kingdom · Indian princely states

Kishtwar Kingdom

1100 CE – 1821 CE (approx.) · capital Kishtwar

A mountain kingdom on the upper Chenab, famed for saffron, whose Rajas converted to Islam in the 17th century before the Dogras of Jammu annexed it.

Origins

Tradition holds that a Rajput named Kahan Pal founded the dynasty around 1100. The kingdom occupied the high valleys of the upper Chenab between Kashmir and the Jammu hills.

Rule and society

Kishtwar exported saffron and lay on routes between Kashmir, Chamba and Ladakh. In the 17th century the Sufi saint Shah Farid-ud-din came to Kishtwar, and Raja Kirat Singh converted to Islam, after which the dynasty and much of the population became Muslim. The Rajas were tributaries of the Mughal emperors.

Decline and legacy

Gulab Singh, Dogra ruler of Jammu under the Sikh Empire, conquered Kishtwar in 1821. It became part of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state) in 1846 and is now a district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻