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{{short description|Precolonial Indian chieftaincy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name =
| conventional_long_name = Jaswan chieftaincy
| common_name = Jaswan doon
| nation = [[British India]]
| status_text =
| era =
| year_start = 1170 CE
| date_start =
| event_start = Foundation of the chieftaincy
| year_end = 1849 CE
| date_end =
| event_end = Annexation by the [[Sikh Empire]]
| event1 =
| date_event1 =
| p1 = Kangra State
| s1 = Sikh Empire
| flag_p1 = Flag of Kangra state.png
| flag_s1 = Sikh Empire flag.svg
| image_flag =
| image_coat =
| image_map = Detail of the main, continuous tract of territory of Jaswan (Jaswal) from a map of the various Hill States of the Punjab Hills region, copied in 1852.jpg
| image_map_caption = Detail of Jaswan (Jaswal) from a map of the various Hill States of the Punjab Hills region, copied in 1852
| stat_area1 =
| stat_year1 =
| stat_pop1 =
| today = [[Una, Himachal Pradesh]], [[India]]
| footnotes =
| capital = Rajpura
}}

'''Jaswan''' was a chieftaincy<ref>{{cite book |last1=Raza Khan |first1=Ahsan |title=Chieftains in the Mughal Empire During the Reign of Akbar |date=1977 |publisher=Indian Institute of Advanced Study |isbn=9780896843769 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=shAdAAAAMAAJ&q=jaswan}}</ref> in modern-day [[Himachal Pradesh]], India, commanded by the [[Jaswal]] Rajput clan.<ref name="Jerath"/> It was founded in 1170 AD by Raja Purab Chand, a cadet of the [[Katoch]] lineage, ancient royal family of [[Kangra State|Kangra]].<ref name="Jerath">{{cite book |last1=Jerath |first1=Ashok |title=Dogra Legends of Art and Culture |date=1998 |publisher=Indus Publishing Company |isbn=978-8173870828 |pages=20–22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ToONShWeEB0C&pg=22 |accessdate=13 September 2019 }}</ref> Its capital was Rajpura.<ref name=":0" />

== Location and geography ==
Jaswan was a narrow chieftaincy that was approximately 64.3 km (40 mi) long and 8 km (5 mi) wide.<ref name=":0" /> To the south and west directions, the chieftaincy bordered the Punjab Plains region and Shivalik Hills range.<ref name=":0" /> To the north, the chieftaincy bordered [[Siba State]] and [[Datarpur|Datarpur State]].<ref name=":0" /> To the east, the state bordered [[Kangra State]], [[Kutlehar State|Kutlehr State]], and [[Bilaspur State (princely state)|Bilaspur (Kahlur) State]].<ref name=":0" />

==History==

===Early history===
According to legend Jaswan State was founded in 1170 CE by Raja Purab Chand from the Kangra royal family.<ref name="Jerath"/><ref name=":0" /> The founder was from a junior branch of the Kangra royal family.<ref name=":0" /> Thus, the Jaswan rulers shared familial relations with the royal families of Kangra, Guler, Siba, and Datarpur states.<ref name=":0" />

=== Mughal period ===
During the reign of Raja Govind Chand (r. c.1550-1575), the Jaswan ruler acted as a guardian for the minor Bidhi Chand of Kangra State.<ref name=":0" /> Also during Govind's reign in 1572, the state successfully defeated a Mughal invasion force attacking [[Kangra Fort]].<ref name=":0" /> The state under Anirudh Chand (r. c.1580–c.1600) took part in Pahari rebellions against Mughal emperor Akbar in 1588 and 1594.<ref name=":0" /> However, both rebellions failed which led to the state submitting to Mughal authority, with the state finding specific mention in the ''[[Akbarnama]]''.<ref name=":0" />

In 1745, Raja Ajit Singh of Jaswan submitted to the Mughal governor of Lahore province, [[Adina Beg|Adina Beg Khan]].<ref name=":0" /> Raja Ajit Singh died without issue, thus he was succeeded by his brother Jaghar Singh.<ref name=":0" /> Jaghar Singh's successor, Abhiraj Singh, died without issue so he was succeeded by Jaghar's other son, Jagrup Singh.<ref name=":0" />

=== Tributary under Kangra State ===
During the reign of Raja Umed Singh, Jaswan became a tributary of Kangra State under Raja Sansar Chand in 1786.<ref name=":0" /> However, later during Umed's reign in 1805, he joined forces with other hill states against Kangra State.<ref name=":0" />

===Sikh Empire and British Raj===
[[File:Painting of Raja Abhiraj Singh of Jaswan State, attributed to the Nainsukh familial atelier, circa 19th century.jpg|thumb|Painting of Raja Abhiraj Singh of Jaswan State, attributed to the Nainsukh familial atelier, circa 19th century]]
In 1809, Jaswan became a tributary of the Sikhs.<ref name=":0" /> In 1815, the Sikh Empire annexed Jaswan State and Umed Singh was reduced to a jagir.<ref name=":0" /> This is because Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]] ordered all his available forces to assemble at [[Sialkot]]. The raja of Jaswan, Ummed Singh (1800–1849), failed to obey the summons and was fined a sum beyond his means. The raja was forced to relinquish his state to the Sikh emperor, and accepted a [[jagir]] of 21 villages and 12,000 [[Rupee|Rs]] per annum. In 1848, he joined the Sikh in an unsuccessful revolt against the [[British India|British]] during the [[second Anglo-Sikh war]].<ref name=":0" /> His palaces were plundered and razed to the ground, and his territory annexed in 1849.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Archer |first=William G. |title=Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills: A Survey and History of Pahari Miniature Painting |publisher=Sotheby Parke Bernet (London and New York) / Oxford University Press (Delhi) |year=1973 |volume=1: Text |pages=221–223 |chapter=Painting in Jaswan}}</ref> He was stripped of his title and exiled to [[Almora]], where he died a year later in 1854.<ref name="NIC">{{cite web |url= https://hpuna.nic.in/history/ |publisher=National Informatics Centre |title= History of Una |access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Umed's son, Jai Singh, was also deported alongside his father and thus died in-exile as well.<ref name=":0" />

In 1877, the jagir in Jaswan, along with several other former properties in Rajpura and Amb, was restored to Ummed's grandson Ran Singh (b. 1833), who also later acquired the jagir of [[Ramkot Fort|Ramkot]] in Jammu upon Ran's son's marriage to a granddaughter of Maharaja Ranbir Singh of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|J&K State]].<ref name="NIC"/><ref name=":0" /> Upon his son's marriage to Ranbir Singh's granddaughter, Ran Singh was granted a jagir at Mankot in Jammu.<ref name=":0" />

The titles claimed by the princes, however, were still denied any recognition until Raghunath Singh (b. 1852) was granted the title of ''raja'' due to his [[Katoch]] lineage and marriages to two of the daughters of Maharaja [[Ranbir Singh (Maharaja)|Ranbir Singh]] of Jammu and Kashmir. The title could not be passed on through inheritance, and he could not administer his jagir. Raghunath Singh died in 1918, after which Lachman Singh succeeded him.<ref name="NIC"/>

== Rulers ==
The clan of the rulers of Jaswan was Jaswal.<ref name=":0" /> The rulers originally appended Chand to their name but later would append [[Singh]].<ref name=":0" />

=== List of rulers ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+List of rulers of Jaswan State
!Name
!Portrait
!Reign
!References
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Raja|Rajas:]]
|-
|Purab Chand
|
|1170 – ?
|<ref name="Jerath" />
|-
| colspan="4" |'''''Unknown intermediary rulers'''''
|-
|Govind Chand
|
|c.1550–1575
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Bikram Chand
|
|c.1575–c.1580
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Anirudh Chand
|
|c.1580–c.1600
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Samir Chand
|
|c.1600–c.1630
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Man Singh
|
|c.1630–c.1660
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Ajab Singh
|
|c.1660–c.1690
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Ram Singh
|
|c.1690–c.1720
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Ajit Singh
|[[File:Detail of Raja Ajit Singh of Jaswan State, from a painting of Raja Ajit Singh of Jaswan State seated with his brother Mian Jaghar Singh, Kangra, ca.1760 (cropped).jpg|175x175px]]
|c.1720–c.1750
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Jaghar Singh
|[[File:Detail of Mian Jaghar Singh of Jaswan State, from a painting of Raja Ajit Singh of Jaswan State seated with his brother Mian Jaghar Singh, Kangra, ca.1760 (cropped).jpg|168x168px]]
|c.1750–c.1765
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Abhiraj Singh{{Efn|Also known as 'Abhirai Singh'.|group=note}}
|[[File:Seated portrait of Raja Abhiraj Singh Jaswal of Jaswan State, Kangra, ca.1760–70.jpg|206x206px]]
|c.1765–c.1770
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Jagrup Singh
|[[File:Painting of Raja Jagrup Singh of Jaswan State, Kangra, ca.1770.png|220x220px]]
|c.1770–1774
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Prit Singh{{Efn|Alias for Narpat Singh.|group=note}}
|[[File:Detail of Raja Prit Singh of Jaswan State, from a painting of Raja Tegh Chand of Kangra State smoking with Raja Prit Singh of Jaswan State, Kangra, 1774 (cropped).jpg|195x195px]]
|1774–1782
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Umed Singh{{Efn|Also spelt as 'Ummed Singh'.|group=note}}
|[[File:Raja Jaswal Umed Singh of Jaswan (reigned 1782-1854) LACMA M.74.102.2.jpg|240x240px]]
|1782–1815
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| colspan="2" |Annexation by the [[Sikh Empire]]
|1815
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Jagir|Jagirdars]]
|-
|Umed Singh
|[[File:Raja Jaswal Umed Singh of Jaswan (reigned 1782-1854) LACMA M.74.102.2.jpg|240x240px]]
|1815–1849
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
| colspan="2" |Annexation by the [[East India Company|British]]
|1849
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Titular ruler|Titular]]
|-
|Umed Singh
|[[File:Raja Jaswal Umed Singh of Jaswan (reigned 1782-1854) LACMA M.74.102.2.jpg|240x240px]]
|1849–1854
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Jai Singh
|
|1854–1856
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Ran Singh
|
|1856–1892
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Raghunath Singh
|
|1892–1918
|<ref name=":0" />
|-
|Lachman Singh
|
|1918 – ?
|<ref name="NIC" />
|}

== Religion ==
In surviving portraits of the rajas from Raja Ajit Singh to Raja Umed Singh, they were all depicted wearing [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] [[Tilaka|tilaks]].<ref name=":0" />

== Artwork ==
There is evidence that a member of the Seu-Manaku-Nainsukh artisan family may have worked at Jaswan State at one time.<ref name=":0" /> However, no surviving paintings produced at Jaswan have come down to us.<ref name=":0" /> However, portraits produced in other hill states of some of the rulers of Jaswan have been recorded.<ref name=":0" />

== See also ==

* [[Inder Singh (politician)|Inder Singh]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://hpuna.nic.in/history/ History of Una district]

{{Princely states of the Punjab and Simla Hills}}
{{Princely states annexed by British India}}
{{coord|30.484|N|76.594|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:History of Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Una district]]
[[Category:Rajput history]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1849]]

Jaswan - Revision history

Sergkwi at 02:29, 17 March 2026