Pathania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pathania is the name of a branch of the Tomara clan of ChandravanshiYaduvanshi rajputs. They mostly live in and around Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu in north India. This clan has to its credit three Maha Vir Chakra winners in the Indian Army.
About the Book (Twarikh Rajgan-E-Pathania-E-Nurpur, Zila Kangra (History of Pathania Rajas of Nurpur, District Kangra)by Mian Rughnath Singh Pathania.
Written in 1904 A.D., the book documents seven hundred year's history of Pathania royal house of Nurpur from the year 1138 A.D. to 1885 A.D. The author Rughnath Singh Pathania of Rey, a small village in the vicinity of Indora in District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh, traces the origin of Pathania Rajputs to the Tanwar Dynasty of Delhi. Rana Jethpal (1183-1208 A.D.), the younger brother of Anang Pal III of Delhi, came to Jallandhar Daob to carve out a territory for himself. Since he defeated Kuzbak Khan, the Afghan Governor of Pathankot and became master of the Fort and the town, he came to be knwon as Pathania instead of Tanwar Rajput.
A few generations later, Raja Jagat Singh, the glorious most among the Pathania rulers, shifted his capital from Pathankot to a strategic hillock in Dharmeri (Nurpur) in Kangra District. Jagat Singh's rebellion against the Mughals in 1641 was defeated by Jai Singh I of Amber.
The author has traced the origin of the Pathania dynasty of Nurpur to the Pandavas of Mahabharata with the help of calendar from King Yudhishtir to Anang Pal III of Delhi.
The book was originally written in mixed persianized urdu and devnagari and English version was prepared by Mr. AN Walia.
The English version of the book was first published in 2004 ? by Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh, Shimla 171 009 Himachal Pradesh, India.
The Kingdom lasted for about eight centuries with its capital at Nurpur, now in Kangra district, all through their glorious history the Pathania clan rebelled against the foreign invaders, both Muslims and the British. Although sometimes the Pathania Kings held the high office's of Generals in the Mughal military and captured many a kigdom for the Mughal Emperor, yet time and again they rebelled against far more outnumbering forces of the Mughal's and other foreign invaders.
The last battle was fought in the mid-19th century against the British by the great Ram Singh Pathania for his King who was still a minor. After fighting a Guerilla war against the British, he made the British governor assemble a considerable force on the dhaula dhar mountains against him. Ram Singh Pathania defeated the british twice in pitched battles. The British had to use other means to capture this Brave Rajput Prince, and soon he was captured while he was praying on the banks of the Ravi river without his weapons, near the Shahpurkandi Fortress, and sent to Rangoon (Burma), where he is said to have died of natural causes, he was 23!! The Kingdom was annexed by the British soon after this.
Kunwar Ram Singh Pathania was the first freedom fighter of INDIA, who stood against the British might and managed to defeat them, but sadly not many people know about him outside his state. He has become a legend not beacause of his famous clan name, but for his valor and for the sacrifice he made for his king and country.
Every year a famous fair honoring his name is held in the dhaula dhar ranges of Himachal Pradesh, where the Armour and Sword of the Lionheart Kunwar Ram Singh Pathania is displayed.
