INDIA ANCIENT - KANGRA KINGDOM - TRILOKA CHANDRA DEVA II (1420-1450 AD) JITAL COIN
Denomination: Jital, Composition: Copper, Weight: 2.80 Gram Diameter: 14.53 MM
Horseman to Right
Lettering: Sri
Inscriptions in Medival Nagari
Lettering: महाराजा श्री त्रिलोक चंद्र देव (Maharaja Sri Triloka Chandra Deva)
Ruler: King Triloka Chandra Deva II : 1420-1450 AD
According to legend, the state of Kangra, also called Bhim Kot, Nagar-Kot, Susarmapura, Katoch, Jalandhara and Trigarta, dates back to 4300 BC. The first modern recorded mention of the state, however, is from the 11th century AD. The Katoch dynasty are reputed to have ruled the town of Kangra and its vicinity since time immemorial. During the period c.1620-1783 the area was placed under the control of a Mughal garrison. As the Mughal power waned, many former officers of the Mughal empire took autonomous charge of the areas under their power and this situation affected Kangra. Meanwhile (in 1758), Ghamand Chand, a supposed scion of the dispossessed family, attained a position of power in the Punjab plains, being appointed governor of Jalandhar by Ahmed Shah Abdali . Building upon this ascendency, Ghamand Chand's grandson Sansar Chand rallied an army, ousted the then ruler of Kangra, Saif Ali Khan, and gained possession of his patrimony. This came to pass in 1783, and Sansar Chand was aided by the Kanhaiya misl , one of several informal but armed militias of Sikhs that roamed the Punjab in that era.
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