750–1957 → Area 22 km (8 sq mi) | Established 750 Today part of Himachal Pradesh | |
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Kutlehar State, covering an area of 482 km², was one of the Princely states of India. It was reigned by Rana Amrat Pal until its occupation by Nepal from 1803 to 1815. After the annexation by Punjab in 1825 the state ceased to exist. The territory was then annexed by the British Raj and reduced to an estate (jagir). Kutlehar Estate acceded to India in 1957. Its main town was Bangana, in present-day Una district. Currently the area of the former estate is part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
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History
According to tradition Kutlehar state was founded around 750 AD by an ancestral king named Raja Gopal of uncertain origin. Between 1805 and 1809 the state was occupied by Nepal until the Gorkha occupants were driven out. Kutlehar State was extinguished in 1825 when it was briefly annexed to Pañjab (Punjab). The same year, after the British established their domination in the area, the Raja of Kutlehar was granted a Jagir to the value of 10,000Rs. Raja Saheb Shri Ram Pal Bahadur (1864-1927) was granted the title of hereditary Raja on 15 March 1909.
Rulers
Kutlehar State was ruled by Rajputs of the Pal Dynasty. The heads of the state bore the title 'Raja' until 1825. The title was kept by the rulers of the Jagir. After the death of Late Raja Mahendra Pal his son Raja Budhishwar Pal is the current Raja of Kutlehar Estate.