National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

APPENDIX D.

GENEALOGY OF THE RAJAS OF BASHAHR.

Mr. H. A. Rose, I.C.S., while in charge of census operations in the Panjab, procured a copy of the genealogical roll of the Rajas of Bashahr. It is a list of 120 names, the years of accession and death being added in each case according to "the era of Yudhishthira." As Dr. Francke has pointed out in the course of his journal (above p. 8) the use of the cognomen Sīṅgh throughout the pedigree, renders its authenticity highly doubtful, except for the portion dealing with the last three or four centuries. Among the ruling houses of the Panjab Hill States the cognomen in question does not seem to have come into use until the 16th century. In Chambā it replaced the appellation of varman and in Kulū that of Pāl.¹ If any further proof of the absolutely unreliable character of the earlier part of the list were wanted, I need only mention that the fifth Raja (supposed to have lived 153 years after Yudhish-thira!) bears the half Persian name of Gulab Singh. A name of this kind cannot, of course, have been in use in India previous to the Moslim conquest.

I wish, therefore, to reproduce here only the concluding twelve names of the genealogy, ending with Raja Shamsher Singh, the present ruler of the State, who is mentioned in Dr. Francke's account and portrayed in Plate IV, b. I cannot, of course, vouch safe the accuracy of the dates assigned to each Raja, but it is noteworthy that Kēhari Singh, who is said to have reigned from A.D. 1639 to 1696, is the same who concluded in A.D. 1650 the treaty with Tibet of which Dr. Francke procured copies in the course of his tour (see above p. 24). I give in each case the names both according to the spelling of the list supplied to me and in their correct form.

Hari Singh . . . . . . . . acc. 1464 obit 1512
Chhatar (Chhattar) Sīṅgh . . . . . . ,, 1512 ,, 1574
Bhoop (Bhūp) Sīṅgh . . . . . . . ,, 1574 ,, 1588
Kalyan (Kalyāṇ) Sīṅgh . . . . . . ,, 1588 ,, 1639
Kehari (kāhari from Skr. Kēsari) Sīṅgh . . . ,, 1639 ,, 1696
Bije (from Skr. Vijaya) Sīṅgh . . . . . ,, 1696 ,, 1719
Ode (Ude from Skr. Udaya) Sīṅgh . . . . ,, 1719 ,, 1767
Ram (Rām) Sīṅgh . . . . . . . ,, 1767 ,, 1799
Roodhar (Rudar) Sīṅgh . . . . . . ,, 1799 ,, 1844
Oogar (Ugar) Sīṅgh . . . . . . . ,, 1844 ,, 1878
Mahindar (Māhindar or Mahēndar) Sīṅgh . . . ,, 1878 ,, 1906
Shamsher Sīṅgh . . . . . . . ,, 1907