Medieval period has special importance in the history of Uttarakhand. During this period, this hill state was divided into two regional states. The land between western Ramganga and Yamuna was called Garhwal and the land between western Ramganga and Kalinadi was called Kumaon. According to historical opinion, in the Chamoli district of Garhwal in the ninth century, where the Panwar dynasty came into existence under the leadership of Kanakpal, the Chand dynasty came into existence under the leadership of Somchand in the Champawat district of Kumaon in the eighth century. But in relation to the early kings of the Chand state in Kumaon, one side of historians accepts ‘Somchand’ and the other side ‘Thoharchand’ as the founder of this dynasty. The first side was that of Ramdutt Tripathi (“who was a Hindi-writer with Mr. Athkinson Sahab.”), who called Somchand the founder of the Chand dynasty. Badridutt Pandey writes – “The date of arrival of King Somchand is not known, but the date of his sitting on the throne is 700 AD according to Samvat 757 Vikramiya and 622 Shaka Shalivahan.”
Yashovarman had sat on the throne of Kannauj during the time of Somchand’s ascension. Kannauj was the center of the kingship of North India in the seventh-eighth century. Kannauj ruler Yashovarman had authority over Uttarakhand. This is confirmed by ‘Rajtarangini’ composed by Kalhan, the historian of Kashmir. According to this Sanskrit epic, the Kashmir ruler Lalitashura Muktapida defeated the Kannauj ruler Yashovarman and expanded his kingdom up to the Kali river. Probably Somchand was appointed as the feudatory of Champawat by Kannauj ruler Yashovarman. While the northern parts of Uttarakhand were under the authority of the Shalivahan dynasty. Asantidev, a descendant of Suryavanshi Shalivahan, took over the Katyur valley of Bageshwar in the last quarter of the eighth century and was called Katyuri. According to Atkinson, the author of the Himalayan Gazetteer, before coming to the Katyur Valley, Asantideva used to run his kingdom from Joshimath in Garhwal.
The other side is of Harshdev Joshi, who presented a report to British officer Fraser in 1811, according to which- “The first of the Chands was Raja Thoharchand, who came here at the age of 16 or 17. Since there was no successor after his three generations, a king named Gyanchand came here from the children of Thoharchand or Thorchand’s uncle. Accepting this, Thoharchand came to Kumaon in 1261 and Gyanchand sat on the throne in 1374. Harshdev Joshi, who called Thoharchand the first Chand king, had control over the power of Kumaon in the eighth decade of the eighteenth century, who deposed King Mohanchand twice from the throne of Almora and succeeded in placing Sudarshan Shah of the Panwar dynasty of Garhwal on the Chand throne. Were staying Harshdev Joshi helped the Gurkha army in 1790 AD to depose Mohanchand’s son and the last Chand king Mahendrachand. His father Shivdev Joshi Chand was the chief advisor of Raja Kalyanchand and Deepchand.
Accepting the first aspect, Badridatta Pandey gives the details of ‘Chand Vanshavali’ from Somchand to Raja Gyanchand as follows-
1- Somchand 700 AD to 721 AD
2- Atmchand 721 AD to 740 AD
3- Purnachand 740 AD to 758 AD
4- Indrachand 758 AD to 778 AD
5- Sansarchand 778 AD to 813 AD
6- Sudha Chand 813 AD to 833 AD
7- Harichand 833 AD to 856 AD
8- Binachand 856 AD to 869 AD
- Khas Raj (15 rulers) more than 200 years
9- Virchand 1065 AD to 1080 AD
10- Roopchand 1080 AD to 1093 AD
11- Laxmichand 1093 AD to 1113 AD
12- Dharmchand 1113 AD to 1121 AD.
13- Karmchand / Kurmchand 1121 AD to 1140 AD.
“Naulalekh Shake 1178/1256 AD.”
14- Kalyanchand / Ballalchand 1140 AD to 1149 AD.
15- Namichand / Nirbhaychand 1149 AD to 1170 AD.
16- Narchand 1170 AD to 1177 AD
“Copperplate Samvat 1377/1320 AD.”
17- Nankichand 1177 AD to 1195 AD
18- Ramchand 1195 AD to 1205 AD
19- Bhishmchand 1205 AD to 1226 AD
20- Meghchand 1226 AD to 1233 AD
21- Dhyanchand 1233 AD to 1251 AD
22- Parbatchand 1251 AD to 1261 AD
23- Thoharchand 1261 AD to 1275 AD
24- Kalyanchand 1275 AD to 1296 AD
25- Trilokchand 1296 AD to 1303 AD
26- Damruchand 1303 AD to 1321 AD
27- Dharmchand 1321 AD to 1344 AD
28- Abhaychand 1344 AD to 1374 AD
“Chaukuni inscription Shake 1298/1376 AD.”
29- Gyanchand / Garud Gyanchand 1374 AD to 1419 AD
According to historians, after the death of King Harsha of Kannauj (AD 647), the regional satrap became powerful again and separate dynasties emerged on the Indian territory. This period is called the initial period of the Rajput period. In this chronology, a person named Somchand came from Jhusi (Uttar Pradesh) to Champawat at the end of the seventh century and was successful in laying the foundation of the Chand dynasty. Somchand is considered to be the original man of Chand dynasty. According to the facts listed above, after the eighth ruler Binachand, the Khas kings ruled for more than 200 years in Champawat. According to the above list, the ninth ruler Virchand again established the Chand kingdom in 1065 AD in Champawat. Hence Virchand can be called the restorer of Chand dynasty.
Names of ten Mandalik kings are engraved in the Baleshwar temple, Champavat copper plate (“which is inscribed on the reverse side of Deshatadev’s copper plate inscription and which was issued from Dulu”) of Dulu ruler Krachaldev of Nepal (AD 1223)- Like “Shri Yahaddev, Shri Vidyachandra, Chandradev, Shrijay Singh, Shri Hariraj Routraj, Shri Jihaldev, Shri Aniladitya Routraj, Shri Valaldev, Shri Vinayachandra, Shri Moosedev.”
Vinaychandra with Chand surname is mentioned in this copper plate. Probably Virchand was Vinaychand. It is significant that Virchand became king after a Khas reign of 200 years. In this copper plate, in the list of Mandalik kings, the names of Yahadev, Jihaldev etc. appear to be of Khas kings. Badridatta Pandey also mentions similar names of Khas kings. Like- “Bijad, Jijad, Jahl” etc. On this basis, if Veerchand is accepted as Vinaychand, then the difference of more than a century in the reign of Vinaychand of Tamrapatra and Veerchand of Chand genealogy listed above becomes clear.
According to the above list, the thirteenth Chand king Karamchand or Kurmchand ruled from 1121 AD to 1141 AD. But “Shake 1178 (1256 AD) in the inner wall of the Naula adjacent to the Baleshwar (Champavat) temple and the clear mention of Raja Karmachandra in Kumaon, known as ‘Chadnaam’, indicate the early period of the rise of Rajkul.” From Somchand to Raja Gyanchand there is mention of only one king named Karmchand. On the basis of the reign period, according to Naula Lekh (1256 AD) and the list, there is a difference of more than a century in Karmchand of Chand dynasty.
SIR SELF SUNIL KUMAR MAI RAJWAR JATI DETAILS HISTORY JANANA CHAHTA HU AAP MUJHE MARGE DARSHAN KARE
AAPKA VISHWASI BHAJAN SUNIL RAJWAR
In Future I will write on KUMAONI RAJWAR JATI.