The short history of Himachal Pradesh

HIMACHAL HAD SO far figured only in a peripheral manner in the history of the country. The great invaders and conquer-ors like the Aryans, Alexander, Mehmood Ghazni, Timur and the Moghuls, came, looted and plundered but did not occupy the land. They either thought it too inhospitable or too poor a country or the fertile plains were too alluring for them. Some imperial rulers were content to extract only formal allegiance from the chieftains here. They reverted to their usual life after the invaders left. They continued with their chessboard existence in which local princes and thakurs moved to and fro only to be checkmated, but never to be vanquished. They could never stand unitedly due to the selfish interests of the small feudal lords, none of whom was allowed to emerge as the strongest. They were kept divided and vulnerable. 

The small states comprising the Himachal stood more for self-defense, rather than for an ideology, dogma or ism. No single banner could emotionally rally them and they could not be wielded into a force to be reckoned with. 

Himachal has, however, a different kind of history, a history that is not seen through bloody battles but is more subdued and is confined to a limited frame. It is a humdrum chronicle of obscure challenges that the people faced. Historical data is faint as it is clothed in myths and legends. To reach the historical kernel, the myth has to be traced historical legends studied deeply.

The history is either told by the invaders or their chroniclers or by the bhats and char of the Rajput princes who cannot be taken as authoritative. So there is to of chaff but little grain. 

The earliest identifiable remains of man were first discovered in Himachal in 1955, when 'Sohan' type Paleolithic tools were found in Kangra, Cuter and Dehra. These tools, formed in various stages of development, were the first to be located in proper context in India, although in the prepetition time, such tools were found in the Sohan valley, now in Pakistan. These tools, which seem to be about 40,000 years old, throw light on the type of man that inhabited this area and the environs in which he lived. 

During the pre-history era, Himachal areas, it appears, were subjected to the stresses and strains of migrations as were the plains of the Indus basin. The people of the Indus valley civilization had by mere expansion probably pushed the Australoids or the Munda-speaking Kolorian people from the Gangetic plains to the forests of central India and the hills of north India. 

Those who lived in north India or in the hills therein were later called Dasyus, Nishadas, and Kirats by the Vedic Aryans. In the post-Vedic period they were probably known as Yakshas, Nagas, and Kinners. The first two, Yakshas and Nagas, have disappeared from history and are known only in Indian myths and legends, while the Kinners now inhabit Kinnaur. The historical evidence of their Munda origin is available in the similarity of their grammar with that of the Mandari spoken by the aborigines in the Chhota Nagpur area. This speaks of the amalgamation of the Munda aboriginals with the Tibetans in very early times. 

 

The evidence of Kols having settled in Himalayas is also found from the sculptures on the rocks of Chandeshwar, Sameshwar and Chattis of Kumaon. Similar works of stone have also been found in Kangra district. These pieces of sculptures do not point to any sense of decoration but towards some definite belief. While the popular and devotional aspect of their primitive faith or belief is understandable their esoteric and philosophic basis has not been discovered. It appears they worshipped animal gods like 'Nags' and 'Ganesh' and these along with some others have been assimilated in the Indo-Aryan observances. From available evidence, it is known that the Kols used to live in groups and they practiced agriculture and cattle breeding. In Himachal, the present-day Kolis, Halls, Doms, and Dhagis (Scheduled Castes) are probably their descendants. 

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