Katyuri Kings

The Katyuri kings were a medieval ruling clan of present-day Uttarakhand, India. They ruled over the region now known as Kumaon from 800 to 1100 AD. They called their state Kurmanchal, the land of Kurma, the second Avatar of Vishnu, from which the present name is derived.

There have been numerous different claims of origin. Badri Dutt Pandey is among those who believe the Katyurs were originally from Ayodhya, while others trace their origins back to the Kunindas, having found coins from the Kuninda period (Kuninda Kingdom). Rahul Sankrityayan traces their ancestry to Kshasha and Shaka stock, who were in India before the first century BCE.

The Katyuri dynasty was founded by Vashudev Katyuri, Ashok Rawat also called Vasu Dev or Basu Dev, according to traditions, but his name is not found in any inscriptions and an ancient Basdeo temple at Joshimath is attributed to Vasu Dev. Vasu Dev was of Buddhist origin, but later followed Brahminical practices and the brahminical practices of Katyuri kings in general is sometimes attributed to a vigorous campaign of Adi Shankara (788-820 CE). Originally from Joshimath, during their reign they dominated lands of varying extent from the "Katyur" (modern day Baijnath) valley in Kumaon, between 7th and 11th centuries C.E., and established their capital at Baijnath in Bageshwar district; which was then known as Kartikeyapura and lies in the centre of "Katyur" valley. Brahmadev mandi (a trading / business center in a flat area of the then Katyuri kingdom) in the Kanchanpur District of Nepal was established by Katyuris king Brahma Deo (Brahma Dev). Brahmadeo Mandi still exists by this name.

At its peak, the Katyuri kingdom extended from Nepal in the east to Kabul, Afghanistan in the west, before fragmenting into numerous principalities by the 12th century. They were displaced by the Chand Kings in the 11th century AD. Oppressive rule by Bira Dev was one of the reasons for the end of Katyuri dynasty. He used to collect heavy taxes and forced his people to work as his slaves, which led to unpopularity and revolt after his death.

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