Baghal (Princely State) Homepage with Pictures and Map : Rajput Provinces of India

Dynasty

Parmar history page

Clan

Baghela

State

Himachal Pradesh

Capital

Arki

Accession

15^th April 1948

Revenue

INR 60,000

Villages

433 Area

311 Square Kilometers km²

Population

27,720 (1901)

Privy Purse

INR 18,700

Army

150 infantry and 1 gun

Tribute

Rs. 3,600 to the GOI

Hindi Name

बाघल

Last Updated

24^th Oct, 2023

Wikipedia

Wikipedia link to Baghal (Princely State) Baghal, India

Present Head

Raja HARSHVARDHAN SINGH, present Raja Saheb of Baghal since 7^th June 2010. Born 11^th April 1980, married 2^nd December 2007 in New Delhi, Rajkumari Ksheerja Kumari [Rani Ksheerja Kumari of Baghal], niece of HH Maharaja Lokendra Rajendra Singh Ju Dev Bahadur of Datia, and has issue, one daughter.

Rajkumari Adrija Kumari, born on 9^th June 2010.
Rajkumari Bhanushri Kumari, born on 13 February 2018.

History

Predecessor state founded in 13^th century by Raja Ajay Dev, Prime Minister of Malwa, a descendant of Raja Bhoj Dev, Parmar King of Malwa 1010/1053. The Princely state of Baghal was founded about 1643. In 1893, the Raja was allowed to maintain a military force of 150 infantry and 1 gun.

The State of Baghal ranked 8^th among the Punjab hill states in order of precedence. The Royal family of Baghal is one of the oldest families of India. The family traces their ancestry to Raja Aditya Panwar, who ruled the area around Mount Abu in Rajasthan in the 5 th century. Raja Amar Dev, ruler of Dhara (present day Dhar), had 3 sons, Rana Ajai Dev, (who later founded the State of Baghal), Rana Vijai Dev, (who later became the ruler of Bhagat), Madhan Dev, became a hermit and to this day is worshipped as a local divinity in Arki and Paonta, by the name of ‘Dhar-ka-Dev’, the god from Dhara. Ajai Dev, the eldest son of Raja Amar Dev of Dhara, became the Prime minister to his kinsman, Maharaja Jaitugideva (1239-1256) of Malwa and to his son Maharaja Jayavarman II (1256-1269) of Malwa.

In about 1260 Ajai Dev undertook a pilgrimage to the Badrinath Shrine in the Garhwal hills. It was when he seized the opportunity to become independent both of his father, who was the ruler of Dhara, and Malwa and established his own principality of Baghal in the Sairi valley. In the first few centuries the capital was variously located at Shai, Dhundan, Darla and Damras, until Rana Kasas Chand established the capital permanently in Dhudan until 1643, when Rana Sabha Chand transferred it to Arki and built a palace on the site. The Gurkhas overran the state in the early 19^th century. And for almost 7 years Rana Jagat Singh was forced to live in exile in nearby Nalagarh. It was only after the Gurkhas has been driven out by an alliance of local rulers and the British, the Rana was able to return to Baghal.

It was during the reign of Rana Kishen Chand, the title of ‘Raja’ was rewarded to him by the British for his invaluable service. Raja Kishen Chand made substantial improvements to Arki, rebuilding the bazaar, destroyed by the Gurkhas, and re-decorating the Diwankhana in the palace with murals as he was a patron of arts. During the 19^th century the state was ably and vigorously administered by Raja Kishen Chand. The Raja established large mango plantations, a dairy farm and was responsible for extensive afforestation. The Raja made the State as one of the model states in India.

Raja Bikram Singh laid the foundations of the modern state of Baghal, building a Middle school and opening a hospital in Arki. During the reign of Raja Surendra Singh, the administration of the state was reorganized, and its financial management greatly improved. Raja Rajendra Singh introduced far reaching constitutional and social reforms. 16 panchayats were established with a primary school in each of them, the Middle school in Arki was upgraded to a High School, and all roads were improved, with the Arki to Jutogh mule track upgraded for motor transport.

Genealogy

Rana SABHA CHAND, 1^st Rana of Baghal 1643/1670, made Arki the capital of Baghal in about 1650, married and had issue.
- Rana Prithvi Chand (qv)
Rana PRITHVI CHAND, Rana of Baghal 1670/1727, married and had issue. He died 1727.
- Rana Mehar Chand (qv)
Rana MEHAR CHAND, Rana of Baghal 1727/1743, married and had issue. He died 1743.
- Rana Bhoop Singh (qv)
- Kumari (name unknown), married Raja Devi Chand of Bilaspur.
Rana BHOOP SINGH, Rana of Baghal 1743/1778, married and had issue. He died 1778.
- Rana Jagat Singh (qv)
- Kumari (name unknown), married Raja Bhup Singh, Raja of Guler.
Rana JAGAT SINGH, Rana of Baghal 1778/1828, in exile at Nalagarh for 7 years, during the occupation by the Gurkhas, attacked Arki with the help of the British General Ochterlony and Rana of Nalagarh and recaptured Arki in 1814, confirmed in his state by a sanad of 3^rd September 1815, he married and had issue. He died August 1828.
- Rana Shiv Saran Singh (qv)
- Mian Raghunath Singh, married and had issue.
  - Mian Kirpal Singh
  - Mian Devi Singh
  - Mina Bir Singh
  - Mian Puran Singh

GURKHA OCCUPATION 1803/1815

Rana SHIV SARAN SINGH, Rana of Baghal 1828/1840, born 27^th May 1793, married and had issue, three sons. He died 16^th January 1840.
- Raja Kishan Singh (qv)
- Mian Jai Singh, he was granted a valuable khillat for his services during the Indian Mutiny, married 1^stly, a Kumari from Dhami, married 2^ndly, a Kumari from Kangra, and had issue, six sons. He died 1873.
  - Raja Dhian Singh (qv)
  - Mian Kapur Singh, died 1860.
  - Mian Man Singh, born 1854, Wazir of Baghal 1897/1904, Regent of Baghal 1904/1908, married and had issue.
    - Mian Durga Singh, born 1880.
  - Mian Hira Singh, born 1856.
  - Mian Narendra Singh, born 1858.
  - Mian Udham Singh, born 1860, married and had issue.
    - Raja Basant Singh, Raja of Basantpur, born 1882, married and had issue
      - Raja Chattar Singh, Raja of Basantpur, born 1902, married and had issue
        
        Raja Mohinder Singh, Raja of Basantpur, born 1928, married Rani Lalit Kumari, daughter of Kanwar Inder Vikram Singh of Keonthal, and his wife, Kanwarani Indumati Kumari, and has issue.
        
        Rajkumar Ajay Singh, married Kanwarani Seema Kumari, daughter of Lt.-Gen. Thakur Mahendra Singh of Reh (see Nurpur), and his wife, Thakurani Usha Kumari, and has issue.
        
        Kanwar Anirudh Singh, born 1988.
        
        Rajkumar Sanjay Singh
        
        Rajkumar Sandeep Singh
        
        Rajkumar Rajiv Singh
        
        Rajkumari (name unknown), married Thakur Dr. Jagdev Singh of Ambotah in Una, H.P., and has issue.
        
        Rani Asha Kumari, married Raja Digvijay Singh, Raja of Raghogarh, and has issue.
        
        Rajkumar Upender Singh, born 1932, married and has issue, one and two daughters.
        
        Kuwarani Rachna Kumari, married Kuwar Harinarayan Singh of Bakhatgarh, born 14^th January 1960, and has issue, one son.
      - Rajkumari Kamla Kumari, married Major Rajkumar Jai Chand of Chenani, and had issue, one son and one daughter.
    - Mian Partab Singh, born 1885, married and had issue. He died 1941.
      - Kumari (name unknown), married (as his third wife), 1929, Rana Vidyadhar Singh of Kumharsain. She died sp in 1936.
      - Kanwar Ratan Singh, born 1916, married and had issue, three daughters.
  - Rajkumari (name unknown), married Raja Rudra Sen of Suket.
  - Rajkumari Subhadra Devi, married Kanwar Surjan Singh of Sirmur.
  - Rajkumari (name unknown), married HH Raja Amar Chand Sahib Bahadur of Bilaspur.
  - Rajkumari (name unknown), married HH Raja Amar Chand Sahib Bahadur of Bilaspur.
  - Rajkumari (name unknown), married into Jaswan [?Raja Ran Singh, Raja of Jaswan]
  - Rajkumari (name unknown), married 1881, Raja Dasht Nikandan Sen of Suket.
- Mian Bijai Singh, married and had issue, two sons. He died 1849.
  - Mian Ram Singh, married and had issue, two sons. He died 1872.
    - Mian Sher Singh, born 1865.
    - Mian Ranjor Singh, born 1867.
  - Mian Pardhan Singh
- Rajkumari (name unknown), married Raja Kharak Chand of Bilaspur.
- Rajkumari (name unknown), married Raja Ranbir Chand of Lambagraon.
- Rajkumari (name unknown), married Raja Rudra Sen of Suket.
Raja KISHAN SINGH, Raja of Baghal 1840/1877, born 1817, he was granted the title of Raja and a valuable khillat for his services during the Indian Mutiny, Raja (personal)[cr.1860], (hereditary)[cr.1875], married Ranis from Jaswan, Guler, Kangra and Suket, and had issue. He died 23^rd July 1877.
- Raja Moti Singh (qv)
- Rajkumari (name unknown), married Raja Raghunath Singh of Jaswan.
- Rajkumari (name unknown), married into Chamba.
Raja MOTI SINGH, Raja of Baghal [23.7.1877] - [12.10.1877], he died sp on 12^th October 1877.
Raja DHIAN SINGH, Raja of Baghal 1877/1904; born 1842; was an enlightened ruler, popular with his people; installed on the gadi on 26^th July 1878; married Ranis from Jammu and Kashmir, Suket, Madhan and Keonthal, and had issue, four sons. He died 1904.
- Raja Bikram Singh (qv)
- Kanwar Bachitar Singh, born 1895.
- Kanwar Mohan Singh, born 1896.
- Kumari Pratibha Devi, married 1^st February 1918 (as his second wife), Rana Vidyadhar Singh of Kumharsain.
- Kanwar Surat Singh, born 1904 in Arki, educated in Lahore; married twice and had issue, three daughters.
  - Kumari Susheela Devi, born in Arki, married Thakur Rohan Singh Chandel of Faroukhabad, U.P., died 1999, and has issue.
    - Kumari Nalini Chandel, married Pradeep Singh Kanwar, and has issue, two sons.
      - Amit Kanwar
      - Tarun Kanwar
    - Kumari Manju Chandel, unmarried.
    - Kanwar Anil Chandel, married Kanwarani Sadhana Chandel, died 2005, and has issue, one daughter.
      - Ginny Chandel
  - Kumari Hem Lata Devi, married Shri B. K. Singh Chandel. She died sp in 2004
  - Kumari Nirmal Devi, educated at Chandigarh University (B.Ed.), born 12^th September 1936, married 1967 in Shimla, Thakur Shri Manohar Singh, and has issue. She died 2002.
    - Kanwar Anup Singh, married Kanwarani Sarita Kanwar, and has issue, one daughter.
      
      Kumari Mini Kanwar
    - Kumari Meena Kanwar, married Nitin Bhagat, and has issue, one son.
      - Anubhav Bhagat
    - Kumari Rachna Kanwar, married Tarun Khanna, and has issue, one son.
      - Kabir Khanna
- Kumari (name unknown), married the Raja of Salangri (Mankot?).
Raja BIKRAM SINGH, Raja of Baghal 1904/1922, born 10^th March 1893, succeeded to the gaddi on 23^rd April 1904, granted ruling powers on 23^rd April 1908, educated at Aitchison College, Lahore; married 1^stly, a Princess of Manswal, married 2^ndly, a Princess of Manswal, married 3^rdly, the fourth daughter of HH Rana Padam Chand of Jubbal, married 4^thly, Rajkumari Shyama Devi, fifth daughter of HH Rana Padam Chand of Jubbal. He died 3^rd October 1922.
- Rajkumari (name unknown) (by 1^st wife), died young of tuberculosis in Jubbal.
- Raja Surinder Singh (by a Jubbal Princess) (qv)
- Rajkumari (name unknown) (by 2^nd wife), died young in Jubbal.
Raja SURINDER SINGH, Raja of Baghal 1922/1945, born 14^th March 1909 in Arki, succeeded to the gadi at the age of 13 on 3^rd October 1922, invested with full rulling powers on 14^th January 1932, married Rajkumari Laxmi Devi [Rani Laxmi Devi of Baghal], daughter of Rai Hira Singh of Sangri, and had issues, six children. He died 21^st December 1945 at Haridwar, Uttaranchal.
- Raja Rajendra Singh (qv)
- Rajkumar Devendra Singh, born 23^rd September 1930, unmarried.
- Rajkumar Mahendra Singh, born 28^th December 1931, unmarried.
- Rajkumari Lalita Devi [Rani Lalita Devi of Kutlehar], born 29^th March 1933, married (as his 1^st wife), 13^th April 1955, Raja Saheb Shri Mahendra Palji Bahadur of Kutlehar, and has issue, two sons and two daughters.
- Rajkumar Virendra Singh, born 1^st September 1934, married 31^st October 1962, Kumari Vijaya Devi, daughter of Kanwar Karan Singh Mankotia from District Una, H.P. (see Mankot), and has issue, five children.
  - Kanwar Ravi Singh, born 23^rd November 1963.
  - Kanwar Rakesh Singh, born 25^th October 1965.
  - Kanwar Rajesh Singh, born 18^th August 1967.
  - Kumari Anupama Devi, born 17^th August 1968.
  - Kumari Archana Devi, born 23^rd March 1971.
- Rajkumari (name unknown), died as an infant.
Raja RAJENDRA SINGH, Raja of Baghal 1945/2010, born 29^th February 1928, educated at Col. Brown's School in Dehra Dun and Government College, Lahore; he overhauled the administration and introduced radical constitutional reforms, M.L.A., Commandant General of Home Guards, Director of Civil Defence, Himachal Pradesh, married 2^nd November 1948, Rani Tara Devi, born on 31^st October 1929, died 22^nd February 2005 at the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Simla, daughter of Raja Hemendra Sen of Keonthal, and had issue, three children. He died 7^th June 2010 of a heart attack.
- Tikka Pramod Singh, born 26^th August 1949, educated at St. Edward's High School, Simla and later at the Government College, Simla, married 28^th April 1979, Rajkumari Poornima Devi [Tikka Rani Poornima Devi of Baghal], daughter of Raja Shiv Mohan Bux Singh of Khajurgaon in U.P., and his wife, Rani Ravija Devi, and had issue. He died 18^th June 2005 at Simla in an automobile accident.
  - Kanwar Harvashvardhan Singh, he succeeded as Raja Harvashvardhan Singh (qv)
  - Tikka Ajay Dev Singh, born 17^th July 1987.
- Rajkumar Nagendra Singh, born 15^th June 1954, married 21^st October 1986 in Simla, Kumari Vijaya Kumari, daughter of Kanwar Purshottam Singh of Amet in Udaipur (Rajasthan), and his wife, Kanwarani Lakshmi Kumari of Pisangan, and has issue, one son.
  - Kanwar Rahul Dev Singh, born 25^th September 1987.
- Kumari Sunita Devi [Rani Sunita Kumari of Sirmathura], born 16^th October 1956, educated at Simla, married 30^th October 1979, Kumar Narendra Singh [later Rao Narendra Singh] of Sirmathura, Dholpur Dist. in Rajasthan, born 30^th June 1947, son of Rao Raghubir Singh of Sirmathura, and his wife, Rani Rattan Kumari, daughter of Thakur Gopal Singh of Badnore, and has issue, two children.
  - Rajkumari Radhika Kumari, born 14^th April 1982.
  - Rajkumar Jai Singh, born 6^th June 1985.
Raja HARSHVARDHAN SINGH, Raja of Baghal (see above)