The feudal governance system in Gangoli was the main feature of the Kumaon state for a short period in the sixteenth century. This feudal rule period can also be called the Rajwar rule period. Feudal rule in Gangoli started after the conquest of Sirakot by Chand king Rudrachand. Sirakot was the most impregnable fort in the eastern Ramganga and Kali intrinsic region, which was under the control of Harimall, the Malla ruler of Doti (Nepal). The Malla rulers of Doti also belonged to the ancient Katyuri branch. With the victory of Sirakot, Rudrachand had control over entire Kumaon including Sira state.
Regarding the administrative system of the newly conquered Sira state, Pandit Badridatt Pandey writes – “After this, King Rudrachand returned to Almora and ordered Purusha Pant to come to Almora after making complete and firm arrangements for the conquered state.” Purusha Pant or Purukhupant. He was a Brahmin of Gangoli, who was the Diwan of the last Mankoti ruler Narayan Chand. It was through the strategy and diplomacy of this capable Brahmin of Gangoli that Rudrachand was successful in conquering the impenetrable fort like Sirakot. After the fall of Sirakot, Askot became the center of the Saryu-eastern Chand state.
Ascot-Pal
‘Ascot’, a town in Pithoragarh district, is situated at 29° 45′ 54” north latitude and 80° 20′ 03” east longitude. Askot is 48 km from Naini Saini Airport, Pithoragarh, which was called Pargana-Askot during the British era as a jagir of a local royal family. This pargana was situated in the Kali River watershed area, where the remains of the market ‘Bagdihat’ and the capital ‘Lakhanpur’ of Katyuri kings associated with the ancient Haat culture of Uttarakhand are still present. The capital ‘Lakhanpur’ was established in 1279 AD under the leadership of Abhaypal, a branch of Katyuris and the ruler there was called Pal of Askot.
Over time, the rulers of the Askot-Pala dynasty had come under the rule of the Doti-Mallas, another powerful branch of the Katyuris. During the Sirakot campaign in 1579 AD, Rudrachand had established marital relations with the Askot-Pal royal family to defeat the Malla ruler Harimall. This was the reason that after conquering Sirakot, Rudrachand had handed over the entire kingdom east of Saryu to Raipal of the Askot-Pal dynasty.
Raipal & Purush Pant
Another reason for Rudrachanddev handing over the entire kingdom east of Saryu to Raipal of the Askot-Pal dynasty was to expand the Chand kingdom to Garhwal in the west. Purush Pant was honored after settling the Chand state of East Saryu. Atkinson writes- “Rudrachand gave many villages to the ancestors as rewards, which were recorded in copper plates. These copper plates are now with the descendants of Purkhu, who live in Gangoli. It is written that in 1581 AD, it was given on Saturday in the presence of Jagisa (Jageshwar near Almora) on Navami of Shukla Paksha of Bhadra month.
Kirauli Copper Plate –
After the success of Sirakot campaign, Purush Pant went to Badhangarh (Garhwal) campaign. Where they were killed. Apart from Purush Pant, Piru Gusain was also an important person during the Askot-Pal rule in Gangoli, whom historians associate with the Askot-Pal dynasty. In the Kirauli copper plate witnesses of Anandchand Rajwar, the names of Narayan Gusain, Piru Gusain and Khadku Gusain are engraved respectively. The first witness Narayan Gusain was the son of Raja Laxmichand. Gusain was a member of the royal family of Peeru and Khadku Chand, who was probably the son of Shakti Gusain, the elder brother of Laxmichand. This same Piru Gusain was later involved in the royal conspiracies that took place in Almora.
Successor Of Raipal-
The 94th king Raipal of Askot Pal dynasty could rule the Saryu Eastern region for only 7 years. In 1588 AD, he was murdered by a Brahmin named Gopi Ojha. This was the time when Chand Raja Rudrachand went to Lahore to meet the Mughal emperor Akbar. The exorcist who killed Raipal was a Brahmin from the priestly class of the Askot-Pala dynasty. This king’s successor and son Mahendrapal was a newborn child at that time.
Therefore, to maintain balance and satisfaction among the other successors of Raipal, the area of Saryu East was divided among the members of the Askot royal family. The Eastern Ramganga-Kali border region (Sira and Sor) was ruled by Kalyanpal Rajwar, the patron of the Askot royal family, and the Saryu-East Ramganga border region (Gangoli) was ruled by Indra Rajwar, Anandchand Rajwar, Prithvi Chand Rajwar and Mahendrapal respectively. In Gangoli, the rule of nominal kings can be called the feudal rule period. Copper plates confirming the feudal rule in Gangoli-
1- Chami of Indra Rajwar, Bageshwar copper plate 1516.
2- Anandchand Rajwar’s Kirauli, Berinag copper plate 1519.
3- Prithvi Chand Rajwar’s Athigaon, Ganai Gangoli Copper Plate Shake 1532.
4- Athigaon copper plate of Mahendrapal, 1544.
Apart from the above copper plates, the copper plate obtained from Bheta (Kalapani), Pithoragarh (Shake 1525 or 1603 AD) is also important, which confirms the rule of Rajwar Namant in the Saryu East region. Regarding the Askot-Pal rulers, Pandit Badridatt Pandey writes – “The king of this dynasty who sits on the throne is called Rajwar. The crown prince is called Lala and the brothers are called Gusai.’ But historical facts make it clear that some members of the royal family were called ‘Gusai’ and the brothers were called ‘Rautela’. At present Rajwar, Gusain and Rautela have merged into the Kumaoni Kshatriya caste. The word Rautela was derived from the combination of the words ‘Raut’ and ‘Ila’.
Raut-
‘Raut’ was a title indicating bravery during in Chand period. Apart from this, Rawat Kshatriyas of Kumaon are also called ‘Raut’ in Kumaoni. The descendants of the ancient Kirat caste of Uttarakhand are now called ‘Vanraji’ or ‘Vanraut’, who used to live in large numbers in the area around Askot. Probably the first Askot-Pal ruler Abhaypal had acquired the throne of Askot from the Vanrajis.
The Bheta copper plate of Shake 1525, belonging to the Askot royal family, is a joint copper plate of two kings Laxmichand and his subordinate Kalyanchand Rajwar. In the beginning of this copper plate, the donation resolution made by King Lakshmanchandra has been mentioned. But this joint copper plate was issued by the Askot-Pal ruler Kalyanpal Rajwar, in which Kunwar Mahendrapal is also mentioned. This copper plate confirms the fact that Mahendrapala was under the protection of the copper plate issuer Kalyanpal.
Last Feudal Ruler Of Gangoli –
After Raipal’s death, Indra Rajwar, Anand Rajwar, Prithvi Rajwar and Mahendrapal ruled Gangoli respectively. The copper plates of all these princes have been obtained from Gangoli area. But after the Ganai Gangoli copper plates of the Rajwar ruler Mahendrapal (1622 AD), the copper plates of other princes have not been found. Hence Mahendrapal was the last feudal ruler of Gangoli. In the period between 1588 and 1623 AD, four Rajwar rulers ruled the Gangoli state of east Saryu for an average of nine years each. Therefore, on the basis of fixed period of rule, the feudal rulers of Gangoli can also be called ‘Governors of Gangoli’, whose appointment the Askot royal family had the right to do.
Features Of Gangoli’s Feudal Rule-
1- Degree-
There was a tradition of inscribing the title of the independent ruler as ‘Rajadhiraja Maharaj’ or ‘Maharajadhiraja’ in the published copper plates of the medieval Chand and regional satraps Askot-Pal, Doti-Malla and Sor-Bam. Whereas in the published copper plates of the princes obtained from Gangoli, only the title of ‘Rajadhiraj’ is engraved. Hence, it is clear that the rulers holding the nominal title of Rajwar in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries were not independent.
Rudrachand (1568-1597), a contemporary of the Rajwars, was the king of the entire Kumaon. Mughal historian Abdul Qadir Badayuni confirms this fact in his history as follows – “In 1588, the king of Kumaon came to Lahore via Siwalik mountain. He met King Salamat.” The declaration of Rudrachand as the king of Kumaon by the Mughals makes it clear that the flourishing of Chand and Askot-Pal kingdom in a particular period and in a particular area in this hilly state was possible only when one of them Was a friendly subordinate state. The princely rulers of Askot, who held the title of Rajadhiraja and had the right to issue copper plates, were subordinate to the Chandas in the Saryu East region, including Gangoli.
2- Right To Issue Copper Plates-
One conclusion that emerges from the study of a few published copper plates is that the tradition of engraving the date in the inscription had started in the few copper plates issued from Shaka 1490 (1568 AD). Rudrachand’s published old copper plate Shake 1490 was the first Chand copper plate, in the inscription part of which the date was marked. Probably, Rudrachand had approved such a change on the occasion of his coronation, following the copper plates issued from Kartikeyapur.
In all the few copper plates before 1568 AD, the date was engraved at the beginning of the account. For example, in Kalyanchand’s published Jakhpant copper plate Shake 1482 and “Kumour Panchayati Decision Letter”, the date was engraved in the initial lines. The date has also been engraved in the initial lines in the published copper plates of Askot-Pal dynasty obtained from Gangoli. Like the Chandas, there was a tradition of marking the date in the initial lines only in the copper plates of the Askot-Pal kings of the fourteenth century.
Being a subordinate ruler, the princes of Gangoli did not follow King Rudrachand in marking dates in copper plates. Probably the princes had complete freedom to get the copper plates engraved.
3- Family Rule-
Raipal was the first subordinate ruler during the reign of Chand Raja Rudrachand of Kumaon, who ruled the Saryu East region from 1581 to 1588 AD. After the assassination of Raipal, the Saryu East region including Gangoli was ruled by the family members of the Askot-Pal dynasty on the principle of division of territory and appointment of the Governor.
The impact of this rule can be seen in the cultural heritage of Kumaon. The Makar Sankranti festivals of Saryu East Kumaon region like Ghrit and Ghughutiya are celebrated a day before the rest of Kumaon on the last day of Shravan and Paush months (Masant in Kumaoni) respectively. The main reason for this was the dual rule system or Rajwar rule in the Saryu East region for a short period. The Rajwar rulers would have been present in the Almora Chand royal court on the occasion of Sankranti with gifts. Therefore, in the Saryu East state ruled by him, the tradition of celebrating festivals with special gifts a day earlier came into existence, which is still in practice.
4- Four Chaudhary Panchayat System-
The main feature of the Rajwar feudal rule in Gangoli was the Panchayat system, which was also called the Char Chaudhary system. Four Choudharys were village level officials. The mention of four Chaudhary Panchayat system is found in the copper plates of Rajwar rulers Anandchand Rajwar and Prithvi Chand Rajwar. Whereas historians also relate the Kumaoni ‘Chaudhary’ caste to the ‘Char Burha’ system of the early Chand period. It is clear from the copper plates of Rajwar rulers that instead of ‘Char Burha’ of Champawat, ‘Char Chaudhary’ system was prevalent in Gangoli.
The four Chaudharys mentioned in Anandchand’s Kirauli copper plate included two Karkis, one Bisht and one head of the Bafila caste. Even at present, people of Karki, Bisht and Bafila castes live in the villages around Kirauli. On the basis of reasons like matrimonial relations with Chands, ‘Char Choudhary’ system and not changing the traditional copper plate writing style, etc., it can be said that the princes of Gangoli were completely autonomous rulers.
End Of Feudal Rule In Gangoli-
The state post ‘Gangalo’ established by Balo Kalyanchand for Gangoli is not mentioned in the few copper plates issued from 1581 AD to 1622 AD. Whereas the state post of Gangola was again given place among the witnesses of Dilipchand’s Kumaud order letter Shake 1545/1623 AD. After the death of King Laxmichand, a special phase of conspiracy and struggle for high positions started in Almora. In this conflict, Piru Gusain, Vinayak Bhatt and Sumatu Karki (Shakram Karki or Shurtan Karki) took control of the power of Almora. Piru Gusain, Vinayak Bhatt and Sumatu Karki played the role of ruler makers in the history of Kumaon from 1621 AD. Due to his actions like killing of King Vijaychand, blinding Kunwar Neela Gusain, installing Trimalchand on the throne etc., he is called the ruler maker ‘Trimurti’.
Piru Gusain, mentioned in the Kirauli and Gannai-Gangoli copper plates, had served under the Rajwar rulers in Gangoli. When the Chand kingdom came into their hands in 1621 AD, they ended the feudal or Rajwar rule in Gangoli. In place of feudal rule, an officer named ‘Gangola’ was again appointed to rule Gangoli. This is also confirmed by the Kumaud order letter, Mara Dhada-2, in which ‘Gagola’ or ‘Gangola’ and six state posts are mentioned. The Rajwar rule over the Gangoli or Saryu East region ended forever in 1623 AD.
✐ Dr. Narsingh