tyrant Vir Dev, there ensued a civil war among his sons. A fierce fight took place among them. The entire kingdom was ruined. The people of this very family divided the whole kingdom among themselves. At the places where they were formerly placed as provincial governors or faujdars, they declared themselves as independent kings. Outside Kumaun the feudatory kings of Garhwal, who were till then under the jurisdiction of the Katyuris, stopped paying revenue and also became independent kings.The same condition prevailed in Kumaun when the Chand kings came there. Petty feudatory kings ruled here and there and attacking one another showed their power. King Brahmdeo of this very family established his kingdom in Kali Kumaun. His first fort lay in Sui and the Rawat king of Dumkot was under him. The second branch started ruling at Doti. The third established itself at Askot. Fourth settled down at Baramandal. The fifth maintained its sovereignty over Katyur and Danpur. The sixth branch ruled here and there in Pali whose main places then were Dwarahat and Lakhanpur. In this way, this extensive empire was divided into small parts.
Arrival of Chand dynasty
Besides these petty kings of the Katyuri family, during the time between the fall of the Katyuris and the arrival of the Chands, the region of Kumaun lay divided into petty kingdoms. Faldakol and Dhaniyakot lay under the authority of a Khati Rajput who regarded him as belonging to the Solar dynasty. Chaugarkha was ruled by a Padiyar king whose capital was Padyarkot. In the paragana of Gangolihat ruled a Mankoli king. He had come from Piuthan in modern-day Nepal and regarded himself as a Rajput of the Lunar dynasty. After ruling for seven to eight generations they were defeated by the Chands and returned to the place where their descendants still exist. Kota, Chhakhata and Kutauli came under the jurisdiction of the Khas kings. Sor, Sira, Darma, Askot, and Johar all were annexed to the kingdom of Doti. The first Chand king Som Chand also established a petty kingdom in Kali Kumaon after subjugating the powerful social groups there.When the sun of the fortune of the Emperors of the Solar dynasty in Kumaun set and at places, small feudatory kings began to rule, the people said that the sun of Kumaun had set and there was night and darkness all over Kumaun. But on the arrival of the Chands, people started saying that there was night in Kumaun as the sun had set, but one thing good now is that now moonlight has appeared i.e. kings of the Lunar dynasty have come. That there is again light in the earth sunk in darkness.
Chand dynasty
Sometime in the 8th century, the Chand dynasty was established by King Som Chand, He continued to call his state Kurmanchal, and established its capital in Champawat or Kali Kumaon. At that time Kumaon was going through a period of fragmentation, and the Chands ruled as petty kings. They slowly developed into a major power of the Himalayas and near after 1450 had unified Kumaon under King Ratna Chand.The Baleshwar and Nagnath temples were built in this city during the 11th and 12th centuries. During this period, learning and new forms of painting developed.
Peak and invasion of Taklakot (Tibet)
Many pilgrims came to the court of Baz Bahadur Chand to complain about the Huniyas robbing them on their pilgrimage to Kailash Manasarovar, and committing atrocities. Being quite religious, he could not stand it, and decided to bring an end to this problem.Baz Bahadur Chand himself led his army through Juhar pass and entered Tibetan territory, which was then under Khoshut Khanate. He captured the fort of Taklakot in 1670. This was the first time in history that an Indian king had captured this stronghold of Tibet.
Conflicts and battles
King Gyan Chand, the King of Kumaon, ascended the throne in 1698. In 1699 he invaded Garhwal, which was under the King Fateh Shah. He crossed Ramganga River and plundered Sabli, Khatli, and Sainchar. In 1701, Fateh Shah entered in Chaukot, Malla Chaukot and Bichla Chaukot ) and Gewar Valley as reply. The Kumaonis defeated the Garhwalis in the Battle of Duduli. In 1707, the Kumaoni forces annexed Juniyagarh in Bichla Chaukot, and razed the old fort at Chandpur Garhi, the capital of Garhwal kingdom. On 13 July 1715, Kumaoni troops clashed with Garhwali troops that were moving to Moradabad and Bareilly. An ally of the Mughal Empire, Kumaon was encouraged to continue fighting Garwhal until they submitted to the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was against Garwhal because of their funding of rebels in Punjab. Twice in the second year of Farrukh Siyar's reign the Kumaon chief sent him booty obtained in the battles against the combined forces of the Srinagar-Garhwal chief and his Jat and Gujar allies. In early 1715, Kumaon finally captured Srinagar from Garwhal, sending Garwhali chiefs into Mughal courts. In 1742 Ali Mohammed Khan of Rohilkhand invaded Kumaon and annexed Kashipur, Rudrapur, and two other Kumaoni parganas.Nepalese invasion and its defeat
In the latter half of the 18th century, the power of Kumaon was on decline, as the prince Mahendra Chand was unable to properly administer the country and conflicts with other neighbouring kingdoms, natural calamities, intrigues and dissensions further weakened the kingdom.Seeing this opportunity, in 1791 the Kingdom of Nepal invaded Kumaon. Gorkha army led by the Gorkha commanders Bahadur shah, Kazi Jagjit Pande, Amar Singh Thapa and Sur Singh Thapa set to attack Kumaon from Doti. One regiment went from Kali Kumaon to Sor, another set out to capture Visung. When the news of the sudden invasion reached Almora, Mahendra Chand summoned his troops and taking a contingent with him moved towards Gangolihat.
File:William Moorcroft and Hyder Young Hearsey.jpg|thumb|253x253px|A painting by Hyder Young Hearsay showing him and William Moorcroft disguised as Indians meeting Tibetans on horseback while travelling to Kailash Manasarovar, where Europeans were not allowed, 1812, before Kumaon came under British jurisdiction. They were arrested on their way back by Nepali authorities stationed in Kumaon.
Amar Singh Thapa with his troops attacked the Kumaoni contingent but he was defeated and he escaped. However, a few hours later he came back with a larger army and better preparation, and totally surrounded Kumaon from the west. Mahendra Chand hearing about the defeat and death of his uncle, Diwan Lal Singh, became nervous and fled, thus Gorkhas finding their path clear reached and captured Almora and Kumaon was annexed to the Kingdom of Nepal. kingdom of Garhwal was also annexed by the Gorkhas in 1804, after they accepted the suzerainty of the Qing dynasty and could optimise their resources on expansion again.