Chamba

Chamba, in the Ravi valley of today’s Himachal Pradesh, is one of the oldest surviving hill states in North India. Its early history is linked to the ancient kingdom of Brahmapura / Bharmour, ruled by the Varman (later Singh) dynasty. Around 920 CE, Raja Sahil Varman shifted his capital from Bharmour to a new site on the Ravi and named it Chamba after his daughter Princess Champavati. Over the next thousand years, more than 60 rulers of this line developed the town, building temples like the Lakshmi Narayan complex, palaces such as Akhand Chandi Mahal, and water systems whose copper-plate land grants are still respected in law today.

Chamba largely escaped direct Mughal annexation thanks to its remote location, though it paid tribute and maintained diplomacy with larger empires. In the 19th century, after the Anglo-Sikh wars, Chamba became a princely state under British suzerainty, gaining new public buildings and a planned Chaugan (central maidan) while keeping its old core of temples and palaces. After India’s Independence, Chamba State acceded to the Union in 1948 and was merged into the new state of Himachal Pradesh. Today, Chamba town remains a compact heritage capital, known for its stone temples, Pahari paintings, embroidered Chamba rumals and traditional festivals like Minjar Mela that continue medieval traditions in a modern setting.