History Rampur, Himachal Pradesh

sutlej valley rampur ca. 1857

the principality of bashahr (also known bashahar, bushahar, bushahr) once among largest of twenty-eight shimla hill states under administration of british raj keen invest on regional , transcontinental trade , exploit himalayan resources. bordered on north spiti, on east tibet, on south garhwal, , on west jubbal, kotkhai, kumharsain, kotgarh, , kullu. caught in machinations of british imperial enterprise, subjected political-cum-economic vicissitudes, acceding indian union in 1947. on 8 march 1948, along twenty other princely hill states of punjab , shimla, bashahr signed agreement resulted in inclusion in indian state of himachal pradesh.

rampur, small township situated @ 1,005 meters on left bank of sutlej, served bushahar’s winter capital. being connected major trading routes joined indian markets central asia , tibet, buzzed mercantile activity, in november during lavi fair, largest trading event in north himalayas attracting traders kashmir, ladakh, yarkand, , indian mainland. concerning origins of rampuri fair, census of india (1961) reports:

3 hundred years ago during regime of raja kehar singh of bushahr, trade treaty signed between bushahr state , tibet…horses tibet , swords bushahr exchanged in token of friendship. written in treaty friendly relations continue till time…since then, presumed trade relations increased , [the] lavi fair held.

rampur located along pilgrimage routes sacred sites in western tibet shared hindus, bön , buddhists alike, i.e., mount kailash , lake mansarovar. missionary , pilgrimage activities, intensified trading possibilities, created conditions tibetan buddhism take firm stronghold in these borderland regions. twenty-two kilometres village of namgya in upper kinnaur, laid shipki pass linked caravan routes , western tibet. treacherous transcontinental passage must have been in use ancient times, among ruined castles reported francke @ shipki village, there no living memories of origins of mkar gog, oldest of them built above village in cyclopean style.rampur has hydro power stations namely, nathpa jhakri power station (1500 mw) , rampur hydro power station (412 mw) sjvn ltd. second castle, known seng ge mkhar, said have received crooked ground plan “through race round base executed in opposite directions poisonous snake , scorpion,” , built, in probability, during ladakhi occupation of mnga’ ris orders of king seng ge rnam rgyal (1570–1642) , called after him. 30 km sainj.