Agrarian Uprisings in the 19th Century in Chamba

Introduction

At the end of the 19th century, two important agrarian uprisings against the maladministration took place in the Chamba state. The uprising of 1895 has been amply written about in contemporary texts. In this article, we take a look at this uprising, as well as another agitation against begar that took place in May 1896, which hitherto has not been widely discussed in published literature.

Historical Background

Administrative Setup

The state of Chamba was divided into five wizarats or divisions, namely, Chamba or Sadr, Churah, Pangi, Bharmaur or Gaderan, and Bhattiyat. Each wizarat was further divided into parganas (small administrative districts).

In early years, the day-to-day administration in the state of Chamba would be in the hands of officials like:

1. Wazir or Chief Minister

2. Thare da Mahta or Chief Financial Officer

3. Bakhshi, official responsible for military accounts and administration of forces

4. Hazre da Kotwal, official who carried out Raja’s orders

5. Thare da Kotwal, official who performed miscellaneous duties

Each division was under control of a Wazir, and a court with Criminal and Civil power existed in every wizarat. Most petty cases were disposed by the Thare da Kotwal, while other cases were settled by the Wazir. Cases of serious nature were dealt with in the Raja’s court.

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