princely state · Indian princely states

Sirmur State

1095 CE – 1948 CE (approx.) · capital Nahan

A Rajput hill state of the Shivaliks ruled from Nahan, whose name was given to the Sirmoor Battalion, the first of the British Army's Gurkha regiments.

Origins

The ruling Prakash dynasty traditionally dates its rule to 1095, when a Rajput prince settled in the hills between the Yamuna and the Sutlej. Raja Karam Prakash founded the town of Nahan as the capital in 1621.

Rule and society

Sirmur's Rajas held a strategic position on the routes from the plains to the hills and to the Doon valley. Like its neighbours it fell to the Gurkhas of the Kingdom of Nepal, from 1803 to 1815. Raja Shamsher Prakash (r. 1856–1898) modernised the state, founding the Nahan Foundry and building roads and schools.

Decline and legacy

The British restored the dynasty in 1815 and raised the Sirmoor Battalion there from former Gurkha soldiers. Sirmur merged into Himachal Pradesh in April 1948 and is now Sirmaur district.

Lineage

Sirmur StateDominion of India 1947 CE – 1950 CE

Connections (2)

Sirmur State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1815 CE – 1858 CE
Sirmur State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE

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Cite this page

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻