History of Kumaon (Set of 3 Books)

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Administrative History of Uttarakhand: Kumaon and Garhwal (An Old and Rare Book) About the Book This study is a pioneer attempt to reconstruct the Administrative History of Uttarakhand (Kumaon and Garhwal) during the rule of East India Company on the basis of primary sources, hitherto untouched.

The book in its seven chapters deals with various aspects of administrative policies of British masters during the Company Rule (1815-1857). With the British takeover in 181S, the Garhwal was divided into two parts British Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal State.

British Garhwal became a part of Kumaon Commissioner and in Tehri Garhwal State; the erstwhile Parmar rulers were reinstalled.

Realizing the geo-political importance of Uttarakhand British molded their policies in this region. They did not interfere with the local traditions as far as possible to maintain a friendly area in the north.

It is believed that the book will prove beneficial to the academicians, scholars and all those having interest in the regional history.

About the Author Dr. Ajay Arora did his M.A. and Ph.D. (History) from Kumaon University, Nainital (U.P.). Presently he is working as Head, Deptt. of Tourism, Kumaon University, Nainital. His areas of interest include Regional History, Tourism Management and Marketing. Currently he is working on prospects of Adventure Tourism in Kumaon.

Preface Uttarakhand (Kumaon and Garhwal) is an integral part of the Indian heritage. The earliest references regarding this area all cited in the Skanda Purana (Kedar Khand), Manas Khand and the Mahabharata in the Van Parva. Its magnetic pull has been drawing painters and philosophers, mystics and sages since a very long time. Even today Badrinath, Kedamath, Jageshwar, Gangotri, Jumnotri etc. are the home of the great Gods for the Hindus.

But from the historical viewpoint, Uttarakhand remains a relatively unexplored area. The rugged topography and an inaccessible terrain" at least in the past has bred insularity in outlook and to a certain extent an indigenous political history.

With the British Occupation of Uttarakhand (Kumaon and Garhwal) in 1815, Garhwal was divided into two parts, British Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal State. British Garhwal became a part of Kumaon commissioner, known as British Garhwal or Garhwal District and in Tehri Garhwal State, the rest while Parmar rulers were reinstalled. Prospects of trade with Tibet through the passes of Kumaon and Garhwal led the British to annex the area. But later the proximity of Uttarakhand to Western Tibet largely molded the British policies in this region. The need to check the growth of Russian influence in Central Asia added to the importance of the Uttarakhand in the eyes of the British masters. Realizing the geo-political advantage of annexing Uttarakhand the British geared lip their adll~i; 1istration accordingly.

The present study is a pioneer attempt to collect, collate and synthesize the administrative history of Kumaon Commissioner and Tehri Garhwal State during the Company rule, 1815-1857.

I must avail this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Ajay S. Rabat, Head, Department of History, Kumaon University, Nainital, for his valuable suggestions and. persistent encouragement which has facilitated the culmination of the work.

I would like to record my heartfelt gratitude for Prof. H.N. Dixit, Head, Department of Sanskrit, Kumaon University, Nainital, for his valuable suggestions and help in publication of this work.

Acknowledgements are also due to Mrs. Sushma Rawat for her encouragement during the course of the study, to my wife Geetanjali for her assistance, Mr. Surendra K. Singh, the typist, Mr. Arun Kumar Chaudhary, Proprietor A.R. Printers, Shri Shyam Lal Malhotra Proprietor, Eastern Book Linkers, Delhi for undertaking the publication of the work, officials of National Archives, New Delhi, State Archives, Lucknow, Regional Archives, Nainital and the Central Library, Kumaon University.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages

The Archaeology of Kumaon - Including Dehra-Dun (An Pin hole Old and Rare Book) **Contents and Sample Pages**

British Administration in Kumaon Himalayas (An Old & Rare Book) About the Book

From the historical viewpoint. Kumaon to this day remains a relatively unexplored area. The rugged topography and terrain, had made communication extremely difficult, resulting, to a certain extent, in an insular outlook and an indigenous administrative history. The present study is a pioneer endeavor to collect. collate and synthesize the administrative history of the Kumaon Himalayas mainly on the basis of primary sources. After the British acquisition, Kumaon was constituted as a 'non-regulation' area and thus was ruled by a separate set of uncodified laws.

In the present work an in-depth study of the people of Kumaon against the background of its administrative history has been made. It also brings to light the true aims, policies and modes of operation of the British in Kumaon and the consequent political repercussions.

About the Author

ARUN K. MITTAL received his Ph.D. in history from Kumaun University, Nainital in 1977 for his work on Sir Henry Ramsay. He then made a comprehensive study of the Administrative History of Kumaon during the British Rule for which he has recently been awarded the D.Litt degree by the same university. He is the author of many text and reference books and has also published several articles and research papers in reputed Journals. He is currently working on the 'Socio- Economic History of Kumaon.

Preface

KUMAON is an integral part of the Indian heritage. It is difficult to ascertain the antiquity of the word 'Kumaon People believe it to be a natural evolution from the word 'Kurmanchal', named after the incarnation of lord Vishnu as a tortoise (Kurma).

Little is known about the administration of Kumaon prior to 2500 BC. B.D. Pandey is of the opinion that from 2500 BC. to 700 A.D. this area was ruled by a Suryavanshi clan known as 'Katyuri', while Rahul Sankrityayan puts them between 850-1050 A.D. After the decline of the Katyuri dynasty, the Chands emerged as another prominent dynasty in Kumaon. According to B.D. Pandey they ruled Kumaon from 80 to 1790 A.D.. but Rahul Sankrityayan puts their rule between 1400 to 1790 A.D. Earlier the capital of the Chand rulers were Champawat but it was changed to Almora some- where around 1560 AD. and thereafter Almora became the nucleus of the Chand dominion. The Chand dynasty ruled Kumaon upto 1790 when it was uprooted by the Gukhas of Nepal. The Gurkhas ruled Kumaon for a short period. In 1815, by the treaty of Saigauli, Kumaon was annexed by the British. The treaty of Saigauli also ceded Garhwal to the British. Thus, the British Garhwal also became part of Kumaon Commissionary Upto 1839, Kumaon Commissionary cons- tituted only one district known as Kumaon, but in 1839, it was divided into two districts-Kumaon and British Garhwal In 1842, another district was formed Known as the Tarai distric This arrangement continued upto 1891. In 1892, the names of the districts of Kumaon Commissionary were changed and the new districts were named Almora, Nainital and British Garhwal This system remained in force throughout the British rule. Earlier the headquarter of the Kumaon Commissionary was Almora which was shifted to Nainital in 1857.

During the earlier 19th century the British conquered States (e.g. Oudh and Kumaon) were constituted as non-regulation areas. They were governed directly by the Governor-General with the assistance of a Commissioner and had separate rules and regulations as it was believed that the laws of the regulated provinces might not suit the local conditions of these areas and implementation of identical laws would do injustice to the people of these areas. Therefore, here the Commissioner was much more powerful than his prototype in the regulated areas. The Commissioner of Kumaon had, in civil and criminal cases, the powers equivalent to the powers of a High Court Judge and a Sessions Judge, respectively.

**Contents and Sample Pages**