VILLAGES: x
AREA: km2
LOCATION: Himachal Pradesh
REVENUE: Rs
DYNASTY: Badani (Chandrabansi)
ACCESSION: 1841
RELIGION: Hindu
PRESENT RULER: Raja MAHESHWAR SINGH (Rupi Palace, Raghunathpur, Kullu-175 101, Himachal Pradesh)
B.Sc., educated at St. Luke’s High School, Solan (Himachal Pradesh) and D.A.V. College, Chandigarh, born 2nd February 1949 in Bangalore, Member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly 1977/1985, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh 1978/1979, member of the 9th Lok Sabha 1989, 12th Lok Sabha 1998 and 13th Lok Sabha 1999, member of the Rajya Sabha 1992/1998, member of various parliamentary committees 1992/-, married 6th June 1971, Rani Mera Kumari, daughter of Shri Narendra Shumsher Rana, and has issue, two sons.
Tikka Danvender Singh, married 3rd May 1997, Tikkarani Ravija Kumari, born 12th October 1976 in Shimla, elder daughter of Kanwar Raj Pal Singh of Bashahr, and his wife, Kanwarani Romila Kumari.
Kunwar Hiteshwar Singh, married 3rd August 2000, Kumari Vibha Kumari, born 5th December 1977 in Kotkhai, younger daughter of Kanwar Raj Pal Singh of Bashahr, and his wife, Kanwarani Romila Kumari.
PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Rulers were...
Raja SIDH SINGH 1486/1532, originally came from Mayapuri to Hati in Kullu (#2), married and had issue. He died 1532.
Raja BAHADUR SINGH (qv)
Raja BAHADUR SINGH 1532/1559, brought the whole of Rupi under his control, built a Palace at Makarhar, site of the ancient capital of Kullu; constructed the temple of Hidimba at Dhungir near Manali; married and had issue. He died 1559.
Raja PRATAP SINGH 1559/1575, allied himself with the Raja of Mandi, in reducing the state of Lag to submission; married and had issue.
Raja PARBAT SINGH (qv)
Raja PARBAT SINGH 1575/1608, married and had issue.
Raja PRITHI SINGH (qv)
Raja KALYAN SINGH (qv)
Raja PRITHI SINGH 1608/1635
Raja KALYAN SINGH 1635/1637 (deposed), married and had issue.
Raja JAGAT SINGH (qv)
Raja JAGAT SINGH c1637/1672, shifted his capital from Naggar to Sultanpur, conquered Lag and greatly expanded the boundaries of Kullu, married (amongst others), about 1670, a Princess of Chamba, and had issue. He died 1672.
Tikka Hari Singh, died vp in battle.
Raja BIDHI SINGH (qv)
Mian Fakir Singh, held as a hostage at the court of Delhi. He died soon after 1658.
Raja BIDHI SINGH 1672/1688, married the daughter of the Raja CHHATAR SINGH of Chamba, and had issue. He died 1688.
Raja MAN SINGH (qv)
Raja MAN SINGH 1688/1719, conquered Lahul and Spiti, took possession of Sangri and Kotgarh in about 1703, where he built the fort of Kangal, which were lost to Bashahr in 1719 and later regained by Kullu at an unknown date, expanded Kullu to its greatest extant of 10,000 square miles, married (amongst others) (a), a daughter or sister of Raja PRITHVI PAL of Bangahal, and had issue. He died 1719.
Raja RAJ SINGH (qv)
Mian Padam Singh, married and had issue.
Raja TEDHI SINGH (qv)
Mian Inder Singh, died in infancy.
Raja RAJ SINGH 1719/1731, founded the village of Jaisinghpur in Kangra, annexed the forts of Salachni, Bagi and Lavakaran, as well as the areas of Thiti and Jigolri, married (amongst others), the daughter of the Raja of Kangra, and had issue. He died about 1731.
Raja JAI SINGH (qv)
Raja JAI SINGH 1731/1742 (abdicated), built the palace in Pratappur at Jia in Kullu, died 1st March 1744 at Ramdarbar in Ayodhya.
Raja TEDHI SINGH 1742/1767, constructed a temple at Khokhan in 1746, annexed the state of Bir (Bangahal) in 1749, married and had issue, 18 sons. He died 10th January 1767, with 64 ladies of the harem committing sati.
Raja PRITAM SINGH (qv)
Mian Dhian Singh
Mian Charan Singh
Mian Indar Singh
Mian Prem Singh, third son, married and had issue, as well as natural issue.
Raja THAKUR SINGH (by a concubine) (qv)
Raja PRITAM SINGH 1767/1806, attacked and occupied Garh Chhatar and Trilokpur in about 1781, married 10 Ranis, and had issue, four sons, as well as natural issue. He died about 1806, when 35 ladies of the harem committed sati.
Raja BIKRAM SINGH (qv)
Mian Khushal Singh (Kishan Singh), third son, married and had issue. He died 1821 at the fort of Mong in Plach.
[Mian Pratap Singh (Bhawani Singh), born 1821, posthumously, married and had issue. He was hanged as an imposter at Dharamsala after 1856.]
[Mian Ludar Singh of Bher]
Mian Jhagar Singh (Jagat Singh), fourth son, ancestor of the rulers of Sangri in Himachal Pradesh.
Raja BIKRAM SINGH [Vikramajit Singh] 1806/1816, married a khawás lady, as well as a Rani who committed sati in 1820, and had issue. He died spl October 1816.
Raja AJIT SINGH (qv)
Raja AJIT SINGH 1816/1841, born 19th December 1810, last independent Raja of Kullu, married 1stly, Rani Katochni, died 1862, adopted her nephew, Mian Hira Singh of Sangri, who succeeded to her jagir of Seoraj, married 2ndly, Rani Keonthali. He died sp September 1841 at Sangri.
INTERREGNUM 1841/1846
Raja THAKUR SINGH 1846/1852, son of Mian Prem Singh (above), born 1814, when Kullu was annexed in 1846, he continued as titular Raja and was granted the Wazir-i-Rupi jagir in Kullu, confirmed by a sanad dated 24th October 1846 with the title of Raja, he married 4 times. He died spl 1852.
Rai GYAN SINGH (by a khawás lady) (qv)
Rai GYAN SINGH 1852/1869, born 9th February 1841, married the daughter of Mian Padam Singh of Mandi, died September 1869, and had issue. He died 18th August 1880 (1869/1870?).
Raja DALIP SINGH (qv)
Rai DALIP SINGH 1869/1892, born 11th September 1862, the estate was under the Court of Wards 1869/1882, 7th Viceregal Darbari of Kangra District, Member of the Kangra District Noard and the Kullu Local Board, married 1stly, a Rani from Nadaun, married 2ndly, a Rani from Mandi. He died spl 1892.
Rai MEGH SINGH (qv)
Rai Bahadur MEGH SINGH 1892/1921, born 18th July 1882, educated at Aitchison Chiefs' College, Lahore; he was granted the title of Rai Bahadur; Honourary Magistrate and Civil Judge at Sultanpur, Kangra Dist.; Member, Punjab Chiefs' Association, Lahore; Member, Rajput Prantik Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir; married two daughters of Kanwar Bhagwan Chand of Nalagarh, and had issue, four sons (#3). He died 10th May 1921.
Rai Bahadur BHAGWANT SINGH (qv)
Mian Dhanwant Singh, born 1915.
Mian Durga Singh, born 1917.
Mian Nidhi Singh, born 1918.
Rai Bahadur BHAGWANT SINGH 1921/1960, born January 1907, married and had issue. He died December 1960.
Rai MAHINDER SINGH (qv)
Kumari Tara Devi, born 1929/1930, married Raja JASJIT SINGH of Trilokpur (Bhadu).
Kanwar Kuber Singh, married Kanwarani Annapurna Kumari, and has issue.
Kumari Meenakshi [Kunwarani Meenakshi Kanwar of Shivrati], married 1990, Kanwar Mahipal Singh of Shivrati, and has issue, one son and one daughter.
Kanwar Yadhuraj Singh
Rai MAHINDER SINGH 1960/1989, born 12th December 1927, married 1942, Rani (now Rajmata) Vina Devyeshwari Devi, daughter of Gen. Shri Krishna Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal, and his wife, Rani Tara Rajya Lakshmi Devi, and has issue. He died 4th September 1989.
HH Rani Kiran Kumari, born 29th November 1947, married 6th February 1966, HH Raja Sri ASHOKPAL SEN of Mandi, and had issue. She died 5th October 2003.
Raja MAHESHWAR SINGH (qv)
Kanwar Dr. Karan Singh, born 14th October 1957 in Kullu, educated at Ferguson College, Pune; actively involved in welfare programmes for the people; remained member, Janata Party in 1977. Elected to H. P. Vidhan Sabha in 1990, re-elected in 1998, inducted as Minister of State Primary education (Independent Charge) in Council of Minister. Interests include sports, especially cricket, and reading; married 8th December 1980, Kanwarani Shivani Kumari from Nepal, and had issue, two sons.
Kanwar Abhishek Raj Singh, born 20th January 1982, died unmarried 7th February 2010 in a car crash in New Delhi.
Kanwar Aditya Vikram Singh, born 19th June 1985.
Raja MAHESHWAR SINGH (see above)
1. "The Golden Book of India"; LETHBRIDGE, Roper, MacMillan & Co., 1893 , p.105
2. It is uncertain whether he was the first of a new dynasty or whether he was originally known as Sidh Pal, and thus related to the previous ruler. Nevertheless, he is the first to bear the surname of Singh, and is considered the first of the Badani or Koli Dynasty of Kullu.
3. The help of Deepak Aggarwal is gratefully acknowledged, September 2005.
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