Bir, Himachal Pradesh
| Bir | |
|---|---|
| village | |
 Bir
Bir
|
|
| Coordinates: 32°03′N 76°42′E / 32.05°N 76.70°ECoordinates: 32°03′N 76°42′E / 32.05°N 76.70°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| Region | Baijnath |
| District | Kangra |
| Elevation | 1,525 m (5,003 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kangri, Hindi, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 176 077 |
| Telephone code | 91-1894 |
Bir is a village located in the west of Joginder Nagar Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.
Bir is a noted centre for ecotourism, spiritual studies and meditation. Bir is also home to a Tibetan refugee settlement with several Buddhist monasteries and a large stupa.
Bir was ruled by the Pal dynasty of the Chandarvanshi lineage. The last Raja or Rai was Raizada Prithi Pal, who was a descendant of the Rajas of Bhangahal, who appear to have maintained their rights until the time of Raja Prithi Pal in the early part of the eighteenth century. Raja Prithi Pal fell victim to his father-in-law, Raja Sidh Sen, who in 1728 invited him to Mandi on the pretext of seeking his assistance against the Raja of Suket. He was kindly received, but within a month of his arrival he was beguiled into the Damdama Fort, and there murdered. It is said his body was duly burnt, but his head was buried in a tank facing the Mandi Raja's palace. A pillar was erected on the spot, and a light was kept burning on it for years. Sidh Sen's object in murdering Raja Prithi Pal was to seize his territory, but in this he only partially succeeded. The forts at Jagapur, Tika Thana and the Patgana of Nir, with eighteen villages of Ilaga Chuhar (all of them until then forming part of the Bhangahal kingdom) were annexed to Mandi. Subsequently, Sidh Sen sttempted to seize Karanpur, which also belonged to Bhangahal, but he was repulsed by Raja Raghunath Pal who had succeeded his father Raja Prithi Pal. In a second invasion, he penetrated as far as Kotharli Gulu, then in Bhangahal, but Raghunath Pal was able, with the assistance of Raja Thedi Singh of Kulu, not only to check his advance, but also to beat him back with considerable loss.
The Mughal Emperors always appreciated the loyalty of the Bhanghal chiefs, and when the news of repeated aggression of the Mandhi Raja on Bhangahal reached the Emperor in Delhi, he deputed Adina Beg, Governor of Jullundur, to drive him off. But the Khan died on the road at Dinanagar in 1732. The affair ended unfortunately for Raghunath Pal, who went to meet the Governor, as Sham Sher Singh, then Raja of Mandi, took advantage of his absence to seize the much-coveted ilaqa of Karanpur.
Raghunath Pal died in 1749, and was succeeded by his son, Dalip Pal, whose reign was rendered memorable by a combined, though unsuccessful, attack made on Bhangahal by the Rajas of Mandi, Kullu, Kahlur, Nalagarh, Guler and Jaswan. The united forces of these chiefs encamped at Tika Changar, and made an attempt to capture the Raja and his brother, Mian Bhim Pal, but were eventually driven back with great loss. the Raja commemorated the victory by erecting several mounds composed of the heads of his slaughtered foes. One of these mounds exists in the pine forest in Bir, and another stands on the banks of river Pun river within the limits of Bhangahal.
...
Wikipedia