| Voice of Una : Mahendra
Dogra
Unemployment is posing a big threat to the youth of this district.
Children do not receive good quality primary education. Other than
formal education students should be built on their self confidence
and communication.
People are not very hard working. They just expect all the facilities
from the government.
Government should make facilities of providing good quality education.
Una District
Area, Population & Sex Ratio
Geographical Area : 1540.0 Km2
Population in Una (Census 2011)
Total Population
Total : 5,21,057
Male : 2,63,541
Female : 2,57,516
Under 6 population
Total : 58200
Male : 31117
Female : 27083
Disabled population
Total disabled population : 11172
In seeing : 4189
In speech : 837
In hearing : 639
In movement : 3986
Mental : 1521
Rank ( VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
)
Backwardness : Does not figure in list of 447 backward
districts
Sex Ratio Rank : 502
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : D
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Disability : 505 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 53 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Brief About Una District
Una is a district of Himachal Pradesh which lies in its south western
part. On the 1st September,1972 the Himachal Pradesh Govt.
reorganised the then Kangra district into three districts
namely Una, Hamirpur and Kangra.The famous places of Una are ‘Chintpurni’
Goddess temple, Dera Baba Barbhag Singh, Dera Baba Rudru, Joggi
Panga, Dharamshala Mahanta, Dhunsar Mahadev Temple Talmehra, Shivbari
Temple Gagret and Mini Secretariat. Una district is well developed
in the industrial sector due to close proximity to Punjab. Mehatpur,
Gagret, Tahliwal & Amb are main industrial centres of Una. On
11th January 1991, Una has been provided with railway line by laying
14 Kms broad gauge track from Nangal(Punjab) to Una. Punjabi, Hindi,
Pahari are common languages spoken. In winter, climate is cool,
woolen clothes required. In summer, climate is hot, cotton clothes
required. From July to September, it is rainy & humid.
History
The present Una district until 1st Nov., 1966 was
one of the tehsil of the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. Consequent
upon reorganization of Punjab all the hill areas including Una tehsil
was transferred to Himachal Pradesh. Eversince, until September,
1972 it continued to remain as tehsil of the then Kangra district.
On the 1st September,1972 the Himachal Pradesh Govt. reorganised
the then Kangra district into three districts namely Una, Hamirpur
and Kangra. Una district consists of two Sub-Divisions(Una and Amb),
three Tehsils(Bangana, Amb and Una) and two Sub-Tehsils(Haroli and
Bharwain) and is having five Development Blocks(Una, Bangana, Gagret,
Amb and Haroli).
PRE-INDEPENDENCE HISTORY
It is believed that the present Una district, minus
its Eastern side, was formally a part of the erstwhile Kangra State.
Bulk of the present Una district which is otherwise popularly known
as Jaswan Dun was ruled by the Katoch family of Kangra. The Jaswan
State which occupied a fertile tract in the JASWAN DUN valley of
the outer hills of the historical Kangra state was founded by a
cadet of the Katoch line about A.D.1170, whose name is said to have
been PURAB CHAND. Jaswan was the first off shoot from the parent
stem. It is not improbable, however, that the State was originally
a fief (Jagir) which became independent in the unsettled times following
on the Muhammadan invasions. From Purab Chand to Ummed Singh 27
Rajas in all ruled the Jaswan State. Not much is known about the
JASWAN STATE until the time of AKBAR when it became subject to Mughal
rule. But for one or two unsuccessful rebellion it remained loyal
to the Mughal empire and assisted the Mughals with contingents as
and when required. But with the decline of the Mughal empire and
rise of the Sikhs, the Jaswan state came under their dominance and
in 1786 Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra acquired paramount power in
the hills. So heavy was his hand even upon the off shoots of his
own family that they combined against him-Jaswan among them-when
the Gurkhas invaded Kangra under Amar Singh Thapa.
With the acquisition of Kangra Fort, on the expulsion of the Gurkhas
in 1809, JASWAN STATE became subject to Ranjit Singh and in 1815
it was annexed to the Sikh Kingdom. It was in the autumn of that
year Maharaja Ranjit Singh summoned all his forces, personal and
tributary, to assemble at SIALKOT, unluckily the Rajas of Nurpur
and Jaswan failed to obey the summons and a fine fixed beyond their
resources was imposed on each. Submitting quietly to his fate Raja
Ummed Singh resigned his State and accepted a JAGIR of Rs. 12000
annual value and thus came the end of JASWAN STATE which lasted
for probably 600 years.
Jaswan has yet to meet another challenge and taste another adversity
before final extinction. In consequence to the treaty of Lahore
of 9th March 1846, Hoshiarpur as a part of JALANDHAR DOAB had been
annexed to the British Territories. The Raja of Jaswan and other
Rajput princes, judging doubtlessly the liberal treatment the Shimla
Hill Chiefs had received at the hands of the British Authorities,
were under the belief that with the coming of the English the powers
sovereignty formerly enjoyed by them would be restored, though no
such hopes had ever been held out of them. But discovering that
change of masters had not changed their status, all of them sympathized
with the Sikh cause during the second Sikh War of 1848 and as such
Raja Ummed Singh joined the revolt of the Hill Chief against British
authority. John Lawrence then Commissioner of Hoshiarpur attacked
the Raja’s forts and razed them to the ground. His possessions were
confiscated and he and his son Jai Singh were deported to Almora
in Kumaon (Garhwal) in the North-West provinces, where both of them
died. Some time later, at the request of Maharaja Gulab Singh of
Jammu, Raja Ran Singh, son of Raja Jai Singh, was permitted to return,
in order that his son, Raghunath Singh might marry the Maharaja’s
grand-daughter.
In the year 1877, at the request of Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu
and Kashmir, the British government restored to Raja Ran Singh the
Jagir in Jaswan, originally held by Raja Ummed Singh consisting
of 21 villages in Jaswan Dun valley and the family garden at Amb,
as well as palace buildings of Raja Ummed Singh at Rajpura. Raja
Ran Singh died in 1892 and was succeeded by his son Raja Raghunath
Singh who also died in 1918. Thereafter, Laxman Singh succeeded
him who started residing at Amb. After expiry of Laxman Singh his
son Chani Singh is living at Amb.
But before a description is given of KUTHLEHAR STATE, which was
situated on the Eastern side of the present Una district a mention
of the principality of Bedi’s of Una, is a must. The District Gazetteer
of Hoshiarpur (1884) reads :- “Bedi Baba Kaladhari, a descendant
of Baba Nanak, crossed over from Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur), early
in the last century and after wandering about the Jullundur Doab,
for some years, finally settled down at Una, Hoshiarpur, where he
attracted a crowd of followers who flocked to hear his eloquent
disquisition on the Granth Sahib, a book as difficult of understanding
then as in the present day. The Jaswal Raja Ram Singh made himself
popular by granting the Bedi the revenue of seventy ghumaons of
land”. In Samvat 1860 (1804 A.D.) Raja Ummed Singh gave to Baba
Sahib Singh Bedi the whole of the Una Taluka, a grant which was
confirmed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Samvat 1872 and about the
same time he received Nurpur Taluka from Sardar Budh Singh. Later
on Maharaja Sher Singh gave Talhatti to Baba Bikrama Singh Bedi
and thus the principality of Bedi’s of Una went on flourishing and
expanding. And as such, after the annexation of the Jullundur Doab
by the British in 1846, Baba Bikrama Singh was one of the few powerful
Jagirdars left in the area. He held a jagir worth two lakhs of rupees
which included more than a dozen villages granted to him by Maharaja
Sher Singh and Maharaja Dalip Singh, besides the well fortified
and strong forts of Nurpur Bedian, Gunachaur and Dakhni Serai. The
announcement of the British Government to collect and melt all the
cannons seized from the local chiefs resulted in a clash between
Bikrama Singh Bedi and the British. Outright refusal to surrender
the guns at any cost led to dismantling of all the forts and melting
of the guns/cannons besides confiscating the jagir as punishment
and thereby offering a pension of Rs. 31,212 which was further reduced
to an insignificant amount of Rs. 12000. After turning down the
offer of reduced pension Baba Bikrama Singh Bedi devoted himself
whole heartedly in raising an armed revolt against the Britishers
in the hills. It was at this time that the hill Raja of Jaswan and
Datarpur also revolted thereby converting the entire Jaswan Dun
Valley from Hajipur to Rupar into a trouble spot for the British.
Baba Bikrama Singh rushed to reinforce the army of Jaswan Raja Ummed
Singh, but unfortunately he was defeated, before Bikrama Singh would
join him. Left alone after the defeat of hill Rajas Bikrama Singh
thought it advisable to join the forces of Sher Singh. After the
historic battles of Chillianwala and Gujrat a meeting of the topmost
leaders of the insurrection was held at Rawalpindi and in view of
the majority decision, of which he was not a party, Baba Bikrama
Singh who also surrendered alongwith others, remained in surveillance
at Amritsar till his death in 1863. Nowadays, Baba Sarvjot Singh
Bedi is on the holy and saintly gaddi.
Situated in the eastern part of the present Una district, as mentioned
earlier, Kuthlehar was the smallest of all the Kangra kingdom in
olden times. As it consisted of two provinces-Chauki and Kuthlehar,
hence the double name by which the State was generally known. The
territory of Kuthlehar has been formed by a break in the continuity
of the second or Jaswan Chain of the hills. As this ridge approaches
the Sutlej, it suddenly divides into two parallel branches; and
the valley between them, with a portion of the enclosing hills,
is the pretty State of Kuthlehar. The dynasty is one of considerable
antiquity. The progenitor of the family was a Brahmin but on acquiring
regal he was recognized as Rajput. Mr. G.C. Barnes states that he
came from Sambhal, near Moradabad but the family records trace his
descent from a Raja of Poona. About the tenth or eleventh century
the then head of the family, named Jas Pal, conquered the taluqas
of Talhatti and Kuthlehar and fixed his capital at Kot-Kuthlehar.
The two small states of Bhajji and koti in the Simla Hills were
said to have been founded, by his second son and grand-son. The
clan name is Kuthlehria.
Although the state is not mentioned in the Muhammadan histories
of the time yet the ruling family possess sanads granted by the
Mughal emperors, addressing them as Rai and recognising their rights
as rulers of the tracts Chauki, Kuthlehar, Mankhandi in Nadaun and
Talhatti in Hoshiarpur on payment of tribute and under the condition
of military service. They enjoyed tranquil possession of their territory
all through the Mughal period, but in later times the aggressions
of the neighbouring States reduced their country to the present
limits of the Kuthlehar taluqa .
In the year 1758 Ghamand Chand who was appointed Governor of the
hills by Ahmad Shah Durrani, annexed Chauki, the northern province
of the state and in 1786, Sansar Chand seized Kuthlehar and the
Raja was completely dispossessed, but during the Gurkha invasion
all his territory was restored. From 1809 the state was subject
to the Sikhs and in 1825 Maharaja Ranjit Singh determined to annex
it laid siege to the strong fort of kotwalbah. The defence was conducted
by Raja Narain Pal in person and for two long months the sieage
made no progress. Ultimately a promise of a jagir of Rs. 10000 was
then made, if the fort was surrendered, to which the Raja agreed.
During the first Sikh War, Raja Narain Pal succeeded in expelling
the Sikhs from Kotwalbah and later in consideration of his services,
he was awarded a life grant of Rs. 10000 in addition to the jagir
of like value which was afterwards confirmed to his heirs in perpetuity,
subject to a nazrana of Rs. 1188. He was also allowed three-fourths
of the forest income within his jagir. Later on one of the head
of the family Raja Brij Mohal Pal was the fifth Viceregal Darbari
in Kangra District.
The Punjab Gazetteer of the Hoshiarpur District (1883-84) in its
Chapter "The people" makes a mention of Rajput Chaudharis of Ambota
and the Brahmins of Takarla in Talhatti under the sub-head Minor
families on page 78 while that of "Babhaur family having eight branches
with the title of Rai to the head of each" on page 76-77 under the
head leading families besides Ranas of Kungrat who being merely
a respectable zamindar was enjoying a sufedposhi allowance of Rs.
180. Similarly a mention of Dadwal Rajputs of Pirthipur had been
made by Charles Francis Massy in his book CHIEFS AND FAMILIES OF
NOTE OF PANJAB (1890), which reads as follows:- “ The early history
of this family is as interesting from a mythical point of view as
that of Rai family of Babhaur. Both go back to Bhum Chand, the heaven
born. But they branched away from each other about twenty generation
ago, when Gani Chand son of Raja Megh Chand, came down from the
higher mountains and founded the kingdom of Guler, near Gopipur
Dera, Kangra, just north of the Hoshiarpur boundary line. His possessions
passed to his elder son Makamal Chand. The younger, Sri Data, moved
south into the present Dasua Tehsil of Hoshiarpur and there established
the small Rajput State of Datarpur, which had an existence of many
hundred years. The Rulers were practically independent until the
beginning of the present century, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh began
to interest himself in their affairs. Raja Gobind Chand, grandfather
of the present representative, having failed to obey the Maharaja’s
summons to attend at Lahore was deprived of his sovereign powers
and reduced to the status of a Jagirdar. On his death in 1818, his
son Raja Jagat Chand was allowed a jagir grant of Rs. 4600/- and
was in the enjoyment of this income when the Doab became British
territory in 1846. The Rajput princes of Kangra had been under the
impression that the accession of the English would be marked by
the restoration to them of all their ancient rights and privileges,
of which they had been shorn by the Sikhs and bitter was their disappointment
of finding that the new Rulers were by no means inclined to alter
the state of affairs which existed on their taking over the country.
The revolt of the Jaswan and Datarpur Rajas and its speedy suppression
by Sir John Lawrence has been described in another Chapter. Raja
Jagat Chand was made prisoner and deported with his eldest son Devi
Chand to Almora, in the North-West provinces. They were allowed
a maintenance grant of Rs. 3600/- per annum.
Jagat Chand died in 1877. His son Udham Singh lives in Pirthipur,
Tehsil Una, Hoshiarpur, and enjoys a pension of Rs. 600 per annum.
His step-mother has a similar allowance, and the widow of his brother
Man chand also receives a small pension. Mian Devi Chand died in
1883, leaving two sons. The elder, Suram Chand, is a General in
the army of the Maharaja of Jammu. The second son, Raghbir Chand,
has office under the Raja of Mandi, who is married to his sister.
He is in receipt of a pension of Rs. 420/- per annum from the British
Government. Both brothers are connected by marriage with the Raja
of Sirmur. Mian Udham Singh is married to a cousin of Rai Hira Chand
of Babhaur. He is a provincial Darbari of the Hoshiarpur district.
The widows of Mian Devi Chand are in receipt of a maintenance allowance
of Rs. 180/- per annum.
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