princely state · Indian princely states
Bilaspur State
Origins
Tradition dates Kahlur to 697, when Bir Chand, a Chandela Rajput from central India, carved out a domain on the Sutlej in the lower Himalaya. The town of Bilaspur, which gave the state its later name, was founded as the capital in the mid-17th century.
Rule and society
Kahlur was one of the leading Shimla hill states, ruled by Rajas who held land through local Rajput and Brahmin families. Raja Bhim Chand fought Guru Gobind Singh in the 1680s and 1690s, and the state was later overrun by the Gurkhas of the Kingdom of Nepal. After the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–1816 the British restored the Raja under a sanad.
Decline and legacy
Raja Anand Chand kept Bilaspur apart after 1947, and it was run as a separate centrally administered state until it joined Himachal Pradesh in 1954. The old town of Bilaspur was submerged in the 1960s by the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra Dam, and a new town was built above it.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Bilaspur State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1815 CE – 1858 CE
- Bilaspur State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE
- Bilaspur State was part of Dominion of India1948 CE – 1950 CE
More states of Indian princely states →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bilaspur State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bilaspur-state
- MLA
- “Bilaspur State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bilaspur-state. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Bilaspur State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bilaspur-state.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bilaspur State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bilaspur-state (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻