Himachal Archives

Panchvaktar Temple of Jammu (Courtesy Amar Ujala) Raja Mal Dev of Jammu of the Dev Dynasty was perhaps one of the greatest rulers of Jammu. At the time of his ascension to the throne, there was a dramatic shift in the geopolitics of North-west India. The Tughlaq control on the throne of Delhi had weakened considerably, and in any case times were difficult for the native Hindus of the region in general. In such a scenario, Timur , the slaughterer, has turned up in India, attracted by the riches and his desire to be called the greatest general. Having created a mountain of "kafir" Hindu skulls in Delhi, he had gone towards Haridwar, causing further chaos and bloodshed there as well of the pilgrims who had come to take a dip in the Ganga. Ascending the throne in 1347 AD, Mal Dev had succeeded Jodh Dev, and was noted for good physical prowess, especially his ability to carry huge boulders upwards from the Tawi River basin. His rule actually saw the twenty two principalit...

Maharaja Pratap Singh (Source: Wikipedia) Maharaja Ranbir Singh was a beacon of the Dogra dynasty, and had certainly much to his credit, including the annexation of Gilgit-Baltistan, Hunza and Chitral, criminal and legal reforms like the introduction of the Ranbir Danda Vidhana that also took into account forensic evidences like fingerprints, and pushing for industrialization via support to shawl making, horticulture, silk production and many others. However, in the twilight of his life, frequent illnesses caused him severe disabilities, keeping him away from administrative affairs. In the absence of a strong monarch, corruption, administrative malpractices, and nepotism had taken deep roots into the Jammu and Kashmir state. Several terrible taxes that were originally introduced for the purpose of funding military campaigns continued – in fact, they became routes for siphoning money from the state coffers, rendering it bankrupt. Moreover, Ranbir Singh had three sons – Pratap S...