Dutt Kavi's Memories of the Jammu-Kangra Battle - Thoughts on the Brajraj Panchasika

Raja Ranjit Dev of Jammu (courtesy Christie's)

Reading through the Rajdarshani, the annals of Jammu's history as written by Ganesh Das Badehra, has been a rather engaging exercise. The deeper one goes into the text, the more layers on the missing links to the history of the Panjab Hill States open up. One particular aspect of the history that gets less highlighted (rather ignored) is the rivalry of Jammu and Kangra. It is rather intriguing that the popular memory gap has been so poorly discussed and deliberated upon anywhere. One such instance, thanks to Dr. S S Charak’s work on a critical edition of the Rajdarshani, has been rather useful. 

It is not surprising that there is rivalry -through the history of the region, these were the two biggest princely states, and so it was but natural that competition for influence would take place. Curiously, the two have also seen continuity of dynasties for more than a millennium at the least. While the rivalries of Nagarkot or Kangra and Jammu gets highlighted at multiple places, one particular incident from 1773 AD definitely generates great interest due to evidence to corroborate it.

Raja Ghamand Chand Katoch 

The reasons why Raja Ranjit Singh Dev’s era is known as the golden era of Jammu Raj become kind of apparent as you read through the Rajdarshani. Of course, the turbulence in Panjab, thanks to the harassment by Nadir Shah, the Khalsa Misls, and the Afghans caused an exodus of a variety of people towards Jammu, and they got refuge and opportunities to restart their lives under the patronage of Ranjit Singh Dev. Of course, rivalries of other hill states with the Baiyya Raja, the sovereign among the twenty two states of Panjab Hills, remains a matter of great interest to study. In typical Pahadi Rajput historiography that we see recorded through ballads and songs, there are interestingly formal poetic ballads linked to the valour of the Jammu rulers, telling us a lot about the times and interconnections between them and other princely states of the region.

One such ballad, the Brajraj Panchasika, was written by the poet Kavi Dutt, who accompanied Brajraj Dev, a family member, especially on the campaign against Kangra in 1773. At that time, the ruler of Kangra was Raja Ghamand Chand Katoch, who shortly passed away in 1774. The battle’s ground is one where the Queen of Chamba, who was essentially the sister of Raja Ranjit Singh Dev, seeks help to repel an invasion by the Kangra forces. As the Kangra forces occupied the Pathiyar fort of Chamba, the queen, whose minor son Raja Raj Singh was still too young to appear on the battlefield, appealed for help. The ballad interestingly is a good chronicle of the of the circumstances and the events as they unfold.

Amrit Pal of Basohli (in yellow) with Ranjit Dev smoking hookah (Nainsukh's painting, courtesy Christie's)

The route is interesting, and also shows the political alliances as they stacked up. Taking along Raja Amrit Pal of Basohli, who was also his brother in law, Braj Raj Dev took along others and reached Hari Mandir. As the doha from the Panchasika goes;

अजमत दे मनकोटिआ सम्सेर चन्द हन्ताल । दत्त बलावर को धनी मीआं अम्मत पाल ॥ ८ ॥।

रतन दे जसरोटिआ अरु जयसिह बंद्राल । इन भूपन को साथ ले करहु गमन ततकाल ।। ६ ॥

He crosses the Ravi and reach Nurpur where Raja Prithvi Singh Pathania welcomes him and joins forces, then Haripur (Guler), and then Raja Rai Singh joins in. Kangra is sacked in the absence of Ghamand Chand, and then as the camp sets up crossing the Beas near Jwala ji, when the forces of the Katoch rush back from Nadaun towards Kaleshwar. Interestingly, Brajraj also rejigs the state boundaries, wherein Kutlehar (Una) is merged into Kalhur (Bilaspur), while Siba is broken to give Prithvipur to Govind Chand Dadhwal among other decisions.

Raja Prithvi Singh Pathania (courtesy NMMA)

Kavi Dutt in his poetic style clearly shows the dominance of Jammu, and its lyrical quality, and also points to the prevalence of Braj bhasha as a high culture link language for the region. There is interestingly one section in it that seems to be significantly reminiscent of present day Dogri-Kangri language:

तद्धांही वझूरा असां जहलू चब्यालवला।

खुस्सया पद्यारा मत्त कीती जी गुआलांदी ॥

गाहने ही लंधी बुत्त नदी षरी भारी हंण।

माछी भोण आइ बुदे फौज जमुआलांदी ॥

अज्जे कललेमंझ मिली लेह ण सां गुलेरिआं जो ।

पोसो हुण वाल उन्हां कन्‍ने डड्आलांदी ॥

बप्पड़े सिबेए बड़ा जोर पाए मिली जांधे।

बोल्या बुत्त रहसी क्‍या चेड़ जसुआलांदी ॥ 

This is not surprising, given how Kavi Dutt is also regarded as one of the earliest poets of Dogri language.

The event was definitely of great importance, because Dr. Charak gave another interesting reference by Shahamat Ali’s journal The Sikhs and the Afghans as a reference point to strengthen the validity of the battle. What is interesting though is that despite Vir Ras like elements, Kavi Dutt gave little to no description of a clash of soldiers and/or any other battlefield activities. From Ali’s journal however, we do read about an actual confrontation:

Ranjeet Deo sent a large force, headed by Ratan Deo, to attack the territory of Raja Karm Chand, the grandfather of Rajah Sansar Chand Katoch. Many of the petty chiefs on the road by which the army advanced acknowledged his authority without offering any obstacle to the progress of the expedition. On its approach to Nadon it was bravely opposed by Raja Karm Chand, and a battle ensued between the two parties, in which the Katoch chief was defeated with great loss, and obliged to sue for peace. He agreed that his son, Mian Teij Singh, should remain a hostage with Ranjeet Deo, and that he would pay the latter an annual contribution of one lakh and ninety thousand rupees.

Of course, the event takes place in the backdrop of a lot of turmoil in India. But it is definitely interesting to note that the poem holds great historical significance. The sheer number of references to contemporary kings with such great accuracy, and the description of geographies of the various places of stay, many of which like Raja ka Tal of Nurpur still exist today, remind you of how history continues to live on long past its actors.