Chamba: one of India's longest-ruling dynasties

Chamba was one of the longest-lived states in India: its ruling dynasty held power in an unbroken line from the 6th century until it acceded to India in 1948. Because it lay off the main invasion routes, its temples and records survived where others were lost, and the state is now one of the best sources for the early history of the hills.

Bharmour and Chamba

The state was founded around 550 CE by Raja Maru, with its capital at Brahmapura — modern Bharmour, where the group of stone temples known as the Chaurasi still stands. About 920 CE King Sahil Varman moved the capital down the Ravi to a new town, which he named Chamba after his daughter Champavati. He built the Lakshmi Narayan temple complex, still the centre of the old town.

Mughal and Sikh periods

Chamba paid tribute to the Mughals from the 16th century but was never garrisoned or annexed, so its rajas kept real power. In the early 19th century it came under pressure from Ranjit Singh's Sikhs and paid tribute to Lahore.

British protection and Pahari art

After the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1846 Chamba became a British-protected princely state. Its court had long supported a distinctive school of Pahari miniature painting and the fine embroidery known as the Chamba rumaal. Raja Bhuri Singh, who ruled from 1904 to 1919, founded the Bhuri Singh Museum in 1908 to keep the collection together; it is still open.

Accession

Chamba acceded to India on 15 April 1948 and was merged into the new Himachal Pradesh as a district.

Sources

• Wikipedia — Chamba State
• Wikipedia — Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
• Wikipedia — Bhuri Singh Museum