The first Rohilla attack on Kumaon state was done in 1743-44 AD. For the first time in history, the successful plan of Muslim attack on Almora, the capital of Kumaon State, was prepared by Rohilla Sardar Ali Muhammad (1726-1748). The immediate objective of this campaign was to take revenge from Chand Raja and secure the Kumaon hills for himself for the future. Rohilla Sardar sent his three Sardars Hafiz Rahmat Khan, Paindakhan and Baksi Sardar Khan to attack Kumaon with an army of 10,000.
The Rohilla attack was the first successful attack on the Chand kingdom from the south. Otherwise this hill state was attacked from Nepal and Garhwal only. The existence of the Kumaon state came in a short span of time. The first Chand king of entire Kumaon was Rudrachand (1565-1597), who received the right to rule Terai-Bhabar from Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) in 1588 AD. That’s why he is called the first Chand Raja of entire Kumaon.
After Rudrachand, Laxmichand (1597–1621) and Baj Bahadur Chand (1638–1678) also had good relations with the Mughal rulers. These few rulers had registered their presence in the Mughal court. These Kumaoni kings were contemporaries of Akbar, Jahangir (1605–1627) and Shah Jahan (1628–58) respectively. Rudrachand took important things of the earthly region as gifts to the Lahore court and Laxmichand and Bajbahadurchand to the Delhi court. With the support of the Mughals, Chand Raja was able to secure his power in Terai-Bhabar.
The decline of the Mughals began after the death of Aurangzeb (1658–1707). Due to the rise of new dynasties and expansion of the state at the regional level, the Mughal monarchy was limited to Delhi. In this sequence, Awadh and Rohilla states emerged in the south of the Kumaon state, who were eager to have authority over the plains of Kumaon (Tarai-Bhabar).
In the eighteenth century, only in the third year after Chand Raja Kalyanchand (1728-1747) ascended the throne, Burhan-ul-Mulk alias Saadat Ali Khan, the Nawab of Awadh, had taken over the Khatima region, the eastern part of the Terai-Bhabar, which was occupied during the Chand period. ‘Chhinki’ pargana and was called ‘Bilhari’ in British period.
Terai-Bhabar’s rule-
The Terai-Bhabar region was called ‘Mal’ in Chand Kaal. This area extended from Kali to western Ramganga up to Pilibhit-Moradabad in the south of the mountainous part, which was also known as ‘Chaurasi Mal’. “Chaurasi name because it was Chaurasi kos long area.” This Chaurasi Mal area was divided into parganas by Chand rulers, of which Bhuksar, Bakshi, Chhinki, Sahajgir, Gadarpur and Mundiya were the main parganas. Mughal historians influenced by the Persian language called this area ‘Daman-i-Koh’, which means the plain which is situated under a hill.
Mal and Pargana are Arabic and Persian words respectively. The use of these words in the Chand Rajya system reflects the Mughalia influence. The use of Arabic-Persian words along with Kumaoni had started in the copper plates of Raja Laxmichand. As the contact of Kumaon state with the Mughal Raj system increased, gradually the use of Arabic-Persian in Kumaoni writing increased. According to one of my research papers, it was maximum from 6 to 10 percent in copper plates.
Regarding the change in the administration system of Terai-Bhabar during the reign of Chand Raja Devichand (1720-1726), A. T. Atkinson writes – “At that time Daud Khan was taking the revenue of plain parganas.” Rohilla Sardar Ali Muhammad was the adopted son of this Daud Khan.
Before the Rohilla invasion, during the reign of Kalyanchand, Sarbana and Bilhari in the Terai region were captured by the Nawab of Awadh. “Kalyanchand appointed Shivdev Joshi as his subedar in the field and for some time this able officer made such arrangements that encroachments from the Awadh-Darbar were stopped.” was appointed administrator.
Preparation in Terai-
The information of Rohilla campaign on Kumaon state was first sent by Ramdutt Adhikari to Almora and Shivdev Joshi demanded money to collect the army. But Chand Raja was on the trust of his advisors that it was impossible for the Rohilla army to reach Almora. Edwin Thomas Atkinson writes in the Himalayan Gazetteer-
“Shivdev had also demanded money to deal with this and had also assured that if the money was made available, Rohillas would not be able to attack Kumaon. But the miser king Kalyanchand kept silent and did not take any action. It was being told in Kalyanchand’s ear that Shivdev was demanding money only to repay his debt.”
First skirmish in Terai-
In the summer of 1743, the Rohilla army started a military campaign against the Kumaon state. The first skirmish took place in Rudrapur. Rudrachand, the great Chand king of the sixteenth century, founded Rudrapur, which was situated in the ‘Bhuksi’ or ‘Bhuksar’ pargana. Chand Raja Kalyanchand did not give extra money to Shivdev in charge of Terai-Bhabar for the preparation of war. In such a situation, the Kumaoni army under the leadership of Shivdev Joshi fought a little in Rudrapur and got defeated.
In connection with this clash, A. T. Atkinson writes- “The Rohillas defeated Shivdev at Rudrapur and forced him to take refuge in the fort of Barakhedi. Hafiz Rahmat appointed a subedar at Rudrapur, chased the Kumaonis and captured Bijipur in the Chakhata pargana in the outer range of hills below Bhimtal.
Chakhata Pargana and Vijaypur-
Chhakhata Pargana was divided into Pahar and Bhabar during the British period. Pahar Chakhata included the area around Nainital-Bhimtal and Bhabar Chakhata included the area around Haldwani. Pandit Badridutt Pandey writes- “There are said to be 60 ponds in this pargana, from which the name of the pargana was Shastikhata alias Chakhata.” The biggest river of this pargana was Gaula and the highest mountain was Gagar, which is near Bhawali Nagar.
Vijaypur Chakhata is a mountain village of Bhabar, located in the east of Kheda (Golapar) in Bhabar area, on the left bank of Suki / dry river, 29° 12′ 45” north latitude and 79° 34′ 32” east longitude. Is located at. “King Vijaychand had a fort here.” Chand Raja used to use this fort for hunting. Vijay Chand (1623-1625) was the great-grandson of Raja Rudrachand, the first Chand of the entire Kumaon, and the son of Raja Dilipchand (1621-1623).
Vijaypur can be called the first step to climb the mountain, where in 1743 AD the Rohilla army made its camp. To the north of Vijaypur is a place called Kalichaud, where the Kali temple was vandalized by the Rohilla army. This picturesque religious place is situated near Kathgodam at 29° 14′ 53″ north latitude and 79° 34′ 34″ east longitude.
Fort of Barakhedi-
Barakhedi or Barokhari fort was marked by historian Badridutt Pandey near Gulab Ghati (on National Highway 87 near Kathgodam). While associating this fort with the first Rohilla attack, he writes-
“The Rohillas defeated Shivdevji at Rudrapur and forced him to take refuge in the fort of Batokhari (Badokhari, which was near Kathgodam). Hafiz Rahmat Khan, leaving a representative at Rudrapur, himself ran after the fleeing Kumayyas and captured Vijaypur in Chakhata below Bhimtal. The fleeing Kumayan army acted as a guide. Due to old age, Baxi Sardarkhan remained in Badakhori.”
Badokhari’s fort was just 300 meters north of Kathgodam on the left bank of the Gaula river near Gulab Ghati, which is now also known as Shamsher Garhi. This natural fort is situated at 29° 16′ 35″ north latitude and 79° 32′ 48″ east longitude, where eight families now reside. This fort (Badokhari) in the narrow valley between the mountain and the plain was the most important fort for the security of the Kumaon state. After being defeated by the Rohilla army in Rudrapur, the Kumaoni army retreated and took a position in its fort near Ranibagh.
Ranibagh is associated with the Katyuri queen Jiyarani, who was the queen of the Katyuri king Pritamdev. Kathgodam is located at the southern end of Ranibagh, which was named after the wooden warehouse during the British period.
In 1743 AD, after Shivdev Joshi laid siege to the security of this fort, the Rohilla army camped at Vijaypur to climb the mountain. Chand Raja sent more military help to Shivdev Joshi. But in Vijaypur also the Kumaoni army was defeated and fled to the mountains. This defeat gave way to the Rohilla army to reach the capital of Kumaon (Almora).
A part of the Rohilla army under the leadership of Baxi Sardarkhan halted at Barakhori. This fort was probably used by the Rohillas as a communication post between the mountain and the plain. It is said that Sardar Khan thought it appropriate to stay at this fort due to his old age. It is also possible that the Rohillas deliberately kept a piece of the army behind to help the advancing army. Because this was the first military campaign of the Muslims on the interior of the mountain.