princely state · Indian princely states

Kangra State

1000 CE – 1828 CE (approx.) · capital Kangra

The kingdom of the Katoch Rajputs, among the oldest ruling families in India, whose court under Sansar Chand gave rise to the Kangra school of painting.

Origins

The Katoch dynasty claimed descent from the Trigarta kingdom of the Mahabharata, and tradition gives it great antiquity. Its seat was the fort of Nagarkot, or Kangra, with its rich temple of Vajreshwari, which Mahmud of Ghazni plundered in 1009.

Rule and society

Kangra fort fell to the Mughals in 1620, and the Katoch Rajas were reduced to vassals until the empire weakened. Sansar Chand Katoch (r. 1775–1823) regained the fort in 1786, dominated the neighbouring hill states and made his courts at Tira Sujanpur and Nadaun centres of the delicate Kangra style of miniature painting, known for its scenes of Krishna.

Decline and legacy

A Gurkha siege from 1806 forced Sansar Chand to call in Ranjit Singh, who took Kangra fort for the Sikh Empire in 1809. In 1828 his son Anirudh Chand fled to British territory and the state was annexed. Kangra passed to the British in 1846 and is now a district of Himachal Pradesh.

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kangra State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kangra-state
MLA
“Kangra State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kangra-state. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kangra State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kangra-state.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kangra State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kangra-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻