10-23-2005, 07:03 PM
The Rajas of the Jammu and Kangra hills joined in the campaigns of the Mughal armies. In the Mughal records these Rajputs are credited with excellence in hill fighting and for good marksmanship with their matchlocks[5]. But on the whole the Mughals could not control the eastern hills from the Punjab---the reason for that lay in geography. The Kangra fort commands the approach into an undulating plain called the Kangra valley (the ancient Trigartta), which is the largest and richest piece of arable land in the hills.
[3] These were early days for the muskets, which were no match for the talwars and the charging cavalry of the Rajputs.
[4] The word Kamboh is believed to be derived from Kamboja, the name of an ancient Hindu Kingdom. Janjuas are counted as a Rajput clan but Kambohs and Gakhars are not.
[5] For this reason they were prominent in the Mughal campaign to conquer Central Asia in 1645, where the army was led by Raja Jagat Singh Pathania of Nurpur, and in the attempts to take the fort of Kandahar from the Persians, where Raja Rajrup Patahania and Raja Man Singh Guleria were noted for their attempts to surprise the garrison by an infantry assault. The same Rajrup's foot-musketeers climbed the steep Gokla hill and turned Prince Dara Shikoh's position, ensuring his defeat near Ajmer in 1659.
Dogras
[3] These were early days for the muskets, which were no match for the talwars and the charging cavalry of the Rajputs.
[4] The word Kamboh is believed to be derived from Kamboja, the name of an ancient Hindu Kingdom. Janjuas are counted as a Rajput clan but Kambohs and Gakhars are not.
[5] For this reason they were prominent in the Mughal campaign to conquer Central Asia in 1645, where the army was led by Raja Jagat Singh Pathania of Nurpur, and in the attempts to take the fort of Kandahar from the Persians, where Raja Rajrup Patahania and Raja Man Singh Guleria were noted for their attempts to surprise the garrison by an infantry assault. The same Rajrup's foot-musketeers climbed the steep Gokla hill and turned Prince Dara Shikoh's position, ensuring his defeat near Ajmer in 1659.
Dogras