Black and White Picture of Raja Ugar Singh of Hindur, 1840-1850 (from Archer's book on Punjab Hills Paintings) Picture the year: 1795. The foothills of the Shivaliks are tense, echoing with the tramp of armed men and the grinding pressure of regional rivalries. Down in the valleys, Raja Ram Saran Singh Handuriya of Handur (modern-day Nalagarh) is caught in a grinding political bind. For years, Handur has ridden the coattails of Kangra’s aggressive campaigns against its bitter historical rival, Bilaspur (then known as Kahlur). But looking out across his contested borders, Ram Saran Singh faces a heavier, more haunting question: Does he continue serving as a satellite to Kangra’s ambitions, or does he break away, side with Maha Chand and Bilaspur, and reclaim a fractured sense of Rajput honor? The friction between Handur and Bilaspur was rooted in continuous struggles over strategic border zones, crucial river-crossing points, and the Satgarha (seven forts) territory. Because Handur...
Kashmir 1931 - Finding the Truth (courtesy MediaVigil) Maharaja Hari Singh, as I pointed out in an earlier post, had committed to a formation of an independent India at the 1931 round table. Since then, every occasion was sought by the british to put him down. An occasion was created in 1931 which is often touted as Martyrs Day by Kashmiri Muslim separatists. However, a careful examination of the entire incident tells one that the 20 June incident was nothing but a fabrication. To this day, the incidents of Jammu can not be linked to the reason for the protests in Srinagar. Whatever fabrications the entire cabal may try, fact of the matter remains that Jammu saw its affairs entirely separately in matters of religion and had full faith in the Maharaja's Raj. The cases of Jammu Jail and Udhampur will case are entirely fabrications, references to which can still not be found in official records. If there were such cases, one wonders why there are no such records in the archi...