The first critical reference to the rani of Sirmur in contemporary historiography is in an article written by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. With the advent of the British in the Punjab hill states, two aspects of the Sirmur state are of critical political and historical importance. Sirmur’s proximity to Doon (the valley) on one side, and to Garhwal and Nepal on the other. This location would be of strategic importance to the commercial and imperial interests of the British East India Company after
the reconnaissance of the Punjab hill states.
Another crucial aspect of the Anglo–Sirmur relations in the early 19th century is the role played by the queen of Sirmur, Guleri Rani.
Avoiding extreme positions of ‘unquestioning deference and violent outrage’, she handled the political crises from a ‘middle ground in which conformity is often a self-conscious strategy and resistance is a carefully hedged affair that avoids all-or-nothing confrontations’.
In his reply to Spivak, Arik Moran argues how the rani of Sirmur negotiated with the British by using the ancient Rajput lineage and tradition to place Sirmur’s political importance among the hill states of Punjab. Subsequently, the rani attempted to balance her intricate relationship with the British and her husband, bringing forth her dilemma as a virtuous Rajput wife with its tradition of sati. Her conformity to tradition became her weapon in doing the delicate balancing act. She was not the oppressed or the marginalised voice suggested by Spivak, nor is sati the only defence for her.
The rani and the place are closely intertwined. The relative marginalisation of the place in the narrative of history resembles the marginalised position of the rani of Sirmur or Guleri Rani,
who is the focus of the present chapter.
Just as we know little about Guleri Rani, the history of Sirmur is equally obscure. Sirmur is shrouded in legends. A district in the present Himachal Pradesh, it is known for places like Paonta Sahib and Nahan, which are closely associated with the account of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru. Going back to the historical antecedents of Sirmur, it is believed that it was established by Raja Rasaloo of Jaisalmer, one of whose ancestors was known as Sirmur. Another story is that it derived its name from the fact that it was the most important hill state, as ‘Sirmur’ means ‘head’ or ‘chief’ in vernacular (in a western Pahari dialect).
This chapter is divided into three sections. The first looks at the different versions of the history of Sirmur; the second explores how Guleri Rani emerged in early 19th-century British accounts and the third focuses on the negotiations and tensions between the rani and the English officers.
According to the 1969 Gazetteer of Sirmur,
The ancient state capital was Sirmur situated in the Paonta valley corner, also known as Kayarda Dun . . . Despite the subsequent shifting of the capital, the original name, Sirmur, has held fast to this day. The original capital, Sirmur, was devastated by a flood in the Giri river about which there are
some legends.
The 1904 Sirmur Gazetteer begins the history of Sirmur with a particular legend. It states that Sirmur, prior to the present ruling family, was under the Suryavanshi Rajputs. According to the legend, under Raja Madan Singh,
a woman, an expert in necromancy, presented herself before the Raja, boasting of her skill of crossing the river with an acrobat’s rope. The Raja challenged her to cross the river Giri between two ranges, promising her half of his kingdom if she accomplished it. The woman successfully crossed the river, and on her return the Raja fearing her victory had the rope cut, drowning her. The place was cursed, and the old town of Sirmur was swept away, along with the king and his people.
After the end of Madan Singh’s dynasty, another lineage was invented associating Sirmur with the Rajputs of Jaisalmer. Following this tragedy, the ruling family claimed descent from Ugar Sain Rawal from the Jaisalmer House in Rajputana. His son Sobha Singh came to conquer Sirmur. The 1969 Gazetteer gives a different version of the present royal family of Sirmur.
Here the ruler of Jaisalmer is stated to be Sal Bahan II. The Bhats of Sirmur approached him to send his son to rule Sirmur. Sal Bahan’s son died before reaching Sirmur, but his wife delivered a son under the dhak plass tree near the Sirmuri Tal, and he was named Plasoo, and the family called Plassia.
The legend of Raja Salwan and Raja Rasaloo invites further investigation, as there is a Raja Rasaloo in the tales of Punjab. Raja Rasaloo or Rasalu was the son of Raja Salwan. He had a son, Puran, from his first wife, Ichhran. Raja Salwan married a younger woman from a hill state, Chamba. Her name was Loona. To cut a long story short, Loona was cursed by Puran as she had falsely accused Puran of having made sexual advances towards her and she got him executed.
After Guru Gorakhnath saved Puran, Puran became Guru Gorakhnath’s disciple. Raja Rasalu was born to Raja Salwan after Puran forgave both Loona and Raja Salwan. Raja Rasalu is considered to be the first important king in the history of Punjab.
It might be possible his influence increased from the western hill areas to the eastern hill areas. It is essential to keep in mind that Himachal Pradesh was carved out of Punjab in modern times in 1966. The legends of the hill areas are common to the tales of Punjab, though the dates of Raja Rasalu of Jaisalmer are different from the dates of Raja Rasalu of Punjab.
From the English gazetteers on Sirmur and the popular records available in the local Sirmuri tradition, it seems that the existence of Sirmur can be traced back to the tenth century.
An excerpt from Ranis & the Raj: The Pen and the Sword, Queeny Pradhan, Penguin.
