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Pangi Valley
Pangi is a tehsil of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India. According to 2011 census of India Pangi valley has a total population of 18,868. It is an administrative subdivision of the Chamba district situated in the northern extreme of the state. Sandwiched between two mighty mountain ranges, the zanskar range in the North and the Pir Panjal Range in the South it is an isolated valley. In southern side it shares boundaries with Lahaul and Spiti and in eastern side with Jammu and Kashmir. Chandrabhaga cuts across the terrain in a deep narrow gorge before entering Paddar region of Jammu and Kashmir. With its deep river gorges and barren mountain peaks, it offers a wide range of scenery and vegetation. Till recently, this valley was the remotest Tribal area of Himachal Pradesh where road access to the rest of the state was established only in the mid-1990s. So forbidding was this snowy range regarded in former times of the Princely regime, that every State official proceeding to Pangi on duty was granted a special allowance, under the head of ‘‘funeral expenses”, as his return, alive or dead, was not taken at all to be a matter of certainty or even of high expectation.
The history of Pangi can be inferred from some inscriptions, legends, and traditions. There are a few scattered pieces of evidence that, when gathered, reveal the pages of Pangi's history. Before the rule of the princely states, there must have been a period of local governance, as is evident from the Caste system. There are also some legends that suggest the Pangwal tribal people migrated here from neighboring areas. It is possible that occasionally, owing to political influence, part of central Asian trade deviated from its original course and followed the less accessible valley of Cinab,but under ordinary circumstances it must always have returned to its natural channels.
Earliest known evidence of human settlements comes from the stone inscriptions at Luj and salhi.
The inscription at Luj was erected by some local Rana of that time. It contains a verified description of the year when King Jasht Varman of Chamba ascended the throne. The inscription clearly states that this stone was erected during the first year of King Jasht Varman's reign. The establishment year is noted as samvat 8, which corresponds to the year 1105 AD. From this year onward, the chronology of the Chamba kings became accurate. The inscription suggests that At that time, the kingdom of Chamba extended up to the village of Luj in Pangi.
The inscription at salhi reveals that the stone was established in the 27th year of King Lalit Varman's reign by a rana named Rajanaka Ludarpal. The year of establishment is given as Shastra Samvat 46, which was in use in the Chamba kingdom at that time. Upon calculating the timeline, King Lalit Varman's reign is determined to have started in 1143 CE, and his 27th year corresponds to 1170 CE. On that stone, Pangi was referred to as "पंगति", while in the local language, people called it "पैंगइ". These stone inscriptions suggest that local ranas ruled the area under the suzerainty of the kings of Chamba. The descendants of these ranas still live humble peasant lives in the area.
Next king to take complete control of Pangi valley was Prithvi Singh.Prithvi singh's father was dethroned by Jagat Singh of Nurpur. Prithvi Singh asked and obtained help in money and troops from the rajas of Mandi and Suket, to enable him to recover his kingdom. Passing through kullu, he crossed the Rohtang Pass into Lahaul and advanced into Pangi. He visited Mindhala temple and presented an inscription on a copper plate to the temple. Thereafter he crossed the Chanaini Pass and moved through Churah, and regained his throne at Chamba, expelling the Nurpur officials from the state. Prithvi Singh divided Pangi ilaqa into three parganas with their chief places at Sach,Killar and Dharwas.He also ordered the construction of State Kothis at these places and appointed state representatives at these Kothis.
A little farther down near the village of Phindru before the temple of Sidh baba the path has been partly hewn out of the solid rock. This was probably done in the reign of Prithvi Singh, as appears from rock-inscription containing the name of him and dated sastra 18 corresponding to A.D. 1642–3. The temple of Malasni Devi at Porthi village also bears an inscription of Prithvi Singh dated Sastra-Samvat 27 (A.D.1651).
Chatar Singh, Prithvi Singh's successor, also visited Pangi to extend his influence over the region. He led his army lower down the Chandrabhaga Valley, invading Paddar. There, he removed the local Ranas and appointed his own officials. He also founded a town on the plain, naming it Chatargarh. This town was later renamed Gulabgarh when the Dogra forces invaded it in 1836.
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Pangi Valley
Pangi is a tehsil of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India. According to 2011 census of India Pangi valley has a total population of 18,868. It is an administrative subdivision of the Chamba district situated in the northern extreme of the state. Sandwiched between two mighty mountain ranges, the zanskar range in the North and the Pir Panjal Range in the South it is an isolated valley. In southern side it shares boundaries with Lahaul and Spiti and in eastern side with Jammu and Kashmir. Chandrabhaga cuts across the terrain in a deep narrow gorge before entering Paddar region of Jammu and Kashmir. With its deep river gorges and barren mountain peaks, it offers a wide range of scenery and vegetation. Till recently, this valley was the remotest Tribal area of Himachal Pradesh where road access to the rest of the state was established only in the mid-1990s. So forbidding was this snowy range regarded in former times of the Princely regime, that every State official proceeding to Pangi on duty was granted a special allowance, under the head of ‘‘funeral expenses”, as his return, alive or dead, was not taken at all to be a matter of certainty or even of high expectation.
The history of Pangi can be inferred from some inscriptions, legends, and traditions. There are a few scattered pieces of evidence that, when gathered, reveal the pages of Pangi's history. Before the rule of the princely states, there must have been a period of local governance, as is evident from the Caste system. There are also some legends that suggest the Pangwal tribal people migrated here from neighboring areas. It is possible that occasionally, owing to political influence, part of central Asian trade deviated from its original course and followed the less accessible valley of Cinab,but under ordinary circumstances it must always have returned to its natural channels.
Earliest known evidence of human settlements comes from the stone inscriptions at Luj and salhi.
The inscription at Luj was erected by some local Rana of that time. It contains a verified description of the year when King Jasht Varman of Chamba ascended the throne. The inscription clearly states that this stone was erected during the first year of King Jasht Varman's reign. The establishment year is noted as samvat 8, which corresponds to the year 1105 AD. From this year onward, the chronology of the Chamba kings became accurate. The inscription suggests that At that time, the kingdom of Chamba extended up to the village of Luj in Pangi.
The inscription at salhi reveals that the stone was established in the 27th year of King Lalit Varman's reign by a rana named Rajanaka Ludarpal. The year of establishment is given as Shastra Samvat 46, which was in use in the Chamba kingdom at that time. Upon calculating the timeline, King Lalit Varman's reign is determined to have started in 1143 CE, and his 27th year corresponds to 1170 CE. On that stone, Pangi was referred to as "पंगति", while in the local language, people called it "पैंगइ". These stone inscriptions suggest that local ranas ruled the area under the suzerainty of the kings of Chamba. The descendants of these ranas still live humble peasant lives in the area.
Next king to take complete control of Pangi valley was Prithvi Singh.Prithvi singh's father was dethroned by Jagat Singh of Nurpur. Prithvi Singh asked and obtained help in money and troops from the rajas of Mandi and Suket, to enable him to recover his kingdom. Passing through kullu, he crossed the Rohtang Pass into Lahaul and advanced into Pangi. He visited Mindhala temple and presented an inscription on a copper plate to the temple. Thereafter he crossed the Chanaini Pass and moved through Churah, and regained his throne at Chamba, expelling the Nurpur officials from the state. Prithvi Singh divided Pangi ilaqa into three parganas with their chief places at Sach,Killar and Dharwas.He also ordered the construction of State Kothis at these places and appointed state representatives at these Kothis.
A little farther down near the village of Phindru before the temple of Sidh baba the path has been partly hewn out of the solid rock. This was probably done in the reign of Prithvi Singh, as appears from rock-inscription containing the name of him and dated sastra 18 corresponding to A.D. 1642–3. The temple of Malasni Devi at Porthi village also bears an inscription of Prithvi Singh dated Sastra-Samvat 27 (A.D.1651).
Chatar Singh, Prithvi Singh's successor, also visited Pangi to extend his influence over the region. He led his army lower down the Chandrabhaga Valley, invading Paddar. There, he removed the local Ranas and appointed his own officials. He also founded a town on the plain, naming it Chatargarh. This town was later renamed Gulabgarh when the Dogra forces invaded it in 1836.