- Trigarta Kingdom (Largest Area – encompassing Una region)
- Name of Ruling Dynasty/People: Trigarta people (Ayudhajivi Sangha – warrior republic).
- Time Period: Ancient (Rig Veda, Ramayana, Panini’s Ashtadhyayi).
- Significance of Place: Una region likely under its influence/control due to geographical proximity to Kangra (heartland of Trigarta) and river systems (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi). Martial reputation.
- Mentions by Famous Personality: Panini in Ashtadhyayi.
- Jaswan State (Princely State)
- Name of Ruling Dynasty/King(s): Katoch dynasty (offshoot of Kangra), Rajas of Jaswan.
- Key Rulers:
- Purab Chand: Founder (c. 1170 A.D.), established capital at Rajpura, built “Old Fort, Una.”
- Govind Chand: (c. 1550-1575) Defended Kangra Fort against Mughals (1572).
- Anirudh Chand: (c. 1580-c. 1600) Participated in Pahari rebellions against Akbar (1588, 1594), submitted to Mughals.
- Umed Singh: Ruled until 1815 (Raja), Jagirdar until 1849.
- Tributary to Kangra (1786).
- Joined forces against Kangra (1805).
- Refused Ranjit Singh’s summons, annexed by Sikhs (1815), accepted jagir.
- Joined Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848) against British; possessions confiscated, forts razed by John Lawrence, exiled to Almora, died 1854.
- Ram Singh: Grandson of Umed Singh; ancestral jagir restored by British (1879), reportedly at Maharaja Gulab Singh’s request.
- Raghunath Singh: Died 1918, granted non-hereditary Raja title by British.
- Laxman Singh: Succeeded 1918.
- Important Battles/Invasions/Treaties:
- Mughal attacks (1572 on Kangra Fort, 1588, 1594 rebellions).
- Sikh annexation (1815) by Ranjit Singh.
- Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848), British suppression of revolt.
- Changes in Control: Mughal suzerainty, Kangra influence, Sikh annexation, British annexation.
- Significance of Place: First significant offshoot of Kangra, strategic location in Jaswan Dun, fortified with Katoch forts (Solahsingi Dhar, Old Fort, Una).1
III. Kutlehar State (Princely State)
- Name of Ruling Dynasty/King(s): Rajas of Kutlehar.
- Key Rulers:
- Raja Gopal: Founder (c. 750 AD).
- Raja Jas Pal: (11th Century) Expanded kingdom, master of lands between Sutlej and Beas.
- Unnamed Raja (1556): Paid tribute to Akbar, sent prince to Mughal court.
- Unnamed Raja (1700-1701): Defied Mughal orders by not attacking Guru Gobind Singh’s army (1700), led to territorial reduction. Met Guru Gobind Singh at Rewalsar (1701), gifted sword (relic still with family).
- Amrat Pal: (1798–1803, 1815–1832) Ruled during Gorkha occupation and Sikh annexation.
- Narayan Pal: (1832–1864) Ruled during early British period.
- Raja Ram Pal Bahadur: (1864–1927) Granted hereditary Raja title by British (1909).
- Important Battles/Invasions/Treaties:
- Conflicts with Mohammad Bin Tughlak (1337) and Timur (1398).2
- Gorkha occupation (1805-1809).
- Annexed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1815).
- Jagir granted by British (1825).
- Changes in Control: Mughal tribute, Gorkha occupation, Sikh annexation, British suzerainty (jagirdar).
- Significance of Place: Smallest Kangra principality, notable for defying Mughals regarding Guru Gobind Singh.
- Siba State (Princely State – bordered Una region)
- Name of Ruling Dynasty/King(s): Rajas of Siba (offshoot of Guler, related to Katoch).
- Key Rulers:
- Raja Sibaran Chand: Founder (c. 1450).
- Raja Ram Singh: Expelled Sikhs during Second Anglo-Sikh War, captured Siba fort.
- Important Battles/Invasions/Treaties:
- Allied against Jammu (c. 1690-1705).
- Tributary to Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra (1786).
- Seized by Guler State (1808).
- Annexed by Sikh Empire (1813).
- Independence briefly restored (1830) due to matrimonial alliances with Dhian Singh.
- Finally annexed by British (1849) as ‘Dada-Siba’, merged into Kangra district.
- Changes in Control: Guler, Sikh Empire, British.
- Significance of Place: Its southern border with Jaswan (Una region) meant intertwined political fortunes, shared Katoch ancestry.
- Una Tehsil (Under British Administration)
- Name of Ruling Power: British East India Company, British Raj.
- Time Period: Mid-19th Century onwards.
- Important Events/Changes:
- 1846: Una tehsil (part of Hoshiarpur district) annexed by British East India Company after First Anglo-Sikh War (Treaty of Lahore).
- 1848: Revolts by local chieftains (Rajas of Jaswan, Datarpur, Bedi Bikrama Singh of Una) during Second Anglo-Sikh War; suppressed by John Lawrence, estates confiscated, exiles.3
- 1170 A.D: Old Fort, Una attributed to Purab Chand.
- Prevalence of Female Infanticide: Noted among Bedis, addressed by British.
- Land Revenue Policies: British introduced systematic policies (e.g., Punjab Land Revenue Act 1887) leading to fixed cash assessments, peasant indebtedness.
- Limited Infrastructure: Focus on strategic and administrative roads (Hoshiarpur-Una road), not broad local development.
- Key Administrative/Socio-economic Changes: Standardized colonial administration, revenue maximization, limited indigenous industrial development.
- Local Freedom Fighters:
- Baba Lachman Das: Left police to join freedom movement, associated with Ajit Singh.4
- Satya Bhushan Shastri: Student activist, led anti-WWII protest, recited patriotic poetry, arrested, participated in Quit India Movement.5
- S. Rattan Singh: Soldier, joined Azad Hind Fauj (1942), fought British, captured, tortured, death sentence commuted, honored with Tamrapatra.6
- Lal Chand Prarthi: From Gondpur, influenced by Ghadar Party propaganda.
- Nature of Freedom Struggle: Aligned with pan-Indian movements (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India), not Praja Mandal (as Una was directly British).
- Una District (Post-Independence)
- Name of Ruling Power: Government of India, Himachal Pradesh Government.
- Time Period: 1947 onwards.
- Important Events/Changes:
- November 1, 1966: Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 – Una tehsil transferred from Hoshiarpur (Punjab) to Kangra District (Himachal Pradesh UT).7
- September 1, 1972: Una formed as a separate district by trifurcation of Kangra district; Bangana tehsil (from Hamirpur) included.8
- 1979: Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Una, established for agricultural trade regulation.
- Swan River Project: Swan River Flood Management and Integrated Development Project for flood mitigation, land reclamation, economic upliftment.
- January 11, 1991: Una town connected to broad-gauge railway line from Nangal.9
- Key Administrative/Socio-economic Changes: Administrative reorganization, planned development, resource management (Swan River), industrial growth (Mehatpur, Gagret, Tahliwal, Amb).
General Historical Significance & Unique Aspects of Una:
- Name Origin: “Una” believed to be from Guru Arjun Dev’s ‘Unnati’ (progress, prosperity).
- “River of Sorrow”: Swan River historically notorious for devastating monsoon floods. Now a focus of flood management projects.
- Cultural Synthesis: Amalgam of Punjabi and Pahari cultures due to geographical position and historical ties.10
- Spiritual Significance (Una’s unique identity):
- Chintpurni Mata Temple: One of revered Shakti Peethas (Sati’s body part fell), major pilgrimage.
- Dera Baba Barbhag Singh (Mairi): Famous Gurdwara for healing those believed to be possessed by evil spirits, unique Hola Mohalla fair.
- Bedi Family Legacy: Direct descendants of Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Baba Lakhmi Chand).
- Baba Kaladhari Bedi: Held Guru Nanak’s ‘seli topi’, spiritual discourse with Guru Gobind Singh.
- Baba Sahib Singh Bedi: Performed coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1801), granted Una Jagir by Ranjit Singh, mausoleum in Una.11
- Baba Bikram Singh Bedi: Resisted British, imprisoned for anti-colonial activities.12
- Kila Baba Bedi Ji: Ancestral home and seat of Bedi power, symbolizing spiritual and temporal authority.13
- Visits by Sikh Gurus: Guru Nanak Dev Ji (Third Udasi), Guru Hargobind Ji (memorial room), Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Saluri, Bathu – discourse with Baba Kaladhari).
- Archaeological Evidence: Stone Age tools (Acheulian, Soanian cultures) in broader Hoshiarpur Shiwaliks, medieval forts (Old Fort, Una, Solahsingi Dhar) by Katoch rulers.