Uttarakhand 51
have fallen into oblivion.
Since and after Ajaipal, we are on much firmer ground due
to "Manodanya-Kavya" written by Yetis Rai who has supplied
the list of kings after Ajaipal. Ajaipal established his capital
at Chandpurgarhi, the remains of which can still be seen. He
has been compared with Yudhistra who descended from the
Lunar lineage and whose name was sufficient to give a tremor
lo the heart of many a king. He is said to have unified
the entire tract of Garhwal and was probably the first ruler
to call it Garhwal instead of Kedarkhand. His territory extended
from Badhan Pargana on the borders of Kumaon in the east
and Yamuna in the western limit of his possessions. He also
transferred his capital from Chandpur to Devalgarh in 1412 and
•subsequently it was shifted to Srinagar in 1517 by later kings
who found Srinagar centrally and strategically located.
Man Shah ascended the throne of Garhwal (1571—1610) and
successfully carried his arms right upto Champawat and after
crossing Kali subdued the Gyalpo of Dapa in western Tibet. The
Mughal emperor conferred the title of Shah on him. In the year
1625, the Garhwalis procured the aid of Rikha Lodi and marched
into Dapa (Tibet) in retaliation for raiding the upper part of
Garhwal. They took control of the Tholing Math and even
annexed upper reaches of the Sutlej river. Raja Fateb Shah
(1634—1710) proved a powerful ruler whose exploits have been
mentioned even by the hermits of Tsaprang mission (1625—50).
The Panwars received first setback in their prowers from the
Rohillas who defeated and plundered the Garhwalis in the year
1557 when Raja Pratap Shah was controlling the fortunes of
Panwar dynasty. Raja Pradyumna Shah (1787—1804) was the
last absolute ruler of Garhwal and incidentally of Kurnaon also.
The chaotic years
Gorkhas—the short statured, daughty fighters who wrested
Kumaon in 1970—were now threatening Garhwal. Pradyumna
Shah tried to ward them off by paying a tribute of Rs. 25,000/-
which the Gorkhas initially accepted but later on revoked it and
held seige of the capital—Srinagar. Maularam, the court poet of
the Panwars has thus portrayed the entire incident in these
words :