Bushahr: the Sutlej valley state and the road to Tibet

Bushahr was the largest of the hill states in the upper Sutlej basin, covering what is now Kinnaur and a large part of the Shimla hills. It controlled the trade route that ran up the Sutlej gorge toward Tibet, and its rulers were unusual in the hills for keeping a working relationship with Lhasa.

Kamru and Rampur

The dynasty claimed great antiquity and an early seat at Kamru Fort, above the Sangla valley, where the tutelary goddess Kamakhya is still housed. The working capital later moved down to Rampur on the Sutlej, which grew into the main market town of the region and still holds the Lavi fair each November — a trade fair that dates from a treaty with Tibet.

Mughal and Gurkha periods

Bushahr paid tribute to the Mughals but was too remote to be garrisoned. When the Gurkhas swept west across the Sutlej after 1803, Bushahr was overrun along with the smaller states around it.

British protection

The Anglo-Gurkha War of 1814–16 pushed the Gurkhas back, and Bushahr was restored as a British-protected state. From the 1850s the British drove the Hindustan–Tibet Road up the Sutlej through Bushahr territory, opening Kinnaur to outside traffic for the first time. The state acceded to India in 1948.

Sources

• Wikipedia — Bushahr
• Wikipedia — Rampur Bushahr
• Wikipedia — Kinnaur district