History of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh, also known as the land of Gods, has a great history which is around two million years old. In the starting the first inhabitants of the Himachal Pradesh started staying in the foothills of the state. Later when the Indus Valley Civilization was established in Himachal Pradesh, they were forced to shift their base from foothills to the upper areas of the hills. Dasas, Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Khasas and Kinnars are some of the local tribes of Himachal Pradesh inhabited this land since the ancient times. Later many other clans, tribes and dynasties occupied the land of Himachal Pradesh.

The Aryans used to rule over Himachal Pradesh during the period before Rig Veda. They were very clever and defeated the local tribes and became the permanent inhabitants of Himachal Pradesh by applying their strategic mind. During this period several small Janapadas or Republics were also set up in the present Himachal Pradesh. Later, the Mauryans arrived and ruled by capturing most of the small republics. Ashoka was a known king of this dynasty who after the a terrible war took faith in Buddhism and propagated the Buddhist philosophy to help people become truly happy.

After the decline of the Mauryans, the entire land of Himachal Pradesh came under the control of small local chieftains known as the thakurs or ranas. Later in the seventh century, the Harsh became dominant and became the rulers of all the small kingdoms.

The middle of the seventh century saw the rise of the Rajputs and they established small principalities in Himachal Pradesh. Then the foreign invaders made their presence felt by conquering several forts of Himachal Pradesh. Then came the turn of the Mughals who were defeated by the hill rulers.

The Britishers who wanted to rule over India joined hands with the hill rulers and started to establish their rule in Himachal Pradesh. Initially the hill rulers supported the British. After 1914, the states of Himachal Pradesh started participating in the revolt against Britishers and finally in 1947 India became independent after an arduous struggle against the Britishers.?