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History
State
limits in ancient times : Nurpur state in ancient times included Pathankot,
Shahpur and Kandi and a large tract on the plains; in addition to the whole of the present
Nurpur Tahsil, except the tappa of Gango. A small tract to the west of the Ravi, called
Lakhanpur, now in Jammu, was also within the state in later times. (District
Gazetteer, Kangra District 1924-1925)
The state was bounded on the north by Chamba, on the east by Kangra and Gular, on the
south by the Punjab plains, and on the west by the Ravi. The original capital and nucleus
was Pathankot, of which the name in Mughal times was Paithan, an abbreviation of
Pratishthana, meaning, “the firmly established place.” (History of Punjab
Hill States - J Hutchison and J. PH. Vogel)
Sir A. Cunningham was at first inclined to regard it as “a genuine Hindu word derived
from pathan, meaning ‘road’ as if intended to describe the first meeting of the
roads which there takes place”
This derivation, however, he afterwards abandoned in favour of Pratishthana, of which the
abbreviated name, Paithan, is found both in the Aini-i-Akbari and Badshahnamah.
“I can find no trace of the name in the historians of Alexander, but the quotations
which I have given from Varahamihira and the Puranas show that the name was well known
before the Muhammdan invasions. (Ancient India - Rapson)
Original capital : The original capital was at Pathankot of which the
ancient name was Pratishthana, meaning “the firmly established place.” In later
times it became Paithan. There is another Paithan on the Godavari- the later capital of
the Andras (B.C. 220 to A.D. 236), of which the Sanskrit name is known from the copper
plater of Govinda III to have been Pratishthana. There was also a third Pratishthana on
the left bank of the Ganges, not far from the junction with the Jamna, which is repeatedly
mentioned in Sanskrit literature.
It is thus evident that the name was well known in ancient times, and in its modern form
it has no association with the Pathans of the North-West frontier. Parallels for the
addition of ‘Kot’ (fort) are found in many other place-name. (District
Gazetteer, Kangra District 1924-1925)
Ancient name of the district : The ancient name of the whole district was
probably Audumbara or the country of the Udumbaras and coins have been found at Pathankot,
bearing this superscription. It was a tribal name and is found in the Mahabharat. The date
of the coins is about B.C. 100. Pratishthana was probably the capital of the ancient
state, of which the name of one Raja has come down to us, on whose coin is found the
following legend.
Mahadevasarana Dharaghoshasa Odumbarisa, ‘meaning “(coin) of the Great Lord King
Dharaghosha Prince of Audumbara.” This legend is on both the obverse and reverse of
the coins, and in the Kharoshti and Brahmi characters, respectively, which were used
concurrently in that region of the Punjab. (District Gazetteer, Kangra District
1924-1925)
Another coin of the Audumbara Rajas is recorded in volume I, Indo-Greek coins, Punjab
museum, with the legend- Rajna Vamakisa Rudravarmasa vijayate. (History of Punjab Hill
States - J Hutchison and J. PH. Vogel)
Professor Rapson has the following note on the Audumbara coins :
“Audumbara, or the country of the Udumbaras, was situated in that region of the
Punjab in which the two alphabets of ancient India, Brahmi and Kharohthi, were used
concurrently. The coins are found in the neighbourhood of Pathankot in the Gurdaspur
district. They show the influence of the Greek type of coinage. In fabric and style they
somewhat resemble the coins of Apllodotus, a prince of the house of Euthydemus, and they
are sometimes found in association with them. Their date would seem to be about 100
B.C.” (Ancient India - Rapson)
“The most curious, and by far the most interesting coin discovered at Pathankot, were
six early Hindu coins which certainly date as high as the beginning of the Christain era.
As I have not found a single specimen of these coins elsewhere, I take them to be the
ancient coinage of Pathankot itself. These coins are thin pieces of copper, either square
or oblong, with a temple on one face and an elephant on the other. Beside the temple are
the symbols of Swasti and Dharma, and underneath is a snake. Before the elephant there is
a tree surrounded by a Buddhist railing, with an Aryan legend on two sides, of which one
half reads distinctly, Odumbara. It is possible that the inscription may refer to the tree
which it accompanies, an Udumbara or Ficus Glomerata; but I think it more probable that it
must be the name of the town or district”. (Sir A. Cunningham Archeological
Survey reports Vol.-XIV 1878-9)
The name, Audumbara, probably continued in use as the name of the district, down almost to
the time of the Muhammadan invasions, after which Pratishthana, or Paithan, came into
prominence, as the original capital of the Nurpur State. It is noteworthy that even as
late as the reign of Shahjahan, that state was still called “Mau and Paithan,”
and not till a still later period was it desigated by the name of Nurpur. The transfer of
the capital from Pathankot to Nurpur, then called Dhameri, occurred in the time of Akbar,
but there is no reason to believe that Nurpur was only then founded; on the contrary, as
already suggested, it also probably was an ancient town, and may have been one of the
seats of the earlier dynasty. (History of Punjab Hill States - J Hutchison and J. PH.
Vogel)
Pathankot an ancient site : Pathankot is probably one of the oldest sites in the Punjab,
and it must slways have been a place of great importance, situated as it is at the foot of
the hills between the Ravi and the Bias. Many ancient coins have been found on the site,
some of them dating from the early centuries of the Christian era. The ancient city stood
on the ridge to the east of the fort, where ancient remains have been found. The modern
town was founded in the 15th century. The fort, in which the Rajas resided, is now in
ruins, having been demolished after the annexation of the Punjab in 1849. The bricks were
of large size,a certain proof of great age.
Jhet Pal, A.D. 1000 foundation of the State : The founder of the Nurpur
state was Jhet Pal, a cadet of the Tunwar or Tomar royal line of Delhi. He is also called
Rana Bhet in the records. He is said tohave conquered the country form the previous ruler,
probably about A.D. 1000 and made Pathankot his capital, hence the clan-name, Pathania,by
which the family is known. They are of Pandava descent and Chandra-bansi race.
The early history of the state, from its foundation to the time of Akbar, is obscure, but
from that time onward a great amount of historical material is available in the works of
the Mughal historians, and the date of each reign can be accurately fixed. (District
Gazetteer, Kangra District 1924-1925)
Punjab
came under Muhammadan rule from the time of its conquest by Mahmud of Ghazni, and the
States bordering on the plains would naturally by the first to suffer. In any case it
seems probable that the Pathania Rajas, realizing their danger, made it a part of their
policy to keep on good terms with the new paramount power at Lahore and Delhi, and thus
saved their country by timely submission.
The Nurpur fort, now partly demolished, was begun by Raja Basu, A.D. 1580-1613, and added
to by succeeding Rajas, as is evident from the existing portions of the work; an earlier
fort must have stood on the same site. The stronghold is situated on a plateau forming the
western end of the ride on which the town is built, with almost precipitous cliffs of
sandstone on three sides, overlooking the Jabhar Khad, a tributary of the Chakki. The main
gateway and some of the bastions and curtains are still extant, and present an imposing
appearance when viewed from the west, on the approach from Pathankot to Nurpur.
Some important forts of this area : The fortress of Maukot stood on the
summit of the Mau range of low hills, running parallel to the Chakki and to the east of
that river, about half way between Pathankot and Nurpur. It is frequently referred to by
the Muhammada historians, and figures prominently in the history of the state till the
time of Shahjahan, when it was completely demolished.
The fort of Pathankot is now a ruin, about 600 feet square. It was demolished after the
annexation of the Punjab in 1849, the bricks being used at Madhopur in connection with the
head-works of the Bari Doab Canal. They are of large size- a certain proof, says Sir
Cunningham, of Hindu origin and great age. The original town of Pathankot stood on the
high ground to east and north-east of the fort, where mounds still mark the site and
ancient coins have been found. The present town is said to have been founded in the
fifteenth century. (History of Punjab Hill States - J Hutchison and J. PH. Vogel)
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